Decent 5K time for fast(er) runners?

msstatz
msstatz Posts: 163 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For those of you who have a few races (5K, 10K and half marathons) under your belt, what is your goal time for a 5K? Just curious. Thanks!

Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    My goal is to win my age group which depending on the course and time of year is usually between 20 to 22 min.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    We call Scott "Speedy" :laugh: ......I'd kill for a 25 min 5K and have yet to bust 2hrs for a half-marathon (and I'm pretty middle of the pack for my age group)
  • ShengHuo
    ShengHuo Posts: 42
    I'm pretty new to 5ks and have only run once race. The time was 28-29. My goal is 27 then I'll start thinking about working up to a 10k. By the way I'm a 22yr old female, and I am NOT a runner, neither speed nor distance. So my goal is pretty modest.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    The textbook answer is any time that gives you a sense of accomplishment, i.e., to finish, new PR, win age group, beat friends, keep up with the hot chick in front of you, etc. My personal goal time is 20min +/- 1min, depending on the kind of day I'm having.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    We call Scott "Speedy" :laugh: ......I'd kill for a 25 min 5K and have yet to bust 2hrs for a half-marathon (and I'm pretty middle of the pack for my age group)

    This is me. I just missed a sub 2 hr half (2:01) and have done one 5k under 25. So a fast 5k for me is sub 25.
    You have to be a lot faster than that to win the age groups around here.
    18 for the guys, 20 for women.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Faster than my previous 5K PR :laugh:

    Which is 33:46.
  • rolemodel69
    rolemodel69 Posts: 365
    I can run a 5K in 24 minutes 30 seconds on good day. I know people who train a lot can do it in 20 minutes or less.
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
    Faster than my previous 5K PR :laugh:

    Which is 33:46.


    That is my goal as well. Just to do better than the last one and have fun. I did one in April ( 5k) and my time was 35.42
    Did one today ( 5k) and my time was 33.44

    My main goal is to finish it and not be last lol
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    My best 5k was 24:59, and I have won a couple age group medals, but only in very small races that took place on the same day as bigger races that all the really good runners went to instead. :laugh:

    My best 10k was 53:17, and I took 2nd place for my age group, because it was raining and there were only two of us in that age group. :blushing:

    I don't have a goal time anymore because I got burnt out on racing and it stopped being fun. I still run, but I don't care about time all that much.
  • MrsPixelbark
    MrsPixelbark Posts: 175 Member
    Fastest 5k- 22.13, and I'm pretty sure I could top that this year if I entered another race.

    Fastest 10k- 51.32 - yet to crack the 50 mark, I'd love to though!

    And half marathon is currently at 2 hours, 3 seconds. I was gutted I didn't scrape under the 2 hour mark at the time! Oh well, it was my first real half race, so fingers crossed I can beat that next time. :)
  • msstatz
    msstatz Posts: 163 Member
    Thanks for all if your input! I have ran 2 5ks in 24:30 and think I would like to break the 23 minute mark. I'm just not sure how to start out fast but not too fast that I'm not able to maintain that pace. Any idea? Do I start out slower and then increase my pace with each mile?
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    My best 10k was 53:17, and I took 2nd place for my age group, because it was raining and there were only two of us in that age group. :blushing:

    :laugh: :laugh: I did a sprint duathlon last year where I was first & last in my AG! (I didn't hang around for a gold lanyard!)

    My strategy is to outlive my "competitors"........
  • MrsPixelbark
    MrsPixelbark Posts: 175 Member
    I'm a HUGE advocate of running further, so you have more stamina for the shorter runs: my original 5k time improved massively once I was running 10k, and 10k once I was running halves. As I tend to run half marathon distance + once a week, a 5k for me anyway is a bit of a sprint: I can normally just belt it and still have the stamina to finish (although I've not been able to crack the 24 minute mark by myself- that bit of extra adrenaline on race day seems to get my legs moving a bit more).

    So, on that note I'd say increase your distance and the stamina for the increased speed will come on the shorter runs. However, fartlek's have also helped me massively.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Thanks for all if your input! I have ran 2 5ks in 24:30 and think I would like to break the 23 minute mark. I'm just not sure how to start out fast but not too fast that I'm not able to maintain that pace. Any idea? Do I start out slower and then increase my pace with each mile?

    Try warming up first. Jog the distance first then run hard for the whole 5 k.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    My best 10k was 53:17, and I took 2nd place for my age group, because it was raining and there were only two of us in that age group. :blushing:

    :laugh: :laugh: I did a sprint duathlon last year where I was first & last in my AG! (I didn't hang around for a gold lanyard!)

    My strategy is to outlive my "competitors"........

    We've got an 80 year old who still races.
    And a 75 + ironman competitor.
  • msstatz
    msstatz Posts: 163 Member
    Thanks for all if your input! I have ran 2 5ks in 24:30 and think I would like to break the 23 minute mark. I'm just not sure how to start out fast but not too fast that I'm not able to maintain that pace. Any idea? Do I start out slower and then increase my pace with each mile?

