starting my adventure tomorrow AM. I’ve done C25K about 10 years ago but need to be able to run 5k in 25mins by April. Is this doable? Any tips, hints, lifesaver gadgets, podcasts, music to inspire.
Paula x
p.s. I’ve added some of the early morning pictures I used to take when early morning running 🏃♀️
Welcome to the forum and what a lovely photo!
Gosh, that’s a very tough target. My personal best 5k time is 25 minutes after running for a couple of years. My instinct is that’s a very tough ask and not realistic but I don’t know your personal circumstances. If it’s really important to you, I’d seek some advice from a running coach in real life who will be able to look at your personal circumstances and go from there. Couch to 5k aims to get you running continuously for 30 minutes with no expectation of time and we usually advise beginner runners (or ones who’ve taken a long break) to keep it at a comfortable, steady pace to build in the best way. Speed comes later.
We’ve got a hints and tips post you might like to look at here….
healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
Wishing you lots of luck!
Thank you for the honesty, I really appreciate it.
I will aim for 30 mins if I can get that I will be happy it’s all a step in the right direction.
Thank you for the links too. Well done to you getting 5k in 25 mins 🏃♀️
As MissUnderstanding has indicated.. that may be a tall order and one which would need really skilful coaching...Aim for that 30 minutes.. comfortable running...having fun and staying injury free..
We shall watch your progress, so do keep us posted please .
Thank you 🙏
Don't know if this is helpful or depressing:
runninglevel.com/running-ti...
Do you need to run 5k in 25 minutes just the once or consistently? If it's a one off and there's enough at stake you might just be able to pull it off down to adrenaline (this was how I managed a 10k in under 1hr 20 mins, wasn't even convinced I'd be able to do the whole course at the start).
The main thing is not to injure yourself. Make sure you have the right shoes, properly fitted preferably after a gait analysis. I find drum'n'bass fantastic for running, much to my 20 something son's amusement.
PS I'm the wrong person for any real life tips on running fast 😂🐌
Wow 🤩
That is amazing thank you so much. 🙏
I basically need to do it once (then after that at my leisure). I rechecked the rules and it’s actually 30 mins. I was thinking too maybe with adrenaline, some pre workout & a good running track I might be able to do it so now im hopeful thank you!
Thank you so much I’m glad I have this information and in a way a goal (however tight) to keep me motivated.
Hope you have a great day (my head if full of good thoughts now).
A thirty minute 5k is much more achieveable, especially if you’ve been fit and active before starting Couch to 5k. That totally changes things! I’d commit to a couple of strength days a week-that made a massive difference to my pace after had an injury-that’s how I got my 25 minute 5k. Start the program and don’t worry about how fast you’re going at all. Perhaps when you get later in and you’ve got longer, continuous runs, begin to have a look at where you’re sitting in relation to your target. Any smart watch will help you with that. The main thing is to get settled into a rhythm of running regularly now and not get injured pushing too hard too early.
I was exercising regularly and fit before starting. I’d just never run before. I did run 5k on my graduation run. That’s unusual but it is possible depending on your starting point.
Good luck! It’s nice to be able to write a more positive message!!
Thank you! & thank you for all the hints and tips.
I shall keep my head low now and see how I get on in the next few weeks.
I think it depends on your current level of fitness and how much you have run recently. If you are not used to running then it is far better to take it easy than push yourself too hard and get injured. To run a 25 minute 5K you have to average a pace of 5 min/km (pretty obviously). If you think this might be realistic then the best way to train might be with interval sessions where you run 1 km at the target pace then have, say, a minute off to recover and then repeat this 5 times. As you keep on training just reduce the recovery time until you are running the whole 5K at the target pace. If this is not realistic then as others have said it is better to go for a 30 minute 5K where the average pace is 6 min/km.
If you are getting completely out of puff then there is no harm in walking the 5K for a bit.
Also do some strength and conditioning if you have been out of running for a while. You don't want to get injured!
really good advice thank you. 😊
I will give it two weeks then work on my puff and try tighten up my regime.
Thank you so much 😊
hmm, well, not for me. The fastest I've ever run the 5k has been 28 minutes and I've been running for 6 years. Mind you, I'm 56, female and was never a fast runner even in my teens. I tend to run at an average of 31mins now.
So I would have said 'no' except that my daughter took up running at the age of 25 and on the penultimate week of this programme managed to run just over 5k. So, yeah, doable for some but I think age, gender and overall fitness will have a lot to do with it.
I followed the programme methodically but when I graduated I switched to music. I'm a big Musical Theatre fan so I tend to run to soundtracks (Hamilton, Operation Mincemeat, Six are current faves) or Taylor Swift.
Newbie here...
Newbie Struggling tbh
Newbie 
Newbie 70 at Christmas!
Newbie-ish!!
