login
5K Strategies
-
No new posts
 2010-09-23 9:30 AM |
Veteran 260   LaGrange, GA |  Subject: 5K StrategiesI was reading the post “5K Time, Goal too Lofty?” and was interested in the different strategies suggested. Some said start easy and pick up the pace throughout the race. Others suggested find a rabbit, hang on the best you can and push through to the end. I have a 5K this Saturday night. My wife and I have run the course several times. The first ½ mile is downhill. The next ½ mile is fairly flat. Around the 1 mile mark is the start of two large hills. The downhill portion of the first hill is very steep. That is one of the tougher sections of the run for me, trying to maintain a good pace but not get hurt falling down the slope. This is a night race and not many street lights in that section. Mile 1.5 to 2.5 is gentle rolling and then the last ½ is a gradual uphill to the finish. How do you run your race? I know the strategy may be different on each course but do you start out fast, take it easy in the middle, and finish strong? Just run as hard as you can the entire route? On this course I believe my fastest mile will be the first so go as hard as I can then, back off on the middle which is the most difficult part, and then use all remaining energy to have a strong finish. Thanks BT! |
| 2010-09-23 9:43 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Elite 4235 Spring, TX | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Personally, I find a 5k a little too short to really have a strategy. It's an 'all out' run and I run the entire thing at the same effort until about the last 100-200m. Notice I said effort, not pace. On a flat course, my splits willl be within seconds of each other, but if there is some undulating terrain, pace can get skewed a bit. My PR is an 18:03, and there was no strategy involved....just an acceptance of pain. |
| 2010-09-23 9:48 AM in reply to: #3113754 |
Champion 7233 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies that last bit of what andrew said is big part of why most triathletes are not as fast in 5ks as they are in other distances. They hurt, a lot, if you want to run one well. the sooner you accept that, the faster you'll go on any given fitness. Personally, all of mybest times have come from a slightly faster first mile, and then trying to just hang on. I've tried all manner of really slow through really fast starts, and having the first mile be 5-15 sec per mile faster than the rest has ALWAYS been the fastest for me. I'll normally know by mile 2 or so if its goign to end well or not. If not, I'll just try and maintain, and treat it like a good hardfast run (which frankly from time to time does us all some good, seeing where those limits really are). |
| 2010-09-23 9:49 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Extreme Veteran 829 Tennessee | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies To those of us who prefer endurance distances the 5k is a sprint! Most people I know pretty much run their max effort from start to finish. Of course the terrain will cause the pace to fluctuate but they still pretty much run flat out the entire race. |
| 2010-09-23 9:52 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Expert 1203 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies There was a link to an article from one of the running magazines recently posted here. The main point of the article was to point out that the best way to run a 5K is as fast as you can from the start. If you fade towards the end then you gave it all you had. However, if you go out easy and try to pick it up you will likely leave some time on the course. So run at an effort that brings you to the brink of puking and then hold that pace. |
| 2010-09-23 10:03 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Elite 4048 Gilbert, Az. | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies triton63 - 2010-09-23 7:30 AM I was reading the post “5K Time, Goal too Lofty?” and was interested in the different strategies suggested. Some said start easy and pick up the pace throughout the race. Others suggested find a rabbit, hang on the best you can and push through to the end. I have a 5K this Saturday night. My wife and I have run the course several times. The first ½ mile is downhill. The next ½ mile is fairly flat. Around the 1 mile mark is the start of two large hills. The downhill portion of the first hill is very steep. That is one of the tougher sections of the run for me, trying to maintain a good pace but not get hurt falling down the slope. This is a night race and not many street lights in that section. Mile 1.5 to 2.5 is gentle rolling and then the last ½ is a gradual uphill to the finish. How do you run your race? I know the strategy may be different on each course but do you start out fast, take it easy in the middle, and finish strong? Just run as hard as you can the entire route? On this course I believe my fastest mile will be the first so go as hard as I can then, back off on the middle which is the most difficult part, and then use all remaining energy to have a strong finish. Thanks BT! One of the most overlooked aspects to the 5k race is a good warmup. If you just jog around a bit, hit the line and go, you spend the first 1/2 to full mile just getting your legs into the game. It can be a bit hard sometimes with judging the start time, but if you can get a good couple miles in at maybe 75% of your race pace before the start it will help a LOT. I always tried to negative split each mile, even if it's only by a few seconds. And, the last 400-600 meters is always HARD. All the coaches I ever had for running emphasized finishing every run up tempo, and it (n=1) does make it easier for me to finish strong no matter how I'm really feeling. John |
