5k pacing

[bitmover]

Hi,

I'm not much of a runner, but I've done the occasional 5k. My style was always to pace myself completely, and by that I mean go pretty darn slowly -- afraid of not being able to finish without walking -- and then sprint at the very end. Well, I've been doing one run a week with cardio coach, and realize I *can* push myself, but I'm wondering how I actually translate that to a 5k without pushing too hard. I did a little searching on the internet, but couldn't find anything too enlightening. Do you just progressively push yourself throughout the 5k, or go faster/slower/faster, or what? This sounds really stupid probably....

thanks,

-Beth

 

[jansherman]

Hi Beth,

How hard you push yourself throughout the race depends on your goal. If you want to beat other people and possibly place in your age category it would be beneficial for you to start out fast and maintain it. A good way to train for this type of 5K is by doing interval work, i.e. 1 minute running at about 85-95% of your top speed, then 1-2 minutes of slow jogging to recover. Repeat 5-10 times. If you want to improve your time in the race but aren't worried about finishing ahead of others, then start a little more slowly and pick up the pace about every 1/2 mile until you feel that you're pushing as hard as you can maintain to finish the race. Remember, you can always slow down a little if you need to.

One of the best ways to test how hard you can push yourself is to run several "test" races. Measure out a 5K that you can run on a regular basis, and once every couple of weeks time yourself as you run the course. Pay attention to how hard you can push and for how long. Also remember the race factor - you will usually run faster in an actual race than in training because of the adrenaline pump and the fact that others around you are running faster as well.

Good luck with your running! I've been running for many years, and I've loved every step!

 

[bitmover]

Thanks for your reply. My goal is not to beat other people -- I'd just like to see if I can beat my best ever time, since I have been running some sprints and even pushing myself up hills. I used to just plod along, so it seems I must be able to do something faster. We'll see! Thanks for the tips!

-Beth