Beginner's Guide to Running a 5k

For some, running in a 5k is the result of many months training, dieting, and getting their bodies in shape. Learn the basics to training for and running in a 5k in this exercise video.

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15 to 25 minutes long
Drill days with focus on form
Try cross training
Practice with an easy, long run once a week

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Dave has been an endurance athlete for over twenty years and is a swimmer , runner and cyclist that has finished the Iron Man triathlon. Additionally he has represented the US at the world championship. He coaches in Newport and has seen his team win the district title. He has a great passion for racing, training and coaching.

DAVE CAMPBELL: Hi, I'm Dave Campbell. I'd like to give you a bit of a beginner's guide to running a 5K. 5K takes endurance and speed and strength. The race is only about 15 to 25 minutes long depending on how fast you are. So runners would need to do a drill day, like on a Monday with some strides and some form work like high knees, things like that, carioca. Tuesday could focus on shorter intervals building to perhaps 30 X 200 at 10 to 15 seconds per mile faster than goal pace. Wednesday could be an easy run or some cross-training. Thursday would need to be a day--a key day where you do some longer intervals probably beginning with 400 building up to 800 and the pace would be goal pace for your 5K per mile and you want to build to about 6,000 meters of work, and you need to build gradually probably only 400 to 600 meters per week being added. Friday would need to be a light day of cross-training, perhaps swimming or cycling. Saturday is another key training day, a tempo run, and you need to log 10 to 30 minutes of fast running at approximately 10-mile run pace or half-marathon pace. So probably for someone who wants to run a 6-minute per mile 5K that would be something like 6:40 pace. And then Sunday, a long run and start with where you're at. Build your long run to about an hour twenty, hour thirty at the max, and this should be done easy. It should be almost a recovery run, so it should be an easy pace, 70 percent of max heart rate. If you can work on a schedule like that building for two or three weeks and backing off a little bit on the fourth week, you should be ready to run a fast 5K.

Beginner's Guide to Running a 5k Video

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