Fitness

5 Steps for How to Run a Faster 5K

If you're wanting to run a faster 5k, 3.1 miles, then what’s the best way to train for it?

The 5k is a standard race that many have completed and is a good test of endurance.

When working with people in the 10-Week Transformation, oftentimes they have a goal of improving their running ability and oftentimes we land on doing a 5k test.

I love a 5k test because it’s not too terribly long, but I would still consider it more of an endurance based test.

In order to properly train to improve your 5k, you need to follow 5 steps that I will outline below.

These are the steps that I’ve followed for previous running goals and they are the exact steps I followed in the beginning of 2023.

In January of 2023 I embarked on the goal of increasing my bench press, increasing my back squat, and running a faster 5k.

I completed a baseline test for all of these at the beginning of the year and gave myself 3 months to train to improve them.

I ran a baseline 5k on a track and my time was 19:00 and my goal was to decrease it to 18:30.

I’ve had a number of running goals in the past as well:

My PR for a half marathon is 1:24:42, which is an average pace of 6:28/mile.

My PR for a 1-mile run is 4:46.

*PR = Personal Record*

I have learned a lot from each of these training programs I’ve completed which has allowed me to coach others to achieve new PRs for their running goals.

A 5k training program is tough, but if you’re ready to test yourself to the limits, then this is for you.

If you’re ready to learn something about yourself, build confidence, and improve your cardiovascular endurance, then kudos to you. Let’s get started.

1.Complete a Baseline Test

The first step is to go out and run a 5k for time.

Ideally, not required, you would track your time in a way so that you know what your mile splits are during your baseline test.

You would know how fast you ran the first mile, the second mile, and the third mile.

This will give you a sense of how well or not well you paced yourself and what level of consistency you maintained during that 5k.

When you complete this baseline test, you want to run it on the same “course” that you will be running on actual test day.

You could run a 5k on a track (ideal situation).

You could come up with a 5k “course” in your neighborhood.

You could come up with a 5k “course” at a park near you.

It’s not as big a deal where you run the 5k, as it is to run the first one the same place you’ll run the last one. That way you’re comparing apples to apples.

That way the terrain of the course doesn’t impact your finishing time positively or negatively.

That’s why I ran my 5k on a track because it was flat and predictable.

2. Set a Goal

Set a realistic goal based on your finish time.

If you're somebody who is more of a beginner, the amount of improvement that you can make is going to be greater than somebody who's more experienced.

If you stick to your training plan, you can expect an improvement of 2-5% on your 5k time.

*In the video above I made an error. In the video I said a 5-15% improvement. 5-15% improvement is for lifting not for running.*

If you run your 5k in 31:00 and your goal is to improve that by 3%, then here’s how you would do the math to set a goal:

31 x 0.97 = 30.07

That means 30.07 minutes.

But what does 0.07 minutes mean?

60 seconds x 0.07 = 4.2 seconds

That means your goal would be 30:04.20 (30 minutes and 4.2 seconds).

Then, for the sake of your training, divide that number by 3.1 miles to determine what your average mile pace would be.

30.07/3.1 = 9.7 minutes per mile

Or 9:42/mile.

Set a goal of improving your overall time by 2-5%. Closer to 2% if you’re experienced, and closer to 5% if you’re not.

3. Plan on Running 3 Days a Week

A good 5k training program requires running around 3 days a week.

You can run more if you’re more experienced and your body is used to that mileage, but you want to be wary of not doing too much too soon.

Your 3 running days should consist of:

1. Endurance Day

2. Race Pace Day

3. Speed Day

4. Come up With a Plan for Each Running Day

Your endurance day is what I like to call junk miles.

It’s running a higher volume of miles at a relatively lower heart rate and lower intensity.

I would recommend this day starting between a 3-5 mile run depending on your experience.

And then gradually increasing that number by ~0.5 miles per week.

The race pace day is key. It’s going to take more intentionality.

On this day, I recommend you run somewhere between 2-4 miles total.

But not all at once.

I recommend you break it up so you can run the entire thing at your race pace or slightly faster.

Your race pace is your average mile pace that you determined in step #2.

In our example that was a 9:42 mile.

Below is an example of what a race pace running day could look like.

Warm-Up x 5 minute jog

Walk x 2 minutes

1-mile run (Goal = 9:42)

Walk x 2 minutes

0.5 mile run (Goal = 4:50)

Walk x 1 minute

0.5 mile run (Goal = 4:48)

Walk x 1 minute

0.5 mile run (Goal = 4:46)

Walk x 1 minute

0.5 mile run (Goal = 4:45)

Your third running day is a speed day.

During this workout you’re going to be running much faster than race pace for anywhere between 2.5-3 miles.

How you do this is up to you, but think of intervals.

An example of a speed day could look like this:

Warm-Up x 5 minute jog

3 Rounds:

1 minute speed run

2 minute Jog

5 Rounds:

30 sec speed run

1 minute jog

Cool Down x 3 minute jog

5. Have a Taper Week Prior to Race Day

Leading up to your race day you want to decrease your volume of miles and the intensity of your runs so your body is feeling as fresh as possible.

If you're looking to run a faster 5k, this is your blueprint. The intentionality of these five steps is something that I've done in the past. It's something that I've coached people to do in the past, and it's something that will inevitably allow you to see improvement in your 5k time.

If running a faster 5k is something that interests you, and you’d like to simultaneously maintain your muscle mass and improve your eating habits, then checkout the 10-Week Transformation.

If you’d like to take part in Nashville, come try out a FREE class.

If you’d like to take part in the Virtual 10-WT, try out the 1-Week FREE Trial.

I hope to talk to you soon.

To running a faster 5k,

Nick