Can I ever get any faster?

[Brimful]

I run jog Parkrun every week and will try and get a mid-week run done of 3-5k too.

My fastest 5k is 31.10 but I'm running an average of 34.30 at the moment.

I'm very short, mid-30s, BMI 24 and wondered if I'm naturally not built to be any faster? But I see kids at Parkrun smashing it and think I'm making excuses!

After Googling for advice I'm more confused.

Please, be brutal - do I need to do a lot more running in the week? Longer distances or shorter but faster?!

My absolute dream is a sub-30 5k.

Help!

No advice just following and bumping 🙂

I’m 50 my parkrun pb is 29:57 from 3 years ago I’ve rested on my laurels since then and am getting steadily slower 😂😂😂

Currently supporting a friend who is marathon training so hopefully that might help me a bit...

Yes you can get faster.
I'd do two midweek runs, and make one of them an interval session.... Warm up, then one minute fast, one minute walk, one minute fast, on minute walk etc. You should run fast enough on the fast bits that you can't bear another step of it as the minute is up.
Once you are more used to it, lengthen the interval bits... Anything up to say 5 mins hard, 2 mins rest.
It hurts but it works!

Yes. Hard sprint practice until you feel like you can't run another step, then run ten more. Then jog until recovered, then do it again. The only way to get faster is to practice faster. I went from being a complete non-runner to a 23 min 5k in three months.

How long have you been doing park run?
Up to a point speed increases just by running more. But after that you have to switch it up a bit by trying to do bits of the run faster.
I started running this year and wanted my 5k to be under 30 minutes, started at about 36 mins. I did a combo of longer runs, hillier runs and just trying to do my 5k faster by monitoring the speed with my phone and gradually making it faster, got down to 25 minutes over 5 months. I'm short and late 30s too but lighter than you which will probably make some difference.

Definitely the above, if you're aiming for sub 30 min you need to average a pace of around 9.30 per mile. If you have a running watch program it and gradually increase your pace, breaking up the miles e.g. start by doing one mile at 10 min pace, recover for a minute by walking briskly, then repeat x3. Once you can do that increase your speed, then decrease the recoveries in between until you're doing the 3 miles without stopping - then just add the 0.1 at parkrun - worked for me, I went from 33 min to a pb of 25.42.

You absolutely can get faster - but to run faster, you have to do some faster running! As others have said, you need to do at least one speed session a week, even if it's just throwing in a few intervals of 30 seconds at the end of a longer run. Disagree that those fast intervals should be "so fast you can't bear another step", but at least 8/10 on the effort scale, if 10 is max effort race pace. Another good run is longer intervals - so 3 mins at very easy chatty pace, followed by 3 mins at just faster than Parkrun pace, for 30 mins.

I've taken my Parkrun from around 32 mins to 20 mins over the past few years. Next stop is sub 20 (I hope!)

You can get faster - but you need to run more often, and further. On twice a week and no more than 5K you won't really see much improvement. Start by building in a 3rd run each week, and then pick one of your 2 non-parkrun runs to gradually make longer - build up by no more than 1K a week until you can do 10K. Do all of this at a nice easy effort - this will build you a stronger base of fitness on which you can then start to add some speed. Don't add any speedwork until then, otherwise you'll just put yourself at risk of injury. Good luck!

Thank you all so much!

Okay, so how about I do Monday speed intervals as suggested at 90% effort (walking in between as needed when dying then Weds a steady but longer 6-10k, then Saturday Parkun 5k?

I'm in awe at those who do sub-30, I really appreciate the advice.

You can, but training for speed is a little different from distance.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20782988/run-a-5k-faster-with-these-five-fun-workouts/

I'm trying to get to sub-30 minute 5k. I think I can do around 28 minutes but no quicker. I'm asthmatic so prefer working on stamina and distance but I do, on occasion, wish I was faster. I'm never going to be that fast though.

A bloke I know smashed his parkun PB's doing "run every day" the other January.
I'm going to give it a go when the dc's are a year or two older.

I think that plan sounds like a good start, OP. Speed session Monday, longer run midweek, then Parkrun Saturday. I'd fit in a fourth run if you can, too - perhaps a hill session, or just some easy miles to keep the legs turning over.

I don't think training for speed vs training for distance is very different at all at this level. Undoubtedly as you get faster/stronger your sessions need to be more specific, but a 30 min 5k isn't "speedy" IYSWIM. At this level, you have a tremendous capacity to improve, so upping the mileage will reap rewards, in a way that it doesn't once you're already at the top of your game.

If it helps, my average week (not currently in training for anything specific, but will start marathon training in January) currently looks like this. This enables me to sustain a comfortable 21-min 5k (although pb is 20 mins, I haven't been that quick since the spring!):

Monday: rest day or cross training
Tuesday: Speed session, around 5 miles
Wednesday: Easy run 6-8 miles
Thursday: Tempo 6 miles
Friday: Very easy run with a friend, 4ish miles
Saturday: 5 mile run (1 mile run, Parkrun, 1 mile cooldown)
Sunday: Long run at around 30 seconds slower than marathon pace. Usually 10 to 15 miles.