    Try warming up first. Jog the distance first then run hard for the whole 5 k.

    I might take a mile or so warm up run as it takes me about a mile to reach my pace.
  • Cannon_G
    Cannon_G Posts: 77 Member
    I started running on 4/30/12. I weighed in at 306 lbs and was in terrible shape, morbidly obese to be exact. I decided to start running using the Galloway Easy 5k app. Since I was convinced there was a good chance of dying on my run I would ran laps around my local fire dept. That way if anything went wrong I could crawl or yell out for help. The first couple of weeks I was averaging around 16 minute miles. After the 5k program I moved up to the 10k program and then the half marathon program. All the while running was helping me drop the weight.

    On 8/19/12 I ran my first official 5k and finished it in 27:50. My goal was to beat 30 minutes. On 9/30/12 I ran my first official 10k on my 40th birthday and on the 5 month mark from starting to run. My goal was to beat one hour and I finished it in 54:40. Next up was the Disney World Half Marathon on 1/ 12/13. I wasn't sure what my goal was going to be. All my practice half's were in the 2:30 range. Training in the cold though made me think a 2:20 finish might be possible. When we got to Disney the weather was much warmer than normal so a fast race was unexpected. Once the race started I had to use the bathroom in mile 1 so I thought 2:30 might be a reach. I pushed myself though and ran the best I ever had. I finished with a 1:56,44 time abd best of all weighing 191 lbs, down 115 from the start of my running. After the Half I was a little burned out on running so I focused on spin class and other cardio classes.

    On 5/18/13 I ran my first race in 5 months. It was a 5k and my goal was to beat my fastest practice 5k time of 24:59. I ended up running it in 22:04. In the race I ran my fastest mile ever at 6:19. The next weekend was a special race for me. It was the charity 10k for the fire dept that I ran laps around a year earlier. My goal for the race was to beat my best practice 10k time of around 52 minutes. I finished this race in 47:04.

    I am currently training for my next race, the Dumbo Double Dare race at Disneyland. This is a combination of a 10k on Saturday and then a half on Sunday. I am going to go a little easier for these two races though.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Thanks for all if your input! I have ran 2 5ks in 24:30 and think I would like to break the 23 minute mark. I'm just not sure how to start out fast but not too fast that I'm not able to maintain that pace. Any idea? Do I start out slower and then increase my pace with each mile?

    You should warm up - the shorter the race, the longer the warm up (so they say). If I'm looking for a PR, I will do a 2-3mi warm up for a 5K just to get everything feeling good.

    Ever heard of a negative split? It is a marathon energy conservation technique, but I've applied the to 5Ks and my annual 1.5mi Air Force PT test. Start a split (1/2mi for 5K, 1mi for anything more is what I do) at a moderate pace (I go with 8min/mi) and about halfway through the race, work your splits down (I end with 6min/mi). A lot of people start out too fast and eventually hit a wall, but a negative split is a disciplined way to avoid this.
  • davidmg1982
    davidmg1982 Posts: 11 Member
    I think everything between 25 and 30´ is fine for an amateur runner, my personal record is 26 min, but i always run the first 5 minutes at 50% of my capacity, to avoid injuries, no matter how slow we run, we are still lapping everyone on the couch.

    Keep running!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    My best (and only) 5K in the beginning of June (well, they announced it was really 5.2 K not 5K) is 28:39 (which would have been in the 27 range if the course was the right length :p). I am now able to do 8 minute miles during speed workouts so I am guessing I could get a faster time next race (I hope) though I have started a 10 K training program but have only run 9K in my long runs so far. I hope with more training I could get faster though I think I am doing pretty well for someone who started running in a learn to run program in April.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    Goodness you guys are making me look slow, I did my last one in 28.5 minutes and I was the 2nd female in and placed 1st in my age group.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    My 5K times are in the mid to low 19:00 range. The best thing I ever did for my 5K times was train for a marathon. Once I got consistently over 45 miles per week and peaked at over 80 for the marathon, by 5K time dropped dramatically.

    More mile, more miles, more miles.
  • NormInv
    NormInv Posts: 3,303 Member
    My PR is 23:48. Pretty proud of that!
  • mister_universe
    mister_universe Posts: 6,664 Member
    I started running on 4/30/12. I weighed in at 306 lbs and was in terrible shape, morbidly obese to be exact. I decided to start running using the Galloway Easy 5k app. Since I was convinced there was a good chance of dying on my run I would ran laps around my local fire dept. That way if anything went wrong I could crawl or yell out for help. The first couple of weeks I was averaging around 16 minute miles. After the 5k program I moved up to the 10k program and then the half marathon program. All the while running was helping me drop the weight.

