Steady jog · 5 mph
12:00 minutes per mile
Photo by Isaac Wendland on Unsplash
12:00 per mile equals 5 mph or 8 km/h on a treadmill, and 7:27 per kilometre. Held for a full 5K it gives 37:17. A 30-minute run at this pace covers 2.5 miles (4.02 km) — you would need about 8 more minutes to reach 5K.
12:00 and 12:30 per mile, converted
| Measure | 12:00 / mile | 12:30 / mile |
|---|---|---|
| Pace per kilometre | 7:27 | 7:46 |
| Treadmill speed | 5 mph | 4.8 mph |
| Treadmill speed (metric) | 8 km/h | 7.7 km/h |
| 5K (3.107 miles) | 37:17 | 38:50 |
| 10K | 1:14:34 | 1:17:40 |
| Distance in 20 minutes | 1.67 mi · 2.68 km | 1.60 mi · 2.57 km |
| Distance in 25 minutes | 2.08 mi · 3.35 km | 2.00 mi · 3.22 km |
| Distance in 28 minutes | 2.33 mi · 3.76 km | 2.24 mi · 3.60 km |
| Distance in 30 minutes | 2.50 mi · 4.02 km | 2.40 mi · 3.86 km |
| Minutes of running to reach 5K | 37:17 | 38:50 |
speed = 60 ÷ pace · distance = time ÷ pace · 1 mile = 1.609344 km
Distance covered in 30 minutes, by pace (mi)
Is 12:00 per mile too slow?
Twelve-minute miles are an honest, steady jog. The 5K comes in at 37:17, and 30 minutes of running at this speed covers exactly 2.5 miles, or 4.02 km. That is about a kilometer short of 5K when week 9 ends. On a beginner run/walk plan this pace fits every week, and it is the kind of speed that makes the jump from the 8-minute runs of week 5 to the 20-minute run on day 3 feel possible rather than frightening.
On a treadmill
Set the treadmill to 5.0 mph, which is 8.0 km/h. Raising it to 5.2 mph gives an 11:30 mile and a 5K of 35:44; dropping to 4.8 mph gives a 12:30 mile and a 5K of 38:50. A 0.2 mph change at this speed is worth about a minute and a half over 5K, which is easy to track from a whole-number setting like 5.0.
How many minutes past 30 to reach 5K at 12:00
| Continuous run | Distance | Still to go |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 2.50 mi (4.02 km) | 0.98 km |
| 35 min | 2.92 mi (4.69 km) | 0.31 km |
| 37:17 | 3.11 mi (5.00 km) | — |
The plan ends with 30 minutes of running. At 12:00 per mile a full 5K needs 37:17, which is 7:17 more. Adding 2 to 3 minutes a week to one run, as the guide on finishing the plan short of 5K describes, covers that gap in about 3 to 4 weeks.
What 12:00 looks like across the plan
| Session | Run minutes | Distance run | Whole session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Day 3 | 8 | 0.67 mi | 1.89 mi |
| Week 3 Day 3 | 9 | 0.75 mi | 1.81 mi |
| Week 4 Day 3 | 16 | 1.33 mi | 2.19 mi |
| Week 5 Day 3 | 20 | 1.67 mi | 2.22 mi |
| Week 6 Day 3 | 25 | 2.08 mi | 2.64 mi |
| Week 7 Day 3 | 25 | 2.08 mi | 2.64 mi |
| Week 8 Day 3 | 28 | 2.33 mi | 2.89 mi |
| Week 9 Day 3 | 30 | 2.50 mi | 3.06 mi |
You need 7.3 minutes beyond the 30-minute run to finish 5K at 12:00, which makes a 5K run about 37 minutes long. After week 9, add 2 to 3 minutes to one run each week. Within three or four weeks you will be running long enough to cover the distance without ever needing to run faster than you do now.
12:30 per mile: the half-minute step
12:30 per mile is 4.8 mph (7.7 km/h), 7:46 per km and a 38:50 5K; 30 minutes covers 2.4 miles.
If 12:30 is where your runs settle, you are jogging at a steady, normal beginner pace. The 5K takes 38:50. Thirty minutes covers 2.4 miles, or 3.86 km, so you finish week 9 a bit more than a kilometer short of 5K. That gap closes with time, not speed. The pace works across the whole 9 weeks, from the 90-second runs of week 2 to the 30-minute runs at the end, and it sits in the middle of the Steady jog band.
Enter 4.8 mph, or 7.7 km/h. At 5.0 mph you are on a 12:00 mile and the 5K drops to 37:17. At 4.6 mph you are on a 13:00 mile and the 5K rises to 40:23. That 0.2 mph shift either way changes the finish by about a minute and a half. If your treadmill steps in 0.1 mph increments, you can split the difference when 5.0 feels like a stretch.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 12 minute mile slow for a beginner?
Not on this plan. A 12:00 mile gives a 5K of 37:17 and 2.5 miles in half an hour. The plan's goal is 30 minutes of continuous running, and it does not set a speed target at all. A 12-minute mile you can hold for 30 minutes is more useful than a faster one you cannot.
What is a 12 minute mile in km per hour?
8.0 km/h, or 5.0 mph. Per kilometer the pace is 7:27. These are the numbers to use on a metric treadmill or watch. Over a 5K, 7:27 per km adds up to 37:17, the same finish time as a 12:00 mile, because both describe exactly the same speed.
Is a 12:30 mile pace normal for a beginner?
Yes, it sits in the Steady jog band of this site's table, between 12:00 and 13:00. At 12:30 per mile your 5K would take 38:50. The plan does not ask for any particular speed, only that you run the set minutes while still able to speak in sentences. If 12:30 lets you do that, it is the right pace.
Data sources
Data as of October 4, 2026
- FirstFiveK calculations (distance ÷ time)Own work · 2026-10
- CDC — Measuring Physical Activity Intensity (talk test)Public domain (US federal government) · 2026-10
- HHS — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd editionPublic domain (US federal government) · 2026-10
- How ranks and averages are calculated