5K - reasonable ?

[LisaS]

I can't believe I'm started a thread in a *running* forum ...
what is a reasonable time to shoot for if one is a female 45-49, new runner, first time 5K?

we can skip "do your best", "time is relative", "finishing is what is important" -
I'm looking for information on what would be considered a good goal - reach-able and respect-able (flat course). Is 30 mins reasonable or unthinkable or way to easy?

Should I just do a "timing test" on a track and see where I fall out and then set a plan to better it in 6 weeks? (the 5K is Jul 15th).

ideas for this non-runner?

Lisa

[RobLL]

How about doing a kilometer or 1/4 of a mile, get a little uncomfortable at it, seeing how long you have to rest before you run it again. That might give you and others a clue.

[LisaS]

OK. That's kind of what I was thinking - do some timings on a track on the weekend and plan from there.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

By non-runner do you mean you don't run at all? Or do you mean that you only run when you have to? i.e. (HIIT or such) I'm just asking because 3 miles is a long ways for an absolute beginner.

[LisaS]

I'm a "run when I have to"/HIIT person. HIIT both running & cycling - typically 30s/60s rather than the shorter sprints, plus some [evil] "lactate inducing resistance circuits" for the last 3 weeks.

for steady state, I walk the dogs 3+ miles 3-4 times a week (obviously not the same, but worst case I know the distance at "dog walk" speed with some hills)

[BamaDave]

30 minutes sounds reasonable, but running paces are very "individual." Check out some 5K results from races in your area - they almost always have finishers grouped by age and gender, which will give you an idea of what the "competition" is running.

[UpNorth]

You might want to go out to a track (or run a known distance) and time a mile run. Just run it comfortably and see how you do. If you're running at 10 minutes per mile, 30 minutes is a good goal. If you come in at 12 minutes per mile then you've got some work to get to 30 minutes.

P.S. Time is relative to your abilities, and you should just go out and do the best you can do. It's finishing that is most important.

[GG300]

30 minutes sounds reasonable, but running paces are very "individual." Check out some 5K results from races in your area - they almost always have finishers grouped by age and gender, which will give you an idea of what the "competition" is running.

For the Guru of running maybe

Speaking as a true novice some people are just good runners and if you are in good condition you might blow right by 30 minutes. The rest of the folks have to work at a little (or a lot) and you still might not hit the 30's for awhile. I honestly believe that most of the people that are not very good at running do not participate in 5K's very often therefore the meadian times are somewhat misleading. I think Jeff (Up North) has a good idea about seeing what you do for a timed mile and go from there. Just the opinion of a very slow guy who still likes to run races but is not to thrilled about training.

[Buk]

I agree, for some new runners 30 minutes is a very lofty goal - and 6 weeks is fairly short in a runners lifespan. I have seen some new runners struggle with a 13 minute mile, but others brease through a 9. A timed mile is definitely what you need to give a good idea of what a good goal will be. 3 mile dog walks are a good plus though. Knowing and doing the distance, even slowly, is a huge advantage - espically on a regular basis.

Good Luck!

[BamaDave]

Yikes, yeah I missed the 6 weeks of training part. Running really is an "individual" sport, and even though Lisa doesn't want the "everybody's a winner" BS, "reasonable" goals are definitely an individualized thing. I scanned through some local race results, and 30 minutes seems to be about 30th to 40th percentile for 40-something ladies... so, yeah, good chance that 30 minutes is a lofty goal on 6 weeks of training!

[LisaS]

thanks for the input - its exactly what I was looking for as far as "what's reasonable" to shoot for. I'll try the timed mile this weekend and report back for insights.

[Erika]

For me, I could do a mile much better than I can do for an average of three miles. I would think that after doing mile one, mile two and three would get progressively slower.

[LisaS]

I'm thinking the same thing - but I'm guessing that there must be some extrapolaiton that could be made - if 1 mile = 10 mins then a 30 min 5K unlikely (unlikely to sustain for 2 more miles) but perhaps assuming 10+12+14 + improved conditioning over 6 weeks makes a 35 min 5K an achieveable goal to shoot for. On the other hand, if I find it is 12 mins for the mile then 12+14+16 might make 42 mins reasonable and <40 a stretch goal. I know I can walk it in 45 mins (I "jog" alot slower than I can power walk the same distance).

[UpNorth]

I wasn't necessarily suggesting doing a 1 mile time trial, although you certainly could and then use something like this McMillan calculator to give you a goal time. But I'm not sure how accurate that will be for you since you are essentially an untrained runner and the race is 6 weeks out. You will certainly improve over the next 6 weeks.

I was thinking that if you were able to do a comfortable 10 minute mile now, you probably could train to do a 30 minute 5k in six weeks. That is just a guess and makes the assumption that since you are new to running you will probably progress pretty quickly.

For a bit more detail of how I got to that: I would expect someone who can run a comfortable 10 minute mile untrained to be able to easily knock a minute or more off that pace in six weeks. When you start to get to the ability to run an 8:30 mile, you should be able to get a 30 minute 5k.

... I don't feel like I'm making sense, but I'm going to post it anyway...

[Buk]

Don't forget that at a 10 minute pace the 0.1 adds a minute!

Early ability and training is much harder to predict than improvements in someone that has been training. But knowing your mile time would help extrapolate that a lot, espically since you already have the endurance to walk 3 miles comfortably. But I would guess that most would be able to extend their untrained mile pace to a 5k with six weeks of solid consistent training. So a 10 minute mile would give you a goal of 31 min 5k in 6 weeks in my book.

[Erika]

It makes sense to me. Unfortuneately our only 5k in Little Rock is this Sunday so I have had three days to train. At least I know I can finish.

[Buk]

Originally Posted by Erika

It makes sense to me. Unfortuneately our only 5k in Little Rock is this Sunday so I have had three days to train. At least I know I can finish.

What about these two:

July 4, Little Rock - Firecracker 5K. Info: (501)231- 3730.
July 14, North Little Rock - River City 5K. Info: (501)834- 7044.

[BamaDave]

That's surprising. We still have 5K's around here all through the Summer... not much else, though. Fall through Spring is the big racing season in the South for very obvious reasons!

[Phaedrus49er]

Only one??? Geez, we average two per month here at least.