Getting back into 5k Shape. - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

TheSizzle36 · 05-20-2008, 03:46 PM

So I am trying to get back into 5k shape again after not running in way too long of a time. I've gotten out and ran about 1.5 miles on Monday and increased my distance to about 2 miles this morning. My goal is to get to the point where I can run a 5k in about 27-28 minutes, which is a pretty lofty goal for me. My previous best is right around a 10 minute mile for a 5k, and I'd like to ultimately get it down to about 8:30-9:00 as an average minute per mile. I know that as I lose weight, it will help with both endurance and speed.

However, my biggest question for the runners here is what is the best way to train? Should I start out trying to keep the pace of about 9:00 for shorter runs and see how long I can maintain that? Or am I going to be better to try and build up my endurance and try to run around 4 miles first and slowly increase my speed that way? Or, is it better to find a balance of runs, some working on building endurance, and some working on increasing my speed? Any help is appreciated.

05-20-2008, 03:46 PM	#1
TheSizzle36 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,786	Getting back into 5k Shape. So I am trying to get back into 5k shape again after not running in way too long of a time. I've gotten out and ran about 1.5 miles on Monday and increased my distance to about 2 miles this morning. My goal is to get to the point where I can run a 5k in about 27-28 minutes, which is a pretty lofty goal for me. My previous best is right around a 10 minute mile for a 5k, and I'd like to ultimately get it down to about 8:30-9:00 as an average minute per mile. I know that as I lose weight, it will help with both endurance and speed. However, my biggest question for the runners here is what is the best way to train? Should I start out trying to keep the pace of about 9:00 for shorter runs and see how long I can maintain that? Or am I going to be better to try and build up my endurance and try to run around 4 miles first and slowly increase my speed that way? Or, is it better to find a balance of runs, some working on building endurance, and some working on increasing my speed? Any help is appreciated.