5 Weeks to Your First 5-K

For many runners, their first experience of the racing scene is by participating in a 5km fun run which is held in conjunction with an official longer road race. This first ‘race’ can be intimidating, but with the right advice, any runner can become a racer in just five weeks.
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OK, for one brief moment, probably while endorphins were still pumping through your body after a good run, you flirted with the idea of doing a marathon, even though you’re a total beginner with just about no race experience, let alone the fitness and endurance to run marathons. But you’re up for the challenge, you thought…

Then the endorphins disappeared and the reality of training for four months and trying to squeeze in a handful of three- to four-hour long runs set in. Suddenly it didn’t sound so good after all, did it?

Fair enough. So how about a 5-K instead? It’s the perfect distance: Five kays require relatively little build-up, the training doesn’t take over your life, and the race is over fairly quickly. By logging only three or four runs per week, you can be ready to toe the line of a 5-K in just five weeks.

And having that race date on your calendar gives your training purpose, says Jane Serues, founder of the US-based Making Strides and First Strides training workshops. “The runners I coach are much more motivated knowing the 5-K is approaching than they would be if they simply promised themselves they’d run.”

Chris Carmichael, founder of Carmichael Training Systems and personal trainer to Lance Armstrong for both his cycling and running races, also encourages runners – whether they’re competitive or not – to try a 5-K. “People run for a variety of reasons, but I’ve found that they get more out of it when they are working toward something specific,” he says. “And a 5-K race is an attainable goal for any runner.”

Plus, there’s the “fun factor,” says Runner’s World columnist Jeff Galloway, coach and author of Running: Getting Started. “My favourite thing about 5-K races is the atmosphere. Almost everyone there is in a good mood. How many other events in your life are like that?”


THE PLAN: Five Weeks
In the five weeks leading up to your first 5-K, most coaches agree that you need to run three or four days a week. During one of those weekly runs, you should focus on increasing the amount you can run at one time until you build to at least the race distance, or the equivalent amount of time spent running. “I encourage runners, particularly beginners, to focus on minutes, not mileage,” says Serues. “Thinking in minutes is more gradual and self-paced.”

Completing the equivalent of the 5-K distance in training gives you the strength and confidence you need to finish the race. And if you increase your long run up to 10-K (or roughly twice the amount of time it should take you to cover the race distance), you’ll run with even greater strength (or speed, if that’s your thing).

Most of your running during the week should be at a comfortable pace. This is especially true for runners who simply want to finish the race. But since adding some faster training to your schedule is the best way to improve your speed and endurance, even novices should consider doing some quicker running. “Intervals are not reserved for elites,” says Carmichael. “Running three 1.5km intervals with recovery between will do more to increase your sustainable running pace than running 5-K at once.”

First-time racers can do some faster running one or two days a week, but these sessions don’t have to be regimented. Alternating between faster and slower running works just as well. Serues, for example, often has her group do about 20 minutes of speedwork, made up of four minutes at an easy pace, followed by one minute at a hard pace. Always be sure to bookend workouts with an easy five- to 10-minute warm-up and cool-down.


THE BIG DAY: Five Kays
The greatest challenge of running a 5-K is finding the right pace, says Serues. Start out too fast and you’ll likely struggle to finish the race. That’s why Galloway recommends all first-time racers (including veteran runners) start at the back of the pack at the starting line. This prevents an overzealous start and allows you to gradually build up speed, ideally running the final kay the fastest.

But how fast should you expect to run come race day? While Carmichael says the number-one goal should be to have fun, he tells experienced runners who are new to racing that they can expect to race about 20 seconds per kilometre faster than normal training pace. Specifically, runners training at a 5min/kay pace should finish around 23:20; those training at 6min/kay pace should finish between 28:10 and 28:30; and those training 7min/kay pace should finish around 33:20.

Galloway has a different way of predicting race times. Every two weeks, he has his clients run a mile (1600m, or four laps of an athletics track) at a hard pace. Then he uses a pace calculator to predict the times they could run for longer distances. In general, though, he finds that most runners slow down about 20 seconds per kay when they go from a fast one-mile run to a 5-K race.

Most experts discourage first-timers from shooting for strict time goals. “Make it a race against yourself,” says Carmichael, “because it’s your progress that’s most valuable to you.” Galloway seconds that thought. “Just get to the finish line,” he says. “If you have a great experience, you’ll do it again.” And chances are you’ll have an even better time.

Download your 5km programme here.