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!

This thread has been really helpful. I'm a single mum work full time and run twice a week , my Pb is just over 30 minutes. I also want to get under 30 I'm going to try some of the tips on here but I'm exhausted running twice a week and struggle to find the time. Could that just be my levels of fitness ?

cantbearsed I think you’ll struggle to get faster on 2 runs a week, ideally you need to be doing 3 or 4 ...but don’t give up!

Ideas to try

• quick hard efforts sessions of 30-45 mins (up a hill hard and walk down) , sprint between 2 lamposts and walk between the next ones etc

• try running at different times of day, my better runs are always evenings at the start of the week , some people prefer mornings
• make sure if you’re going out for a run you are hydrated and have had a snack before hand
• join a running club - I don’t actually like running that much, but go to meet friends, have a laugh and work hard, the time flies by
• try and fit your run into your routine - I take my kit to work and then try to fit in a run at lunchtime or even before or after. Could someone pick up DC(s) so you could run after work ...before you get home (I always find once I’m home its 10x more difficult to go out.
• We have some club members who take their older kids to the park and let them play on the swings whilst they run around the perimeter.

Good luck !

I'm the same! I'm hoping for a sub-30 parkrun next year. Great thread.

59, started running in late 40s and thanks to the joys of peri have stopped and started a lot. I'd like to do a 30m Parkrun (or a bit less) but worried that if I run more than 3X a week will pick up an injury which has happened in the past. Loads of good advice tho.

worried that if I run more than 3X a week will pick up an injury which has happened in the past

You won't necessarily - we were born to run! - but you just need to be sensible. Make sure you're not running too fast, or too far, early on. Schedule in rest days (ie don't do your 3 runs on 3 consecutive days). Use walking intervals if you need to.

I went from running 2/3 times a week to 5/6 times a week pretty quickly; and it's no coincidence that I got faster as a result. It's just about fitting it in where you can (commutes and lunch breaks are full of opportunities!) and not being afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Back when I could barely finish Parkrun without feeling sick, I never dreamt I'd be turning up on the start line aiming for sub-21. I would've said "two kids, overweight, no time to exercise, working 2 jobs - no chance"...but once you make that decision to prioritise your running and make time for yourself, you reap the rewards pretty fast.

That's fast, I take 38

Do you think 6 months is a realistic time to bring 5k from 34ish to sub-30? I love that others have this goal too.

Also, those dedicated runners - how do you get the motivation to/cope with running in cold, wet and windy conditions? Or is it a case of just-do-it?

I'm so glad I posted the thread, I have hope!

@Brimful - six months is definitely enough to go sub 30. It'll probably take less than that.

Looking back over my Parkrun results, in 2011 I went from 31 mins to 27 mins between February and October. I then had a bit of time off (DS1, born 2012!) and when I came back to Parkrun in early 2013 I was back up to 28 mins.

By the time I took my next break from running in 2015 (DD1) I'd got down from 28 mins to 23 mins.
And since coming back from that pregnancy, it's taken me 3 years to go from 23 mins to 20 mins.
The gains are definitely quicker when you're starting out. I don't know if I'll ever go sub 20!

As for bad weather- honestly, it doesn't even register now. I run in every weather, aside from thick ice, and that's just because I don't want to break anything. You just get used to it.

My motivation is running with other people 🙂 I’m actually getting slower mainly because I rather enjoy helping other people get pbs or do a distance they haven’t done before 😁 I get huge satisfaction from that.

I’m currently supporting a friend who is running London marathon in April keeping her motivated and encouraged.

This is me finishing my slowest ever 10 miler 😁 I’m in the shorts. I’m holding hands with my marathon friend 💕

Well that's me fully inspired now, I'm off for a run :)

Swampytiggaa you sound like such a lovely person.

@Brimful I’m not really I’m just a chatterbox who hates running alone! After Christmas I may start trying to push my parkrun times down again...

Ooh this thread is great! I’ve just started back at park run post baby and am currently at 36 min I was also thinking I’d never speed up but these tips are great! Ideally I’d like to give my husband a (literal) run for his money as he always does a slow jog to accompany me

Thanks Shooby . I'm going to try and schedule at least one run in my lunch hour may only manage 20 minutes but it will be better than nothing, to try and get me running 3 times a week

I had a pb of 28:40 at parkrun 3.5 years ago. I didn't go often because the DCs had a Sat 9am activity. At new year, I did my best and came in at 31 mins... slightly worrying as the previous week, I took my newly turned 8yo and we did it in 33 mins! I needed to speed up to keep up with him as he grows!