| 2010-09-23 10:07 AM in reply to: #3113818 |
Champion 7233 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies agreed with john on the warm up. is its not 100 degrees out i tend to get in 4 or so miles of warm up before a 5k. normally broken up in to 1-1.5 mile blocks, along with a few strides or 1-2 min around goal pace. try to finish my last bit of warm up just before the start, so i hit the line sweating and with my HR up. |
| 2010-09-23 11:31 AM in reply to: #3113826 |
| Regular 212 Seattle, WA | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies 5ks usually go like this for me: 1. First .5 miles: Go out too hard because everybody else goes out too hard, and I'm usually 3-4 rows back from the start line, meaning I inadvertently try hold on to those going low 15s, for at least a couple hundred meters. 2. Second .5 miles: Settle down; my race is usually made or broken based on how I can settle myself. 3. Mile 2: Try maintain my settled pace as good as possible. 4. First .5 of Mile 3: This is the hardest part; I can tell if its going to be good or not here. Focus completely and totally on keeping your turnover up. 5. Mile 2.5 to finish: Empty the tank; constantly build your speed, peaking for the last couple hundred meters. Good if you can try peg somebody in front of you to try and catch. On my PR race, I saw the 1st place woman, who was moving well, at about 2.5 miles, and told myself I was going to pass her, and did so about 15 meters from the finish. 5ks hurt. Really badly. It's my best event, but I hate open 5ks, because I don't have the excuse of tired legs from cycling to fall back on. If you're not feeling like fainting at the end, you're not doing it right. |
| 2010-09-23 11:34 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Runner | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Pass as many people as I can. Try not to throw up during the race. That's pretty much it. I may get a little more involved depending on the course (surges near the top of hills or around curves, looking for chokepoints, etc.), but the underlying strategy is as stated above. |
| 2010-09-23 11:43 AM in reply to: #3113702 |
Champion 11641 Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies I agree with pretty much everything listed above: 1- Get a good warmup. It should be a couple of miles that include a few strides at race pace. 2- At the gun, go out hard. Commit to keeping that effort level no matter what. 3- Be prepared for it to hurt. Tell yourself "I'll be glad I put up with this later. It will be worth it." "The sooner I get to the finish the quicker the pain will go away." You'll know you've run it hard enough if you just about, but not quite, have lost your will to live as you're coming up to the finish line. I set my 5k PR at a race I did on a whim. When I got there I did what I thought was too much of a warm up and then decided to just go as hard as I could and find out how long it took before I blew up. I didn't blow up, but I was astounded at how much discomfort I was willing to endure. Ended up with a time of 19'58". One of my goals for that season was a 22 minute 5k. |
| 2010-09-23 12:31 PM in reply to: #3114078 |
Champion 5781 Northridge, California | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Scout7 - 2010-09-23 9:34 AM Pass as many people as I can. Try not to throw up during the race. That's pretty much it. I may get a little more involved depending on the course (surges near the top of hills or around curves, looking for chokepoints, etc.), but the underlying strategy is as stated above. LOL...but really pretty true. And that level of effort (going suprathreshold for some of the race) is--IMO, anyhow--what separates runners who serious contest the 5K distance from casual runners in it to finish it. The "go out hard and hang on" strategy isn't without its critics (here and elsewhere), but it's pretty much what I've always done and I'd bet it would get the most votes in a poll on the subject of 5K strategies. E.T.A.: And X-whatever on taking your warmup (and cooldown) seriously for a 5K. Edited by tcovert 2010-09-23 12:33 PM |
| 2010-09-23 12:42 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
Pro 5361 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies If you throw up before the finish line: you went out too hard. If you throw up after the finish line: you left a little on the table. so- you know you ran it right if you throw up just as you're crossing the finish line. Try not to hit the spectators. All good advice about 1. Get in a good warmup, not just a 1/4 mile jog and a little stretching. Really get the blood flowing. 2. yeah- go out pretty fast- but not so fast that you 'blow-up'. I don't know what will give YOU the best 5K time, but having a little left at the end to pick up the pace and do at least one negative split makes it much more fun for ME. |
| 2010-09-23 12:43 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
Regular 100 Indianapolis | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies I prefer the strategy of Pam Beasly from "The Office" for the Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure. Jim: So what's your strategy for this race? Pam: Well I'm gonna start fast. Jim: Mm-hmm. Pam: Then I'm gonna run fast in the middle. Jim: What? Pam: Then I'm gonna end fast. Jim: Why won't more people do that? [laughs] Pam: Cause they're just stupid. |
| 2010-09-23 12:51 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
