I wouldn't worry too much, in 5k races there are usually many beginners like us and walking is completely normal. The most important thing is being there and having fun
And not getting injured. Concerned OP is setting themself up for that!
There will always be those faster than you. And those slower. 5Ks should be thought of as events, not races. First 5K, the goal should be to have fun and finish. Speed comes with time. Injury comes by trying to make up for lost time!
>I read a couple of posts saying it’s mean on the organisers if you’re really slow and felt bad!
Yeah, that's just wrong. 5Ks are basically by their nature meant for everyone, of any pace, running, walking, pushing a stroller, just getting out there. For instance, look at these [recent parkrun results](https://www.parkrun.us/collegepark/results/latestresults/): 152 finishers, times ranging from 18:09 to 1:07:50.
A 30 minute 5K is actually a very solid time, not what most people expect in their first race
Achievable. If I were you, I'd look up slow run vs. fast run. A lot of sources say you can build up endurance faster if you run slow enough to maintain a conversation, so focusing on speed in all of your runs might be holding you back.
Thank you for this. I don’t mind being a little over 30 minutes. I just have to be able to go buttons 30 minutes which right now I can’t. If I was to run at a comfortable pace the whole time it would take me 50 minutes to run 5k and that feels like a really long time for a race!
50 minutes will be fine. I bet you there are going to be a lot of people who just walk the whole thing. The only one putting pressure on you here is you. :)
Many races are done annually. If you have the time, I would see if you can find last year’s results.
Ex., I am eyeing a 5k in Sept and last years results show that 14% (36 out of 258) people came in >50 mins. The last two came in at 62 minutes.
That’s what I did! I am looking at a race in my town in late August. Plenty of people are in the 50+ minute range. That gave me a lot more confidence. I’ve also been doing my runs on parts of the race route to get a feel for it.
Also, my dog and I can walk it in 90 minutes, including time for him to sniff everything along the way.
3.3k in 30 minutes is just about where I was when I finished the program on June 7. I covered 5k for the first time two weeks later on June 22, starting out too fast and then needing to walk a lot by the end. Last Saturday, June 29, I did 5k fully running for the first time. My times for both 5k runs were 46:xx, but I kept the pace a lot more even the second time, starting off slower so that I could maintain it the whole time.
So, it’s definitely achievable! In between June 7 and June 22, I kept running about every other day. I’d do two 30 minute runs, followed by one longer run. My longer runs were 3.5k, then 4k. I was going to do a 4.5k but decided to just go for the 5k at a parkrun that Saturday. As already noted, I finished the distance but did have to walk after starting too fast. If I’d kept my initial pace under control, I’m confident I could have run the full distance that day. Felt great to do it at the same parkrun a week later!
Just finish but I read a couple of posts saying it’s mean on the organisers if you’re really slow and felt bad! I could probably complete it in 50 minutes at a slower more comfortable pace I’m just not sure I can actually run for 50 minutes continuously if that makes sense
Please don’t worry about the organizers. It’s not you’ll be doing it in 2 hours. There are absolutely people who will be walking the whole way and finishing in over an hour. Run in a way that is comfortable and sustainable. This is for you, so don’t feel bad!
I've known a few organizers of running events, and it's not mean at all to be slow. In fact, one of them has a tag line "fast people in front and good-looking people in the back"! They WANT people to come out and participate. If that means you're walking 25-minute miles, they don't care!
The point is, you're out there doing the thing! They like that!
The worst thing you could do is start at the front being slow. Let the speed demons get out ahead and then just roll. Go your own pace. So many people walk it so no biggie.
Depends on your goals.
Are you looking to win? Like, outright overall, or your age group? Probably not.
Are you looking to finish, and not dead last? Absolutely achievable.
I ran my first 5k two weeks ago. My time was 36:59. I place 50 something out of almost 200. A 30 minute 5k is fast for a new runner. Just run it. Don’t worry about the time.
Well done! That’s a great time. After receiving so many positive and encouraging messages, I’m feeling much better about it all. I think I was pushing myself to make the 30 minutes and tiring myself out to the point of not being able to go past 30 minutes but if I take it a bit slower, I could probably complete it. I’ve been doing some slow runs on the treadmill with an incline just to get a feel of it and I’ve been feeling good about it.
Honestly it’s fine. I’m week 9 and clocking 4k in 30 mins. I’ve got a park run on Saturday (not a race but still, the pressure of running with other people!) and I’m going to aim for a 38 minute 5k. I run a very solid 7:30/km most days and my fastest has been 6:30/km but that was only for 28 mins. So yeah. I’m not focusing on speed at all! I just want to complete my first 5k (it is bizarrely one day after I finish Week 9 - so perfect timing!)
Thank you for all of your amazing and supportive advice! I honestly didn’t expect so many comments when I posted. This is my first post in the group. You all seem like such an amazing community. I can’t wait to update you all on how it goes
It is 100% achievable. I signed up (& completed) a 5k, 6 days after started running! The key was running slow, and not worry about speed & pace.
During the event, found that there were many people who were running+walking+pausing. So its all good.
I encourage you to participate. Good luck!
