Over recent years, the 5km distance has become more popular than ever. It’s the talk of many a meal, work staff room, family gathering, mates down the pub.. “What’s your parkrun pb”. The distance has become the bench mark for many new runners and a starting point for more seasoned athletes. The 5km distance is that sweet spot between starting out and thinking about a journey into longer races. Couch to 5km, 5km training app plans, coaches selling 5km parkrun specific training, I’ve seen lots recently and my question is this..”Once you hit your first target, then what?”..
Training for the 5km involves many things; Looking at your target time, breaking it down into small chunks as your target pace (per km, per mile, per 400 for some old schoolers) and then building training around these markers. The easiest way to approach it start off with is to get a line in the sand. What can you do right now, safely, for the distance. Run one, record your data and then look at the stats. The 5km is a mix of aerobic endurance, lactate tolerance, running economy, pacing control and strength under fatigue.
**What if I can’t run that far yet? For many, building up to be able to run the distance is the big target. The benchmark for any new runners with this target would be to slowly and carefully build the 1km blocks (target running 1km, then 2km etc) alongside sustained time on the feet (walk/ jog/ walk built into walk/jog, walk/run, jogging for longer periods of time and so on). A steady build up to be able to cover 1km, 2km and onwards to legend status…..
Once you have a benchmark, you can start to unlock 🔓 the secrets to the distance. If you fade gradually through the distance, especially from halfway onwards, your aerobic base probably needs developing. If you feel good early but suddenly tie up badly in the final 1–2km, you need to develop your lactate tolerance/ speed endurance and for most, this is often the limiter. One area that many neglect, is their running economy. We waste a lot of energy through poor form. Pacing a 5km is difficult, going out 5–10 seconds too fast per km can massively impact km’s 3–5 and this can be developed through targeted work in training. The final piece of the jigsaw is staying strong under fatigue, If your legs simply cannot maintain force late in the 5km, you need more strength endurance.
From that line in the sand run, however far that was, and the stats it produces, a coach should be able to develop a program of training that builds each required component but safely. Training has to be carefully developed over time and all of these components can’t just be thrown together over night….a house without a firm foundation won’t last.
A good healthy training plan considers everything from work in the gym, recovery, running at different paces, races, massage, your work or daily commitments, family and times of day you like it prefer to train. There’s a science and method to the madness….
That 5km time will come down with hard work, the question is then, what comes next? Any good coach will already be plotting the next phase of training, the next target, secretly looking at “Could we go up to 10km, can we stretch our next target to include….”
So next time someone asks “What’s your parkrun PB”…make sure you tell them about your journey with your coach to get there.
Coach Phil âš¡