| 248 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Some people say "run your own race and don't worry about anyone else." I've had my most success ignoring that tidbit. What I do is pick out someone in front of me that I want to pass, and pass them. Once I'm past that person I pick out another person and pass them. That helps me with boredom during a race and makes it easier to dig deep into my tank. That being said, I will reiterate what I said in my last post on the other thread. KNOW THE COURSE! When planning your effort, don't plan on running a 5:30/mile pace through a stretch that's straight uphill. Maintain a good steady pace when going uphill and use the flats and downhills as opportunities to shave some time. |
| 2010-09-23 12:58 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
Master 1996 Woodbridge , Virginia | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Suicide Pace... just kidding... (tried it once.. around mile 2.5, the world looked different.. lmao) negative splits is typically my method.. |
| 2010-09-23 3:40 PM in reply to: #3113826 |
| Elite 3650 Laurium, MI | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies newbz - 2010-09-23 11:07 AM agreed with john on the warm up. is its not 100 degrees out i tend to get in 4 or so miles of warm up before a 5k. normally broken up in to 1-1.5 mile blocks, along with a few strides or 1-2 min around goal pace. try to finish my last bit of warm up just before the start, so i hit the line sweating and with my HR up. This is (IMHO) the best strategy, BUT (and this is a BIG BUT), it only works if you are running enough volume and speed in training. If you are a 10 mpw runner that does zero speed work and you go for a 4 mile warmup with strides before a 5k, you're going to leave half of your legs out on the warm up and wind up killing your race. Likewise, if you rarely (or never) do any speed work, and you attempt to run a very hard 5k, you will probably fade really early. Not only does it take practice to get used to gutting out that kind of effort, but it takes practice to learn where the line between 'just hanging on' and 'crashing and burning' is...... So really, I think the best strategy for running a fast 5k is to only warm up as much as you have to and run as hard as you can maintain control. |
| 2010-09-23 3:55 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
| Veteran 260 LaGrange, GA | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Thanks for all the great replies. Every race is different and every runner is, too. Based on the way I have ran before I think for me going out fast, dialing back some in the middle and trying to pick it up the last mile will be my best option. I know I can't sprint the entire race and since the easiest portion of the route is the first mile I better take advantage of that when I can. I will find out Saturday night! |
| 2010-09-23 4:50 PM in reply to: #3113702 |
Extreme Veteran 756 Mexico! | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies in short. for me. go fast. hold on. be sure to puke at the end. |
| 2010-09-23 4:56 PM in reply to: #3114907 |
Elite 4048 Gilbert, Az. | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies Prince of Denmar - 2010-09-23 2:50 PM in short. for me. go fast. hold on. be sure to puke at the end. There are bonus points if you projectile hurl and hit the announcer. Don't ask how I know this. :p John |
| 2010-09-23 6:35 PM in reply to: #3113754 |
Champion 10668 Tacoma, Washington | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies AndrewMT - 2010-09-23 7:43 AM Personally, I find a 5k a little too short to really have a strategy. It's an 'all out' run and I run the entire thing at the same effort until about the last 100-200m. Notice I said effort, not pace. On a flat course, my splits willl be within seconds of each other, but if there is some undulating terrain, pace can get skewed a bit. My PR is an 18:03, and there was no strategy involved....just an acceptance of pain. What he said. Of course this comes with the caveat that you're trained to run the distance at that kind of an effort. If 5K is the limit of your endurance at an easy pace (or 10K, for that matter), then this is a sure strategy to DNF, or crawl across the finish line. But, as with sprint tri racing, these distances go into the "if you can't taste it, you're not going hard enough" category. |
| 2010-09-23 7:48 PM in reply to: #3114914 |
Extreme Veteran 419 | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies tkd.teacher - 2010-09-24 6:56 AM Prince of Denmar - 2010-09-23 2:50 PM in short. for me. go fast. hold on. be sure to puke at the end. There are bonus points if you projectile hurl and hit the announcer. Don't ask how I know this. :p John So John, how do you know this? And, pics or it didn't happen! |
| 2010-09-23 9:15 PM in reply to: #3113775 |
Master 1404 Saratoga Springs, Utah | Subject: RE: 5K Strategies newbz - 2010-09-23 8:48 AM that last bit of what andrew said is big part of why most triathletes are not as fast in 5ks as they are in other distances. They hurt, a lot, if you want to run one well. the sooner you accept that, the faster you'll go on any given fitness. Personally, all of mybest times have come from a slightly faster first mile, and then trying to just hang on. I've tried all manner of really slow through really fast starts, and having the first mile be 5-15 sec per mile faster than the rest has ALWAYS been the fastest for me. I'll normally know by mile 2 or so if its goign to end well or not. If not, I'll just try and maintain, and treat it like a good hardfast run (which frankly from time to time does us all some good, seeing where those limits really are). Agreed. Every single PR I have set in a 5K has been this way and when I ran in college the coach always had us imploy this strategy when runniing for time. One of the easiest ways to blow your race is go out to fast the first mile which I have seen people recommend on this site. |
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK