5 k = 30mins?

[lycranotlikely]

I read somewhere that the couch to 5k podcast lasts 30 minutes? Is that right? What if I run much slower than the podcast? Will I never run 5k? I haven't started yet! Doc says not to start till the temp goes up (weather) because of my asthma.

[Pat184 Graduate]

Hi lyccranotlikely, Do what Laura said take it really slow and you will be fine, there are lots out there with asthma from some of the blogs I read .See my Blogs Pat

[greenlegs Graduate]

And don't worry about the 5k bit. The main target for the 9 week programme is to run for 30 minutes. A few people will be fast enough to cover 5k (just over 3 miles) - they are more likely to be younger and/or male - but many won't yet be that fast.

I'm 53, not overweight, but pretty unfit (and very poor at PE at school) and I could only do just over 3k in 30 minutes in week 9. It's about a month since I graduated, and it took me almost 46 minutes to do a 5k parkrun at the weekend, and I was really pleased with that time - it took a huge effort, and was maybe a bit further than my legs are ready for, to be honest. But you can go on building up distance or speed after graduation.

If you find week 1 at all challenging (and you'd be pretty unusual if you don't!), go really slowly - far better to run 30 minutes slowly than to try to go fast and give up!

It's well worth it, anyway.

[gdeann Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

We posted at the same time greenlegs. Great going on the parkrun!!!

[amsjo Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

Well done on your park run greenlegs wondered how you had done x

[gdeann Graduate]

Don't worry...many, myself included, are not at the magical 5K / 30 minute mark when we complete the program. My first 5K distance was closer to 40 minutes. Just work the program, build stamina, and the rest will follow. We are all runners regardless of the pace we keep. As far as asthma, we have a few runners here on the board who may be able to offer some input. Gayle

[lycranotlikely Graduate]

Thank you all for those helpful words.

[sergeant_tibbs Graduate]

As everyone else says, go slowly and disregard the 5k part until after you finish the program if you want. I run at many people's walking pace (4mph), but running slowly means I continue running every week instead of quitting out of fatigue and frustration.

I also have very bad everything-induced asthma (been to the hospital once or twice) and I take preventative medicine every day, so I'm very careful. Definitely follow your doctor's orders. In my experience, I've never had an issue running indoors on a treadmill. Recently, I started adding in outdoor runs just to see if I'd have an asthma attack. Not only was I fine, but I ran faster than I normally do! Now, I do at least two runs a week outside and mix in a treadmill session to keep my knees happy. I always keep my inhaler nearby and stay aware of my breathing though. Right now, I live in a tropical country so the weather hasn't been a problem, but I will definitely be more careful when I start to run in cold weather. Hope this helps!