How to get sub 30 minutes for 5k

dee75 · 07-01-2018 4:05pm #1

Hi all

I'm new to the running game, having started parkrun in June. I've done 18 runs so far with some volunteering.

My PB is 31.08 from mid November. Most weeks I do it in 32 to 33 minutes. My very first one which was a combination of jogging with a few short walks took me 35 minutes.

I try to do a second run mid week. It's usually 4k on the treadmill most weeks.

I'd really appreciate some advice on how to get a bit faster. I just feel there hasn't been a lot of improvement.

I'm a 42 year old female with a full time job and 3 young kids so not a lot of me time!

Thanks!

Dee75

Kellygirl · 07-01-2018 4:54pm

dee75 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm new to the running game, having started parkrun in June. I've done 18 runs so far with some volunteering.

My PB is 31.08 from mid November. Most weeks I do it in 32 to 33 minutes. My very first one which was a combination of jogging with a few short walks took me 35 minutes.

I try to do a second run mid week. It's usually 4k on the treadmill most weeks.

I'd really appreciate some advice on how to get a bit faster. I just feel there hasn't been a lot of improvement.

I'm a 42 year old female with a full time job and 3 young kids so not a lot of me time!

Thanks!

Dee75

You probably need to be running 3-4 times a week including the Parkrun really to start getting faster. There are lots of running plans you could follow but for me personally I got naturally faster by just doing the miles. I started off similar to you doing Park run in approx 35 mins running and walking and mid week then I was building up to running about 8km. What you could do as well when you are training is start running short distances a little faster, say 500 meters and then recover for 1km with a slow jog and repeat and eventually work up to longer faster distances and shorter recoveries.

I run late at night when kids are in bed but don’t know if that’s an option for you to get the extra runs in.

Baby75 · 07-01-2018 10:40pm

Hi Dee75

it's best to build a good base running frequently every week as Kellygirl already said ideally 3 to 4 times a week, run these run easy and try to build up your distance to 5km at least 2 times with one run a week longer 6km
Try adding some strides at the end of your easy run, these really help and get you ready for that last kick at the end of a race as you sprint to the finish

you could also try some speed work

once a week I used to do a fartlek session, so I would warm up for about 10 minutes then using lampost/ sign/tree whatever works increase my speed hold it till I reached lampost then slow down and recover I used to do about 4 to 5 then cool down

but just running more often will help, keep at it and good luck

skyblue46 · 07-01-2018 11:17pm

To do better over any of the shorter distances it's recommended that you can comfortably run twice the distance at an easy pace. Build up gradually to 10k at a conversational pace. You should be able to talk without pausing between words. I'd not be in any hurry. The generally accepted rule is not to increase duration or pace by more than 10% a week.

RacoonQueen · 08-01-2018 12:32am

dee75 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm new to the running game, having started parkrun in June. I've done 18 runs so far with some volunteering.

My PB is 31.08 from mid November. Most weeks I do it in 32 to 33 minutes. My very first one which was a combination of jogging with a few short walks took me 35 minutes.

I try to do a second run mid week. It's usually 4k on the treadmill most weeks.

I'd really appreciate some advice on how to get a bit faster. I just feel there hasn't been a lot of improvement.

I'm a 42 year old female with a full time job and 3 young kids so not a lot of me time!

Thanks!

Dee75

You need to run more is the simple answer.

A run longer than 5k, the parkrun and a run with some faster sections in it would be a nice start. Could you run at lunchtime in work or anything? Or before/after kids are in bed. When you break down your day it can be surprising how much time you could have to run/train. You could even split a run into two short runs in one day if you only have short windows.
In honesty, if you have been doing parkruns since June, you shouldn't have much trouble getting under 30 mins with a few weeks of dedicated training.

dee75 · 08-01-2018 11:06pm

Thank you all for the advice and positive encouragement.

I've written out a simple four week training plan and I'll work hard to stick to it.

My husband says he will pace me at our parkrun in two weeks time to see how I'm going and that will be interesting!

Hopefully I will have a positive update for you all.

Thanks again!

Dee75

Kellygirl · 08-01-2018 11:18pm

dee75 wrote: »

Thank you all for the advice and positive encouragement.

I've written out a simple four week training plan and I'll work hard to stick to it.

My husband says he will pace me at our parkrun in two weeks time to see how I'm going and that will be interesting!

Hopefully I will have a positive update for you all.

Thanks again!

