Miles times?

tinajean141
tinajean141 Posts: 59
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm sure this has been posted before, but I went five pages back in the exercise thread and couldn't find anything.

I started the c25k about five weeks ago and have no previous experience at all in running. I just did a timed mile run yesterday and ended up running a mile in 9:40. I was really happy that I was under ten minutes, but I felt like it was still really slow. When I started asking around though, people were impressed with my under ten mile time.

I tried to do some research to find out the average mile times for females/males and in all different ages, but each website has different numbers!

I was wondering if anyone knows of a good average mile time or maybe your mile time and how long you have been running? Just curious to have something to compare it to, as well as something I can be working towards to improve my time.

Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    You can deduce the times from an "Age Grading" calculator such as http://www.runbayou.com/Wavacalc.htm .

    For women runners the 50 percentile for 32 yrs and under is 8:16. 75 percentile is 5:31. The top standard is 4:08.
    For men runners the 50 percentile for 32 yrs and under is 7:28. 75 percentile is 4:58. The top standard is 3:44.
  • SatchGallamax
    SatchGallamax Posts: 549 Member
    I think your 9:40 is great! I ran for years (without really pushing myself, just enjoyed doing it) and never broke a 10 min/mile. I've since started lifting and have been able to get it down to about 9:30, but would love to be able to run a sub 8. Someday...
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    When you get to 5K, the average around here is about 30 minutes or less for the 3.1 miles. So a 10:00 minute mile is good.

    Of course as Scott stated, there are a lot of folks that can run faster. But look at like this, first, you are faster than everyone not running and still sitting on the couch, and lastly, you have the rest of your life to improve.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    WIth only 5 weeks of running and no previous experience 9:40 is not bad at all. If you want it and train for it you will be under 8:00 in a few months.
  • pooki24
    pooki24 Posts: 31
    Hey Tina, 9:40 is a great time if you are new to running! I don't think you can find an "average" time unless you have other parameters, such as age, performance and conditioning level, gender, ect. to add to the equation. Professional times are like Scott listed, but that may not be useful if you are working on your 1st 5K. I have been running off and on for almost 30 years and my mile times have varied widely, from 5:05 in college to 10:00 after coming back from hernia surgery. I would guess I'm in the 7:00-7:15 range now, but I haven't timed myself in a mile recently because I'm just getting back into training.

    Since you are training for a 5k, I would suggest that you have a target time for a 5K in mind (30:00?). It isn't feasible to run race speed throughout your training, so a tool I use is Jeff Galloway's "Magic Mile" prediction calculator. You time yourself in a mile every couple weeks and input the results in this calculator (http://www.jeffgalloway.com/resources/gallracepredict.html ) and it will predict your times. You can see your predicted progress in the 5k without over-training at that speed. FYI, @ 9:40/mi, your predicted 5k is 31:40, which isn't too shabby!

    Good luck!
    Todd
  • charmarbobar
    charmarbobar Posts: 251 Member
    On the treadmill I just make a 12 min/mile. Outside, I can make a 10 min/mile.

    My "record" is 5K in 40 mins so far :laugh: Not impressive, I blame it on my short legs, but at least I'm moving!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Under 10 is good but it was only for one mile. Can you do it for 3 or 4 miles and keep up that pace? Most runners take an average of their total time divided by the miles they've run. I can do a much faster one mile run if that's all I'm going to do than if I know I have more miles to run and have to pace myself.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    9:40 is a great time. Just remember for a 5k you have to do 3 of those in a row, pacing is important.
  • hendelk
    hendelk Posts: 22 Member
    A 9:40 mile is a great time for a beginning runner! Don't worry so much about the time though, just run as fast as you feel you can. If you push yourself to increase your speed too quickly you may injure yourself and end up setting your progress back.
  • spetermann190
    spetermann190 Posts: 289 Member
    Curious about this too ... I lift heavy ... Never used to run but started running SOME recently and finding I actually like it!

    I am 40. Ran a 7:28 mile this morning after 75 minutes of posterior chain leg workout. I've run just over 6 miles in an hour recently. My goal is to run a sub 6:00 mile. Going dig through posts here and see what a good goal would be for my age
  • spetermann190
    spetermann190 Posts: 289 Member
    You can deduce the times from an "Age Grading" calculator such as http://www.runbayou.com/Wavacalc.htm .

