Shave 6 mins off my 5K time.

Kai

Hi all, I'm VERY new to running and I will finish the C25K program within the next 2 weeks. Now at the moment I can cover 3 miles in around 29mins which is pretty good for me considering at the start i couldn't run for more than 60 seconds at a time. I'm ahead of the C25K program at this stage slightly.

Now in order to top off finishing the program i want to take part in a 5K run and the goal I'm setting is to get down to around 24 to 25mins before the race which is in 3 weeks. Of course I'm aware that on the day anything can happen but id like to be able to get to those times in my training runs at least.

So i need your help. Is what I'm suggesting achievable in the time i have or should i just continue my training, run the race and be happy with what i get. Personally I prefer to have a goal even if its a difficult one. So how would one go about shaving 6 minutes off a 5K run?

I'm a 30 year old male, 6 foot 1, 15 stone. I should probably mention I can cover the first 2 miles in around 17mins but the last mile sees me slowing a lot.

Krusty_Clown

6 minutes is a huge ask, unless you are taking it quite easy at the moment in training. A couple of simple pointers:
1) Training isn't about trying to run as fast as you can each time you go out. In fact it's quite the opposite. Training is about running at a controlled pace, so that you can have faster (shorter) runs and slower (longer runs). If you're running 3 miles as fast as you can each time you train, you're not training optimally.
2) Three weeks is a very short period in training terms. Use it wisely. Try to get a couple of runs in per week where you run less than 3 miles, but run it slightly faster. Try to stretch alternative runs beyond the 3 mile mark, but run considerably slower.
3) You'll gain considerably from being in a race environment. The atmosphere, the fellow runners and the crowds will likely help you to run a minute or two quicker on the day.
4) Take a rest of a day or two before the race, and get out for a short easy run the day before the race. Try to do a couple of strides, where you pick up the pace for around 100m, before easing back to comfortably pace
5) Monitor your pace on the day closely. Don't go out too fast. Ease yourself into the race over the course of the first mile. Pick up the pace for the second mile, and try to hold on to the pace for the final mile and a bit.

Kai

Thanks for the pointers Krusty. As it happens im not taking it easy in training, the 30 min runs is reasonably tough and its about as fast as i can cover the distance at the moment.

From what you are saying maybe i should try one run thats 2 miles and run it relatively quickly; a 3 mile run at an average pace and maybe something closer to 3.5 to 4 miles at a slower pace; and then repeat that sequence several times. I can get out for several runs a week so thats not an issue. How many times a week would you think i should run? I currently get out every second day.

Having never been in a race before I'm not expecting too much on the day as weather/nerves/little known route will all have an affect.

Krusty_Clown

I'm certainly not an expert, having only ever run one 5k race, but with just three weeks to go, you're really stuck for time. As someone pretty new to running, you also need to ensure that you don't overdo it, as any significant increase in mileage or training can also bring its own risks, in terms of injuries and over-training.

From my limited experience, I'd suggest you:
Run an easy run of 3 - 3.5 miles at a comfortable pace (slower than normal).
Run one tempo run (warm-up for a mile (slow), run one mile faster than you would normally, and run a final warm-down mile (slow).
Do one easy run with strides (three miles easy, with 6 or 7 strides (after warming up, pick up the pace to near full speed for 100m, before gently slowing back down to easy pace).
Run 4-5 miles at a pace significantly slower than you normally run.

You could also supplement the above with some cross-training. Maybe get out for a cycle, a swim, or a long walk. It's also important to get sufficient rest too though. Good luck!

dermCu

Yes, you can achieve your goal but there are one or two things you should keep in mind:

1. You are new to running. At the moment the process is far more important than the goal. You are doing well, every day you go out you will improve. Don't put too much emphasis on a single race, keep a long term view.

2. Racing is very different to training. Most people can pull a little bit(or even a lot) extra out in a race.

3. 3 weeks is nothing. Any session you do in the next 1 - 1.5 weeks will make a very very small difference come race day. KC gives good advice above, no need for me to expand too much on that.

token56

The advice you have been given so far about not pushing hard in training is good, but I think as this is your first race you should just take it as a freebee and try and enjoy it. There will be plenty of more 5k's around where you can try get your pb down. Just dont put too much pressure on yourself for your first race, if you meet targets then thats excellent, but if you dont well you're only starting out and have plenty of time to meet them.

