The Running Thread (formerly How fast can you run a 5k?)

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

19 minutes ago, VLC86 said:

With your half marathon time,  and proper training I think you’ll get 3 hours. My half marathon time is 1.40 and you are much quicker than me.

Hope so. Think I'm gonna have to do a training plan from later in the year for it. Might get AI to do it. I think I'm gonna have to taper like hell for a marathon and not run for about a week before or do any weights because they're killing me🤣 

[VLC86]

5 minutes ago, Heart-Shaped Fox said:

Hope so. Think I'm gonna have to do a training plan from later in the year for it. Might get AI to do it. I think I'm gonna have to taper like hell for a marathon and not run for about a week before or do any weights because they're killing me🤣 

Oh yeah you need to only really be stretching your legs for 2 weeks, the odd 10k and a few 5s and 1000% avoid weights. 

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

12 minutes ago, VLC86 said:

Oh yeah you need to only really be stretching your legs for 2 weeks, the odd 10k and a few 5s and 1000% avoid weights. 

Yeah agreed mate. I'm gonna rest probably three days before my next HM event which currently isn't til October unless I do something before. 

 

Weights are absolutely killing me though. I consider them a necessity for the gains obvs but honestly 24-48 hours especially I'm barely walking 🤣 takes about 5 days for the full effects to go. Might be overdoing it I guess 

[VLC86]

1 minute ago, Heart-Shaped Fox said:

Yeah agreed mate. I'm gonna rest probably three days before my next HM event which currently isn't til October unless I do something before. 

 

Weights are absolutely killing me though. I consider them a necessity for the gains obvs but honestly 24-48 hours especially I'm barely walking 🤣 takes about 5 days for the full effects to go. Might be overdoing it I guess 

I’ve found the same with running. To stop it from

happening you need to be doing weights 3/4 times a week but generally that’s not doable if you are running long distances unless you have time/motivation for double sessions.

[David Guiza II]

Did my first all out 5k for a while yesterday at a free 5k race in Rugby. Managed to get around in 17:51, which I was really happy with, but I still despise running in this weather/humidity. 

 

As an aside - there's a decent feature on Serge from Kasabian in Runner's World this month, featuring some moody photos at Bradgate Park. 

[CL Fox]

Anyone got any reccos for a running pram?

 

Think it'll be the only chance I get to do any running on a weekend after my second arrived last week. Any ideas greatly received, plus any tips for running with it.

[Trumpet]

I’m ready for 8c and pissing down rain. My training has gone to shit really and I’m just managing to do about 10-15 miles a week all in.

[waddadamadda]

7 hours ago, David Guiza II said:

Did my first all out 5k for a while yesterday at a free 5k race in Rugby. Managed to get around in 17:51, which I was really happy with, but I still despise running in this weather/humidity. 

 

As an aside - there's a decent feature on Serge from Kasabian in Runner's World this month, featuring some moody photos at Bradgate Park. 

His wife is a phenomenal runner! She runs for Birstall and was first female finisher in the last Leicestershire Road Running League race. 

[Wycombe Fox]

This thread has inspired me to start running again.

 

I stopped in 1999 to bring up a young family plus I was suffering injuries which was getting me down - get fit, get injury, lose fitness and recycle.

 

I was 57kg and 36 years old.

 

I had a couple of dabbles to get back into it but the love or time weren't there.

 

Embarked on the Couch to 5k in June at 85kg and 63 years old and completed the first three weeks, lost 4kg then got the 'flu - proper 'flu, not man flu. Had it for two weeks and I can't wait to get back out there. The good thing is that I've kept the 4kg off 

 

The feeling was back though, that feeling of moving along under your own steam, not so much gliding anymore, maybe more like digging a trench with every step, but the 'feeling'.

 

I want to race again! I'll start with Parkruns once I've completed the Couch to 5k program.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

Cracking effort @Wycombe Fox keep going brother 👏

[Wycombe Fox]

5 minutes ago, Bob Weasel Fox said:

Cracking effort @Wycombe Fox keep going brother 👏

Thanks @Bob Weasel Fox, much appreciated

[Bob Weasel Fox]

On 16/06/2026 at 06:35, stretch1965 said:

Just entered Equinox 24 at belvior Castle in September. Plan to do 10 laps so 100k in total. anyone done this before? I have done a single lap a few times there so know the course.

My plan is to do 6-7 laps between 12 and midnight, then get up at 6am and 3-4 laps.

 

I did solo at Equinox in 2021 I think and did 10 laps in 24hrs so achievable - I only ended up having about an hour and a half sleep (in one go) and bits and bobs otherwise but the lap I did at 02-03 ish was very slow (more or less walking pace) otherwise they were all running fairly steady 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

17 hours ago, Trumpet said:

I’m ready for 8c and pissing down rain. My training has gone to shit really and I’m just managing to do about 10-15 miles a week all in.

Aye this is just savage, milage and pace through the floor.

[SecretPro]

18 hours ago, Trumpet said:

I’m ready for 8c and pissing down rain. My training has gone to shit really and I’m just managing to do about 10-15 miles a week all in.

 

42 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Aye this is just savage, milage and pace through the floor.

