C25k- does speed matter?

From what i gather from the program its all about endurance. Yes distance and speed is important too but that will come after you up your endurance.

I am on D2W4 and honestly just focus on getting through with out dying. lol. My runs are usually around 5.5 which is pretty speedy for me since i have such short legs....lol (im 5 ft.)

I'm walking at 3.5 and running at 5.0. It's about endurance and then once you can complete it you can start to worry about speed.

Go at a comfortable pace. You should still be able to carry on a conversation while you run. You can focus on building speed once you are able to complete your 5K.

I am a slow runner. I usually run at 5.0 - 5.2 and walk at 3.7 - 3.8. It all depends on the person. Congrats for starting the program!

Everyone says don't worry about your speed, but I disagree because I asked the same question not to long ago and decided to not concentrate on my speed and it set me back, because it would take me way to long to run a 5K and I felt like giving up because whats the point of the program if not to run a 5K?! .. Anyway, also I was out of breath come 8 minutes of running because I was taking smaller strides, when you run faster you tend to take longer strides ... so now I am training with a higher speed so that I can get a decent time and accomplish what I set out to do.

Love C25k! Speed does not matter... it is all about building your endurance. A friend of mine who runs marathons told me that even if during the running intervals I was "running" so slow I could have been walking, as long as I was doing something it would build up my endurance.

You will see people complete a 5k in less than 15 minutes - and you will see people complete a 5k in less than an hour. It is about what is right for you - and what is right for you that day as well.
Keep in mind that there is a HUGE difference in the feeling and effort of running on a teradmill vs running outside so don't be surprised if your time is quite change when you get outside.

Oh thank goodness! I was feeling rather slow. Sometimes I do have to slow down a bit (around 5.2) but I can pretty much keep at 5.5 without an issue.

I cannot wait to get my running shoes for christmas! I'm thinking asics kayano's but idk. Any running show suggestions? I have a normal arch if that makes a difference. Price isn't an issue, I want the best I can get.

Go to a specialist running shop and get gait analysis done, which is usually free, and get them to recommend you a pair or two. However comfortable a pair feels just from trying them on, you will save yourself from all kinds of injury down the line by getting the right type for you foot/gait/running style!

I just finished week 5 (had my big 20 min straight run this morning!) I mostly run on a track or outside, but when i'm on treadmill I find myself at 6.2 run and 4.0 walk speeds. Any more than that is too much for me at this point, and much slower just feels awkward. Listen to your body.

I've been squeezing in my c25k before spin classes. Thought i'd be super dead afterwards with these 1100-1200 calorie workouts but i've felt great! Pushing thru to the next level makes ya feel awesome!

If you go to the coolrunning site they say you can track your progress using distance or speed, and that the most important thing is to keep going, but not to push yourself to go really fast just because you think you can.I don't know what plan you're using, but the one on coolrunning will say things like "jog 200 yards or 90 seconds." It also says new runners make the mistake of doing too much too soon because some injuries don't show up for a couple of weeks. I'm not a runner, but am planning on starting C25K soon. Just deciding if I want to start in winter. I'm reading up on clothing because my only concern is making sure I don't injur my muscles in the cold.

ETA: you can also read up on barefoot running. I met a guy who used to have to wear crazy expensive orthotics until he started wearing barefoot shoes all the time (the five finger ones, but there are other styles), for everyday as well as running. He hasn't had to wear orthotics since (I don't think I'm spelling that right). Apparently a lot of people can fix their pronation issues of they use barefoot shoes. I'm going to start with a popular Merrel barefoot shoe, then I plan on moving on to the five fingers. Supposedly it's the atrophying of the muscles in the foot from misuse that cause a lot of foot problems, and barefoot shoes, especially the fivefingers, force you to use those muscles and run with a front strike rather than a back heel strike. But, you'll find different opinions. I've just talked to several runners around here who have said that issues they had went away after going to barefoot shoes, so that, and reading about them, convinced me to try them. If you choose to try them, even just for everyday, you have to read up on the various company's websites - they'll tell you to wear them a little every day until your feet get used to them because you are working muscles that haven't worked in a long time. I'm really excited to get started and try the whole barefoot thing. I would also suggest checking out the book Born to Run. Good luck!

Like has been mentioned, speed doesn't matter...just get in your time and work on building endurance. Speed will come over time after you are done with the program. Just stick with it, it works!

I do my walks at 3.5 mph for warmups and for the actual running parts I do between 6.0-6.7 mph. I believe it is between 9-10 minutes per mile. Today I actually started week 7 and it is all continuous runs from now on, no rest periods in between. Looking forward to it!

I hope speed doesnt matter. I just started and I am only jogging at 3.6. Thats the fastest I can go and get through it.

Same here. I walk at around 3.3 and run at 3.5, and barely making it. I'm on Week 3 and seeing great results though. I'm working on stamina and endurance for now. Increasing my speed will come later.

I think you are better off starting slow. You can work on speed later. I walk at 3mph and run at 4.5 mph (im only 5' though) right now because in the past I was running too fast and it never worked out in the end bc of my asthma and knee problems. I am trying to go slower this time so I can avoid the knee issues and overcome my asthma first. Once I get to the 5k distance of running then I will slowly increase my speed to therefore be running further in the same amount of time.

I would definitely say that distance is more important initially. I'm at about 26 minutes (did C25K for about 8 weeks and got to W6) but doing my own steady increases now. I run at about 5.5mph still and can keep going longer than if I try to go faster.

My plan is to get up to being able to do 5K (even though it will probably take me about 37 minutes to start) and then try and speed up a little.

I had NEVER runn before 3 months ago.

Also, to be honest, I'm not really concerned over speed, just about enjoying!

Good Luck

I always set my first goal for a new distance at "to complete". As long as I can go at a speed where I can finish the distance... then I've done it. Then, once you've logged that you can start increasing your speed/distance/etc.