[Sharal]

Can anyone give me any advice on how to speed up on my 5km run, at present I am running just under 23 minutes and have been keeping the same pace and time for ages now.

Any ideas on how I can increase my speed without killing myself to much? Any advise would be much appreciated.

 

[Trooper4]

I think doing things like hill sprints or something like that works with improving speeds, i.e - sprint up to the top, walk down, sprint back up, walk down etc etc. Works for me

 

[Nick B]

Yep, Trooper4 is right. Anything which increases your VO2 Max is going to help increase your speed. Fartlek is another good method where you run at below-race speed for x minutes and then sprint for y seconds.

 

[Sharal]

Thanks to you both for the advise, I am going to go for a run today and try your suggestions as I know I am not firing on all cylinders. I don't think I have ever felt that need to push myself but now I realise that this is causing me to get bored of running. I also realise I am reluctant to change my pattern and this is why I get so complacent with my running and lack any real drive.

Thanks once again.

 

[Trooper4]

Say Nick, you think you could do that with swimming to? i.e swim one length at a slow speed then go full out on the next length and so on?

 

[Nick B]

The principle is exactly the same and if you apply the same physiological theory, then I can't see why it wouldn't work. Always worth a shot! I'm not too hot on improving at swimming, so it may be worth asking more about it in the triathalon forum.

 

[Sharal]

yay.....decided to go for a run this morning and did some hill sprints and not only did I feel much better but I seriously have been underestimated my level of fitness.

 

[Steve]

Hill work and speed work as already suggested is the way to improve...make sure you do 1 session of either hills or speed once a week and you'll soon notice the difference.
Joining a local club will help too.

If all this fails you obviously need to eat more kit kats!

 

[No.8]

Intervals are the way to go

 

[Sharal]

I think my brain is a little over run with info at the moment but No.8 I will defitely take onboards your advise as today I did 8km and did 2km up hill so I am feeling alot more optmistic than I was a while ago. I am going to do a 6mile hilly run on the 1st October in Harrow on the Hill and am looking forward to it. My worry is speed as I want to rack up a decent time so I am really trying hard to put everyones suggestions to practise.

Does anyone know if I am ok running everyday or am I better doing that about four times a week and doing my gym workout the other days? I am worried that I will burn out and then I will not be able to run at all.

I am also worried that a short trip to Ibiza in September is going to mess my pattern and I will come back and not be able to run. I know that there will be a massive amount of alcohol consumption :d coupled with a lack of sleep, has anyone else has trouble getting back into the swing of things after a holiday?

 

[Flycatcher]

Well it depends on how long you've been out for, if its a short period it should'nt take long at all to continue where you finished off. With running though, as a high impact sport you could maybe take it slightly easier for a week or so just to avoid injury. With regards to the actual fitness your not really going to lose very much.

 

[Hollywood]

Shiraz and I have also found that all the long runs in marathon training have dropped our 5km times - in particular she's dropped from 24:30 to 21:30... which is now far too close to my time...

 

[Bryn R]

Best way to improve 5k times?

Pretty similar to 10k times, so the advice talked about in this thread will work well...

http://www.runnersforum.co.uk/training/496-10k-training-any-advice.html

Just include a few more bits of faster runner, and your longer runs don't need to be quite as long!

Until you're at elite level there's little difference in training for 5k and 10k, and even then it's not surprising the world record holder for both 5k and 10k are usually teh same in recent years!