Now that I’ve completely healed from last October’s injury and I’ve successfully (and consistently) built back up to 25 miles/week, I find myself longing to run a 5K…at a PR time.
There’s a lot of talk right now about going out fast in the shorter races versus the more traditional approach to racing; start slow and steady, then pick up the pace in the middle with a kick in the finish. (negative splits). I achieved my best 5K time ever with the more traditional approach, but of course the hardest part is truly holding back at the beginning when you’re all revved up.
I haven’t run intervals all summer, so if I expect to finish at any kind of decent time, I’m going to spend a little more time at the local track. Once you’re reached a consistent weekly mileage, the idea is to start adding intensity to your workouts, which train your body to increase aerobic capacity maintain a pace over distance. I regularly run hills (at least 3 times a week) so I feel like I’m starting with a pretty good level of base training.
After doing a bit of research, I found a really good 8 week training program from Hal Higdon for improving your 5K time. It’s a schedule that won’t take a big bite out of my life, but it includes interval training and tempo runs that should be perfect for anyone like me who has a good base.
Here’s the schedule:
Week 1
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 5 X 400
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 3 MI Run
Sun: 5 MI Run
Week 2
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 30 Min Tempo
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 3 MI Fast
Sun: 5 MI Run
Week 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 6 X 400
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 4 MI Run
Sun: 5 MI Run
Week 4
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 35 min Tempo
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest
Sun: 5K Test Run
Week 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 7 X 400
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 4 MI Fast
Sun: 6 MI Run
Week 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 40 Min Tempo
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5 MI Run
Sun: 7 MI Run
Week 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3MI
Wed: 8 X 400
Thurs: 3 MI Run
Fri: Rest
Sat: 5 MI FAST
Sun: 7 MI Run
Week 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 2 MI
Wed: 30 Minute Tempo
Thurs: 2 MI
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest
Sun: Race Day!
