Need help on a 5K training schedule
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pktorm
Posts: 24 Member
On March 15th I'm schedule to do a 5K run. I would like to be able to do it in 25 mins. I can run at a 5.0 mph pace right now (12 min mile I think) with no pain. Anyone know of a good training schedule that I can follow?
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Replies
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I've used c25K, an app on my iPhone. It's very user friendly and very effective. Give it a try.0
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I very much doubt you'll knock 11 minutes off a 5k time in 6 weeks. I'd try and be a wee bit more realistic. The Hal Higdon ones are always rated well
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50932/5K-Training-The-Most-Popular-Racing-Distance0 -
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50932/5K-Training-The-Most-Popular-Racing-Distance
Hal has 8 week training plans for novice to competitive runners
Is this your 1st 5k? If it is I'd suggest your goal should be to finish with a smile on your face rather than a specific (and fairly ambitious) time goal. If you're running 12 minute miles right now pushing your speed rather than endurance may be the recipe for an injury.
Enjoy the race, once you have one or two under your belt start thinking about improving your times or, possibly, longer distance races. 5K can be a surprisingly demanding distance as you're going flat out for pretty much the whole time.
Have fun!0 -
Hello,
To manage your expectations, it is highly unlikely you can achieve this in the timeframe you have set, without risk of injury . Most pace increase programmes work over 13 weeks or so. Most achilles, hamstring and knee injuries occur during sudden increases in training frequency, intensity or duration.
Where are you? 5 mph = 8 kph.
Where do you want to be? A 25 minute 5k is 12kph
What's the difference? A 50% increase in pace. That's a LOT.
Some questions: how often are you training, how long and at what intensity?
If you are already training at the distance or above, and not doing any high intensity work, you could look to do interval training. this involves short durations of very fast running with recovery periods in between. You would need to be doing intervals 2-3 times a week, a tempo run, and a long run. But unless you're already in a programme or regularly training, it will be a big shock to your system and you may end up injured.
I would urge you to look at an intermediate goal before going for the sub 25 minute 5km.
Good luck.0 -
I agree with the other posts, you should not have a goal time if this is your first race! Also 25 min is a pretty impressive time, especially if you are running 12 mm now! It took me a year of running, 750 miles, and 2 half marathon training cycles to take my 5k time from 31 mins to 26 min!0
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Your goal of under 25 minutes Is kind of a long term goal. I know because I started about where you are in 2012 and I'm now down to 26:04 for a 5k, which I'm damn proud of. That's an 8:21 pace. I got to where I am by training for longer distances. Half marathon training and I'm still getting faster.
I know everyone is different, but I've put in a ton of work to make it this far. I average about 30 miles a week, which isn't a lot for some, but I had to build up over time.
Maybe try to break 30 before going to 25? Thats a 9:36 pace. And to do it, I'd suggest following a 10k schedule, not a 5k schedule. Running over the distance, getting your long run up to 8 miles is going to be a huge help for your 5k time. How many miles can you currently run at once? And what is your weekly mileage? I ask because you only have 7 weeks, and getting your mileage in that amount of time if you can only currently run 3, is probably too short of time. And if you haven't been running at least 6 months, speed work probably isn't a good idea either. We need a bit more info to properly advise.0 -
I think 6 weeks is more than a reasonable time to do this. When I joined the military i cut a total of 4 min per mile off in just 4 weeks. You just have to commit daily. Ill tell you whats great to get you up there at this point is playing full court basketball. i did that for a month last year and cost 2 min off my mile runs just by playing 2 hours of bball a day. I will tell you a 25 min 5k is rough, but if you are willing to push yourself, it can be done. It is better to do it at a slower pace and higdon does have a solid program to get runners to any level. I am just saying, I dont think your goal is completely unreasonable.0
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Your goal of under 25 minutes Is kind of a long term goal.
^^This!
Just have fun with the March race. Going from a 12-min mile to a sub-25 5K will take a long time (like a year or more).0 -
Your goal of under 25 minutes Is kind of a long term goal. I know because I started about where you are in 2012 and I'm now down to 26:04 for a 5k, which I'm damn proud of. That's an 8:21 pace. I got to where I am by training for longer distances. Half marathon training and I'm still getting faster.
I know everyone is different, but I've put in a ton of work to make it this far. I average about 30 miles a week, which isn't a lot for some, but I had to build up over time.
Maybe try to break 30 before going to 25? Thats a 9:36 pace. And to do it, I'd suggest following a 10k schedule, not a 5k schedule. Running over the distance, getting your long run up to 8 miles is going to be a huge help for your 5k time. How many miles can you currently run at once? And what is your weekly mileage? I ask because you only have 7 weeks, and getting your mileage in that amount of time if you can only currently run 3, is probably too short of time. And if you haven't been running at least 6 months, speed work probably isn't a good idea either. We need a bit more info to properly advise.
This advice is golden. I started out at a 12:30ish pace and have just now gotten to a 10:00 pace a year later and that was increasing my distance just as Elizabeth has done. I am just now slowly getting up to 30 miles per week and it has cut my 5K time way down, and that wasn't even bringing in speed training (I just over the past month have brought it in).0 -
Unless you're already in great shape and/or young (teens/20s), getting to 25 minutes from where you are at in that short of time would possibly be dangerous. It seems like you'd be putting alot of strain and risk on your body if you managed to pull it off.