Dee75

Best of luck Dee and great your husband is supporting you. That’s a big help. Definitely keep us updated. You should start a training log!

ariana` · 09-01-2018 11:27am

It's great to see another female posting here. I'm in the same boat with 3 young ones and a FT job, everyone is juggling real life with hobby running. If you'd like to post your 4 week plan here you might get further advice on it? One of the biggest novices mistakes is to 'race' every training run so that's one to beware of, most (or even all at this stage) of your running should be at an easy pace, a pace you can talk at. Enjoy your runs & g'luck

gypsylee · 09-01-2018 12:34pm

Hi dee. I was a long time chasing that sub 30 5k. I got close to it last January with a 30.02! Finally got it in April with a 28.05 which was a fluke. My time for 5k races now is around 29.xx which I am happy with. The more you run the more your times will improve. I find a weekly long slow run helps improve my fitness and therefore my race times.

Good luck with your plan, great to have support at home.

walshb · 09-01-2018 12:59pm

dee75 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm new to the running game, having started parkrun in June. I've done 18 runs so far with some volunteering.

My PB is 31.08 from mid November. Most weeks I do it in 32 to 33 minutes. My very first one which was a combination of jogging with a few short walks took me 35 minutes.

I try to do a second run mid week. It's usually 4k on the treadmill most weeks.

I'd really appreciate some advice on how to get a bit faster. I just feel there hasn't been a lot of improvement.

I'm a 42 year old female with a full time job and 3 young kids so not a lot of me time!

Thanks!

Dee75

Very achievable at your age. If you are finding getting training/running in a little difficult then look at your physical side. If carrying excess weight then shedding this should most definitely see you cover the distance in a shorter time.

So, assuming in fairly decent physical shape, non smoker (not much alcohol) and the right weight, with just normal training should easily see you break 30 mins.

I don't see any description or mention of your health or weight or general lifestyle. Surprised nobody asked. It makes giving advice easier when you know certain things. Best to see the full picture. Otherwise advice given can be misleading.

ariana` · 09-01-2018 1:17pm

gypsylee wrote: »

Hi dee. I was a long time chasing that sub 30 5k. I got close to it last January with a 30.02! Finally got it in April with a 28.05 which was a fluke. My time for 5k races now is around 29.xx which I am happy with. The more you run the more your times will improve. I find a weekly long slow run helps improve my fitness and therefore my race times.

Good luck with your plan, great to have support at home.

gypsylee you sell yourself short... everyone can have a bad day but you can't fluke a good time, take credit, be proud

gypsylee · 09-01-2018 1:42pm

ariana` wrote: »

gypsylee you sell yourself short... everyone can have a bad day but you can't fluke a good time, take credit, be proud

Thanks Ariana. Haven't come close to it since which makes me think it was a fluke! It was a great time for me and so I will be proud of it.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Dee

walshb · 09-01-2018 1:50pm

You cannot fluke performances in running. It's not darts or snooker.

dee75 · 09-01-2018 4:19pm

walshb wrote: »

Very achievable at your age. If you are finding getting training/running in a little difficult then look at your physical side. If carrying excess weight then shedding this should most definitely see you cover the distance in a shorter time.

So, assuming in fairly decent physical shape, non smoker (not much alcohol) and the right weight, with just normal training should easily see you break 30 mins.

I don't see any description or mention of your health or weight or general lifestyle. Surprised nobody asked. It makes giving advice easier when you know certain things. Best to see the full picture. Otherwise advice given can be misleading.

Sure, that makes sense alright.

I'm in good health, non-smoker, non-drinker and no excess weight (weigh 9 stone 3lbs and 5 feet 6 inches tall). So I'm lucky to have a lot going for me there already I just need to get a bit more structured in the way I go about it now. I think now that laziness is my issue - when you're slim without exercising it can reduce motivation!

Thanks!

walshb · 09-01-2018 4:25pm

dee75 wrote: »

Sure, that makes sense alright.

I'm in good health, non-smoker, non-drinker and no excess weight (weigh 9 stone 3lbs and 5 feet 6 inches tall). So I'm lucky to have a lot going for me there already I just need to get a bit more structured in the way I go about it now. I think now that laziness is my issue - when you're slim without exercising it can reduce motivation!

Thanks!

Well, then it really is more down to getting miles into the legs. Do a good bit of speed work to get used to running "fast." Shorter distances like single ks at a decent pace....it then won't feel alien to you should you should you need to inject a bit of pace to maybe hit a target. Then simply keep training and clocking up miles....

