Iowa's humid continental climate makes running 5K races more challenging especially during the summer or winter. Regardless, new runners and old-timers flock to the the Hawkeye state in various events all throughtout the year.
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Despite being “short” from a distance runner’s standpoint (at least compared to the marathon), the 5K is a difficult race distance to master.If you’re training for your first 5K, running for 3.1 miles without stopping is a daunting task. Physically, it will be a test of your willpower and endurance. Emotionally, it will be a battle of negative thoughts about being “too slow” or out of shape.If you’re a more experienced runner, the 5K requires you to run close to your maximum effort for 3 miles—pushing yourself nearly to your physical limit only 1.5 miles into the race.
It’s over before you know it, but if you toe the line unprepared, you’ll suffer the second half of the race.To master the 5K distance, you need to find the perfect blend between speed and endurance so you can maintain your pace for the entire race. Therefore, the key to running your best 5K is performing a series of specific, progressive workouts.In this article, we’ll give you those exact workouts and help you better understand the physiological demands of the race. The Importance of the Aerobic SystemBecause the 5K is the shortest of the most popular race distances, most runners equate training for the race with speed work. However, pure speed has very little to do with how well you can run the 5K. So what’s the secret sauce?Your aerobic system.In the presence of adequate oxygen, the body utilizes the aerobic system to power continuous running. Simply speaking, during aerobic respiration, you breathe in, the body efficiently uses all the oxygen it needs to power the muscles, and you exhale.As you run faster and longer, the demand for oxygen increases.
As such, you either need to be more efficient at utilizing the oxygen you’re taking in, or you need to start slowing down.So why does the aerobic system matter for the 5K? As I mentioned, most runners equate 5K training with speed, but this isn’t the case. When we look at the science of the energy demands for a 5K, we can see just how critical the aerobic system is.(source: right: Eighty-four percent of the energy needed to run a 5K comes from the aerobic system!It’s pretty clear that while distance runners see the 5K as “speed work,” it’s still an aerobically dominated event. As such, we can’t ignore the aerobic system during training. Speed Endurance: What It Is and Why It MattersWhile the aerobic system is the backbone and foundation for 5K running—especially for beginning and first-time racers—to take your finish times to the next level, you also need to improve your speed endurance.Haven’t heard of speed endurance before? That’s OK; we’ve got you covered.
Speed endurance is your ability to hold a specific pace for an increasingly longer period of time. This is the key to running a fast 5K. Let’s use an example to illustrate.What is the average pace you need to run to break your 3.1-mile personal record (PR)? Now, what’s the fastest pace you can maintain for 1 mile?As you can see, you easily have enough speed to break your 5K PR. What you can’t do is hold that speed for 3.1 miles.This is what we call speed endurance—your ability to maintain and hold a fast pace for the entire race.
If you can whittle this down, you’ll be able to capitalize on your existing speed to run a faster race. Workouts to Run Your Best 5KNow that you better understand the physiological demands of the 5K, here are some specific workouts based on these principles that will help you achieve your race goals. The following are essential workouts to help you either finish your first race or crush your PR. Run Your First 5KThis plan is designed for brand-new runners or even for those coming back to running after a very long layoff.
It includes a run/walk component that will get your body ready for the demands of running 3.1 miles without stopping.
(As of Wednesday, January 29, 2020) For event listing corrections, please.
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