    For women runners the 50 percentile for 32 yrs and under is 8:16. 75 percentile is 5:31. The top standard is 4:08.
    For men runners the 50 percentile for 32 yrs and under is 7:28. 75 percentile is 4:58. The top standard is 3:44.

    I see I have a Long way to go :) will have to try a "fresh" mile and see how quick can do that (ie. not after 75 minutes of leg workout)
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    When you get to 5K, the average around here is about 30 minutes or less for the 3.1 miles. So a 10:00 minute mile is good.

    Of course as Scott stated, there are a lot of folks that can run faster. But look at like this, first, you are faster than everyone not running and still sitting on the couch, and lastly, you have the rest of your life to improve.

    Yes! This is a good starting point. I think 10 and under is great for a beginner... as someone who used to weigh 383lbs, I never thought I'd get to a sub 12 minute mile, let alone sub 10. If you finish a 5k in under 30, I think you're doing really well (and you should think so too!). There's always room for improvement... that's the great thing about running :)
  • roverdisc98
    roverdisc98 Posts: 78 Member
    under 10 minutes for a beginner is great! like mentioned, continue training and the number will continue to get better!

    i would suggest to time yourself at all times to know if you were faster or slower that day and to know what it feels like to have more or less in the tank!
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    I did the C25K about six months ago and my peak speed has been 8:30/mile, my average is around 10.
  • tinajean141
    tinajean141 Posts: 59
    Thank you all for your advice and input!!!

    For those about pacing yourself, I was jogging my usual pace for most of the mile, but did run a bit faster as I got towards the end of the stretch. I do need to work on running longer distances though, which is why I'm still making my way through the c25k :)

    I'm hoping to run at least three 5ks this summer, then run a 10k this fall and then begin training for a half marathon for 2014! And then I'm going to train for a full marathon for 2015. Does that seem too quick or a feasible time span to train for those races??
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
    Thank you all for your advice and input!!!

    For those about pacing yourself, I was jogging my usual pace for most of the mile, but did run a bit faster as I got towards the end of the stretch. I do need to work on running longer distances though, which is why I'm still making my way through the c25k :)

    I'm hoping to run at least three 5ks this summer, then run a 10k this fall and then begin training for a half marathon for 2014! And then I'm going to train for a full marathon for 2015. Does that seem too quick or a feasible time span to train for those races??

    According to your profile you are 19. You're young enough that you should easily be able to do that, maybe even sooner. I know someone who is training for a triathlon and is 10 years your senior. He plans on doing it this summer with about a year's worth of training (although he was a exercise runner before, so he had a bit of a head start).
  • goleah68
    goleah68 Posts: 3
    That's definitely fine for a beginner! If you train 3x per week, you will see the seconds drop off, and eventually the minutes. My mile time trial was 8:09, which is terrible for a HS track runner. But with training hard 5-6x per week, I can cut 10+ seconds per week. Make sure you're training smart and increasing mileage slowly to avoid injury.
  • tinajean141
    tinajean141 Posts: 59
    Thank you all for your advice and input!!!

    For those about pacing yourself, I was jogging my usual pace for most of the mile, but did run a bit faster as I got towards the end of the stretch. I do need to work on running longer distances though, which is why I'm still making my way through the c25k :)

    I'm hoping to run at least three 5ks this summer, then run a 10k this fall and then begin training for a half marathon for 2014! And then I'm going to train for a full marathon for 2015. Does that seem too quick or a feasible time span to train for those races??

    According to your profile you are 19. You're young enough that you should easily be able to do that, maybe even sooner. I know someone who is training for a triathlon and is 10 years your senior. He plans on doing it this summer with about a year's worth of training (although he was a exercise runner before, so he had a bit of a head start).

    Sounds great!! Thank you for the advice! And I just wish I would have started running sooner! I've found a passion for it all of a sudden and really enjoy running!

    I just dont want to push myself too fast, since I am still working full-time and a full-time student, so the training pace I have right now seems reasonable with my schedule. I am young enough where I should be able to handle it though, which, for once, my youth is a positive aspect!!

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