Baby75 · 09-01-2018 4:33pm

Kellygirl wrote: »

Best of luck Dee and great your husband is supporting you. That’s a big help. Definitely, keep us updated. You should start a training log!

I second this Dee, keep us updated on how you are doing

dee75 · 09-01-2018 9:17pm

Okay, here is the 4 week plan I'm going to follow (It's a mixture of one found online and what works with my average week): -

Week 1
Tuesday - Circuits
Wednesday - Easy 30 mins jog
Thursday - 3 x 1km at 6 min/km pace (90 second recovery)
Saturday - parkrun

Week 2
Monday - 4 x 800m at 4.48 pace (200m jog recovery)
Tuesday - Circuits
Thursday - 3 x 1km at 6 min/km pace (90 second recovery)
Saturday - parkrun

Week 3
Monday - 10 x 400m at 2.22 pace ( 60 second recovery)
Tuesday - Circuits
Thursday - 30 mins easy jog
Saturday - parkrun

Week 4
Monday - 4 x 800m at 4.48 pace (200m jog recovery)
Tuesday - Circuits
Thursday - 30 mins easy jog
Saturday - parkrun in 40 mins or under!!!

The circuit training is a 40 mins class at lunchtime near work.

All comments and advice welcome. I started today with my circuits class!

Kellygirl · 09-01-2018 9:47pm

Hi Dee,

Hope the circuit class went well. If you just started it you may be a little sore tomorrow.

Plan looks good and great you are fitting in the extra run. I would query the paces in the speed sessions. They look very fast and not quite sure they are needed at this stage. But others might have better advice there as to date I’ve tended to go just go and run. When I did sessions last year they were only a bit faster really - not all out sprints.

squadro · 09-01-2018 9:55pm

Well done. I'm walking/jogging for a year and only did my first timed 5k on Stephens day for a world shattering 38mins 42seconds. I only discovered fartlek recently (google it) but it seems to be helping to improve my lap times greatly.

skyblue46 · 09-01-2018 10:16pm

I'm far from an expert but I would seriously question both the paces and recovery times for the intervals at this early stage. Hopefully some of the more experienced guys and gals come in on this.

dee75 · 10-01-2018 9:41am

skyblue46 wrote: »

I'm far from an expert but I would seriously question both the paces and recovery times for the intervals at this early stage. Hopefully some of the more experienced guys and gals come in on this.

My understanding of the paces is that they equate to 6 minutes per km which is what I need to be able to do to get sub 30 minutes over 5km?

skyblue46 · 10-01-2018 9:56am

dee75 wrote: »

My understanding of the paces is that they equate to 6 minutes per km which is what I need to be able to do to get sub 30 minutes over 5km?

I'm sure help will arrive here but all the advice I have received here is to train to current fitness levels, not target paces. That being said I have been helped on marathon and HM training not 5k. I could be totally wrong. I think that I'd also start with at least as much recovery time between reps if not more. 60 secs between 400s seems very short.

EC1000 · 10-01-2018 9:57am

I think it is the 4m48s pace that people are querying - which is 25% quicker than the 6 min pace that you are doing your other speedwork at?

Try to make your interval/speed runs over 5k in total if possible (i.e. add in 2k warm up and 2k cool down) as you will benefit greatly from training for longer than 5k.

Fair play for going about this the right way and thinking about what you are doing. Best of luck!

skyblue46 · 10-01-2018 10:04am

EC1000 wrote: »

I think it is the 4m48s pace that people are querying - which is 25% quicker than the 6 min pace that you are doing your other speedwork at?

Try to make your interval/speed runs over 5k in total if possible (i.e. add in 2k warm up and 2k cool down) as you will benefit greatly from training for longer than 5k.

Fair play for going about this the right way and thinking about what you are doing. Best of luck!

Looking at it again I think they are splits rather than pace so that the work is all at 6 min pace whether its 200s, 400s or 800. Getting a good plan, as you say, is the right way to go.

El Caballo · 10-01-2018 11:22am

skyblue46 wrote: »

Looking at it again I think they are splits rather than pace so that the work is all at 6 min pace whether its 200s, 400s or 800. Getting a good plan, as you say, is the right way to go.

They're splits and not pace alright.

Dee, I'm going to say something that will go against everything you will read on plans and such but speed and workouts isn't what you need right now. You need to get on working up your fitness and endurance by running longer, not hard intervals. Intervals are fine if you are running a lot and have a high base line fitness level but to get that high baseline, you need endurance first. Getting your body used to running 5 or 6 miles at a time first just to have that longer distance strength.

