I can't run 5K in 30 minutes, can I still Graduate ???

[Instructor57]

*YES, ABSOLUTELY*

There are often posts on the forum with people worried about not running 5K in 30 minutes during week 9 to graduate C25k Don't worry.

*RUNNING 5K IN 30 MINUTES IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION*

Some time ago there was a poll on the forum to see how far people ran in the 30 minutes of week 9

The number that achieved 5K was around 10%

And I certainly was not one of them !

Take a look at the poll results .

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

*SO WHY IS IT CALLED COUCH TO 5K?*

Because it sounds better than Couch to 3x30 minutes running in week 9 !!!

*SO DON'T WORRY*

Just run the runs at a conversational pace as advised in the program guide and forget about distance and pace.

*DISTANCE IS IRRELEVANT*

Just trust the program and yourself.

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the journey.

Happy Running !

[Hidden]

Well said Ian!

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thank you ! 👍

[Hidden]

Too true, the best I did was 2.7 miles, my W9R3 was 2.5 miles. You can consolidate after week 9 is over. Enjoy the program, it gets you to run for 30 minutes in 9 weeks from nothing. It works.

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

And of course consolidation is not meant for increasing speed or distance .That can come AFTER consolidation

[Hidden in reply to Instructor57]

Yes exactly, consolidate on what you have done up til now. Also, to consider the improvements you have made over 9 weeks. When I drive around my route I always say “did I just do THAT” in amazement!

[JetsNanna Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I’m the same, there are times that I think somewhere is too far to walk and I have to check myself and say - don’t be a pillock, you can run there and back no sweat so why wouldn’t you walk there 😂

[Frenc Graduate]

Great advice! 🏃‍♂️👍🏃‍♀️

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Frenc]

Thank you !

[Run46 Graduate]

Great post, you'll have to share it once every couple of months for newbies 🙂..so many new C25K runners worry about pace and achieving the 5K, maybe they should have called it C24K then more of us would have had half a chance 😆

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Run46]

Yes, it's a regular question

[Jools2020 Graduate in reply to Run46]

Haha I couldn’t run 4K in 30 minutes either! Think I graduated with 3.2K and I was more than happy with that! 😊

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

Haha, yes , think I did 3.9 🤣

[Raisemeup Graduate]

That will be great re-assurance for many, Instructor57. In fact, I often think a more appropriate name would have been 'Couch Towards 5k', inferring you will get there in due course rather than in 9 weeks as we often believe. Just a thought, not a negative as all - in - all the simplicity and effectiveness of such an app is quite genius! Have a good day all. 😊

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Raisemeup]

Yes, it's a regular question on here

[BS44 Graduate]

I’m just on week 7 and this thought just entered my head today 🤔😢 there’s no way I’ll be able to do 5K in 30 minutes so thank you for this post. I feel better already 🤣

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to BS44]

Good to hear 😁👍

[MikeNunn]

I’m 69 and never run before this. After a shaky start I’m just about to start week 7 and I was concerned about the same thing but feel reassured that it doesn’t matter how slowly I run. The snails snigger as they whizz by lol. But I never thought I would make it this far - so well done for the app. It’s brilliant.

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to MikeNunn]

Congratulations on your progress , And yes , distance is irrelevant,

What matters is time spent running/jogging this is what wil build your strength and stamina

[sTrongFuse Graduate]

Giving this one of its occasional signal boosts. My first 5k was about 36 minutes; furthest I ran during C25K was about 3.9k.

Three years on, I now run Parkrun in about 27-28 minutes, I run a 10k in a bit under an hour and 2 of my 20+ HMs have snuck under 2hr (hoping for a third in a few weeks time).

The key message is to just enjoy it. You will get faster as you get fitter, and you will run further as you get stronger. The important thing is just run at a pace that feels right for you.

[Frenc Graduate]

Great post there Ian, it’s always good to be reminded! I remember running just over 4k when I graduated and being over the moon! Still haven’t done 5k in 30 mins, and I doubt I ever will 😁.

[anorak1 Graduate]

Sounds like I was certainly fooled by the title! 😁 My problem is that I have been able to trot 5km in the past, very slowly. And never got faster. So this time I thought I'd try C25K, a programme which must have some secret strategy to get even me to run 5km in 30 minutes. (I tried parkrun once and it was so depressing to see that I was indeed the slowest of the lot, at just under 40 minutes, I never did it again. Plus it was the world's dullest course, 5 times around a playing field...)

I will probably stick with C25K because it makes rit marginally more interesting, but I am slightly disappointed now...

[Bradshaw123 in reply to anorak1]

please don't beat yourself up,anoraks I have just completed week 4,so you are way ahead of me.well done you.

[Hidden in reply to anorak1]

Well done to you! Round and round a field sounds dull. I'm about to do my first 5k run in a couple of weeks and will definitely be the slowest. I've decided that any time under 50 minutes as a win for me!