Running News Daily

Try this ramp-up workout to crush your 5K PB this spring, Use this session to simulate the stages of a 5K race and practice speeding up at the end for a strong finish

The spring racing season is about to start, and while many runners across the country are preparing to run their first marathon or tackle Boston, others are gearing up to crush their personal best in the 5K. If you’re focusing on the short stuff this season, the following workout will develop your endurance and speed so you can run strong straight through the finish line.

The 5K ramp-up

The goal of this workout is to simulate the stages of a 5K race. With that in mind, it’s important that you control your pace throughout the workout (particularly in the tempo section at the beginning) so that you have enough gas in the tank to speed up near the end. Note that this is an intermediate-level workout, if you are a beginner, focus on running consistent, steady mileage until you can comfortably run the 5K distance before you start adding in speedwork.

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by form drills and strides

Workout: 

10-15 minute tempo run, at about 10 seconds per kilometer slower than your 5K pace/ 5 min rest

3-4 x 4 minutes at 5K pace/ 5 minutes rest

3-4 x 1 minute as fast as you can go

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching