Want to do well in a 5k

antsosbo
antsosbo Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, so I'm in the middle of my weight loss journey, I'm down 35lbs, and my wife informed me there is a 5k on October 20th. I have been using C25K as part of my weight loss, but I am not a fast runner. Its more a slow slow jog whenever that bell dings.

So, from now until Oct 20th, I have 17 weeks. I have no doubt that I can do the 5k, easily! But I don't want to just do it, I want to do it well! My goal right now is 25 min. I'm currently 249lbs. If my weight loss continues as it has I should be around, 215 by then. So what do I need to do to not just do it, but do it well?

Right now a 30 min c25k takes me the full time on my route around three blocks of my neighborhood which is around 1.2 miles. I basically need to triple that distance in roughly the same amount of time.

Replies

  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited June 2018
    I strongly recommend revising your target finishing time. One big downside to C25K is that it makes people think they should be able to run a 5k in 30 minutes by the time they finish the program. Most people are not at that point yet when they finish C25K, and that's absolutely fine and normal.

    If this is your first 5k, I would recommend not having a particular finishing time in mind, and just focus on finishing, maybe finishing with no walking breaks.

    You're currently averaging a 25 minute mile if it takes 30 minutes to cover 1.2 miles. I don't know how much of that is walking and how much is running, so it's hard to say what your running pace is without knowing that information. You will certainly get faster between now and October, but that's not enough time to work up to a 9:40 mile or faster--the average pace needed for a 30 minute 5k.

    I finished my first 5k in just under 50 minutes, which is about a 15:30 average per mile. I've been running for about 3.5 years now and I have not quite clocked a 30 minute 5k yet. I'm very close, and I think it's going to happen whenever I race that distance again, but it hasn't happened yet.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    20 minutes is not an average 5k time. In the last race I ran--on a nearly flat course--the male winner finished in 16:52. Only eight people finished in 20 minutes or less.
  • Nativestar56
    Nativestar56 Posts: 112 Member
    I do my local Parkrun on Saturdays, the guy who ran a 20 minute 5k last week came 18th out of 398. 20 minutes is fast! The person who clocked 25 minutes was a junior woman (15-17 age group) at 118th position.

    I'd keep going with your programme for now and set mini goals for the month. 17 weeks is a long time. Once you get down to 8 weeks or so you'll be able to see the progress you've made (and rate of progress) and be able to make a realistic goal for yourself.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    "doing well" is relative to where you are in your training just before the event. Your first goal is finish. Your next goal is to finish with x amount of running. Your third goal is to finish running all of it. Then you can start worrying about time and placement. In my first 5k I finished dead last, walking the entire way with breaks. I experienced horrible shin splints. But you know what, 3 months earlier I could barely walk 1/4 mile. This year I'm doing my 5th time at that event and every year I set new goals. Have fun!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    If you haven’t yet run 5k distance doing c25k, then wait until you do before setting a target.

    Most people aren’t running the distance when they get to the end of the programme. When I did it, I carried on the same schedule, but tacked on a couple of minutes each session until I reached distance. THAT is your starting point. So for me I think that was 36 minutes.

    From that you can then work on a target to aim for. A 20 minute 5k generally requires you to either be pretty young or very fit. The extra weight makes a big difference. Something like an extra 30 seconds per mile for every 10lbs extra.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited June 2018
    Congratulations on your weight loss and your fitness gains! As others have noted, a 20 minute 5K is an overly ambitious goal for October given your starting place, but completing a 5K is absolutely doable. One of the things I like about running is that a lot of the competition is against yourself: can I run more this week than I did last week? can I run faster this month than last month? If you are consistent about running and don't push yourself to the point of injury, you'll be hitting PRs (personal records) fairly often - keep track of those and celebrate them! Good luck!

    ETA: I did a little googling and it looks like 20-30 minutes is generally agreed upon to be a good time that is achievable by most people given a solid training plan. I don't know if I agree with that, but that might be where you got the 20 minute goal. That said, it's going to take different people different amounts of time to get there, and plenty of people never will. Even more people will never even start a 5K, let alone finish one. I think there's really too much variability to call a single finishing time "good" for anyone given differences in starting fitness, length of time running, number of races run, and so on.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Congratulations on working through C25K.
    The program is designed to get you running for 30 minutes; not necessarily running 5K in 30 minutes. I personally don't know anyone who completed the program and could run 5K in 30 minutes. I'm sure it happens; it's just not necessarily common.
    I graduated C25K about 5 years ago and still cannot run 5K in 30 minutes. Perhaps it's me, my age, my body...who knows.
    I suggest you enjoy running and work towards personal goals slowly. Perhaps use this 1st 5K to establish a starting point for future expectations and 5K goals.
    Do your best and be happy with the results. You are doing great by getting out and running three times a week. If you continue that after completing C25K and continue to enjoy running, you're a winner.
    Welcome to running! It's a great way to spend some time.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited June 2018
    25 minutes if a FAST 5km. I've been running for many years and my best was...27mins? and i was going for it. that was a few years ago, at my peak running. I put on weight and while I kept running my speed and distance reduced. I picked up again this spring on improving my health and fitness. a few weeks ago I got two 5km done in about 33 minutes and then busted my calves (dong it back to back then hitting the gym) so I've actually had to scale back and am not working distance NOT speed.

    running isn't a race (even IN a race). there is no reason to strive for such a high goal. aim to do it in under 35 minutes maybe? Really they say you should just concentrate on finishing.

