What's your 5k time (running)?

[Lottapianos]

Just interested in what would be a respectable time for 5k. Not planning to run a race, just for my own information!

I really enjoy running and do 5K 3 times a week. I am pretty slow and haven't been pushing myself very hard to get faster. My best 5k time is 34 minutes.

Come and share

Well it depends on your age, sex, fitness level and circumstances. If you are 20yo guy, then generally 34 mins is quite slow. But if you are a 20yo guy who has just lost 6 stone and previously could barely walk a mile, then 34 mins is bloody marvellous. Or if you are a 50yo who's recovering from major surgery or cancer. Or a woman who had a baby a few months ago.

If you want to compare your time ,you can google to find an age grading calculator. It allows you to compare yourself against other runners of different ages and sexes. But the person you should really be competing against is yourself .

Did you watch the London marathon on Sunday ? Even if you are mo Farrah , there is always someone faster than you. So there's no point in getting discouraged because lots of people here are 10 mins faster than you. You are still, as they say, beating all the people on the sofa.

42m - I was going to say first and last attempt! But I am psyching myself up to start c25k - just scared of being too unfit to even manage the first day!

42 mins is jog/walk pace , so you will be absolutely fine with the c25k. It's very gentle and slow.

Thank you Kristina

Yellow -why don't you join a c25k thread on Mumsnet? It really motivates you when you know you need to report back !!! Just like the ante natal threads, you get to moan about how hard it is with people who really understand and you know won't do

And you don't feel stupid having to confess that the thought of running for 1.5 minutes is really scary. I distinctly remember thinking how much longer 1.5 mins is than 1min and looking frantically at my watch willing the guy to say " well done " so I could stop

I'm lurking on there! There isn't an excuse I've not thought of not to do it - wrong trainers, need a gait analysis, too unfit to even start, cba to put my sports bra on, have to wait til ds is asleep...... Etc etc

The 5k I did was nearly six years ago; I'm now probably two stone heavier due to early meno = hrt AND mirena. I really do need to start shifting some weight....

It's just the thought of being so out of breath and feeling like shit after what should be an easy session.

See??! More excuses!! And yet I can feel SO close to starting .... I will .... I will!

The term " easy " is all relative. And surely if you are not out of breath / hot and sweaty you are not doing it right?

I look like a beetroot after every single run, easy or otherwise . Sometimes the marshals at parkrun ask me if I'm ok as I jog past. I always wondered why until I saw some photos of myself and realised that I look like I'm dying .

My DD has done park runs and I've been the cheering squad! She's an "elite" runner though by PR standards (sub 19mins) so if I ran too she' d be waiting for another 25 minutes or so (thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!)

25.17 in February. I was thrilled as it's my fastest time since 1999 when I was 31. My fastest ever was only 25.00 so I'm hoping for personal best.

Mine is 26.06 - I'm nearly 50. I so much want to get down to "starting with a 25", then I will have a real swagger .

I deffo agree that any time is a real achievement, and I always say that I'm going faster than the person sitting on the sofa.

My dd is 10 and has done 31 something. Ds is 12 and his PR best is 24.30.

Kristina - I go a couple of shades past beetroot! It's horrendous. I do an hour of martial arts a week, with the occasional 'fitness night' which is 90mins, and I spend half of it outside trying to breathe!

Anyway ........ after ds went to sleep, I dragged dd3 out with me, ostensibly for a walk, but we did a couple of 60seconds jogs too, and speedwalked most of the rest, and I'm still here to tell the tale :)
Hopefully she'll come with me regularly so it won't be so easy to bail out!

I want to be able to do park runs :) That's my goal.

Well done yellow ! If you do the c25k you will soon be able to do park runs. If you look on the website of your local run and click latest results, you will see that there are lots of people who run it in 30-40 mins. So you won't be alone let alone last !

Between 28 and 30 for a normal run - a touch faster if it's a 'race' or parkrun and someone else it looking at time, IYKWIM. :)

When I first started running I came in last in a parkrun - everyone else was so supportive that I soon got better! Being last has its advantages.

My 5k PB is 27:09 and 10k 56:46 - both done on Tuesday - in the heat. I run very well in the heat!

I'm doing the BUPA Manchester 10k next months for the 3rd time & desperate to get in under 60 mins (just gone over by a few seconds on both occasions)

Carry on and you'll get the time you want - but your time now is FAB too. Keep going chick!

My first ever 5k race was a race for life one about 12 years ago...I did it in 39 minutes. I recently got a pb in a parkrun of 23:40 :-)I am getting faster generally as I get older and am aiming for pbs in 4 race distances this year...2 down, 2 to go!
Any time for a 5 k is OK...its what you can achieve on that day, on that particular run and it is likely it will be different every time. You are still doing better than everyone on the sofa!

26:24 late last summer. Just had a couple of months off and best since I restarted is 27:30. Want to get back into the 26's for the Race for Life on 8 June. Am 48 years old and started running a couple of years ago after a 30 year break

PB 28:16 (a couple of years ago). Usually between 29 and 30.

Finally recorded under 30 mins today . Next big goal is 25 mins...

About 33 minutes but my DH has done a training plan that includes a fast run once a week so I'm hoping this will improve. I'm hoping to do a 10k in September.

My parkrun PB is 27.19. I should time myself elsewhere too though as my parkrun is pretty hilly
I think I would be faster on the flat

I hate running fast! I can do 5k in under 27 minutes if I really push myself but I'd much rather slow down a bit and run further. My favourite runs are long runs, anything between 10-14 miles, off road and hilly.

A good time can be any time though op! It's great for anyone to be able to run 5k, some people will always find themselves at the slower end while others will naturally be faster. I'm at the slower end and very happy there Everyone can improve with training and effort but there are limits. I will never be speedy.....

I have done 30mins when I was fit and running regularly, but would probably be nearer 35 at the moment.

I think it's very personal though. I was extremely fit when I managed 10k in an hour, but I am not a natural runner at all, so although an hour is a fairly mediocre (if respectable) time, it was good for me.

Everyone has their own strength. For running / hiking / cycling mine is that I have great endurance but can also recover enough to repeat the same trial the next day. Doesn't mean I'm not slow and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't give away a bit of my rapid recovery to just move faster, but I'm still faster than the person on the couch as others have said.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, speed isn't the only measure of fitness or improvement.

Only ever done one timed one and it was just under 34. I always thought that was pretty slow too. But it was around 505 for my age. Agree with other posters who say it's for fun and not in comp with anyone else. I don't really want to speed up but would love to increase distance.

I did my first ever 5k park run today in 31.01. Well chuffed!