How do I train in order to increase my speed (5k runs)

believetoachieve

I'm doing my (very first!!!) 5k race/run on April 2nd. I'd like to increase my speed a little bit. I'm not fast by ANY means, and I know that's not the point, but I'm challenging myself to NOT be in the last corral section. :laugh:

So, should I try to slowly increase the speed for the entire duration of my run?
Or.... start running intervals? For example, do a 10-minute sprint, 5 minute walk, 10-minute sprint, etc.
Or something entirely different? What did you do?

Any/all advice on anything 5k would be greatly appreciated!! What's a reasonable speed improvement to expect? I have about 4 weeks until race day. I'm 5'4, and slowww, but my dedication & heart is in the right place! :bigsmile:

rcdonovan

Id work on trying to run as far as you can at 10:00 pace until you can do it for whole 5k. You will see big improvements at beginning but it will get less and less. I would use Hal Higdon's program, he is a real good running "guru".

http://www.halhigdon.com/5K Training/5-Knovice.htm

taso42_DELETED

Just as a random data point, doing HIIT 3x a week (and increasing the intensities every couple of weeks) really seemed to increase both my speed and endurance for longer steadier runs. But I'm quite curious to hear what more experienced runners have to say about this.

WildcatMom82

I actually did the Couch to 5K program back in the day when I was already in running shape. I used it to increase my time to a 10 minute mile since the workout is based on intervals and worked to gradually increase my time.

lilmissy2

I have some friends that did a couple of half and full marathons - they really increased their speed when they joined a running club, they said it made them push themselves harder even though they had thought they were pushing themselves before.

believetoachieve

Thanks for the advice everyone.
Anyone else have advice for me?? Should I lower my distance but increase speed? I'm not sure if that'll help me though - I need to increase my overall pace :blushing:

christan04

I'm looking for advice too, I'm sorry I can't offer any... I'm signed up for my first 5k May 7th and have been unable to train for two weeks due to a hip injury... A friend of mine is signed up to run a half marathon and she told me to run as long as I could (if I could only run 5 minutes fine), then try to beat that the next time. She told me to focus on distance and not time...

Atlantique

Adding in some hill repeats one or two days a week will increase your speed. If you run a treadmill, just increase the incline for brief intervals to simulate hill repeats.

So will doing intervals. I never bothered with a track and technical speedwork. I just look for a street sign, a mailbox, a lamp post-whetever- and sprint towards it. If you do a few of those on every run, it adds up! If you run on a treadmill, kick the speed up for a minute or two a few times during your run.

For a long time as a new runner, simply logging more miles at your regular pace will increase your speed as well.