I'm generally a distance runner, not particularly consistent in pace. The activity stopped and the DCs and I have got more regular at parkrun. Chasing 6 & 8 yo's doing sprint finishes has done a lot of good at pushing my max pace. My race times have been better this year, not pbs, but faster than the last couple of years. A few weeks back, I had a parkrun that just clicked 2 weeks after a HM and I smashed out a new pb of 28:26

Some of it was psychological, but knowing I'd done 2hr22 of hard work two weeks earlier kept me pushing hard in the last km. I was also well rested from the recovery phase.

So, distance for stamina.
Shorter interval runs pushing pace.
Occasional rested parkruns to give it a good go. Some do a pacer week each month or on club takeovers.

The C25k+ podcasts are good for talking through paced runs.

Cantbearsed73 excellent, welcome to ‘Runch’ 😀, remember it doesn’t have to be just running, it could be a great time to do efforts too !

brimful for me I have a time to do my run and just get on and do it - get your clothing right and although its horrible going out you feel 10x more epic when you get back ! Ice and really bad wind are the worst, but just mix it up with an off road run, or perhaps a hill session running up and down the ramps of a multi storey car park which is more sheltered. One of the toughest effort sessions I’ve done was intervals on a snowy playing field. I also love my running club, just going out and working hard with the rest of my slow fellow runners and having a laugh about how mad we are eases the pain !

I'm just popping on to make any slower runners feel better - I'm currently aiming for a sub 45 mins parkrun and dream of a sub 40 😂. The more I train and lose weight the slower I get at the moment. Following with interest though.

@EvaHarknessRose I have a friend who has just broken the 45 minute parkrun and I am helping her to head towards a sub 40 🙂

Speed is over rated sometimes 😂😂😂

Found my tribe 😀
I do parkrun every week, my PB is...34min 10 sec. I have a particularly hilly parkrun, it’s quite unpleasant. I can do better when I’m a tourist on flatter courses.
I also joined a running club, I love it! Talking about the weather, since I joined, it rained something dreadful every. Single. Bloody. Time. But now I love running in the rain, it cools me down a bit.

I have a stamina ‘issue’, so I am doing weights and swimming twice a week now, spinning once and Pilates once a week.
I don’t particularly want to get faster, but it would be nice. What happened is my body just wants to keep running. And I love that. The longest I’ve ever run was a 8k one, I died!

But, I’ve only just started to train properly. It’s my escape.

Adding to this just to say that one thing that really helped me improve my 10k time enormously was cross training, specifically strength training. Weightlifting, bodyweight exercises etc, just getting generally stronger and building up muscle. It's made my body so much more efficient when I'm running. I'm definitely faster and it helped me break a plateau I was stuck at for ages.

For those worrying about injuries I'd strongly recommend adding some yoga to your week, even just a couple of 20 min sessions in the house. A lot of yoga is about balance (sometimes on one leg) if you think about running you only ever have one foot on the ground at any one time! I started being unable to complete a mile without walking and built up to running marathons and a 25.42 parkrun, I'm 52 and haven't been injured in the 9 years I've been running - yoga is the key!

interval/hit
one session a week
warm up by jogging 10min and stretch
then 1min as fast as you can go 2min slow jog, another sprint, jog, sprint jog
chose a smooth area to do it so you don't injure yourself.
good luck!

@Runningonempty84 OK, maybe I'll aim for 25 minutes next year. Can be part of my training for Race the Train.

www.racethetrain.com/event-description/

I just wanted to update that I took the advice and did a steady 8k last Monday and a speedier 3k on Weds, and lots of walking this week too.

aaand I managed 32.29 at Parkrun this morning!! I'm delighted, that's a full two minutes faster than last week, I'm shocked.

I have a Funrun tomorrow morning (doing it for the medal...), can't wait!!! Thanks so much to those on the thread, you've really inspired and motivated me to improve.

Wow, that’s fantastic, well done ! Try to keep a bit of variety in your training and you should see even more benefits over time too.

You could also think about keeping a running diary, when / where you run, how you feel and your speed. You might start to see trends ie a good parkrun time if you’ve done a long run early in the week vs later, or better or worse times after a hill session.

Now hydrate, stretch, roll and recovery ready for tomorrow 😀