I started running last year, and my arbitrary goal was 30 minutes. After about 9 weeks of C25K training, my first race I finished in just over 32 minutes. I was happy, sore, but knew I could do better if I kept at it. About a month and a half later, with continual training at about 3-4 days a week through the summer, I blasted through 30 minutes finishing at 27:00. Needless to say I was on top of the moon. It was then that I realized I can probably keep getting better and maybe make it under 25 minutes before my birthday this year. The next race I ran in late October and I finished in 26 something. Faster, but still about 25-30 seconds off of goal pace. Over the fall and winter I haven't had any races, but I've been continually training, and now I'm running 5 days a week, working on endurance. I just ran a half marathon distance for the first time this past Saturday. When the warm weather comes back (read 45 degrees or higher), I'll be back to running in shorts, which will cut down on weight and be less restricting. I'm hoping that by March or April to hit 25 minutes.
After that, I think I'll be done with arbitrary goals, and simply be happy for any improvement, and to finish. To put this in perspective, I'm 37 years old, and when I started, I was at 260 pounds. Today, I'm floating between 192 and 197. How much you weight has an impact. A rough estimate is 10 pounds of weight can add a minute to your overall time. If you are at an ideal weight, and just haven't run much, then its more likely you'd be able to train to run faster in that time period. if you're overweight and are carrying lots of blubber that doesn't help with running and gets in the way, then well, there's not much you can do in 6 weeks and I'd recommend looking at 6 months as a more likely possibility.0 -
On March 15th I'm schedule to do a 5K run. I would like to be able to do it in 25 mins. I can run at a 5.0 mph pace right now (12 min mile I think) with no pain. Anyone know of a good training schedule that I can follow?
This depends on your aerobic background and how much effort your 12min mi takes you. On the surface, it sounds like a huge stretch. You're talking about needing an 8:00ish pace. If you're just starting out, I'd say to make the upcoming 5K your baseline and seek improvements from there. Time goals are only 100% SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) when you know about your limits as a runner. You'll hear from a lot of seasoned runners that a 5K is the toughest race out there, and I'm one of them.0 -
On March 15th I'm schedule to do a 5K run. I would like to be able to do it in 25 mins. I can run at a 5.0 mph pace right now (12 min mile I think) with no pain. Anyone know of a good training schedule that I can follow?
This depends on your aerobic background and how much effort your 12min mi takes you. On the surface, it sounds like a huge stretch. You're talking about needing an 8:00ish pace. If you're just starting out, I'd say to make the upcoming 5K your baseline and seek improvements from there. Time goals are only 100% SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) when you know about your limits as a runner. You'll hear from a lot of seasoned runners that a 5K is the toughest race out there, and I'm one of them.
Ah...BMT shines bright in this one, it does.0 -
Run Faster!0
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Run Faster!
No. Dude's running a 12:00mi and wants to run 3.1 in 25:00. That's gonna take time, not "run faster."0 -
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50932/5K-Training-The-Most-Popular-Racing-Distance
Hal has 8 week training plans for novice to competitive runners
Is this your 1st 5k? If it is I'd suggest your goal should be to finish with a smile on your face rather than a specific (and fairly ambitious) time goal. If you're running 12 minute miles right now pushing your speed rather than endurance may be the recipe for an injury.
Enjoy the race, once you have one or two under your belt start thinking about improving your times or, possibly, longer distance races. 5K can be a surprisingly demanding distance as you're going flat out for pretty much the whole time.
Have fun!
Very good advice!!!0 -
C25K Is a great app that works well for most people.
However, sounds like you already run and that this issue is speed??
If so, I suggest that you add in hill repeats and fartlek/sprint training.
For hills, try to find a safe location that has an elevation at least 2x that of a highway overpass. (3x would be better). Do a short 5 min +/- warm up run at your comfortable pace. Then run up & down the hill. Start with 3x. Add 1x per week for several weeks. Note, this is strength training! At the bottom of each repeat add in a small loop where you run slowly until your heart rate drops down to a comfortable range. ie You should be able to talk to someone comfortably. This is a 1x per week addition.
The second training is to add fartleks and/or sprints to your week. What works for me is running telephone or electrical pole lengths. Do a 5 min +/- warm up run at your comfortable pace. Then pick a time or distance to sprint full out. Like you are being chased! I started with sprinting the distance between two telephone poles. Then drop back to your comfortable pace for 60 - 90 sec. Do not stop! Do this 2 - 3x. Again, this is a 1x per week training.
These two training additions helped me immensely! I went from a 6:30/K pace last spring to a 5:45/K pace by the middle of the summer.
Have fun!0 -
On March 15th I'm schedule to do a 5K run. I would like to be able to do it in 25 mins. I can run at a 5.0 mph pace right now (12 min mile I think) with no pain. Anyone know of a good training schedule that I can follow?
This depends on your aerobic background and how much effort your 12min mi takes you. On the surface, it sounds like a huge stretch. You're talking about needing an 8:00ish pace. If you're just starting out, I'd say to make the upcoming 5K your baseline and seek improvements from there. Time goals are only 100% SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) when you know about your limits as a runner. You'll hear from a lot of seasoned runners that a 5K is the toughest race out there, and I'm one of them.
Now I don't feel so bad after thinking 5Ks are the hardest thing I've ever done, lol. Such good advice, thank you for sharing!0 -
Run Faster!
No. Dude's running a 12:00mi and wants to run 3.1 in 25:00. That's gonna take time, not "run faster."
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I very much doubt you'll knock 11 minutes off a 5k time in 6 weeks. I'd try and be a wee bit more realistic. The Hal Higdon ones are always rated well
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50932/5K-Training-The-Most-Popular-Racing-Distance
I agree that 25m seems quite a big ask under the circumstances.
Training. Just practice and vary your runs, doing some longer ones to keep your interest levels up.0
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