How To
By
eHow Sports & Fitness Editor
Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Step1
Run at least 40 miles per week in training.
Step2
Add speed work. Running intervals (faster segments interspersed with a jog or walk) of 1/2 mile to one mile is good training.
Step3
Do your speed work at least once a week; two to three faster-paced sessions are ideal.
Step4
Time your speed work against your racing pace goal. Try to run your mile at least 30 seconds faster than your desired racing pace.
Step5
Try uphill running. Do either uphill repeats or run uphill during a normal training run. Running uphill builds strength.
Step6
Perform fartleks. Fartlek, or "speed play" in Swedish, is picking up the pace of your running for random distances.
Step7
Put some stride-outs into your runs. At the end of a training run, open up your stride three to five times (for about half a block). This will help improve leg turnover.
Comments
bbrown1958 said
on 10/14/2007 Just remember, you are running for life; so run at your own pace. Running shoudl be enjoyable and not all about competiting against any person, place or thing. This clock focus should not be your main goal. Run to improve your mental conditioning, your marriage, your financial goals, to study, but do have fun and enjoy your life.
mmilholen said
on 3/27/2007 you don't need to run 40 miles a week to run a fast 5k. You can run sub-20 minute 5k's with 20-30 miles a week and plenty of speed training. Hills are great but not necessary.
Long runs also build speed believe it or not. LSD (Long Slow Distance) is a workout method used by the pros to build endurance and speed. If you can run 10 miles slow, you can run 5k fast.
said
on 7/2/2006 Stretch before and after runs. Try running 3-5 miles for practices. Run 5 or 6 days a week and don't run on rest days. Run each practice a little faster than the last. Also, try strength training to work out your whole body. Don't give up, and be proud of your accomplishments!
said
on 6/30/2006 If training for a cross country 5K, make sure to do a lot of hills. Also, remember to run on various surfaces to help you get used to those changes in a race.