For many runners, the 5km is a great starting point. It is an accessible distance both on foot and for running, an easy way to get started in the sport. Over time it is very rewarding to see your 5k time decrease, provided you thought the beautiful runner high was wrong until you felt it yourself. For those looking for their speed, there are a few strategies you can implement to pick up the pace and achieve a new RP 5K.
1. Set a goal
As with any great task in life, getting to where you want to be first begins with articulating exactly what you want. For your 5K, it's not enough to say "I want to do it faster." Instead, be specific with what you're looking for, suggests Sam Tooley, a New Jersey-based endurance and mindset coach. “Too often runners come up to me and say I want to go faster without setting a tangible goal, real metric, or number to chase,” he says. “I'm interested in focusing on the process, but I like to set a goal and reverse engineer what your training needs to look like to achieve that goal. It gives us something real to chase. The question arises: how do I set a smart goal for my 5K? Tooley recommends keeping it SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound). “A good rule of thumb is to pick a goal that you think is fair but scares you a little bit, that will start a fire under you to go out and practice.
2. Run faster
It may sound silly, but if you don't force yourself to run faster, you won't get faster. Your body has two types of skeletal muscle fibers, slow (type I) and fast (type II) twitch. Typically, for longer efforts, you use your slow-twitch muscles and focus on endurance. However, for 5k efforts (and anything faster), it's important to spend time building your fast-twitch muscle fibers. Incorporating speed work into the mix helps develop these fast-twitch fibers, which come into the clutch for shorter, faster strokes (including 5Ks) and kick in when the body reaches maximum effort. "Running fast makes any slower pace smoother, even if you're doing it at shorter intervals than your race goal at the start," Tooley says. "Whether you're going for a 5K or a marathon, doing that high-speed work makes you think 'hmm, that's not so bad.'"
3. Mix up your training
When you start running, it's easy to get up and go and do the same type of running (and route) on a regular basis. It's definitely something worth celebrating, having a regular running routine! However, you can enhance your experience by incorporating different types of training into your weekly schedule to avoid boredom and enjoy the process even more. “Consistency is important, but you can speed up your progress by varying your training,” Tooley says. “I recommend that all shots try to incorporate longer progressive running (gradually increasing volume each week), some form of tempo running (shorter, faster effort closer to target running pace), and finally intervals (such as repeats). from tracks to repeats of hills)".
4. Add some weight training
If you want to be a faster (and stronger!) athlete, it's important to build a resilient body that can handle stress. As runners, it's easy to get into lacing work and clock up the miles day after day. However, spending time strengthening your body, especially your posterior chain and core, is essential both to avoid injury and to run more confidently overall. "Running is a lot of ground and pounding on our bodies," Tooley says. "There is something to be said for using other modalities such as strength training to develop general fitness." New to bodybuilding? Tooley recommends incorporating two days a week of mixed-strength work for 20 to 30 minutes, focusing on movements that help improve weaknesses or compensation patterns, such as working on one leg.
5. Don't be too hard on yourself
It is very gratifying to see your hard work pay off over time. But, something to keep in mind is that the fitter you are, the more difficult it is to lose time, especially in short distance races. "If you're just starting out, it's possible to make big leaps," Tooley says. "If you're an experienced vet, it takes a lot longer to get better." Tooley recommends having some grace with the process and keeping your eyes on the prize.
6. Get the right equipment
If you look good, you feel good, and that can affect your overall performance. This is critical, from the shorts you choose to what you wear as well. Rather than worry about the type of shoe you "should" wear (and there are plenty of options depending on your foot type and running habits), experts recommend choosing the pair that fits you well. feel more comfortable. One study even went so far as to show that the comfort of sports shoes is essential to prevent injuries. The researchers gave more than 900 neutral shoes to beginning runners, regardless of their personal pronation patterns. Then they followed them for a year. The experts found that runners had the same risk of injury regardless of shoe. Translation: If it makes you feel good, it's good for you.