I'm trying to get to sub-30 minute 5k. I think I can do around 28 minutes but no quicker
Why would you think that, @TheWorldAsh? Lots of the fast runners I know are asthmatic. I'm severely asthmatic (on high dose of steroids) and it hasn't stopped me improving.
For most people, if you can run a 30-min parkrun, you can run a 25-min parkrun without too much additional work. The gains get a bit more difficult after that.

a 30 min 5k isn't "speedy" IYSWIM

It would be, for me! I'm not even in your league of fitness, that's amazing, I don't think I could ever, ever get anywhere near your speed or mileage.

I do sometimes wonder if speed/mileage is a matter of confidence or physical ability, (prob both) but I do genuinely think my body wouldn't ever manage what you do :) A sub-30 Parkrun for me would feel as good as running a marathon. Anything faster would make me feel like a friggin athlete!!

Honestly, when I was struggling to break 30 mins for a 5k, and barely running 10 miles a week, I never dreamt I'd get so much faster. But running is addictive like that. I was overweight, asthmatic, the furthest from a runner that you could imagine. But then I got the bug, and it turned out my body could run after all.

And I wasn't knocking a 30 min 5k when I said it wasn't "speedy." There was a time I thought it was extremely speedy for me! What I meant is, at those sort of times, you can get faster just by running more often, and doing a few intervals. You don't need very specific targeted speedwork as you would if you were, say, trying to make marginal gains from an 18:30 Parkrun to an 18:15 Parkrun.

Please don't start doing speedwork at 90% effort until you've built up a much stronger running base! You need to run more before you start work on becoming faster.

Is that to avoid injury, madabout? What do you think a decent running base would be? I really want to avoid injury and build up properly :)

Runningonempty, that's really inspiring if you started at at slower times and how much you've improved. I lack confidence and I'm always battling what I feel my own limitations are. ('I can't do this' even mid-Parkrun when I've been doing it for a couple of years, for example).

To know you've trained, been dedicated and it has paid off is inspiring.

My fastest parkrun was 29:29 (!!!) at BMI >35, I'm also quite short. So those factors are definitely not factors. (I stopped running after this because I'd essentially achieved my lifetime goal, peaked too early you might say.) Anyway, get yourself on a proper training schedule with these elements: 1) Long, slow runs (slower than your 5k pace), 2) some sort of speed training, this could be intervals, hill sprints, whatever you fancy really as long as it's a faster pace than your 5k. However, if you've only started running recently, the key really is to just run more. That's the great thing about being a beginner at just about anything, you improve almost automatically! Enjoy!

A couple of months of 3 runs a week, one of which you build up to 10K, at an easy effort level will be enough base to start adding a little speedwork. It's the easy effort runs that condition your heart, lungs and muscles, so even when you are ready to add some speedwork, you still want o be doing around 80% of your running each week at an easy effort. The other thing I'd suggest you consider adding in is some strength work and/or something like Pilates or yoga. The more you run, the more your body will need looking after.

So those factors are definitely not factors

Brilliant! I wish I was a total beginner and could feel less embarrassed about my slowness but I've been running on and off since 2013, and Parkrunning for ages.

This spring/summer I built up to running 10-15k mid-week and that was around when I did my fastest time during a 5k Fun-Run but then suddenly (boring reason) I couldn't run for 2 months and I'm a good few minutes slower again which has really knocked my already low confidence - like I keep hitting a brick wall in terms of improving. I'm so frustrated.

I'll keep building up and will take all the advice on board, I'll do a long (for me) plodding run tomorrow morning :)

@Brimful love this thread! I am very similar to you in the amount / distance / speed of my running! This has given me some motivation to go after the sub 30 which I have been lazy about!

We can do this 👊

Another one chasing a sub-30 min parkrun joining in! Stuck in the low 33s at the moment. I have a PB of 26.27 which seems ridiculous now (it was 5 years ago). Watching all the advice with interest!!! I need inspiring !

Let’s do this together

Have you thought about joining a running club? There’s loads around and most cater for all abilities.
I joined one a few years ago hoping to get faster.
Unfortunately that hasn’t happened but hats mainly because I’ve made some really good friends there and waste too much effort chatting as I’m running

I’m 50 ish, BMI 27 and short ..definitely not made for running but I do it because its good for me. I’ve been a member of a running club for a few years now doing regular interval / tempo/ hill / speed sessions . I managed to get from 37 mins down to 33 mins like this but really noticed a change when I started doing more than 50 miles a month - so 3 runs a week between 3 ish and 6 ish miles each time.

I'm currently doing a programme called Run your best 5k on the app Aaptiv. It's like having a personal trainer in your ears, I use it for gym sessions too. It's 4 runs a week for 6 weeks and they talk you through pace and when to run at what speed with music in the background

It's not for everyone, but I find I need something to keep me going. You can get a 5 day trial, after which it's supposed to be $99 for the year but I found an 50% discount online and I'm getting really good value from it