on running 5Ks

jazzmaniac
jazzmaniac Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
There are several events coming up in my area for 5ks. I'm certainly not ready for a full on or even half marathon yet, but I would like to participate in some of these events. My question to seasoned runners is: is it safe to do multiple 5Ks in quick succession? Or should I space it out? What's your advice?

Replies

  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    I'm not a seasoned runner at all, so feel free to ignore this... but I am running 5-7km 3x a week and I can't see how doing frequent 5k races would be too different than doing a hard 5km run each week as part of your training. Anyone else?
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    For a sorta-kinda fit individual, running closely spaced 5K races isn't really a problem. Have you done any training for a 5K? Before you race, I'd recomnend training to the point where you're doing a 5K during your runs. How you feel in training will give you a good idea how closely you'd like to stack your competitions.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Well, can you run a 5k now? If you are willing to pay the money, I don't see why you couldn't run one every other day, it is no different than going out for a 5k run on your own. I like to do them but it gets Spendy so I only do a handful of them per year
  • Phiallis
    Phiallis Posts: 21 Member
    All depends on your current level.
    Elite athletes will be able to handle a half-marathon every week for a month at a stretch. Some even run a marathon a week.
    Club runners can easily handle multiple 5k/10K events.

    As a newcomer, you may well find it takes you a little while to recover from your first 5K, which will leave you with no time to prepare for the next if it's the following week.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I would listen to your body. If you are already running 5Ks, increase the frequency in which you run..

    I also would recommend you check out training programs similar to Couch25K but for 5K, 10K and so on. You don't have to follow the program to the end, what you do is your business but it can give you ideas on how to improve speed and/or distance. Important thing when it comes to running is listening to your body and not doing too much too quickly. You don't want to get bored or lose the passion you have now for running by getting injured
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    Depends on your goals and fitness level, i guess

    With decent base, you could run a 5k several times a week, without problem (when training for an ultra, I had ~3 runs a week that were longer than a half marathon)

    If you want to actually race? Once a week or every two weeks. It could be your tempo run.

    Trying to PR? Get sub 20? Once a month, maybe, to allow for recovery then a build up and sharpening.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    From a seasoned runner.... 5K's aren't that long, not that taxing to the body, and back in the day when I had time I'd compete in one every weekend if I could.

    If you think about it, I ran 25 miles per week, so I ran 8 5K's per week.
  • mvtoros1
    mvtoros1 Posts: 1
    I'm a cross country runner trying to lose the last few pounds before track. I would run them close together but I log 45mile weeks. If you run 3 or 4 times a week than you should space out your 5ks. Probably twice a month or once a month if your sore after your first one .

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