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I used to be fit and have started at the gym to get fit once again. I've never really been a runner but have started on the treadmill (along with bikes) to improve my cardio fitness. I want to set myself a goal to reach with running, the problem being that I'm not really sure what a good time or distance to aim for is for a novice runner?

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"The best way to start is to start". – Ryan Miller Jul 13 '11 at 14:36
@Ryan Miller Lucky for me I've started :) – Jim Jul 13 '11 at 14:47
what gets you excited about running? speed? distance? social? Why did you choose running over swimming or other sports? – Ryan Miller Jul 13 '11 at 14:56
Also have a look at fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/2629/… – Tonny Madsen Aug 15 '11 at 13:37

3 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

I would say, since you're a beginner, take things slowly to determine what level of running commitment you're comfortable with. Start with a half mile. Time yourself and try to get your time below 3 1/2 minutes. If you're comfortable committing more time to running, move to a mile per session. Try to get this time below 7 minutes. A 7 minute mile is a very good time for an athlete. It will take some time for a novice to reach this goal but I think this distance is a very healthy amount of running. If you are running several times per week, remember to take things slowly and give yourself enough time to recuperate.

Continue in this fashion until you have reached a level you're comfortable with both in terms of time commitment and energy expense. From my experience, running a 7 minute mile twice a week will keep you in great shape and at a high cardio fitness level.

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If the recommendation for cardio health is 15 - 30 minutes, 3 - 5 time a week, how exactly is _ running a 7 minute mile twice a week will keep you in great shape and at a high cardio fitness level_ accurate? It's not. – Aaron McIver Jul 5 '12 at 18:40
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He asked for a good time/distance for a novice runner. That was my recommendation from past experience. If someone wanted to commit more time/distance to the exercise, they could challenge themselves to run 2 miles under 14 minutes or 3 miles under 21 minutes (both great times by most measurements). Also, studies continually show that time isn't as important as intensity when exercising so it's more about fitting that distance into your time window than just running for a set time. – BradH Dec 12 '12 at 5:18
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I started running again after a few years hiatus from failed marathon training (knee gave out after 18 miles). I ran a 5k with my office team and that got me spirited again. A goal that I reached last year was to run 1 5k a month for the entire year with no time limit except to complete. The winter ones were suprisingly a lot of fun (and invigorating).

Just my $.02 on a running goal.

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up vote 4 down vote

"Good" is a relative term and it would have to be adjusted for your age, sex, and any noteworthy medical conditions. In a very general sense, someone under the age of 40 with a reasonable level of fitness should be able to run a 5k in under 40 minutes.

Since you're trying to improve your fitness, run 5k and mark the time. Make your goal to trim off 10% of your time in 60 days. If you haven't been running much, that should be easy to ramp up to.

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This "Couch to 5k" is a handy beginner workout plan I'm in the middle of: coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml – mootinator Jul 17 '11 at 0:44

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