First 5K-What is/was your time goal?

My first one is June 3rd. I just want to finish. Based on my training times I'd just be happy with being under 40 minutes. I'm not worrying about time. I just want to finish. I read somewhere (can't remember where now) that a runner shouldn't worry about speedwork/getting faster until after logging 300 miles. I figure I will have future races to be faster. This one is for the sheer joy of completion!

After being completely out of shape, then doing 1 month of insanity, then running while doing month 2 (5 days to go to finish), I ran my fist 5k in 10 years - time was 29:30 - much of which I attribute to insanity training. Also, it was raining wil lots of hills. My personal goal is is 9 min miles....which I've done in training on FLAT surfaces (e.g. track)....it is hard and key is pace.

I have another 5k in two weeks (I can focus on running vs. insanity and running)...thena 10k, then an 8k.....

I've done a couple...my first goal was to just finish it running the whole thing & I succeeded. My time is usually right around 29 minutes. When I run on my own I pretty much average a 10-min mile, but that extra adrenaline always gives me a boost on race day Good luck and have fun!!!

I did my 1st one in March. My goal was under an hour and my time was 45:41. I just did my 2nd one last month and my time was 40:21. I have another one next weekend and I'm hoping to improve my time. I walked a lot in the 1st one, I walked a lot less in the 2nd one. My goal is to run the entire thing by July. I didn't start running until the end of Jan. this year. Started at 205lbs, now I'm at 178lbs. I love running!!! Good luck to you! Like others have said, just concentrate on finishing, then you'll have a time to beat next time.

3rd 5K - 39:00 getting faster!

I just did the Warrior Dash on Saturday which is a 5k plus 12 obstacles. It took me 50 minutes. I would say if I took away the obstacles I would probably have ran a 35 minute 5k. That is about a 12 minute mile.

I completed my 1st 5k in 32:33 and my 2nd in 26:14. As long as I keep beating myself, that is all that matters I am doing a 12k this Sunday and attempting my 1st half on the 17th of June.

I agree with many others. Your goal should be to finish the 5k. I have done 4 so far and only this last one did I get under 30 minutes, I am running one on Saturday and then another on June 9. My goal for both of those is to stay under 30 minutes . . . an improvement will just be a bonus. My PR (personal record) is 29:40 and I can tell you I was super excited. But I think I was just as excited when I finished my first race, which was almost 33 minutes.

I signed up for an ran my first 5K in 2010- my goal was to complete it (hopefully without stopping at all).

My personal trainer helped prepare me by lots of work both on a treadmill and outside. I mix of regular
running and interval runs. He actually ran along with me at my side and I completed it at 32:26. I was
shocked, especially never having run before in my life. I told myself that I would never need to do that
again- take it off the "Bucket List". I have since completed a 2nd 5K, an indoor triathalon, and just
did a WarriorDash this weekend. LOL Ya never know what the runners high will make ya do next!

I think just committing to doing it is a big deal in and of itself. Showing up and crossing the finish line, no
matter the time, is huge accomplisment!

I was never a runner. I had chest issues (Pectus Excavatum) that affected my heart when I was a teen & kept me from being very active & would have killed me if I hadn't had surgery. So before last year I would not have considered myself even slightly a "runner".

My fist 5K was 51 weeks ago. Having never been a runner I didn't train much & just went as hard as I could. I finished in 37:52. Not near what I might have wanted, but I was just happy to complete it. In spite of my lack of training I was pleasantly surprised to get a medal since it was a small race & I was the only one there in my group.

A week from today I am running in the same 5K I did last year. My goal, is 19:16. That's exactly HALF my original finishing time. With the shape I'm in & if all goes well I should be able to hit that. Of course there are other variables so I can't say everybody can do quite that much, but it just goes to show you what kind of progress can be made if you stick with it.

John Bingham says (and I live by this) 'the miracle isnt that I finished....the miracle is that I had the courage to start'.

My 1st 5k was 36 something.....and even today would be sooooo excited to get under 30. Go have fun and good luck!!!

My first race (ever) was a full marathon, but I did run a 5K 2 months after my marathon and my time was 31:10. I was coming off an injury and gained about 8lbs. of injury weight so I think I did pretty well for being a back of the pack runner. Didn't train for it and it was really my only road run post-injury aside from PT on the treadmill, just winged the entire thing.

For your first 5k, just have fun, train with your friend and finish. I ran my first 5k while I was in the Army in 1984 in 22 minutes.
Nowadays, I am happy with 30 minutes! Good luck!

My first (and only) was 46:15 in March 2011. I basically completed it by jogging/walking intervals through the whole thing. I had suffered a calf injury about 2 months before the race...it occasionally still bothers me, but my goal is to get back to jogging again and do the same race next March.

My first 5k goal was to cross the finish line having run the whole thing. That's all I needed in order to be proud of myself

Edit: My time was 43:14, which I don't think was that bad for having only been running a month without having run in 10 years.

This was my goal as well. My time was 43:48, and I had only been running a short time before my 5k, too. I hadn't ever run before, even when I was a kid I was excused from it because of my asthma, so just completing a 5k without walking was a HUGE thing for me. :laugh: