Soundtrack to this post.
I’m 46, currently working through Couch to 5K (week 6), and I’ve just set myself a proper goal: run the Paisley 10K next year in under 50 minutes.
Where I’m starting from
Let’s be honest about the baseline. My most recent run was 4.64 km in 32 minutes 58 seconds, a pace of roughly 7:06 per km. Eight years ago I ran a parkrun 5K in 23 minutes, so I know there’s another gear in there somewhere. It’s just been a while.
This year’s Paisley 10K is only a couple of weeks away, which is clearly too soon. But next year? That feels like a target worth training for properly.
Photo by Julian Mason, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
The goal
50 minutes for 10K means averaging 5:00 per km. Compared to where I am right now, that’s ambitious. Compared to my parkrun pace from 8 years ago (4:36/km), it’s realistic. Somewhere between “achievable” and “will require actual work,” which is exactly where a good goal should sit.
The plan
Rather than just wing it, I’ve broken the year into six phases:
Phase 1, Finish C25K (weeks 1–3): Complete the programme as designed, finishing with a continuous 30-minute 5K.
Phase 2, 5K consolidation (weeks 4–10): Three runs a week, easy, tempo, and long, plus fortnightly interval sessions. Goal: bring the 5K down to around 26–27 minutes.
Phase 3, Build to 10K (weeks 11–20): Shift focus to distance using a bridge programme, growing the long run from 5K toward 8–9K, increasing no more than about 10% a week.
Phase 4, 10K-specific training (weeks 21–36): Four runs a week, with tempo runs tightening toward 5:00/km pace and intervals like 5×1km at 4:45–4:50/km. Long run builds to 12K.
Phase 5, Peak and taper (weeks 37–44): Race-pace intervals, a long run peaking at 12–14K, then a two-week taper.
Phase 6, Race week: Easy runs or rest, then race day.
Checking in along the way
The plan includes a built-in reality check around month six or seven: if my 5K pace isn’t approaching 4:45–4:50/km by then, 50 minutes might need to shift from “the goal” to “the stretch goal.” Better to know that with months to adjust than to find out in the final week.
Why write this down publicly
Partly accountability. It’s harder to quietly let a goal slide when it’s sitting on the internet with your name on it. Partly because I know I’m not the only person starting from a C25K app and wondering if a 10K is really possible in a year. It is. It just takes patience and a plan.
I’ll post updates as I move through each phase, starting with finishing C25K in the next few weeks.