Advice Requested: Improving 5K Time

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Tuck3rPunch
Tuck3rPunch Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Howdy,

I started running in November. I recently did a 5K where I finished in 28:44, but I’m looking to get faster.

Currently, I run 3x - 4x/week. There’s 2-3 5K distance runs, and one day on intervals. I also lift 2x/week on non-running days, and work in some cross training.

What tweaks should I make to get faster? Do I need to run longer? More intervals? I’m new to 5K running and appreciate any advice.

Best Wishes,
Tucker

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    make one of your runs into a long slow run. get up to 10k and your 5k will naturally become faster.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    make one of your runs into a long slow run. get up to 10k and your 5k will naturally become faster.

    This. /thread.

    Don't worry about interval work until you're regularly running 20 miles per week or thereabouts. Your only focus at this point should be slow distance. Get yourself to the point where you can comfortably run 2-3 easy 10ks per week and your 5k time will drastically improve.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    intervals and hills can help
    but more time on your feet is usually the gold standard to improving your time
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
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    More miles. Almost all of it slow
  • Nativestar56
    Nativestar56 Posts: 112 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »

    Me: running 10k is far enough, who'd want to run for longer than an hour..
    Me a year later: I'd run a half marathon, but I'd never do a full...
    Also me: I'm doing a full in October

    :laugh: :drinker:

    I don't really do 5k's though, it's only just long enough to get warmed up!

    So true! This time last year I used to think anyone doing a marathon was slightly crazy and I'd never put my body through that pain. I thought a half marathon would be doable if I really wanted to (I didn't).

    Now, I'm planning to hit 13.1 miles in March and seriously considering a marathon in October.

    I do love 5k's though, I do Parkrun whenever I don't have to work. They're my benchmark for improvements as its the same route and same time of day.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    My gateway was a 2 mile race. Gotta be careful. They suck you right in. Then you start buying a bunch of stuff to train better and be faster and then you look at your credit card and wonder when this “free” sport got so expensive.

    Yup.

    Those bloody liars who said "just lace up some shoes and go run".......

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    A very wise coach once told me not to worry about running a fast 5K until I could run a slow 10km..... If you've been running since November you're still building your aerobic base. Focus more on running longer than running faster.

    Once you can run 10km start adding fartleks, hills etc

    I feel compelled to warn you that 5Ks are a gateway race, you get a few under your belt and the it's 10Ks and half-marathons. You buy a bike, learn to swim and start doing triathlons......it's addictive!

    Me: running 10k is far enough, who'd want to run for longer than an hour..
    Me a year later: I'd run a half marathon, but I'd never do a full...
    Also me: I'm doing a full in October

    :laugh: :drinker:

    I don't really do 5k's though, it's only just long enough to get warmed up!

    after my first half, i was laying in bed dying. my brain, "you can't hurt that much worse for a full"

    so now halfs are for fun, doing a full in april and hopefully a 50k or 50m in fall

    i mean, really, how much more can it really hurt?
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    A very wise coach once told me not to worry about running a fast 5K until I could run a slow 10km..... If you've been running since November you're still building your aerobic base. Focus more on running longer than running faster.

    Once you can run 10km start adding fartleks, hills etc

    I feel compelled to warn you that 5Ks are a gateway race, you get a few under your belt and the it's 10Ks and half-marathons. You buy a bike, learn to swim and start doing triathlons......it's addictive!

    Me: running 10k is far enough, who'd want to run for longer than an hour..
    Me a year later: I'd run a half marathon, but I'd never do a full...
    Also me: I'm doing a full in October

    :laugh: :drinker:

    I don't really do 5k's though, it's only just long enough to get warmed up!

    Me 2 years ago : run, you gotta be kidding, ok I'll try 5k (1hr of run/walk intervals)
    Me 22months ago : I'm feeling crazy, let's try a trail half marathon (3:50 of run/walk intervals)
    Me : 18months ago : Let's try another half marathon (2:43 of actual running)
    Me : 17months ago : Let's try a marathon, training started Jan last year. Did it in April.
    Me during the last 12 months : 1 marathon, 3 half marathons, 1 10miler, 3 10ks (all on undulating courses), 1 5miler.
    Done park run a few times but don't enter 5ks now, feels like I'm just getting in to it and the run is over.
    Me today : preparing to go out and run 16miles as a "shorter" training run in preparation for 2 marathons 2 weeks apart in April. Will also be running 4 halfs, a 10miler, 3 challenging 10ks, a 5 miler and am looking for 1 more 10k and above to make it to 12 races for the year.
    5k is my everyday, recovery run or leg stretcher
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    As for the original question,
    I'm in no way fast, but have greatly increased my speed over the last year (took 5min off my easy 5k time and 7min off my 5k pr). It's been a combination of running much longer distances, as in I run 30+ miles in a week. I work with a PT with my main focus being my running, we do strength work for my legs (mostly lighter weights atm, but I am running 16+miles at the weekend), working on imbalances and weaknesses. I do hills of some type every week, whether that's a dedicated hill sprint session (with me pulling her up the hill with a resistance band), or just incorporating a hill in to my run. We do weekly sprint sessions, again with the band and sometimes a weighted vest.
    I also go out for a tempo run on a regular basis (maybe once a month) where I don't worry so much about total distance, I run a gentle mile to warm up, then run as fast as I can for as far as I can, recover(walk or gentle run) and repeat until I can't go any further, I also run at least 1mile a day and on the days when it's just a mile run it all out.
  • lozenger1984
    lozenger1984 Posts: 166 Member
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    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Long easy runs are just what you need to do to get the buzz from a PB...

    Personally I love them, for the sense of achievement from running x number of miles, but then I've seriously fallen in love with running in the last 2 years.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Friends. Get hooked up with a local running group and find others that run your pace and have similar goals. Before you know it you'll have a new group of friends to run with. It never gets boring when you never run alone.

    Good luck.
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Run with friends! Join a club!
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Options
    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    I break my long runs in to shorter runs. So if I'm doing 16 miles, I'll start by concentrating on getting to 4 miles, then 8 then 12. I usually plot a route beforehand so I know where I should have got to for each of the milestones.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Podcasts and audiobooks. Find something absorbing and the miles will fly by.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Depending on what motivates you, another option is to follow a structured mileage building plan. Like if you’re running 5k now, but want to build on that, following a 10k plan would give you a solid way to do that. Some plans go up by .5 miles a week (or some other measured amount) so rather than feeling like you’re droning on for hours on end, it’s only 1/2 mile longer.

    And I like long runs because my head is decidedly NOT in the game. I solve all the world’s problems, ponder the mysteries of life, try to do math (not recommended), win every argument I’ve ever had (and pre-win ones I’ll never have), daydream, sing along to my playlist, make up entire stories about everyone I see, stop and take pictures of beautiful sunsets, wonder if I can make it another 4 miles before I need to pee (spoiler alert: no). I’m very busy on long runs LOL.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
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    lozenger1984 wrote: »
    I like the tips about doing longer runs to heal with 5k time. Any advice for mentally dealing with longer runs? Even with a good playlist I get bored. I like interval training for 20-30 mins but beyond that struggle to keep my head in the game. I don’t love running but I love seeing my times come down and really love how much quicker it makes me at my other sports.

    Agree with the podcast suggestion, I also like to take new routes and explore my city. Nothing quite like seeing it all on foot. Don’t be afraid to pause for a second to take pictures of cool things and take in all the sights.

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