Best way to train for a 5k in one week?

Bueller?

You might want to practice a couple pre race warm up's to get the confidence that all engines will be blaring come the starting Gun! Like a 2 mile jog followed by light stretching and 8-10 150 meter striders on grass really striding out.

Might sound weird but practicing your warm up is not a bad idea the week of a 5k. Just a thought!

You're going to get 1000 different opinions on this one. Here are my thoughts.

1. Don't get injured (most important)

2. I wouldn't run any hard mile repeats. But you might try some 2-3 shorter intervals at close to race pace (400-600m maybe) and work on being as relaxed as you can be during the couple intervals. Focus on being loose, feeling your legs turn over, having your hands relaxed and your arms carrying you through--this is to say that the week before a race is a good time to think again about some of the fundamentals that go into running fast comfortably. This leads to 3:

3. Lots of very relaxed stride-outs--again, don't hurt yourself.

4. Are you certain that your current race pace is 5:45? I ask only because you don't want to do a couple intervals and be dead tired after them because you're not in 5:45 shape. (Then again, even if you are a bit tired, race day is an entirely different animal. I remember being tired 3-4 days before a meet, running 400m at 1600m pace and wondering how I'd run 4 laps that fast. But, then race day would come, things come together, and I'd go and do it.)

I'd warm up and do a few striders the day before.

Good luck!

Matt