If you want to run a 5k in 20 minutes your body needs to get comfortable running at a speed of 4 minutes/km – or 6 minutes 26 seconds/ mile. Therefore, to better prepare your body for quicker paces you´ll need to adopt a different training plan by incorporating a few well-established methods.
For more experienced runners, running blogs and websites suggest an average 8-minute-per-mile pace, resulting in a finish time of about 26 minutes. Very advanced runners may be able to complete a 5K in less than 20 minutes.
Average time and pace
Everyday runners can aim to complete a mile in about 9 to 12 minutes. This means you'll finish a 5K in about 28 to 37 minutes. Walkers can expect to complete a mile in about 15 to 20 minutes. Walking at a brisk pace should enable you to finish a 5K at around the hour mark.
Pretty tough for the average person, but the average person is capable of it with a little training. Do a few months of base building, running more than 3 miles a day, 5 days a week. Then start doing speed work. A 20:00 5k is an average 6:40/mile pace or something like that.
Target Race Pace: 6:25 per mile / 3:59 per km for a sub 20 5k. In order to achieve a sub 20 5k you will need to be able to run just under a target race pace of 6:25 minutes per mile pace for the full 3.1 mile distance. That's 4 minutes per kilometer in new money.
If you are a beginner and you are between 20 and 40 years old, an average good time would be 35:53, for novice 30:53, for intermediate runner 26:31, and for advance runner 23:17. Elite runners and professionals run anything between 21:00 minutes down to almost 14:00 flat.
If you've zeroed in on the sub-20 5k time goal, you can count yourself an advanced runner. It takes drive to achieve such speed, as well as a capacity to endure discomfort.
You're not alone; running 3.1 miles without stopping is an impressive feat. The good news is that barring certain musculoskeletal injuries, with proper training, you can absolutely do it. No matter where you are in your fitness journey, and no matter what size and shape you are, a 5K is totally doable.
The best way to breathe while running is to inhale and exhale using both your nose and mouth combined. Breathing through both the mouth and the nose will keep your breathing steady and engage your diaphragm for maximum oxygen intake. It also allows you to expel carbon dioxide quickly.
But all in all, most beginners can complete a 5K in 30 to 40 minutes, and most newbies are pretty satisfied if their finish time is around this benchmark. A very good finish time for a beginner is anything under 25 minutes, which means maintaining an 8-minute-mile pace throughout the event.
As you can see, most of the average runners run 5K in a 25 to 35 mins range. Less than 17 mins: These are exceptional runners. Some of the best athletes and regular runners can run 5K in less than 17 mins. The world record is about 12:37 and you can imagine how hard that would be to improve each second.
Running a 5k in 22 minutes is an appropriate goal if you've run a 5k in 24 minutes or faster. If you have yet to run fairly close to this time, you might want to start with running 5k in 25 minutes. You should also be able to run one mile in 7 minutes, as this will be your race pace for 5k in 22 minutes.
Yeah, very good. Now the world record is about 12:37 for males and 14:30 for females. The US national HS record is about 13:30 (male) and 15:40(female). A sub 18 is still very good - about 5:45 per mile.
Running about 15 to 20 miles a week provides optimal health benefits, O'Keefe said. Or walking can provide benefits, from 2 miles a day to as much as 40 miles a week.
Many people take up running as a healthy way to burn calories and lose weight. The good news is that running 5k every day has the potential to help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, provided you are eating an appropriate number of calories and a nutritious diet.
What is runner's face? If you haven't heard the term, you've likely seen it. It is the face of a lifelong runner with leathery, saggy skin and a gaunt appearance. It is the result of lots of sun exposure and little body fat.
You'll Burn Calories And Lose Weight
One of the main benefits of running is that it's a great way to burn calories and lose weight. If you run for 20 minutes per day, you can expect to burn around 100 calories. Over time, this can add up to a significant amount of weight loss (2).
If you want to run a 5k in 20 minutes your body needs to get comfortable running at a speed of 4 minutes/km – or 6 minutes 26 seconds/ mile.
If you're an intermediate runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 23 to 29 minutes. If you're an advanced runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 20 to 25 minutes. If you're an elite runner, you can expect to run a 5k in between 18 to 22 minutes.
To run a sub 18 minute 5k you will need to be able to run at a target race pace of 5:45 minutes per mile pace for the 3.1 mile distance. That works out at 3:35 per kilometre.
On average a 5K run will burn between 300 and 400 calories (around 100 calories per mile), but if you are looking to work out the rate that you personally burn calories when running a 5K, you will need to take a few factors into consideration.
Say you can run a 5K in 30 minutes, that's a pace of 9:40 (fast); your easy long run should be 12-minute miles (slow). If you can run a half marathon in under 2 hours (about 9-minute miles), a slow run would be 10:22; you could expect to run a 5K in 25:30, at an 8:13 pace.