How can I run a faster 5K?

To run a faster 5K, run three to four times a week, keep most of those runs easy, and add one harder session a week. Do that for six to eight weeks and your time will drop.

The most common mistake is running every run at the same medium-hard pace. It's too slow to improve your top speed and too hard to recover from.

A simple week

1. Easy run, 30 to 40 minutes at a pace where you can talk
2. Hard session: intervals or a tempo run (see below)
3. Easy run, 30 minutes, optionally with a few short strides at the end
4. Long run, 45 to 60 minutes, easy

If you only have three days, drop the second easy run.

The hard session

Alternate between these two, one per week:

• Intervals: after a warm-up, run 5 to 6 repeats of 3 minutes hard (a pace you could hold for about 10 minutes at most), with 2 minutes of easy jogging between. Then cool down.
• Tempo: after a warm-up, run 15 to 20 minutes at a pace that feels comfortably hard, where you can say a few words but not hold a conversation.

Synced runs are scored by heart rate zones in League of Fitness, so a real interval or tempo session counts for more than an easy jog, while an easy run still counts as an easy run. Being matched with someone near your level every day also makes the long run harder to skip.

Strides

Strides are 4 to 6 short pickups of about 20 seconds, building to a fast but relaxed pace, with a minute of walking between. They help your form and make race pace feel less awkward.

Race-day pacing

Start the first mile at your target pace or a touch slower, not faster. Going out too hard is the main reason people fade in the last mile. If you're feeling good in the final kilometer, then you can spend what's left.

Other things that help

Gaining mileage slowly over months, strength training twice a week and sleep all show up in your times. If you keep getting sore shins or knees, ease off and see a doctor or physical therapist, since a faster plan is useless if you can't finish it.