Am I the only one that is really slow?
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xcga33i
Posts: 26 Member
I noticed both the c25k and b210k say you will be running a 5k when you reach the 30 minute running mark. That means you will be running a mile in less than 10 minutes. I am on week 7 and run a slow 1.2 (I thought it was1.5 until I remeasured today) miles in 25 minutes. I just don't see myself increasing my speed enough in 2 more weeks to be running 3.1 miles in 30 minutes. I hope I can but is anyone else feeling the same?
I am also not sure if I want to start b210k or just work on getting faster and farther on my own. Any thoughts? I would like to run a 5k in October but they want you to run at least an 18 minute mile. Scary for me right now!
I am also not sure if I want to start b210k or just work on getting faster and farther on my own. Any thoughts? I would like to run a 5k in October but they want you to run at least an 18 minute mile. Scary for me right now!
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The biggest speed increase tool for beginners is distance and time on feet. And don't worry about not hitting the 3 mile mark in 30 minutes. There are lots of people here who take 45 minutes + to hit 3 miles. They keep putting one foot down in front of the other and know that they will get faster eventually.
When you get done with the C25K, what you do next will be up to you. You can go on the the B210K, get your base milage up to a 15-20 mile running week (or less depending on how fast you run), or you can shift slightly and bring in one more run day a week and work on speed. There are lots of programs to chose from. Do whatever will keep you motivated. If signing up for a 10K is what will keep you going then do that. Or sign up for another 5K 3 or 4 weeks out from each other and try to beat your times.0 -
Hey girl! I was thinking about the end of the program recently, as I near the end I know that I need more than the allotted 30 minutes for my to run a 5k distance. My plan is to use another app. I have (RunKeeper) and program it to increase my running time like C25K does at the end, 2-3 a week until I have the running the 5k distance down. Running the distance from my projections will take me at LEAST 45 min. right now.
Speed will come, believe me! Just keep going at your own pace and allow your body time to adjust and build strength.0 -
45 mins or slower to run 3.1 is completely normal for a beginner. If you just keep lacing up your shoes and getting out there you will get faster without even trying. Just laying in the miles does it. It took me 42 minutes (and 3 months) to run my first full 5K distance. Then a month and 1/2 later, in my first real race, I ran it in 36:39.
Just keep up the good work. You will get faster! :-)0 -
I did my last 5K in 34 minutes, though I got a BAD side pain and had to walk while I breathed it out
Anyway, I finished the program in late 2011 (I'm back because I just had a baby and had to stop running during my pregnancy - so I'm starting over), and I started B210K. I didn't like it because it wasn't really a lot of intervals but just long runs. I found that boring. I decided to focus on increasing my speed on a 5K, which I did. I've never run more than 4 miles at a time but would consider training for an 8K or a 10K. I think that's the longest I would ever want to run. Marathons and half marathons don't interest me.
ETA that I was able to increase my speed from about a 12.5 minute mile to a 9.5-10 minute mile over about a year. I got Newtons and worked on my form and turnover, which was all really awkward but made all the difference in the world.0 -
I've just started and am on D3 of W1. I started off this by saying I was only going to go at a relaxed pace. One where my shoulders were down, my elbows loosely bent and my breathing relaxed and easy.
All other times I had set out to "run"! And was left feeling nauseous and hating running. These last few times I have been eager to go out again and wish I didn't have to wait a day to do so.
Your post highlights the exact reason for my differing response. The past ugly times I was focused on speed, as in running means Fast! Versus, this time, running means time spent moving my feet more rapidly than a walk. I'm so much more relaxed and hence, enjoying it.
I might get to the point of considering distance, especially if required for a marathon, but for now time spent is all that's important. And making sure I start off saying, eazie, breezie, runner girl, you're going to enjoy this!0 -
This is a real flaw in the C25K program, IMHO. No one (okay, very, very few people) are going to be running a 5K in 30 min or less, but the way the program is set up it seems like you should be. The expectation that the program will get you ready for a 5K in 8 weeks is unrealistic, and I wish the program were set up to take into account how slowly beginning runners actually run.
I'm glad that I signed up for a 5K with a few weeks after I finished the program. I have until July 20 to up my distance (and hopefully speed) after finishing the program on Monday.0 -
Thank you everyone for your help and support. I think I am going to finish out the c25k program and use the free run log after that to keep trying to add an extra 1/2 mile to my run every week for a while and just take it as it comes. I never thought I would like to run let alone love it like I do but I am IR and 269# so I am super excited to be able to loose weight for the first time and I know it is from running.... Which I have avoided my whole life as much as possible ( and my brain still thinks it should some times) but I think not running is why I couldn't ever loose weight. As long as I keep loosing weight there is nothing that will stop me from running.
I would love to do the local 5k in Oct but I am not going to worry about it for now. I haven't signed up yet so no big deal. I started running to attend that 5 k but found my fire because I want to loose weight and reverse my IR. I don't need a race to keep me going. I am down 10# in 4 weeks and extremely happy.0 -
Love that you've found your own fire! No reason why it needs to coincide with any one else's. Just continue to run at the pace that feels comfortable to you and pushing yourself when things become a little easy. That's metabolism intuitively correcting itself, despite our eating choices!0
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45 mins or slower to run 3.1 is completely normal for a beginner. If you just keep lacing up your shoes and getting out there you will get faster without even trying. Just laying in the miles does it.
