5k training, what's a realistic goal?
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Lizzypb88
Posts: 367 Member
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
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Replies
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Probably. I would just aim for 35.59 as any improvement is good!7
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Do you have a GPS watch yet? If you run with a Garmin on your training runs you will know what pace you are running. Most people run a little faster at an actual race as you tend to get caught up in the event.0
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I would practice intervals and find something that you can maintain - a 34 min 5k would mean just shy of an 11min mile0
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i've done parkruns virtually every saturday since early april and shaved 3 and a half mins off my time from when i started. best thing is to keep at it and do as much as possible and eventually the time comes down and having to stop will not be required. I'd recommend a garmin watch to keep track of the your splits and pace/speed during since periods1
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I run 5k then walk 5k every Saturday morning for the last six weeks. I also run a mile and a half 3x per week during the week a bit slower. I've been able to drop my times from around the 35-36min mark to around 32 minutes or so. It's all been about whether or not I can maintain a 10min/mile average over that 3 mile distance. My mile times have gone down to around 9 minutes, but that's on the shorter runs during the week. It takes time to improve, I'd say run for endurance during training, not speed. If you really want to improve your times you probably should be running further than 5k at a slower pace on a regular basis. Then when you do your 5k it won't be as hard to keep up a faster pace. Just some thoughts. I have knee and back issues, otherwise I'd be running further than 5k more often.0
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If you want to get faster, interval training is key. But hey, you are doing great. Any improvement will be nice.1
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if you're running 3 x a week you will want to do 2 x 5k and one longer run. don't worry about speed work at this stage, increasing your distance in slow miles will make you faster over shorter distances.3
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It may sound counter-intuitive but one of the key steps in building your speed is running longer, slower runs. At this stage you're still building your aerobic base and if you're running 3 x weekly I'd probably do something along the lines of (all reasonably slow) with one of them being a little longer each week (assuming you're doing something along the lines of 3 x 5km weekly now try slowing down for one of the runs & adding 500m each week so that by the time the race comes around your schedule looks like 2 x 5km easy pace and 1 x 8km long slow distance) You'll surprise your elf with what a difference this will make.
If you keep on running (and I hope you do) you could start doing a little speed work next year and then you could very well shave 8 minutes off. (at 53 my 1st 5K was around the 40 min mark, a race the following spring was in the low 30s and the same race a year later 26 min.....it's doable)3 -
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
How bad did the 36 minutes hurt? It's quite possible that you already have 34 minutes in you and just need to find it on race day. Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
As stated above, the easiest and most sustainable way to improve would be to add more easy mileage to your training, but with the limitation that you can only run 3 times a week this might not produce the results you need in the short term. Best bet would be to add some speedwork to your training with the intent to teach yourself how to 'push' over the course of a run. You might not see a ton of physiological improvements in 6 weeks time, but in reality you might not need it. The real benefit will be mental...you'll get used to pushing yourself even when tired and know that you can do it.2 -
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
How bad did the 36 minutes hurt? It's quite possible that you already have 34 minutes in you and just need to find it on race day. Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
As stated above, the easiest and most sustainable way to improve would be to add more easy mileage to your training, but with the limitation that you can only run 3 times a week this might not produce the results you need in the short term. Best bet would be to add some speedwork to your training with the intent to teach yourself how to 'push' over the course of a run. You might not see a ton of physiological improvements in 6 weeks time, but in reality you might not need it. The real benefit will be mental...you'll get used to pushing yourself even when tired and know that you can do it.
3 x a week is enough... i improved my half marathon time by 6 minutes in a year only running 3 x a week.0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
How bad did the 36 minutes hurt? It's quite possible that you already have 34 minutes in you and just need to find it on race day. Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
As stated above, the easiest and most sustainable way to improve would be to add more easy mileage to your training, but with the limitation that you can only run 3 times a week this might not produce the results you need in the short term. Best bet would be to add some speedwork to your training with the intent to teach yourself how to 'push' over the course of a run. You might not see a ton of physiological improvements in 6 weeks time, but in reality you might not need it. The real benefit will be mental...you'll get used to pushing yourself even when tired and know that you can do it.
3 x a week is enough... i improved my half marathon time by 6 minutes in a year only running 3 x a week.
Absolutely agreed in the long-term. But she only has ~6 weeks.0 -
Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
I ran my first few races 'on the verge of exhaustion' but have since learned that I enjoy the events much more if I run a more comfortable pace. I don't need to leave it all out on the course. Each runner has their own motivations and reasons for running races. Personally I'd rather not be just hanging on at the finish.1 -
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
How bad did the 36 minutes hurt? It's quite possible that you already have 34 minutes in you and just need to find it on race day. Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
As stated above, the easiest and most sustainable way to improve would be to add more easy mileage to your training, but with the limitation that you can only run 3 times a week this might not produce the results you need in the short term. Best bet would be to add some speedwork to your training with the intent to teach yourself how to 'push' over the course of a run. You might not see a ton of physiological improvements in 6 weeks time, but in reality you might not need it. The real benefit will be mental...you'll get used to pushing yourself even when tired and know that you can do it.
Honestly I was upset learning my time- I had ran my own 5k on a nearby bike path in 35:28 a month prior which was pretty flat... the 5k I ran had inclines and hills and I had zero practice with hills, but I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could, I started crying halfway through the race then cried at the finish- I had to push myself much harder compared to when I ran on a more flat surface... this upcoming 5k is going to have steady inclines but no hills like the one I just ran. I had my garmin watch on and I had it set to a 10:58 mile but I averaged 11:38 a mile, I'm hoping also with it being a bit cooler out in October it won't be as brutal
And thanks everyone for the suggestions!1 -
BrianSharpe wrote: »It may sound counter-intuitive but one of the key steps in building your speed is running longer, slower runs. At this stage you're still building your aerobic base and if you're running 3 x weekly I'd probably do something along the lines of (all reasonably slow) with one of them being a little longer each week (assuming you're doing something along the lines of 3 x 5km weekly now try slowing down for one of the runs & adding 500m each week so that by the time the race comes around your schedule looks like 2 x 5km easy pace and 1 x 8km long slow distance) You'll surprise your elf with what a difference this will make.
