I agree with thunderthighs (love that name!). The C25K program is a great start. Find a week somewhere in the middle where you feel comfortable and progress from there.

I'm about the same age as you and have only been running since the beginning of the year. 2 miles was huge for me not too long ago. I'm up to 3 miles now and let me tell you, 12.5 mm feels just about right, as far as my abilities. It's hard to say if your heart rate is excessive, since everyone's heart rates differ. However, if you're struggling hard to catch a breath or aren't able to carry on a conversation while you're running, you need to slow down a bit.

I think if you keep moving nice and slow and gradually ramp up the distance, 5k in May should be no problem at all.

Best wishes for success!

Hi, Joed!

Sounds like you're off to a good start. I agree with the other posters -- a 5K by May is incredibly 'doable', and you may find it's too small a goal! (Why not a 10K, for instance?) The Couch-to-5K program may be a good place to start, helping you to ramp up your time and, eventually, your mileage.

Your heart rate at the end of 2 miles sounds too high. Slow down (12.5mm sounds fast to me!) so that you could carry on a conversation while you run... if you're working harder than that, you're working too hard -- and you're cruising toward an injury. You should be trying to keep your heart rate under about 140 when you run, the whole time, based on your age. (Low heart rate training would put you at 180-48=132, assuming you haven't had injuries and you're not on regular medication... possibly lower.)

As you slow down and ease up on the heart rate, you'll find you are able to run farther... and, as time goes on, you'll be able to run faster at that lower heart rate, too.

Bottom line - slow down, run at a lower heart rate, so that you could comfortably carry on a conversation while you run, and worry about your TIME, not your distance for a while. Work your way toward 30 minutes running... then 32... then 35.

I'm 46 and slow. I was where you are now about a year ago, for mileage, frequency, and pace. I thought I could never build my mileage, because I was running as hard as I could, as fast as I could. Doing more of the same was only hurting my knees.

I slowed down even more, trained at lower heart rates, and have been able to increase my mileage significantly (from 9-12 miles per week to 35-40 miles per week). My pace at the lower heart rates has steadily improved. I have been injury free while doing this, even while running 6 days a week for the last four months. Last Saturday I ran the Baltimore Half-Marathon. 13:02 pace; 2:50:55 -- and I didn't walk a step. A year ago, I would never have believed it to be possible!

You can do this!!

I think you're doing great!! I was where you are about a year ago. Actually, I could run three miles, but they were 14-minute miles.

Now I can run farther than that, and I'm down to nine-minute miles.

I really loved the C25K plan, and then moved on to One Hour Runner just recently. I think either plan would be great for you.

The longer you run, and the farther you run, the faster you will probably run. Just keep at it.