    I am doing a 10k running program and again there, it's NOT about time. it's about training your body for the distance.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    As others have said, 20 minutes is NOT average. I'd have to run my *kitten* off to get under 20...

    The key right now is to continue to run further. Don't be concerned about speed - As you go further you will get faster. I believe there's a follow up program called "bridge to 10k". That or a similar plan would be my recommendation.

    Congrats on the weight loss and the running success. Be patient. You will get there!
  • mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12
    mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12 Posts: 204 Member
    I have run 1 5k. I used C25k started on 1 Jan and ran the race on 5 March, I hadn’t finished the program when I ran the race. I finished in 28 minutes. I had no goal in mind and was very pleased with myself to have come in under 30mins, so it possible to achieve as a new “runner”.

    I wasn’t fit when I started, and am not fit now. I think the fun of the race just carries you through. Also I think not worrying about your time helps you to just enjoy it

    Now I’m working on C210k, and hoping to finish in under 60 mins.
  • runnermom419
    runnermom419 Posts: 366 Member
    My first 5K was 45 minutes or so. It took me 2 years after that to get below 30 minutes and my current PR is 26:20 is from 2015. I worked my tail off for that PR. Am I reading correctly that a 5K currently takes you 30+ minutes? You're looking at an improvement of over 1:30 minute per mile in 3 months. Maybe revise the goal to something a little more attainable?
  • tirowow12385
    tirowow12385 Posts: 698 Member
    You got time, It took me about a year of running, almost 9 months, of weekly 5ks totaling some 200 miles as well as going from 250 pounds to 190 plus cross training with weights to crack sub 30 minutes . I remembered 40 minutes was my usual time, then 38 minutes then hovering between 31-34 minutes. You could probably do this you're already considerably fit and put in the training but it could also not happen.
  • tirowow12385
    tirowow12385 Posts: 698 Member
    edited June 2018
    Also focus on your BMI rather than your weight, depending on your height, 250 could be only overweight or severe obesity, my overweight weight started at 195 and this is around when I felt I got considerably faster at running naturally, so your improvement weight shouldn't necassarilly match up with my experience. I've seen alot of runners here who run 25 minutes 5k, they are usually slimmer than me and below 27 BMI ( my BMI at the moment) so aim for 23-25 which is what is considered a healthy BMI number.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited June 2018
    tirowow12385 wrote: »
    Also focus on your BMI rather than your weight, depending on your height, 250 could be only overweight or severe obesity, my overweight weight started at 195 and this is around when I felt I got considerably faster at running naturally, so your improvement weight shouldn't necassarilly match up with my experience. I've seen alot of runners here who run 25 minutes 5k, they are usually slimmer than me and below 27 BMI ( my BMI at the moment) so aim for 23-25 which is what is considered a healthy BMI number.

    That might be relevant if he's around 7 feet tall. I'm 6'6", and a weight of 250 would put me at a BMI of 28.9 - high end of overweight, nearly bordering on obese.

    Also, BMI is calculated by your height and weight, so your weight directly influences your BMI - it's pretty hard to focus on your BMI without focusing on your weight. BMI is a reasonable ballpark figure for most people, but neither BMI nor scale weight takes bodyfat % into consideration - which is a far more relevant number when it comes to overall health and aesthetics/appearance. And to some degree (at least in certain sports), athletic performance. For example, I don't see many highly competitive runners with high bodyfat percentages.


    As to the OP, a 20 minute 5K is nowhere near an "average" time for the vast majority of people. This site shows the average pace by gender and age group - it shows the average pace for men in age groups from 25-49 to be in the 10:03 - 10:53/mile range. So anywhere from 30 - 33'ish minutes to complete a 5K, on average. They also have a table here which shows average race pace by age: http://www.pace-calculator.com/average-5k-pace-by-age-sex.php
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    tirowow12385 wrote: »
    Also focus on your BMI rather than your weight, depending on your height, 250 could be only overweight or severe obesity, my overweight weight started at 195 and this is around when I felt I got considerably faster at running naturally, so your improvement weight shouldn't necassarilly match up with my experience. I've seen alot of runners here who run 25 minutes 5k, they are usually slimmer than me and below 27 BMI ( my BMI at the moment) so aim for 23-25 which is what is considered a healthy BMI number.

    If running is the goal, BMI doesn't matter. Only Mass. The clock doesn't care how tall you are, only how much weight you are pushing.
    Estimates range from 10 to 30 seconds per mile for every extra 10 lbs you are carrying regardless of your height.
    I'm 6' tall and fastest at 138 lbs!
    St Patrick's day weekend this year, I was 5 minutes slower than my PR, and 40 lbs heavier (and 20 years older).

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