I’ve been doing the Couch to 5K program for a while now, and I’m currently at the last week of it. I can now run for 30 minutes straight, but way less than 5K in that time. The issue is that if I were to run 5K, I would only be able to run it a lot slower than 40, let alone 30 minutes, at my current pace… which, according to a quick Google search, is a much worse time than the average novice runner at my age and sex.
So what now? I’m kind of clueless about what to do after this program, because now that I can run for 30 minutes, I want to actually run 5K in those 30 minutes, like the program implies.
Thank you so much for the responses in advance.
I started similarly and I think the simple answer is “run more”.
It was not long after I reached the point I think you are at when I reached the magical “I can run at an easy pace forever!” I started pushing greater distances instead of speed and I got a lot faster as a result.
There are specific programs for each distance to decrease your times and prepare for a race, but they all kind of assume you can run several miles at an easy pace already.
Enjoy your new hobby!