What are the chances of me been able to run 2.4km in 14 mins?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Probably by Oct.

I'm nearly 40, bmi of 30.

Haven't done any running in years but do bike. Just went and tried it and it took me 19 mins and nearly killed me! Do I just keep doing it, maybe every other day? I can't run the whole distance yet, kept having to walk.

I can run 2.5 k in 18 minutes...and that includes a couple minutes of stopping to walk and catch my breath.

I started couch to 5k, didn't complete week 5 but just carried on going 3 times a week and adding an extra minute every so often.

So I'm now at 18 minutes and on a good day I walk for one of them somewhere in the middle and cover just over 2.5k.

On a bad day I stop for about 3 separate minutes during it and cover about 2.3.

So yep, just keep going and try to stop less then go faster, but tbh stopping less increases speed anyway.

Yeah I think if I could jog the whole distance Id be able to do it in 14 mins. I must have walked about a third of the distance!

With 4 months training I think you could run that very, very comfortably.

I'd say your chances are very high! Running is one of those things that gets much easier with practice. That's why couch to 5k has become so popular, along with Park Run. Just go as often as you can and push yourself just a little bit more every time. Good luck!

"Yeah I think if I could jog the whole distance Id be able to do it in 14 mins. I must have walked about a third of the distance!"

Then you're at a way better starting point than I was I was struggling to run for 60 seconds when I started.

I'm not a good runner and I'm thinking that's totally do-able, so given that you're fitter to start with I think you'll be fine.

Definitely do the Couch to 5k programme. It builds running up slowly. Ie the first session is more walking then running! It aims to get the average person running 5k in 30 minutes within in about 10 weeks.

Thanks everyone. Will do the couch to 5k. Feeling more confident than when I got back!

c25k is brilliant. I think every other day is a good plan, like in c25k, to give yourself a chance to rest.

One thing I've found is that stopping for a walk is your friend. I was very reluctant at first as I thought I should keep going but found my overall time is usually much better for catching my breath as I run faster in between.

I'm not very fast at all, but my aim at the moment is to do parkrun in under thirty minutes, so I guess a good target for me would be 2.5 k in 14 minutes too. I dont have masses of time in the week so tend to go for shorter runs, although they probably don't help as much as longer runs would. If you're looking for someone to log times with, I'd up for it!

That would be good Chutney.

I'm aiming to sign up with the RAF reserves which is why I'm particularly aiming for 2.4km rather than a longer distance. But I guess doing some 5k runs will help my overall stamina. I might stick to my 2.4km loop most of the time and then once or twice a week do the loop twice.

I thought thar time & distance sounded familiar! I had to do something similar when I was interested in joining the Navy a decade ago!

C25k is definitely the way to go! Being able to run 5k in reasonable comfort will make 2.5k seem easy

Have realised today I also need to get my bmi down to 28 which is worrying me more.

Easily.....it's only slightly faster than a 10min mile pace

If you're eating a sensible diet as you start training you should lose some weight viva. The stop start nature of c25k is basically interval training.

Hope so, just think it might take me a bit longer than planned now. Oh well, will give it a go.

if you can do it in 19 now then I'm sure you can knock 5 mins off it by Oct.

It's the weightloss im more worried about. I trained for a 10k once and don't remember losing any weight. Need to work out how much I need to lose.

Ive got 18kg to lose....that's quite a lot.

I haven't found that running really helps my weight loss tbh.

I was losing before I started and I carried on losing at about the same rate afterwards. (I've been following Slimming World)

Viva I've always imagined you as a sleek, lean, mean mountain biking midwife, cool super mum. I could probably do 2.4km in 14 mins with a bit of training (although currently mostly swimming due to ankle injury).

You'll probably have to mix up your exercise a bit then - running is v good for your fitness but it does become 'easy'. You could try adding some weights or high intensity stuff.

Mostly it'll be the diet though.

Surely you can't need to lose 18kg to get from BMI 30 to BMI 28? Are you 8ft tall?

Bikerunski, I used to be.

Turns out my bmi is a bit more than 30!

I see! In that case I would agree that the weight is going to be harder than the running.

HI OP
i am a runner and how i might suggest you to train would be a maximum of 3 runs a week. Examples might be :

1. a 20 minute slow run, as slow as you like. Build up to 30 mins gradually over time. By the time you do the test you will think 14 minutes is a short run.
2. investigate your local parkrun (5k)
3. a run/ walk session where you are walking/ jogging a fair bit, but do some short sections as a faster run. Maybe just 1 minute or so efforts. Walk to recover your breath. Do not be tempted to overeat - some new runners think because they have run they somehow deserve extra treats. This is why some runners fail to lose weight. This amount of running does not burn that many extra calories. If you can look at your diet, and can make changes to help you lose weight, you will find running easier because running is weight bearing and harder for heavier people. If you are comfortable cycling I would up your cycling efforts too. I recommend Strava app to monitor your progress. When you see improvement you'll be more motivated. Good luck !