I'd be inclined to drop those two interval sessions each week and put in a longer easier run in place first to get your heart , lungs and legs used to ticking over for a good amount of time. Distance running is a sport of endurance first and foremost so that's the first goal, speedwork just adds on that final layer of icing on the base of endurance.

dee75 · 10-01-2018 11:57am

El Caballo wrote: »

They're splits and not pace alright.

Dee, I'm going to say something that will go against everything you will read on plans and such but speed and workouts isn't what you need right now. You need to get on working up your fitness and endurance by running longer, not hard intervals. Intervals are fine if you are running a lot and have a high base line fitness level but to get that high baseline, you need endurance first. Getting your body used to running 5 or 6 miles at a time first just to have that longer distance strength.

I'd be inclined to drop those two interval sessions each week and put in a longer easier run in place first to get your heart , lungs and legs used to ticking over for a good amount of time. Distance running is a sport of endurance first and foremost so that's the first goal, speedwork just adds on that final layer of icing on the base of endurance.

Thanks El Caballo

You know I think you're right. I'm usually wrecked after 5k and my lungs are heaving!

So by slowly building up distance rather than speed my 5k will naturally get easier and consequently faster?

I'm sore after my circuits yesterday but not too bad so maybe I'll just hop on the treadmill tonight for a slow 40 mins run and build up to 50 mins and 60 mins over a few weeks .

Thanks everyone again for the constructive encouragement and advice. It's really helpful and motivating and very much appreciated!

Testosterscone · 10-01-2018 12:21pm

Late to the party on this one.

+1 on alot of what El C said endurance is where needs to be looked at rather than speed, the only caveat I would say is that at your current pace levels it might promote poor form if you keep the training relatively monopaced. I don't think intervals are necessarily a bad thing though if you focus on running with good form rather than trying to run fast.

This is a simple progression of session that could work really well if you wanted to break the monotony

Session 1 - 8x1 min @ 5k effort w/3 min jog recovery
Session 2 - 6x2 min slightly slower than 5k effort with 2 min jog recovery
Session 3 - 5x3 min @ steady pace with one min easy recovery

Rinse and repeat this cycle for a few weeks and you won't know yourself.

El Caballo · 10-01-2018 12:26pm

dee75 wrote: »

Thanks El Caballo

You know I think you're right. I'm usually wrecked after 5k and my lungs are heaving!

So by slowly building up distance rather than speed my 5k will naturally get easier and consequently faster?

I'm sore after my circuits yesterday but not too bad so maybe I'll just hop on the treadmill tonight for a slow 40 mins run and build up to 50 mins and 60 mins over a few weeks .

Thanks everyone again for the constructive encouragement and advice. It's really helpful and motivating and very much appreciated!

Sounds good. Yeah, getting the time in on your feet makes your heart and lungs more efficient basically. That feeling at the end of the 5k never goes away though:D but if you have good endurance, you'll run faster and stay the pace longer:)

nevan · 13-01-2018 5:51pm

I wanted to improve my 5k so I read some books and blog posts and started doing speed work. I did intervals once a week as well as the 5k. My times didn’t improve but I did get the beginnings of an injury. My legs weren’t tough enough for the bad form that came with running faster. I changed to doing a longer, slow run on Sunday (ramped up to 10 to 12k) and added a short midweek run. My times started to get better.

Try a super-slow 5k jog on Sunday, around 7.30 pace and a 3k on Wednesday at around 6.30 pace. Do it for 6 weeks and your time should fall. Let us know when you hit 30m again.

Baby75 · 18-01-2018 12:14am

How are you getting on Dee

dee75 · 21-01-2018 8:38pm

Baby75 wrote: »

How are you getting on Dee

Well so far so good. Here's what I've done for the last couple of weeks: -

Week 1
Saturday- 5km parkrun. Took 32:41
Tuesday- circuits
Wednesday- easy 5km on treadmill. Took 35 minutes

Week 2
Saturday- 5km parkrun. Took 32:28
Tuesday- circuits
Thursday- 6km on treadmill. Took 40 minutes and had to slow to a walk several times due to stitches
Saturday - volunteered at parkrun
Sunday (today) - 6.66km on treadmill. Took 42 minutes. No stopping. Really enjoyed it!

More of the same planned for this week. Might try and get 7km done in the 42 minutes.

How to get sub 30 minutes for 5k

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