Hi from a 41-year-old travel nurse

Sub-30 at 47 after C25K is no joke. What was your weekly mileage before race day?

I did C25K at 44 and my easy pace was too fast too. Slowing to conversational made 10K possible.

Resting HR 74 to 61 is the stat I’d frame.

Four days running/two strength worked for me at 52, but my 10K took 14 months, not 6. Don’t rush it.

Agree on not rushing. I went 5K to 10K in eight weeks and got shin splints. Walk-run for a month after.

Not OP but this thread is helping. I’m 39, week 5 of C25K, 240 lbs, scared of the 20-min run.

The 20-minute run is more mental than physical. I broke it into five-minute chunks and didn’t look at distance. You’re already moving, which is the main thing.

I’m slower than most here and still finished a 10K last year. My first 5K was 38 minutes and easy pace around 12:30/mi. I spent months trying to hit a “respectable” pace and just got tired and cranky. Once I let myself run by feel and listen to a podcast, the weekly miles felt easier and my race pace dropped anyway. For the 9:30/mi question, I’d track how you feel the next day. If easy days leave you wiped, that’s your data. If they feel boring, you’re probably fine. I’d keep the strength days too, even if they’re short.

What strength work are you keeping? I dropped squats when mileage went up and my knees hated me.

I’m not OP, but I kept squats and my knees were fine. A1c 5.4—did your doctor care about the running?