How to Run a Faster 5K
This will vary between runners, based on your current speed, weekly mileage and…if you have more “fast twitch muscle fibres…or slow twitch muscle fibres” …Put simply, some of us are more sprinters, while some more endurance. Put like that, the former may need to do subtly longer intervals, the latter may need shorter intervals.
Let’s imagine that you run 30 minutes for 5k. Intervals are simply breaking down that distance into shorter parts with rest in between…so one interval session could be…
1. Ten minutes warm up…Then 1k at a faster than 5k pace, but in the knowledge that you have a three-minute rest after it…and that you have four more 1k intervals to run!
a. Three minutes rest and then your next 1k…with a further three minutes rest…and so on, until the 5 five 1k intervals are complete.
b. Easy jog to finish.
c. In principle the total time for the 5k of efforts may total circa 27/28 minutes and not your constant 5k time of 30 minutes
d. As you progress over weeks, you should be able to increase your speed for each 1k, and/or reduce the recovery time from three minutes to two and a half minutes.
e. Your body adapts and come race day your body has become conditioned to a faster 5k pace.
2. This then becomes your introduction to the principle of speedwork…Vary the distance of the intervals…experiment…see what you find the most challenging…do more of the latter!
3. Intervals can vary week on week! If you feel that its raw speed that you lack, do shorter intervals…
a. 8 x 400 metres with two minutes rest…16 x 200 metres with 45 second’s rest
b. If its stamina you lack, try 3 x 1 mile of intervals (3 minutes recovery)
4. One other session to use for 5k preparation is a tempo run…run at the right pace, this helps your aerobic threshold…your ability to take on board oxygen under pressure…remember, 90% of a 5k race is aerobic!
a. The distance will be based on your current weekly mileage and experience etc.
b. Ten minutes warm up into the run and similarly ease down after…then… you should run for circa 25/30 minutes at a faster pace than your normal “steady state runs”. Circa 85% of the fastest that you can keep up for that distance. If you are running 30 minutes for 5k, then the 25 minutes may be at just short of that pace, but for 25 minutes!
c. If you are running 22 minutes for 5k, you would want to run the 30 minutes at closer to your circa 46/48-minute 10k pace.
d. Again, much will be down to your current speed and fitness levels.
5. Hill Repeats. These are great for improving strength, speed, and technique. Find a hill, not too step, but where increased effort is required…
a. Warm up by running to the hill, and similarly, warm down after.
b. Hills force you to have good action…fast leg speed turnover…good driving arms and good push off from the forefoot. Don’t crouch or lean into the hill too much but stay relaxed and adopt the pose of a sprinter, driving up the hill.
c. Ideally the hill should be circa 100 metres…Start with six/eight efforts, with jog recovery back down and go again.
d. Based on your current experience, gradually increase the numbers to twelve
Outside of these three sessions, build in rest days, and similarly have your “steady state core runs” and longer leisurely runs!