If you keep on running (and I hope you do) you could start doing a little speed work next year and then you could very well shave 8 minutes off. (at 53 my 1st 5K was around the 40 min mark, a race the following spring was in the low 30s and the same race a year later 26 min.....it's doable)
I totally believe you, that does make sense to do slower longer runs, in my practice for this race I ran 2-2.75 miles on average, I will have to set my watch to a slower pace, it's hard not to think during running that going slow is helping me0 -
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
How bad did the 36 minutes hurt? It's quite possible that you already have 34 minutes in you and just need to find it on race day. Runners use the term 'race pace' to describe a pace that is the maximum you can sustain over the length of the race. The honest truth is that this pace isn't comfortable - you're basically running on the verge of exhaustion the entire time (for 5Ks especially). The most common phrase used to describe running a 5K is 'hanging on' - find that ragged edge and try your best to hang onto it until the finish.
As stated above, the easiest and most sustainable way to improve would be to add more easy mileage to your training, but with the limitation that you can only run 3 times a week this might not produce the results you need in the short term. Best bet would be to add some speedwork to your training with the intent to teach yourself how to 'push' over the course of a run. You might not see a ton of physiological improvements in 6 weeks time, but in reality you might not need it. The real benefit will be mental...you'll get used to pushing yourself even when tired and know that you can do it.
Honestly I was upset learning my time- I had ran my own 5k on a nearby bike path in 35:28 a month prior which was pretty flat... the 5k I ran had inclines and hills and I had zero practice with hills, but I pushed myself as hard as I possibly could, I started crying halfway through the race then cried at the finish- I had to push myself much harder compared to when I ran on a more flat surface... this upcoming 5k is going to have steady inclines but no hills like the one I just ran. I had my garmin watch on and I had it set to a 10:58 mile but I averaged 11:38 a mile, I'm hoping also with it being a bit cooler out in October it won't be as brutal
And thanks everyone for the suggestions!
To be fair to yourself...it's not quite productive to compare flat course times to hilly course times. Hills are a killer - you can't expect to achieve the same times on them as you would on a flat course. Give yourself some credit!
It's true what they say - not every race will be a personal best. What matters is that you bring your best to every race.1 -
@Lizzypb88 - New runners frequently under-appreciate the impact of hills and weather. So you ran a flat solo 5K in 35:28, and a hilly race 5K in 36:00? And you didn't train hills at all? That's not all that bad a difference. It's pretty darn good for not training on terrain similar to the race.
Let me put this in perspective. This past March and April, I ran a couple of 10Ks in near-perfect weather, with manageable hills and some good runners to chase. I came in at 39:54 (PR) and 40:04. Then in August I ran a 10K in moderately hot, very humid weather with rolling hills for the entire course, more elevation gain than the 2 spring 10Ks combined, and a fairly weak field of runners. I came in at 41:26, which was a very good result for the conditions even though it was more than 80 seconds slower than the 10Ks I had run a few months earlier. Differences? More hills. Hotter. More humidity. After passing a guy about halfway through, nobody to chase that I had a realistic chance of catching. (It's harder than you might think to run hard when there's a lot of open space in front and no audible footsteps behind.)
As far as more distance helping . . . it really does. As a new runner, I found people passing me late in 5Ks. I may have been fading a bit, I had no finish line kick, and all the experienced runners had that kick. Fast forward 6 years, and I'm a marathon runner. Now, I'm more likely to be passing people late in a 5K than be passed. The longer distances I've been running really, really help with stamina at speed for short races like a 5K.
Once you get to a point where a 5 mile easy run is no big deal, it will be practical to make real progress on your speed for a 5K race . . . assuming that matches up with what your goals are. Not everyone wants to run a 5K as fast as they possibly can.1 -
When I finished c25k I ran a 5k race. I continued to build my mileage by extending my runs and adding a day. My next race was two months later and I cut 2 minutes from my time. My next race I cut another minute. Consistent running and increasing mileage will help a lot, especially your first year or two.1
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Agreed with the longer and slower crowd. At this point trying to run faster or more often will lead to injury.
I suggest moving on with the 10k plan (B210k?). As you add distance, you will get faster. Trust us. It works.
Good luck.1 -
My first 5k with zero experience was 44min in March, which I had to walk more than half the time.
After doing C25K I ran the entire time for my 5k yesterday and finished in 36min exact
... my friend is doing C25K now and we signed up for a run during the first week of October, what's a realistic goal time? Obviously I don't expect to knock off 8min off my time lol but I'm hoping with increasing my distance slowly I'll improve, but at this stage how much improvement is normal with running 3x a week?
I was hoping to run it in 34min, is it realistic to shave off 2min by October?
Knocking off two minutes should be perfectly achievable with a bit of experience, never mind additional training. As you highlight, most of your training runs at the moment are less than three miles, so just consistently running too the distance will help a little.
It'll come as no surprise that I'd advocate more miles as well. As Tavistock suggests, working at least one of your runs up to more than 5K is beneficial, although you do need to keep things proportionate. As your long reaches 4-5 miles you'll need to add to one or more of your shorter runs as well.
Fwiw when I started training to 10K I knocked about 4-5 minutes off my 5K time.0
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