Kai

token56 wrote: »

The advice you have been given so far about not pushing hard in training is good, but I think as this is your first race you should just take it as a freebee and try and enjoy it. There will be plenty of more 5k's around where you can try get your pb down. Just dont put too much pressure on yourself for your first race, if you meet targets then thats excellent, but if you dont well you're only starting out and have plenty of time to meet them.

Thanks for the advice and i see what you mean about putting pressure on myself. From my point of view 3 weeks ago running 3 miles was a big ask for me. In those last 3 weeks I have improved a lot and I was hoping to keep that going and to improve another bit before the race. Based on the advice here I will continue the same training until the race. I should improve a bit but i guess i shouldn't expect miracles in so short a time. Thanks Guys.

spurscormac

Kai wrote: »

Thanks for the advice and i see what you mean about putting pressure on myself. From my point of view 3 weeks ago running 3 miles was a big ask for me. In those last 3 weeks I have improved a lot and I was hoping to keep that going and to improve another bit before the race. Based on the advice here I will continue the same training until the race. I should improve a bit but i guess i shouldn't expect miracles in so short a time. Thanks Guys.

Here's the thing with pb's...

At first after some training, you can get quite a few pb's, race after race until you get down to a certain time.
This is because you're initial improvements are very noticable (though I seriously doubt you'll take 6 mins off).

As you progress, the increments of improvement get smaller & smaller - its much tougher to run faster every time, and the impact of the weather - heat/rain/wind, health - any niggling injuries or tiredness, have a greater impact on your race time.

So you just need to set expectations at a reasonable level, yes have a goal, but more of an overall goal, ie, this year, I want to run under X mins for a 5/8/10k race.

Its how I've been looking at it, and while I might not achieve them all, I don't let a performance in one race get me down.
Sometimes you're just not in a good state to run on the night, and in some cases if I feel particularly bad or tired I won't even start the race.

I started back running a few years ago, was doing 5k in ~24/25mins. Now I'm down to ~21:30, with a pb of 20:45. At that, I'm currently not training regularly or properly, so know there's further room to improve.

So in essence, just take it easy, see what race day brings, but don't have too crazy a goal set that you'll be disappointed. You can probably get that 6 mins off, but it will take longer than 3 weeks - just be patient with it and you'll gradually improve those times.

ManFromAtlantis

and its been said above too, but force yourself to hold back a little the first mile. otherwise i find the race becomes a real chore. good luck. have you a race lined up.

Kai

Hi,

Just to follow up on this I took part in The Island Run around Waterford castle yesterday and had a great time apart from the heavyish rain. I made a few mistakes which i put down to experience.

I started near the back and found it took ages for the crowd to spread out before i could start running. There were no pace markers as far as i could tell so knowing how fast i was going was a problem. I started off in a group thinking they were all around my pace but found after a while they were going to slow so over took them and found another group but again after a while i thought they were going too slow. I decided to just run at my own pace and found that i managed to pass quite a few people and almost sprinted the last part of the race after the hill climb.

Finish time was 29mins something. I think if i had copped on a bit i could have gotten a 28 or 27 but not much more. Im only running around 12 weeks so im hoping next year will be better.

tl;dr; Made some mistakes, went to slowly early on and had a lot left near the end. Finish time was 29 something. Training will continue.

JosDel

Kai wrote: »

Hi all, I'm VERY new to running and I will finish the C25K program within the next 2 weeks. Now at the moment I can cover 3 miles in around 29mins which is pretty good for me considering at the start i couldn't run for more than 60 seconds at a time. I'm ahead of the C25K program at this stage slightly.

Now in order to top off finishing the program i want to take part in a 5K run and the goal I'm setting is to get down to around 24 to 25mins before the race which is in 3 weeks. Of course I'm aware that on the day anything can happen but id like to be able to get to those times in my training runs at least.

So i need your help. Is what I'm suggesting achievable in the time i have or should i just continue my training, run the race and be happy with what i get. Personally I prefer to have a goal even if its a difficult one. So how would one go about shaving 6 minutes off a 5K run?

I'm a 30 year old male, 6 foot 1, 15 stone. I should probably mention I can cover the first 2 miles in around 17mins but the last mile sees me slowing a lot.

Thats a lot to ask..I started running Sept last year and have got my 5K time down from 31 Minutes to 26.12..My next goal is the break 26 minutes...Best of luck anyway...

I am 47, overweight a bit, drink a lot of guinness