    On 8/19/12 I ran my first official 5k and finished it in 27:50. My goal was to beat 30 minutes. On 9/30/12 I ran my first official 10k on my 40th birthday and on the 5 month mark from starting to run. My goal was to beat one hour and I finished it in 54:40. Next up was the Disney World Half Marathon on 1/ 12/13. I wasn't sure what my goal was going to be. All my practice half's were in the 2:30 range. Training in the cold though made me think a 2:20 finish might be possible. When we got to Disney the weather was much warmer than normal so a fast race was unexpected. Once the race started I had to use the bathroom in mile 1 so I thought 2:30 might be a reach. I pushed myself though and ran the best I ever had. I finished with a 1:56,44 time abd best of all weighing 191 lbs, down 115 from the start of my running. After the Half I was a little burned out on running so I focused on spin class and other cardio classes.

    On 5/18/13 I ran my first race in 5 months. It was a 5k and my goal was to beat my fastest practice 5k time of 24:59. I ended up running it in 22:04. In the race I ran my fastest mile ever at 6:19. The next weekend was a special race for me. It was the charity 10k for the fire dept that I ran laps around a year earlier. My goal for the race was to beat my best practice 10k time of around 52 minutes. I finished this race in 47:04.

    I am currently training for my next race, the Dumbo Double Dare race at Disneyland. This is a combination of a 10k on Saturday and then a half on Sunday. I am going to go a little easier for these two races though.

    Dangit that's inspiring! Well done! :)
  • NavyKnightAh13
    NavyKnightAh13 Posts: 1,394 Member
    Fastest 5K time: 32:13 and 3rd in my age division. Mind you I have done nine 5ks.

    I am training for both a 10k that I am hoping to run in Oct and a half for next year (I did contemplate on doing it in Dec but feel that I may not make it since it is during winter). People have asked me if I would consider doing a tri or a race here in town called camelback. Honestly, not sure if I would attempt either or though new to my race schedule this year is an obstacle course race.

    Best time last year was 35:35, first ever time was 43:03. So far this year with the 3 I have done its been 32:13-34:38. I have accepted that if I get to 28-30 I will be happy (i can't compete with the ones who can run it in 19-22 minutes :grumble: ). So far sadly though the furthest I can run is 4 miles :blushing: , even though longest attempted was 6.
  • Cannon_G
    Cannon_G Posts: 77 Member
    I started running on 4/30/12. I weighed in at 306 lbs and was in terrible shape, morbidly obese to be exact. I decided to start running using the Galloway Easy 5k app. Since I was convinced there was a good chance of dying on my run I would ran laps around my local fire dept. That way if anything went wrong I could crawl or yell out for help. The first couple of weeks I was averaging around 16 minute miles. After the 5k program I moved up to the 10k program and then the half marathon program. All the while running was helping me drop the weight.

    On 8/19/12 I ran my first official 5k and finished it in 27:50. My goal was to beat 30 minutes. On 9/30/12 I ran my first official 10k on my 40th birthday and on the 5 month mark from starting to run. My goal was to beat one hour and I finished it in 54:40. Next up was the Disney World Half Marathon on 1/ 12/13. I wasn't sure what my goal was going to be. All my practice half's were in the 2:30 range. Training in the cold though made me think a 2:20 finish might be possible. When we got to Disney the weather was much warmer than normal so a fast race was unexpected. Once the race started I had to use the bathroom in mile 1 so I thought 2:30 might be a reach. I pushed myself though and ran the best I ever had. I finished with a 1:56,44 time abd best of all weighing 191 lbs, down 115 from the start of my running. After the Half I was a little burned out on running so I focused on spin class and other cardio classes.

    On 5/18/13 I ran my first race in 5 months. It was a 5k and my goal was to beat my fastest practice 5k time of 24:59. I ended up running it in 22:04. In the race I ran my fastest mile ever at 6:19. The next weekend was a special race for me. It was the charity 10k for the fire dept that I ran laps around a year earlier. My goal for the race was to beat my best practice 10k time of around 52 minutes. I finished this race in 47:04.

    I am currently training for my next race, the Dumbo Double Dare race at Disneyland. This is a combination of a 10k on Saturday and then a half on Sunday. I am going to go a little easier for these two races though.

    Dangit that's inspiring! Well done! :)

    Thanks, I am very proud of going from morbidly obese to a 22:04 5k in less than 14 months. I never thought I would be my fastest in my life at over 40. :bigsmile:
  • blackcloud13
    blackcloud13 Posts: 654 Member
    My best 5k is 26:01 - my target is to get down to 24 mins. Admittedly a year ago I thought this was impossible! I also remember how excited I was a few months back when I broke 30mins (which was my previousn"impossible target").

    I'm also targetting a 50min 10k and a 1:50 half marathon - but I guess most of all targetting healthy knees first!!
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I've always felt the 20 minute mark was a good goal for "fast" .I haven't cracked it hut got close. If I trained with that as a big priority I'd probably break it.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    This year I ran a 22:43 after failing to break 25 for several years. My next race is less hilly and I'm looking to break 22. My ultimate goal is sub-20 (maybe in a few years).
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    We call Scott "Speedy" :laugh: ......I'd kill for a 25 min 5K and have yet to bust 2hrs for a half-marathon (and I'm pretty middle of the pack for my age group)

    Same here. I can run a decent marathon (4:03:03 was my last marathon and personal best) but tried to run under a 25-min 5K and no dice!! Still working on it!!

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