10k run!

[autumngirl714]

What is considered a good speed for 10k?
I've finally hit the 10k distance (after building up to it for what has felt like a lifetime!). I have no idea if I'm a fast or slow runner 🙈 So what would you guys consider to be a "good" speed for 10k?

I'm at 1 hour 5 mins.

I think 50-60 mins is a ‘good’ time for a general runner. 65 very normal so you’re not an outlier by any stretch!

Less than an hour is the benchmark for decent i would say.

Anything under 50 min I would say is good.

But that depends a lot on age, obviously it's harder as you get older to hit those times.

I'm 50 next year.

That's about my time for 10k.

Well done on getting there 💪🏻

You can use age grading calculators to approximate what a “good for age” time for a 10k would be ( afaik these don’t really exist- I’ve only seen them for marathon entry requirements). So, assuming you’re aged between 40-45, your marathon GFA target would be sub 3:45 for London. The equivalent 10k time would be roughly 50 mins 36 secs based on an age grading of 61% for the marathon time- this will change a bit depending on your exact age.

Thank you all!
I am buzzing to have hit the 10k mark. I have quite good fitness but I do struggle with running so it's taken a while.
I'm only 34 though so I think k my time is a bit lousy 🙈 I'll maybe try not broadcasting my time until I'm under 60 mins 😂

My advice is not to broadcast times anyway. The time, honestly, is immaterial. I’m very slow but I run the same cadence as DH, who has long legs and is very fast. So I’m actually doing twice the work to run 10K as he is. Why would I compare my time?

Helped by the fact that I rarely cry when I see the winners go over the line. I regularly do for the slow, trying hard, helped by others. It’s obviously much more aspirational. And harder!

10km is the same distance regardless of how fast you run it. Just being able to run that distance makes you a much better runner than average as most of the population can't. A sub-hour 10km puts you in the top 30% or thereabouts, without adjusting for age.

65 mins is a decent time for a first 10k. You'll build up speed fairly rapidly now you can do the distance.
I'd say 50 to 60 mins is considered an average-ish finish time for a woman at your typical 10k race.
40 to 50 mins is very good (usually your club runners will fall into this category) and under 40 mins for a non-elite runner is excellent.

Or to be more specific, you could run an age-grading score against your time (like the one you get in Parkrun). This is different to Good for Age which is how you qualify for major marathon places.

Parkrun describes age gradings thus:

"The higher the score the better the performance. For a flat course with a smooth running surface and in “good running weather” (low temp, low humidity, low wind) the following is regarded as true.

• Above 40% - You’re faster/fitter than the average person
• Above 50% - You’re doing pretty good!
• Above 60% - Local club class level
• Above 70% - Regional class level
• Above 80% - National class Level
• Above 90% - World class level
• Above 100% - World record level performance

If you were 40, a time of 65 mins for 10k is an age grade of 47.5. So officially faster than the average person!

65 mins is a respectable time for a first 10k. My fastest so far is 55 mins, but that’s taken a while to get there. I’m going to start doing a few races and see if the competition helps get my time down. That said, I have short legs and so not a very long stride so it does feel as if I’m going quite fast.

My first 10k was 65 mins or thereabouts and I run just over 40 mins these days. It's quite easy to shave time off at first, but becomes much harder!

I did a 10k today and got a chip time of 53.50. My dream goal would be to get that down to sub-50 and I'm going to try to target that at the Great South Run in October.

I managed 10k today after trying to do couch to 5K type thing for a while (not the actual one but my own variation), and haven’t ever got close to doing 5K in 30 minutes, so the past month or so I’ve tried to go further instead to work on endurance.

it took me 1 hour 20 minutes, no stopping but very slow jogging. So I’d say your time is fab!! It is really hard to compare time I think. I was pleased for me that I managed to do it. No idea how I’d get faster really as that’s the problem with my 30 min runs, speed not really increasing, but they are getting easier.

I hope you are proud of yourself for getting to your goal, regardless of time

Great South is 10 miles, not 10km.

Don't they do a 10k option as well? The great run events I've done seem to have one. Although thinking about it the great north doesn't so maybe it's the same for that one as well.

Yes I know, but i can still attempt to try to get a 10k pb in that race.

Not at Great South. There is a 5km option. https://www.greatrun.org/events/great-south-run/

No idea about Great North, but I thought that was a half marathon anyway.

That would be daft. Stepping up a distance and then pushing yourself to get a PB during it will likely mean you find it much harder, run the risk of blowing up and not being able to finish.
Unless you are regularly running longer distances and doing 10 miles is a step down.

Most of the great run events are half marathons. AFAIK only great south is 10 miles.

@IHadaMarvelousTimeRuiningEverything why not do a 10k race instead? There's loads more 10k events to pick from.

It is a step down. I'm doing a marathon in a couple of weeks and will target another later this year/early next year so will be continuing with my long runs.

I want to pb in the Great South Run (hoping for circa 1.20) and if I manage that I will just creep in with a sub-50 10k.