This. The first time I jogged 5K it took me 50 minutes. I was jogging 3K in the 30 minutes at the end of C25K and it took a few weeks longer to increase my time so that I could jog the 5K.
I am now down to jogging it in 43 minutes. The "speed" is coming all on its own. By fall, I hope to be under 40 minutes (the heat is slowing me down....need to wait for cooler weather).
Keep at it. Your pace will speed up without your realizing it.0 -
I agree with the speed problem. When I started worrying about speed, the joy went out of the run. I use an app called rundouble and within that app there is an option you can choose to train with distance instead of time. After week three you do walk/run intervals in distance. For example, run .25 mile then walk .25 mile or run .75 mile and walk .25 mile. The time spent running all depends on your speed, but it builds you up to running 5k, not 30 minutes.0
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I've just started and am on D3 of W1. I started off this by saying I was only going to go at a relaxed pace. One where my shoulders were down, my elbows loosely bent and my breathing relaxed and easy.
Do it like this. You'll enjoy it more and get higher levels of gains, especially over a running lifetime. A mile is a mile is a mile whether it's 5 minutes or 30. Every runner I know swears up and down that they are slow. Even the ones whose warmup pace is my race pace.0 -
I agree with the speed problem. When I started worrying about speed, the joy went out of the run. I use an app called rundouble and within that app there is an option you can choose to train with distance instead of time. After week three you do walk/run intervals in distance. For example, run .25 mile then walk .25 mile or run .75 mile and walk .25 mile. The time spent running all depends on your speed, but it builds you up to running 5k, not 30 minutes.
I'm using the distance version of the RunDouble app. When I "graduate" next week, I'll be running 5K, but it won't be in 30 minutes.
Yesterday's run (Week 8, Day 2) was a distance of 2.75 miles. Week 9 runs are 3 miles straight.
I decided to use the distance version because I figured the whole purpose of me doing C25K was to be able to run 5K, no matter how long it took me.0 -
I am slow too! It's not my breathing that makes me slow. It's my stride. I figure since I can breath the entire 30 minutes, I just need to work on stepping out. It will come with practice. So, my plan is just to gradually step it out. I am going to choose a landmark - like a driveway or tree and step it out till I reach it...then slow it back down...then choose another landmark...eventually my run will improve.0
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I am slow too! It's not my breathing that makes me slow. It's my stride. I figure since I can breath the entire 30 minutes, I just need to work on stepping out. It will come with practice. So, my plan is just to gradually step it out. I am going to choose a landmark - like a driveway or tree and step it out till I reach it...then slow it back down...then choose another landmark...eventually my run will improve.
Just don't take bigger steps. Take smaller, faster ones.
Oh. and that plan is also known as a "fartlek" so you can sound really cool and runner-y as you describe what you're doing.0 -
There is no way I will hit 5K in 30 minutes. My plan was to finish week 9, a 30 minute run in which I hope to be at 2.5 miles or so, then switch over to the distance version. I figured I would go from 30 minutes to 2.75 miles for a week and then try running a 5K.
I don't know if that is how I should do it but that is my plan anyway?!0 -
That threw me off too! When I ran my first 5K, it took me 65 minutes. I got my time down to 55 minutes over the next few weeks. Last Saturday I ran it in 50 minutes, and today (for my first race) I repeated the 50 minutes.
I'd encourage you to move over to a C210K app when you finish. After I did my 5K, I was lost for a while trying to figure out what to do next.0 -
Julie, me too. I drifted for awhile before finding the Bridge to 10K group. Now I've found my stride again (so to speak) and am slowly making ground.0
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Right now I'm doing C25K for the second time. When I did it the first time last summer, at the end I ran a 5K course (the course of a race I had walked earlier in the year) and it took me 51 minutes.
I did W9D2 (of Round 2 of C25K) this morning and ran 2.49 miles in 30 minutes (3.14 miles including my warm-up & cool-down walks), so even doing this the second time around I'm not going to be able to run a 5K in 30 minutes by graduation unless something magical happens between now and Monday morning. And I'm okay with that because I'm still astounded I ran 2.49 miles this morning. Nine weeks ago I could barely run for 60 seconds at time.
I am registered for a 5K on August 10 and my goal is to finish in the 30 minute range. I've got another month to train and still I'm not sure if that's realistic, but it's my goal anyway.0 -
When I ran my first 5k last summer, the folks who were managing it (it was a charity run) were very encouraging. I managed to do it in just under 30, but there were a lot of people who came in after me (as well as a ton before me. Haha).
For an hour or so afterwards, we all hung out in the shade and drank water. Most of us got a conversation going about training and there were a lot of other C25k folks too.
Anyway, so many people explained to me that they were super proud of the 45-57 (57 was the last person in) times they managed. Everyone was saying the same thing, they had worked hard to get to where they were and if that meant they weren't first place, that was fine because it was better than they had been doing before.
It's a good logic to keep in mind.
If you've never run before, you don't have a best time, so you're definitely going to beat it and with every run, you improve somehow. Even when my times were worse on crummy days, I was still better for overcoming it and completing the round.
All in all, just keep positive. You'll get there.
Just remember where you were six months ago for example. Would that person be running the speed you are now?0
