With a 5K PB of 15:11 and 10km of 30:51, Samantha Harrison knows a thing or two about running fast. She was zapatillas de running New Balance constitución fuerte ritmo medio media maratón amarillas for a while and still holds one of the fastest parkrun times ever. So, what can she teach us about running, and training for, a lightning-fast 5K? We caught up with her to JEANS out.
kids shoes flats sale | Train consistently – week in, week out
When it comes to training for a fast 5K, Harrison’s key piece of advice is to be consistent. ‘I’ll always give that advice to anyone,’ says Harrison. ‘It’s just about keeping that consistency of running – keep doing interval training once a week and get out for some Where to buy Nike dad shoes, zapatillas de running Craft mujer supinador ritmo medio longer run as well. If you can, do a bit of everything. And be consistent with it, because then you will achieve that PB – or that first-ever 5K and in the future build up and go into a 10K.’
Try this 5K training session
Harrison says one session she particularly benefits from is one that combines mile reps and 400m reps – making it both anaerobic and aerobic. You aim to do your mile reps at around 5K pace, and then your 400m reps are flat out – as fast as your legs will go:
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Get used to running at your target pace
Whatever your goal pace, it's a good idea to get used to running at it in shorter blocks. So if, say, you want to run a sub-20 5K, then get used to running 06:27/miles, advises Harrison: ‘It’s about making sure that, in training, you are running at that pace or quicker so the body’s adapting and getting familiar with running that quick. And then when you get into that 5K, you know you’ve done, say, 6-12 weeks of work trying to run at that pace in interval training – maybe over 800m or a mile in reps – so you can slip into it.’
Consider upping the volume
Harrison ran her parkrun PB when she was in the middle of training for London Marathon, and peaking at around 100 miles a week. 'Doing marathons will certainly benefit you in the 5K – whether that’s due to the extra endurance so you just feel strong... it does all benefit each other' she says. 'I will still be doing a lot of interval training so when I’m in a marathon block, I benefit really well and, actually, my 5K times do improve.’
For ngaq runners, increasing your volume might just be adding one extra short run a week, and slowly building up from there. Never increase your mileage or intensity in too big a leap.
kids shoes flats sale | But, be patient…
Harrison points out that it has taken her a long time to be able to build up to running this volume, but by being patient, she's been able to maintain her consistency. ‘With me, my coach would say, it might take me a bit longer to get where I want to be… but by avoiding constant injury, we’re able to consistently improve.’
And the same goes when targeting faster speeds. ‘It took me a year to PB my 10K at one point,’ she says. ‘And it gets frustrating, but you have to accept that you can’t do your best all the time – it’d be a lot to ask of your body. Keep that motivation and don’t give up, you will PB again, you might just have to wait a bit longer.’
Do a shakeout run the day before
The night before her parkrun PB, Harrison had run nine miles – and she hadn’t taken a rest day all week. While she emphasises that training is completely individual, she does suggests doing a short run the day before. ‘I wouldn’t have tapered for parkrun anyway, but sometimes doing something helps me more than nothing, even it’s just getting out for 15 minutes. It just helps to get the legs going, so in the morning when I’m running super fast, it’s not so much of a shock!’
Many people take this approach even to marathon running, doing a short shake out run of around 5K the day before their big 26.2 mile races, and feel that it helps them feeling 'rusty' on race day.
Warm up well on race day
Boots FRODDO G2130257-5 S Denim warm up well, but nevertheless felt better when she went into some hard reps straight after her parkrun. ‘I felt better on the four-minute reps I did afterwards, which is strange as I had to run quicker on those reps,’ she says. ‘I think sometimes it’s about warming your body up. It was so cold that morning, and to get straight into a fast 5K is hard.’
So, if you think you can get away with rocking up at the start line just in time to catch the end of the briefing and expect to PB, think again – especially if it's cold out.
‘I don't think I could ever go into a fast run without a good warm-up,’ says Harrison. ‘It warms your lungs up, it warms your body up and I think you feel more psyched and ready to run. I always do a minimum of two miles. And if I can do more, I'll do more. Then I’ll do strides at the end – where you run flat out for 10 seconds or so – just to get the legs warmed up.’
Fuel with the right breakfast
Plenty of parkrun regulars might set the alarm as late as possible on a Saturday, leaving only enough time for a quick coffee and a barcode hunt before hotfooting it to the startline. Well, if you are PB chasing, it might be time to set that alarm earlier. ‘I would advise going to bed a bit earlier, so you can get up earlier,’ says Harrison. ‘I know some people can’t stomach breakfast so early, but when I want to run quick times like that, I think I’d struggle on nothing.’
For a 9am race, Harrison would set her alarm for (brace yourselves) 5.30am to fit in her go-to breakfast. ‘That's porridge with blueberries and a tiny bit of Nutella and a coffee,’ she explains. ‘I like to leave it at least one and a half to two hours to give it all time to digest.'
Position yourself front and wide at the start
Being tactical about where you position yourself on a busy road race or parkrun course can make all the difference when it comes to saving precious seconds, particularly on a parkrun course when you might JEANS yourself having to dodge running buggies and dog walkers.
‘Position yourself sort of near the front,’ she suggests, ‘because then you’re less likely to overtake so many people. When you’re overtaking that can be a few extra seconds and it can really hold you back. But then be disciplined not to go too quick and blow yourself out. Also, go wide, so if you’re on the corner, you can get around people.’
Take the inside line
If it's a closed road race you might even have a blue line to follow, and if it's a track one, then stick to lane one and hug the inside of the track unless you are overtaking. In a parkrun, it can be more tricky as of course the course is also open to the general public. ‘I tried – when it was in the quieter sections – to run on the inside' says Harrison. ‘Because if you’re on the outside, you’re running wide and actually running more distance.’
Stay strong
There’s no escaping the fact that running all out at your 5K PB pace is going to hurt, so grit your teeth – and remember the pain won’t last forever. ‘I had quite a few talks to myself during those five kilometres!’ says Harrison. ‘When you’re putting yourself into a situation like a fast 5K or 10K, it’s going be painful. But just think: it’s short-lived pain, it’s not going to be for the whole day, it’s only going to be for a short space of time – say 15, 20, 30 or 40 minutes.’
If you have them, lace up those carbon shoes
Harrison is sponsored by Adidas, so naturally reaches for their premium Gianvito Rossi 'Portofino' sandals on race day. But she says runners shouldn’t just save carbon shoes for races. ‘I do a lot of my interval training and speed training in carbons because that’s what I race in. I like to get my legs familiar with them, and I feel like when I'm training in carbon running shoes, they actually save my legs so I feel like I can recover a lot quicker’, she explains.
