How to Run a 5k Under 20 Minutes
By: Scott Mayer
Tags: Racing, Health, Running, Fitness, Life

Train for speed

6:26 pace is quick. Damn quick. 9.36 mph quick.

To race fast, you have to train fast. Rocky Balboa’s trainer, Mickey, said it best: “We need speed. Speed is what we need!”

Tempo runs, fartlek runs and high intensity intervals are excellent training modalities to build speed.

*Always check in with your doctor before starting any exercise program*

Tempo run / threshold training

Tempo runs, also known as lactate-threshold runs, are run at a pace about 25-30 seconds per mile slower than your 5K race pace. So for a sub-20 minute 5k, 7 minute per mile pace.

Without getting too technical, tempo pace is the effort level at which your body clears as much lactate — a chemical byproduct of exercise (webmd.com) — as it produces. Basically, the fastest pace you can maintain without the “dead-leg sensation” setting in.

While this training method is most commonly used for 15k efforts and above, tempo runs have their place in a quality 5k training program for several reasons:

They get the body used to running fast without the repeated physical stresses of running at or above race pace

They’re generally dictated by time, not mileage — great for those just starting a running program or who travel a lot

They help develop mental toughness and concentration — very useful come race day

They stimulate and build both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, leading to gains in both speed and endurance

Fartlek runs

Swedish for “speed play”, Fartlek runs are as fun to run as they are to say (well, for running geeks like me they are). Unlike tempo runs, Fartleks are unstructured. Unregulated. Alternating between slow, moderate and hard efforts within a single run.

See that sign a quarter mile up the road? Sprint hard, reach the sign, then jog for a couple minutes. See that hill over there? Run up it as hard as you can. Walk down. Then fall back into your pace as you make your way home.

Think about how you used to run and play as a kid. Do that.

Think about how you first felt when you started running. Bring that same mental attitude.

Feel your body. What hurts? What doesn’t? What feels good? What needs to be stretched and rolled out? Fartleks are perfect for taking stock of your body, for identifying problem areas, and for having fun!

The goal is to keep your runs as free-flowing as possible. To keep your body guessing in order to avoid the dreaded plateau. Plateaus occur when we do the same thing, perform the same workout, day in day out, week in week out. We stop improving. Stop making gains. Stop seeing reults. Basically, plateau halts progression.

Plateau is a larger topic deserving of it’s own article, but we’ll get to that later.

We always want to continue getting better, to continue getting stronger. Fartleks help keep the plateau at bay.

High intensity interval training

Now the real fun starts. High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) workouts are, as the name suggests, intense. Dialed up to 11 intense.

That shouldn’t scare you, that should excite you!

When most runners think H.I.I.T., they think sprints. And they’d be right. Sprints are the best form of interval training a runner can perform.

Here’s an example:

Warmup 8–10 minutes with an easy jog

60 second CONTROLLED sprint at hard to maximum effort

Like a car at 8000 rpm, your body should be in the red (reaching hard for air, legs churning, unable to hold a conversation, counting the seconds until you can stop).

Get that heart rate up as high as possible.

Three minutes of easy jogging or walking to catch your breath

Read: easy jog. Your heart rate should come down as quickly as possible. The secret is in the recovery between sprints. The difference between your heart rate during the sprint and your heart rate during recovery is the “interval” part of interval training (menshealth.com).

You want to run the subsequent intervals strong and finish the workout fatigued, but not completely spent.

Repeat this process 8 times

Cool down with a 5–7 minute easy jog or walk

As your fitness improves, play with your timing a bit. Up your sprint from 60 to 90 seconds. Shorten your recovery from 3 minutes to 2 minutes. Up your interval count from 8, to 10, to 12.

Make sure to never skip the initial warm-up and cool down periods.

Don’t neglect long runs and recovery runs

Long runs and recovery runs have their proper place in all types of training for all types of distances.

Long slow runs, where you can have a conversation with a friend, are essential for not only building a foundation for faster, tougher workouts, but for improving body physiology. You’ll foster growth and development of new capillaries and blood vessels in muscle tissues. Your heart will get stronger. Your feet will get tougher. You energy efficiency will improve. You’ll be a better machine.

Recovery runs encourage blood flow to stiff, sore areas in need of rehabilitation. They aid in the removal of scar tissue, lactic acid, and any other negative chemical byproducts built up from physical activity.

Regular maintenance on your car is just as important as the performance of the car itself.