Best way to run a 5k?

There really isn't much to it. Even splits is the way to get your best performance. Any ill inevitably slow you down overall (just check ventolin's formulae).

If you want to run 17 then you should basically be trying to go out in 5:30 and sustain that pace. If you can't sustain that pace then no other clever racing strategy will get you there. Only more hard (and intelligent) training might (depending on you talent level).

Your problem isn't pacing strategy (in terms of splits), your problem is that your goal pace is unreasonable. If you ran 5:25, 5:58, 5:55, your first mile was not at an achievable pace. Figure out what even splits would net you the same finish time, take a few seconds off per mile, and start there.

Hopeful hs senior wrote:

Are even splits the best way to go for a 5k? After my first actual base building season, I'm going to run a 5k august 1st while I'm still in base. Before in my races I would go out on what I wanted to be my goal pace for the jest mile, but looking back at my training, I wasn't ready to run that time and I would die the 2nd mile and usually match that time for the last mile. (ex: I was in 17:45 shape and splits would be: 5:25, 5:58, 5:55)

So do I go for even splits, negative split, goal pace for the first mile or second mile?

What are some general strategies and what works well. I'll be aiming for sub 17 or around there

...post above, I know that. That was an example of how my races would go when I didn't have an adequate base. I think I'm stronger aerobically right now. U would like to run 16:50 but I'm not sure if I'm capable so I'll just have to see what happens.

I was just wondering what works best. I know there's no secret to running a 5k faster, but would anything like going out faster than goal pace first mile and that kind of stuff make sense.

When I run a mile or example, first lap I go faster than goal pace, second lap I try to hit goal pace, third lap I fight through and try to stay close to goal pace, las lap i usually finish a second below goal pace

Hey all the runners I coach - I try to have them run 5 secs faster or even first mile to the overall average of the 5k. So for you 5:28's is sub 17 . So I would say go out at 5:23-5:28 . second mile 5:28:30- last mile 5:28 . But I have my runners keep their splits and see if the first mile is like I said dead even or 5 secs faster then the overall average.

If I had someone run 5:40-5:40-5:20 - I would tell him or her they left some out on the course. 6:00-6:00-5:40 - same thing . I would rather see that runner - go 5:45-5:45- 5:59 .

You got it !

if you have speed, you can use this to your advantage in a 5K. Go out in 5:05, then hang on with a 5:30, and close in 5:50. This strategy breaks down in longer distances.

start strong, pick it up in the middle, kick it in

Start really fast, pick it up for the second mile, kick it in hard the third, and be all out sprinting at the end.

Drow wrote:

Hey all the runners I coach - I try to have them run 5 secs faster or even first mile to the overall average of the 5k. So for you 5:28's is sub 17 . So I would say go out at 5:23-5:28 . second mile 5:28:30- last mile 5:28 . But I have my runners keep their splits and see if the first mile is like I said dead even or 5 secs faster then the overall average.

If I had someone run 5:40-5:40-5:20 - I would tell him or her they left some out on the course. 6:00-6:00-5:40 - same thing . I would rather see that runner - go 5:45-5:45- 5:59 .

You got it !

Because Highschool athletes are excellent pacers.

Physiologically, you kill yourself (and your eventual time) when you go out faster than your eventual overall pace. Of course, the problem is that you don't know what your eventual overall pace is going to be until you finish the race. Catch 22? Not really.

Look, coaches have been telling their athletes to run by pace for as long as there have been coaches and paces. And you know what? Athletes rarely hit the correct splits. Why? See the first paragraph: because you can't know what pace you're capable of running that day until you've run it. There are so many factors that play into your eventual time (climate, your personal fatigue, the other racers, other things going on in your life) that you can't predict your "correct" pace.

So try running by how you feel - and run smart. If you're a quarter mile into the race, ask yourself if you really believe you can maintain the pace you're on for the remainder of the race. If the answer is yes, then great. Keep it up. If it's no, then slow down. Just as most runners will constantly check their watch, constantly check in with your body. You know your body. You've learned what increasing fatigue feels like in interval workouts, time trials, and previous races. Trust yourself.

When you race smart, the times eventually come. When you race to please your watch, you live a guessing game - "I guess this is what I can run today" - that will just come back to bite you.

Good luck!

Oh, and even pace for most of the race with a hard last 200-600 meters is the way to go. Running hard early recruits faster-twitch fibers that burn more muscle glycogen and fatigue more quickly - save those until you really need them.

In cross country, I think learning the "feel" of paces is very important. Especially in high school, where the courses vary widely, you may have one course with a huge net downhill first mile, or uphill, or 5 turns in it, or it might not even be measured correctly. Due to those things, a lot of your pacing strategies based on time kind of go out the window. Instead of time goals each mile, you really need to focus on your perceived effort each mile.

Don't get me wrong, you big invitationals with beautiful courses and thousands of runners will, in all likelihood, be run on nicer courses with accurately measured miles. In those cases, you can probably shoot for time goals.

Knowing how 5:25 pace and effort feels is extremely important. That can only be achieved by practicing and doing intervals at or around that pace- things like mile or 1000m repeats at that pace. It takes a lot of practice to understand how those paces should feel.

The other extremely helpful thing is to go out with runners who you know are around your goal pace. Hang on their shoulders. Let them pull you through the first mile.

To be honest it's all about trial and error through your own experiences not someone else. It's through attempting races going hard and dieing, which is what most HS runners do and doesn't translate. Running even splits, which takes practice to get it down. Running to cut down, going out at a more relaxed(slow pace) and picking up each mile (5:10, 5:05, 4:59), leaving it out there the last mile.

I personally have tried all ways at distances like 3k,5k, 2mile, and 10k. And I tend to pull even races or cutting down. Out of the two, cutting down worked the best for me if down correctly. To get it correct it takes a lot of trial and error like an even paced race and mentally wanting to stick to one plan.

However, what worked for others likely isn't going to be the way to run you 'best' race, so use workouts and beginning races to test things out and practice racing.

anyone else?

I think your fastest races are most likely to be run with negative splits (your last mile your fastest). However, that is more of a track fact than an xc fact. Obviously, if the course has a hilly last mile, you aren't going to run negative.

Also, in xc you are often asked to beat a specific person, or if you are fast, win the race. If that is the case, you sometimes need to mark the guy and get him one way or the other.

But generally I think aiming for even splits with a blazing last 800 is the best way to get the fastest time.

The ONLY way to run a 5k is to finish my grabbing your crotch and yelling (to no one in particular) "GOBBLE GOBBLE MOTHER F*ERS!"

You can talk about the best way to run one, the best way to train, but doing the above MAKES the race.

The best way is probably to run close to even split with the first mile being about 5 seconds faster then the other 2 because until about 600m your body really has yet to switch over to its aerobic stage, allowing you to start slightly fast.

Every single one of my prs are at near even pace.

Track 5k: 4:52,4:57,5:02

High school Xc 5k: 5:15, 5:19, 5:17

Track 10k: 5:08, 5:12, 5:10, 5:11, 5:09, 5:05

Hs 2mi: 4:51,4:52

Anyway, you get the point. Basically a lot of good guessing at fitness levels and patience in a race.