How to Run a Faster 5K Race with Proven Strategies

Using proven strategies helps you run your fastest 5K race.

Plateaus in the desert can be a beautiful sight to behold. Plateaus in your running times are incredibly frustrating. By employing research-based strategies you can push past your plateau and improve your running time.

Things You'll Need

• MP3 player
• Watch

Instructions

1. 

   Running while listening to music can help you maintain a strong pace.

   Run on flat ground for 15 minutes at your race pace. Count the number of strides you take in your first minute, your fifth minute, 10th and 15th. Add these numbers together and divide by 4 to get your beats per minute (bpm) average. Download music that matches your beats per minute in order to help keep your pace strong and consistent throughout your race. A study at Brunel University in England concluded that synchronizing music to your running stride results in a better performance.

2. 

   Elevating your heart rate and loosening your muscles helps prepare the body.

   Jog lightly and move your muscles for about 10 to 20 minutes before the race to elevate your heart rate and raise your muscle temperature. According to the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex, increasing your heart rate beyond its resting point and loosening your muscles prepares your body for the strenuous task it is about to incur.

3. 

   Starting with a faster pace will result in a faster race time.

   Run faster than your race pace for the first half-mile or full mile while your muscles, lungs and heart are fresh. A recent study from the University of New Hampshire concluded that runners are able to achieve their best 5K time by running their first mile at 6 percent faster than their usual race pace. Run the remainder of the race at race pace. Burn through all reserves by increasing your pace beyond race pace in the final half-mile to quarter-mile.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have not conditioned your body for running a 5K race, you should consult your physician before attempting it.

References

• "Runner's World": Race Your Best 5-K Ever
• "Running Planet": 5K Pacing Strategy and Tactics
• "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport": Effect of Warm-up on Run Time to Exhaustion
• "RunningMusicList.Com": Why is Running Music So Effective in Your Running Excercises?
• "Journal of Sports Sciences": The Effects of Synchronous Music on 400-m sprint Performance.

Resources

• Running Music Mix