Not hitting the distance

[Tezza5621]

I’ve just done the first run of week 9, and ran for the full 30 minutes but I’m still not getting to 5k. I’m only 5’2” and so I don’t have long legs and therefore not a long stride. I’m not finding it easy still. Does anyone else find the same thing? Including the walking at the beginning and the end, my total distance was 2.72 miles = 4.37km, not the 5k!! So I’m thinking if I want to run 5k I would probably need to be running for about 40-ish minutes which seems beyond me at the moment.

[Running-rings Graduate]

Hi 👋 I'm at the same stage as you. I think the goal of the programme is to get us to 30mins running by week 9 (not 5k even though that's what it's called). I completed the running section of week 9 run 1 just under 4km and I'm 5'4". From reading on the forums here, we should do consolidation runs after week 9 - there are podcasts for this, to work on speed, distance and...something else, can't remember! Hopefully a graduate will step in here and give you the right links 😁

[alpacagirl Graduate]

I have been running 3 times a week for a while and it still takes me 40 minutes to run 5k on quite a hilly route. I also am 5’2” with a short stride length (I suspect I am also older than you at 63 so I don’t think I will ever do 5k in 30 minutes😂)

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Only a small proportion of graduates from this forum who responded to a poll, managed 5k in 30 minutes by graduation healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

Graduation requirements are that you complete three thirty minute runs, regardless of distance.

[Comfortnotspeed]

I think your doing fine. Master the time and then later start to think about distance. 😀

[Cmoi Graduate]

Don't worry about the distance Tezza5621 , just concentrate on completing the remaining two 30 minute runs and then take it from there. If you stick with it you might be surprised what you can achieve, whether it's simply running regularly, or faster, or further. I'm speaking as a 5 foot-nothing 60 year old woman who certainly didn't manage 5K on C25K graduation 😊

[alpacagirl Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Nice to know there are other short 60 year old women out there Cmoi! Rather than trying to run 5k in 30 minutes I have been concentrating on running for a longer time for one of my runs each week - up to 52 minutes so far. Not getting any faster but it’s satisfying to run a bit further/longer each week. How about you?

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to alpacagirl]

Well, it's just over ten months since I completed C25K alpacagirl , and to my own surprise (and that of all who know me!) I've taken to running. I have got faster, but I ran 10k before I managed 5k in under 30 minutes. I can now run for a couple of hours, but my pace is hopelessly inconsistent, as like you I live in a hilly area.

[alpacagirl Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

That’s brilliant Cmoi - maybe there’s hope for me in the faster 5k stakes😬 Not aiming for 10k yet - aiming for 1 hour first. I actually first graduated from C25k when I was 57 but didn’t keep it up beyond two or three months so I started again in January this year and so far still running 3 times a week. So still at the start of my running journey. (Why wasn’t c25k around when I was younger😅?)

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to alpacagirl]

Thanks alpacagirl 😊

Re getting to 60 minutes, are you using the Magic Plan over on the Bridge to 10K forum? I loved it and it got me to 10k, which I'd previously assumed was way out of my league. There's a timed version to get you to 60 minutes, and a distance one to get you to 10k.

[alpacagirl Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Oh thanks for that Cmoi I didn’t realise there was a timed version - I just assumed the magic plan was 10k and too big a stretch for me - I’ll have a look at the bridge to 10k forum. I have just been increasing by about 4 or 5 minutes a week😊