You Can Fly!

Ready to replicate our editor’s success? Experienced coaches with impressive 5-K times reveal top strategies.

- Cindy Kuzma

Block Out Time Once you’ve been running for a while – and especially if you’ve raced longer distances – it’s easy to feel dismissive of a mere 5 kays. However, truly conquering a 5-K demands the same degree of preparation as a half or full marathon, says Kaitlin Gregg Goodman, an elite runner and coach with a best 5-K time of 15.29.

“It’s a different kind of hard compared to a marathon – it’s shorter, but it’s not easier,” says Matt Thull, a coach at ThunderDome Running and holder of a 14.07 5-K PB. So to achieve your 5-K potential, you’ll want to set aside your half- and full marathon ambitions, and dedicate at least one three-month training block to the effort.

Set a Benchmark

Hop into what Thull calls a ‘rustbusting’ 5-K at the beginning of your training cycle: run it as fast as you can, and use it to set workout paces and race goals. You might find you’re capable of covering it more swiftly than you think, says coach Alan Culpepper, a two-time Olympian and author of Run Like a Champion (who’s completed a 5-K in 13.25.6).

If you’re injury-prone, however, prepare with six weeks of 5-K training before that first race, Culpepper says. You’ll prime your muscles and joints for faster running, decreasing your odds of getting hurt.

Another option: run a benchmark workout. After a 1.5km to 5km warm-up, Goodman prescribes three hard 1.5km repeats with four to five minutes’ walking or jogging in between. By the end of 5-K training, you should be able to race a full 5-K at the same pace you averaged for those reps.

Follow a Plan