I wouldn't worry too much, in 5k races there are usually many beginners like us and walking is completely normal. The most important thing is being there and having fun
And not getting injured. Concerned OP is setting themself up for that! There will always be those faster than you. And those slower. 5Ks should be thought of as events, not races. First 5K, the goal should be to have fun and finish. Speed comes with time. Injury comes by trying to make up for lost time!
>I read a couple of posts saying it’s mean on the organisers if you’re really slow and felt bad! Yeah, that's just wrong. 5Ks are basically by their nature meant for everyone, of any pace, running, walking, pushing a stroller, just getting out there. For instance, look at these [recent parkrun results](https://www.parkrun.us/collegepark/results/latestresults/): 152 finishers, times ranging from 18:09 to 1:07:50. A 30 minute 5K is actually a very solid time, not what most people expect in their first race
Achievable. If I were you, I'd look up slow run vs. fast run. A lot of sources say you can build up endurance faster if you run slow enough to maintain a conversation, so focusing on speed in all of your runs might be holding you back.
Thank you for this. I don’t mind being a little over 30 minutes. I just have to be able to go buttons 30 minutes which right now I can’t. If I was to run at a comfortable pace the whole time it would take me 50 minutes to run 5k and that feels like a really long time for a race!
50 minutes will be fine. I bet you there are going to be a lot of people who just walk the whole thing. The only one putting pressure on you here is you. :)
Many races are done annually. If you have the time, I would see if you can find last year’s results. Ex., I am eyeing a 5k in Sept and last years results show that 14% (36 out of 258) people came in >50 mins. The last two came in at 62 minutes.
That’s what I did! I am looking at a race in my town in late August. Plenty of people are in the 50+ minute range. That gave me a lot more confidence. I’ve also been doing my runs on parts of the race route to get a feel for it. Also, my dog and I can walk it in 90 minutes, including time for him to sniff everything along the way.
3.3k in 30 minutes is just about where I was when I finished the program on June 7. I covered 5k for the first time two weeks later on June 22, starting out too fast and then needing to walk a lot by the end. Last Saturday, June 29, I did 5k fully running for the first time. My times for both 5k runs were 46:xx, but I kept the pace a lot more even the second time, starting off slower so that I could maintain it the whole time. So, it’s definitely achievable! In between June 7 and June 22, I kept running about every other day. I’d do two 30 minute runs, followed by one longer run. My longer runs were 3.5k, then 4k. I was going to do a 4.5k but decided to just go for the 5k at a parkrun that Saturday. As already noted, I finished the distance but did have to walk after starting too fast. If I’d kept my initial pace under control, I’m confident I could have run the full distance that day. Felt great to do it at the same parkrun a week later!
That’s an amazing achievement and I bet it felt like it too! I’ll try and do that to with the 2 x 30 minute runs had 1 long one!
Have you tried running at a lower pace than your max speed? Are you planning to finish the race ir win it?
Just finish but I read a couple of posts saying it’s mean on the organisers if you’re really slow and felt bad! I could probably complete it in 50 minutes at a slower more comfortable pace I’m just not sure I can actually run for 50 minutes continuously if that makes sense
Please don’t worry about the organizers. It’s not you’ll be doing it in 2 hours. There are absolutely people who will be walking the whole way and finishing in over an hour. Run in a way that is comfortable and sustainable. This is for you, so don’t feel bad!
I've known a few organizers of running events, and it's not mean at all to be slow. In fact, one of them has a tag line "fast people in front and good-looking people in the back"! They WANT people to come out and participate. If that means you're walking 25-minute miles, they don't care! The point is, you're out there doing the thing! They like that!
The worst thing you could do is start at the front being slow. Let the speed demons get out ahead and then just roll. Go your own pace. So many people walk it so no biggie.
Depends on your goals. Are you looking to win? Like, outright overall, or your age group? Probably not. Are you looking to finish, and not dead last? Absolutely achievable.
I ran my first 5k two weeks ago. My time was 36:59. I place 50 something out of almost 200. A 30 minute 5k is fast for a new runner. Just run it. Don’t worry about the time.
Well done! That’s a great time. After receiving so many positive and encouraging messages, I’m feeling much better about it all. I think I was pushing myself to make the 30 minutes and tiring myself out to the point of not being able to go past 30 minutes but if I take it a bit slower, I could probably complete it. I’ve been doing some slow runs on the treadmill with an incline just to get a feel of it and I’ve been feeling good about it.
Honestly it’s fine. I’m week 9 and clocking 4k in 30 mins. I’ve got a park run on Saturday (not a race but still, the pressure of running with other people!) and I’m going to aim for a 38 minute 5k. I run a very solid 7:30/km most days and my fastest has been 6:30/km but that was only for 28 mins. So yeah. I’m not focusing on speed at all! I just want to complete my first 5k (it is bizarrely one day after I finish Week 9 - so perfect timing!)
Thank you for all of your amazing and supportive advice! I honestly didn’t expect so many comments when I posted. This is my first post in the group. You all seem like such an amazing community. I can’t wait to update you all on how it goes
It is 100% achievable. I signed up (& completed) a 5k, 6 days after started running! The key was running slow, and not worry about speed & pace. During the event, found that there were many people who were running+walking+pausing. So its all good. I encourage you to participate. Good luck!