8 weeks to train for a 5k. Is that enough time?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve decided to sign up for my first 5k. I’ll be running the Chicago Hot Chocolate 5k on November 6th as a birthday present to one of my skinny over achieving friends (note to self: get less enthusiastic friends). I’m not in shape and don’t exercise often, if at all. Runners, do you think 8 weeks is enough time to train for a 5k? Am I crazy?

To help keep me on pace, I’m using the Couch to 5k Podcasts. This morning was my first “run” if you’d even call it that. It was more of a gasp, trip, tumble, flail, walk, cabbage patch, Phoebe-esqe attempt at running/walking, but I did it. And you know what? It wasn’t that awful. It was kind of fun.

Worst case scenario, I walk a portion of the 5k in November. It’s just nice to have a goal and something to work towards. I don’t want to set myself up for failure or injury.

Thoughts/opinions/dirty words?

2

If you’re prepared to walk part of the course if necessary, then I think you’ll be fine. Couch to 5K is designed to be a 9-week program. I found that at the end of 9 weeks, I was running for 30 minutes straight, but that still wasn’t quite a 5K distance for me. It took me more like 12 weeks to work up to 5K. But, if you do a walk/run throughout the race, I think you should have no trouble completing the distance. Just take it easy and don’t push yourself past your capacity.

To be clear, I do think that going from out-of-shape/couch potato to actually running the full 5K in 8 weeks is probably over-ambitious, but it doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re necessarily talking about.

3

5k is basically nothing. Unless you are a heavy smoker, old, or fat it shouldn’t take more than a couple weeks to get used to running that far.

4

Well, I was fat.

5

Um, I wasn’t any of those three and still couldn’t run a whole 5k at a go. I was doing good to go a mile without needing to stop. Part of this was pacing, but a lot of it was just plain ol’ out-of-shape sedentary American living.

If the OP sticks to the C25K plan, they should be in a really good position to complete a 5k. They might even, with the adrenaline and challenge of the event, be able to run the whole thing. Even if not, it’s a really great start. I hope you find you love running as much as I’ve enjoyed it, it can be a wonderful stress reliever and a great way to enjoy another aspect of the places we visit when we travel.