Happening to all of us (apart from the freak in this thread that says they love running in heatwaves )

[Les-TA-Jon]

Shaved 52 seconds off my 5K PB this morning and got my first ever sub-30 mins, which feels like a huge win psychologically! 

[abc]

A back injury in Feb has had me out for 20 weeks. Walked my first parkrun on Sat with no after affects.Will do some Jeffing and hope to be back running in the next few weeks. Gave Blood yesterday so will blame my slow times on a lack of red blood cells. 5k in 55 mins to beat.

[James_lcfc]

Hard 30 minute effort at lunch time for me today...pretty miserable in the heat but another box ticked I guess.

 

Straight into the kids paddling pool when I got home - Got the body temp down nicely!

[Ric Flair]

It's been an extremely frustrating 6 weeks but i'm back running and pain free.

 

Did a few 5-6kms last week and then did a 9km speed session yesterday and felt pretty good. Fitness is compromised from the last few months but if i'm injury free then i'll try and slowly build that back up.

 

Plan is sub 1hr 45 at Robin Hood Half in Sep, free wheel round Leicester Half with a load of folk in October and then tick it over until the Brighton marathon block. 

[Ric Flair]

On 06/07/2026 at 11:54, CL Fox said:

Anyone got any reccos for a running pram?

 

Think it'll be the only chance I get to do any running on a weekend after my second arrived last week. Any ideas greatly received, plus any tips for running with it.

I used to use an Iceland shopping trolley, struggled to get it in my boot though.

[Messi]

Anyone had there London marathon ballot results through yet? 
 

[SickoDicko]

Managed to get a ballot place for the Saturday, only 4th year entering! Will be my first marathon too 

[09bballer]

16 hours ago, SickoDicko said:

Managed to get a ballot place for the Saturday, only 4th year entering! Will be my first marathon too 

You will absolutely love it,  the buzz of doing London is different from anything else.

Still very hard but such a buzz. Make sure you get some pre-Christmas training in, it helps in my opinion.

[LCFCJohn]

On 03/07/2026 at 13:21, Les-TA-Jon said:

Been a good stretch of consistent running over the last 15 weeks. Much more focused on 'easy' and 'slow' running - and really feeling the benefits. Did my 4th 10K ever this morning (70mins) and was never out of breath or anything. 

 

I'm 36 and had been inactive my entire life, before I started Couch to 5K back in March 2025, so I'm happy with my progress. 

Interesting read. I was very active as a child/teenager and a very good cross country runner. I let it go in my 20’s. Uni, starting adult life and work etc. My wife and I started on couch to 5k a couple of years ago. I found the early weeks really easy as I guess I hadn’t fully lost it. The last couple of weeks where you were running solidly for 30 minutes got tough. I had a set back with shin splints that stopped me over the winter before last and then been on and off. 
 

I can do a 5k in about 28 minutes but it’s tough at the end. And I am keen to see a difference in heart rate come the end as that will be linked to stamina.

 

But I am struggling to break that barrier into the further distance. I don’t know if it’s motivation or just not the right technique. It’d be interesting to know what you have done as from your own description, it sounds like you came from a position of less strength with running than I am in.

[Les-TA-Jon]

4 hours ago, LCFCJohn said:

Interesting read. I was very active as a child/teenager and a very good cross country runner. I let it go in my 20’s. Uni, starting adult life and work etc. My wife and I started on couch to 5k a couple of years ago. I found the early weeks really easy as I guess I hadn’t fully lost it. The last couple of weeks where you were running solidly for 30 minutes got tough. I had a set back with shin splints that stopped me over the winter before last and then been on and off. 
 

I can do a 5k in about 28 minutes but it’s tough at the end. And I am keen to see a difference in heart rate come the end as that will be linked to stamina.

 

But I am struggling to break that barrier into the further distance. I don’t know if it’s motivation or just not the right technique. It’d be interesting to know what you have done as from your own description, it sounds like you came from a position of less strength with running than I am in.

I think last year I got in my head - 'I've been running for a year now and I should be able to do X,Y or Z pace' And I was running too fast on most of my runs. Leaving me tired, poor recovery and not really building endurance. 

 

The main thing I've done for the last 4 months is completely forget about pace and focus on deliberately slow running. I used to do 06:00-06:30 min Km. Now I'm trying to do 07:00-07:30 min Km. Or another way to think of it is just in terms of effort levels. So most of my running is trying to do an 'I can do this all day' or '4/10 effort' pace. 

 

So for the last few months I've done: 

Monday - 5K at easy pace 

Weds - Intervals (currently 5 min warm up run, then 1 min 'faster', 1 min 'slower' to recover x6 reps - but I need to move to something more progressive)

Fri - 'Long run' at easy pace - adding 0.5K each week. So I spent the last 10 weeks building back up to 10K. 

 

Here and there I treated the Monday 5K as an opportunity to try for more of a PB pace (i.e closer to 06:00 min Km) to try and hit sub-30 

Edited Friday at 10:22 by Les-TA-Jon

[CosbehFox]

The heat finally took me down last night. A very respectable 5k but given it a hour afterwards, migraine fully in play.