What is a good run time per mile?

Wow there is no real way to answer this, as there are too many variables. What is reasonable for a female in high school who is training for Regionals is different than a 61 year old obese man training for a local 5K.

What you need is a running program, I think, to set appropriate goals for you.

Your pace per mile will vary with the distance that you're running and, of course, with your level of fitness, natural ability etc etc etc.

If you've just started running again the last thing you should be concerned with is speed. You're just starting to build your aerobic base, focus on endurance. At this point your goal should be to be able to run your desired distance comfortably.

You will hear a lot of different theories on building speed and how much training volume you should be doing to start seeing real improvements. A wise coach once told me not to worry about running a fast 5K until I could run a slow 10km.

Be consistent & persistent and you'll amaze yourself.

It may be useful to look at the Army Physical Fitness standards for your sex and age group to get an idea of what fit people and very fit people run. The minimal score is 60 points for any event so that is what the Army considers to be minimally fit for its purposes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Physical_Fitness_Test

That said, pondee629 is right - the most important thing for you at this stage is improvement. You might want to look at the C25K app (couch to 5k). It is a useful trainer that builds you up slowly over 8 weeks. If you have that long, that's probably the way to go. It mixes in walking and running and builds your endurance gradually.

Who is 'they' and why is 10 minutes per mile the goal?

Strive to be the best YOU can be. Don't worry about time. And please listen to the wise folks above. Slow down and follow a good plan like Couch to 5k. Going too fast too soon will only lead to injury.

Good luck.

I pretty much only do 5ks, 10ks and half marathons that are relatively flat. For me, a good half marathon time is under the time limit of the event! For a 5k, 10k: a good pace is about 11 minutes per mile. Maybe I'll get faster at some point, maybe I won't.

I don't think anyone can decide this! I run usually at 7 min miles. Fast compared to some friends, slow compared to my husband. A 'good time' is one that's gradually improving

wannabefitgirl25 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips. I just want to build my endurance before a 5k I signed up for. I also do use a program app on my phone similiar to the C25K. It guides me to run 3x a week for 30 mins and it has me basically run 2 mins and walk 1 min and repeat. Recently my shins have been aching during and after every run.

Maybe my problem is Ive been doing it 5 days a week instead of the recommended 3, so therefore overusing/overexercising myself to injury in the shins.

Yup - resting is a critical element of any training program.

For shin splints - sit down and place your right foot over your left knee. Fully extend/retract your left foot at the ankle 20x. Change legs and repeat. Do this a few times a day and massage your shins with a cool compress and/or ice.

Shin splints! OK, here is my incredibly sage advice about shinsplints: I ran track as a kid and suffered horribly from them for years. It was awful! I didn't run for most of my adult life, and then decided to start walking at age 51. I had a trainer who brought me along very slowly. It wasn't until I had been working with her for about four months that I felt compelled to run. I took it very easy. In the 5 1/2 years since I have not had shinsplints for three very good reasons
1). The very first second I feel that pain start, I stop running and stretch my shins by pulling my foot by the toe end, not the crook of the ankle, up behind my butt, and hold for 30 seconds.
2) Run using shorter, quicker steps rather than those reaching out strides that really jar the feet and legs.
3) last, and most important, went to a small local running store to get shoes. They did a gait analysis, and put me in the best possible shoe for my foot issues. Spend the money! It is an outrage, but it will be so worth it in the long term. Do not go to a big box like Dick's. Really.
You totally can run pain free if you take it slow, do your stretching, get yourself a good foundation.