5k in under 30 mins

BrianSharpe

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

Everybody's talking about this! I wish I'd taken a couple of walk breaks in my last HM. I bet I would have done better. (My hips were getting very tight at the end.)

At a few of the races I do each year there are pace bunnies for both continuous running & run/walk and some of the run/walk ones are going for pretty impressive times.

lporter229

BrianSharpe wrote: »

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

Everybody's talking about this! I wish I'd taken a couple of walk breaks in my last HM. I bet I would have done better. (My hips were getting very tight at the end.)

At a few of the races I do each year there are pace bunnies for both continuous running & run/walk and some of the run/walk ones are going for pretty impressive times.

I have run several sub 1:45 halfs where I have gone neck in neck with run/walkers. They pass me when they are running and I pass them back when they are walking, but we cross the finish line close to the same time. Personally, I find it hard to stop and start because I never get into a rhythm, but it seems to work for a good number of people, at least in terms of finishing in the top half of the pack, so don't think that just because you are run/walking that you are not "running" a race.

ritzvin

sijomial wrote: »

I don't disagree with the advice given to run longer but it's not the only way and wouldn't have suited me at all due to my unusual circumstances:

• I've never had a comfortable slow running pace, even as a child.
• I've got badly damaged knees which only tolerate a very low running volume.
• My lumpen / awkward / plodding slow gait upsets my knees far worse than a brisk and far smoother running pace.
• I already had good cardio fitness from cycling.

I simply ran 5k in intervals at my personal comfortable running pace and walked when I ran out of breath. At first that was 300/100m and over time I steadily increased the running interval and kept the 100m walk recovery until I got to the point I didn't need to walk at all.
My first 5k run non-stop in probably over 10yrs was 27mins.

If you don't already have good cardio fitness then I think your expectations of taking 10 minutes off your time in a very short timescale are very ambitious. But taking out those walking breaks will reduce your times quite drastically when you have the fitness to run 30 minutes non-stop (at whatever pace).
Meanwhile don't run until you are completely exhausted, don't walk until you are completely recovered - you are wasting a lot of time doing "1-2-3 minute walking breaks".

Ditto. Slower than ~10:15/mi pace and my right knee really acts up. I can run, I can walk, I cannot jog. Throughout years of running I've gotten faster by adjusting the running versus walking intervals and the speed of the running intervals, but I've never gotten rid of the walking intervals completely except in shorter distances. My average pace is also generally much faster than when I remove them completely.

ritzvin

I only ever raced in 1 road 5K (the more major races in my area are 5mi/8k or HM)..I did beat 30 minutes, keeping all of my planned walking intervals (except the last one)..



I've had faster average 5 mi races since then (still keeping walking intervals).