Can any runners recommend a suitable plan/app to improve 5k times?

[ahagwearsapointybonnet]

Background: I usually run 3x weekly, usually about 5k/up to 6-7k on a long run, but quite slow. Due to injuries in the past I am trying to not ramp up too quickly. I did C25K in the Spring to get back into running after the last injury and kept building up gradually to where I am now.

I would love to eventually manage a 5k (ideally our local Parkrun, if/when it restarts) in under 30 minutes, and was looking for a training plan to help me get there. However all the ones I found so far were either a) similar to C25K (get up to 5k, but not at any particular speed), b) were aimed at increasing the distance, e.g. getting to 10k - but I'm not really interested in increasing my distance that much, and don't have time to run a lot more either, or c) they expect you to be already a lot faster at the start of the plan than I am at the moment!

My usual training runs are somewhere between 7-8 mins per km I think, depending on the location as some are rougher than others. My best ever kilometre was 5.39, but that was a year ago and chasing a pacer, and I nearly died couldn't keep it up so had to slow down a lot after.

If you know of a suitable plan or app that will help me gradually improve my speed but without too much risk of getting injured again, I'd be very grateful!

I'd be interested in this too. I do the occasional 10k and run 5k about 3 times a week but I don't seem to be getting any faster. My 10k time is roughly double my 5k i.e. my pace doesn't seem to slow when I run further.

Have a look at Nike Run Club. It’s free and you can get some custom plans or guided runs.

I'm using MapMyRun Faster 5k Beginner and I love it. It does get quite intense quite quickly but possibly because I buggered up the time trial so I'm running 1.5-2mins per kilometer faster than projected (so on an hour run that will be an extra 2-3km!).

Thanks tomatoes and makingitup, those sound promising, I'll definitely check them out (tomorrow though as bed is calling!).

I find runners worlds plans to be excellent, and they have one for running 5km in 30 minutes www.runnersworld.com/training/a20831319/break-30-minutes-5k-plan/#:~:text=This%20eight-week%20plan%20is,of%20four%20to%20seven%20miles. Good luck!

Hill reps and interval training (Fartlek) will do it - I’ve found parkruns are often quite hilly so you want to “over-hill” it a bit in training.

Fab, thanks - I'll take a look at those too tonight! Hopefully one will work for me.

My usual parkrun is quite flat really - but there is a newer one near us that started just before Covid hit which is totally up and down (with very steep bits, narrow muddy and slippy tracks, hairpin bends etc too) - I've never tried it yet but will have to sometime once they restart! Don't think I would have a hope of beating my record there though!

Hairpin bends and muddy tracks? This parkrun sounds right up my street - where is it?!

To put it simply, to run faster you have to train faster, so speed intervals are the way to go. As a pp said, fartlek training is the way to go. It doesn't have to be fancy, or particularly structured- just on your next run, put in a few intervals where you run hard to the next tree/lamppost/whatever. 10 of these bursts in a 7 or 8k run will be enough to start making a difference and, if you can get one hill session in each week as well, to build your strength, then all the better.

If it helps, I got my 5k time down from 31 mins to 23 mins just by doing speedwork as described above; aiming for one fartlek session and one hillier session a week. It then took more structured speedwork (400m reps and so on) to get down to 20 mins for a 5k.

I got my 5k from 40 mins down to 26 mins, but I did it by mixing up my training as opposed to just doing running. You need to build up your leg strength and your cardio fitness, lung capacity etc.

I’d recommend some strength classes for runners. Or if you’re going to the gym, use the leg press or kettlebell squats. And do some spin if you can too. Spin is great at building leg strength and overall cardio fitness/lung capacity.

Other thing is to mix up your running, making sure you’re doing some hills/steep sections. It’ll make you faster on the flat.

Oooh I am keen for this too! I was running longer distances but don't have the time so doing 2 x 5k runs a week now and a daily HIIT. Can't get past 32 minutes abs have never broken that 30! Will have a look at these links too :)))

I did a Jeff Galloway time foccused training plan through my Garmin earlier this year, and it worked really well.

Zombies, run is a fun way of doing interval training.

intervals
I'm in a similar situation, did c25k this year after not running for years due to a host of excuses
I'm doing one run a week of 1k gentle jog followed bt 10x 100m 'sprints' with 100m fast walks in between.if you can do the sprints on a gentle uphill the better. I am slowly kreeping towards the 6min/kilometer.

I'm not quite there yet, but a friend of mine is improving her 5k time by going back to the beginning of her C25K programme/app and doing a slow jog for the 'walk' sections and more of a run/sprint for the 'run' sections.

There are also C25k+ podcasts with Laura from the NHS podcasts talking through paced intervals and tempo runs.

They are "run to the beat" which is relative, and I find that my distance/speed changes with them over faster phases.

I use a free intervals app and just push it as fast as I can in the high intensity sections. As fast as I can, sometimes to the point where I am near collapse.

It’s hideous. But it’s short lived bursts and definitely makes you faster

@BogRollBOGOF do you have a link to Laura's podcast at all? Is it just on the NHS site? (I miss Laura!)
I really want to get mine down to sub 30...38 minutes is where I'm at, and I can't seem to budge that.

I have a similar issue too, and figure if I lose some weight overall it will help speed me up. I have found doing one speed session if some form a week really dues work, snd surprisingly quickly too, but I absolutely hate it every time. I have realised that when I run I love to zone out and just plod and let my mind wander, and I’m often not pushing myself as hard as I could. Being able to see your splits when running helps motivate me too, if you use strava or similar, to push that little bit harder.

Sorry not to have come back to the thread sooner, just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's made suggestions. I've been a bit swamped lately so not had a chance to come back and look through them properly until now, but have been investigating all the different apps and suggestions today, so thanks all!

I have already started doing some more intervals and also some additional hill training - have been up a big steep hill near us twice, one day I might even manage it without having to drop to a walk just before the top and also increased my distance a bit gradually. The good news is I am starting to (very gradually) get a bit faster Hopefully with a bit more work I'll start to see more difference!

I'm still deciding whether to download one of the apps, or possibly whether to invest in a Garmin which I've considered before, in which case I can do their training plans; but am looking into them all.

IveSeen I think this is probably the one BogRoll mentioned: www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-plus-running-podcasts/

Happy running everyone!

I have been doing this "manually" by using a simple app called TimeR Machine which lets you set up your own timings for intervals and will play audio queues of whatever you want, whenever you want.

I completed c25k but was only managing about 4km in the 30 minutes so I am working towards being able to run 5km in 30 minutes. I have created a "speed trainer" routine in the TimeR Machine app which initially got me running as fast as I could for 20 seconds once every 5 minutes during a 5km route, but each time I do it I bump up the "as fast as possible" time and reduce the "jog more slowly now" time, so my overall speed is gradually increasing. I have also had a few sessions with a personal trainer who has given me a variety of exercises to work on strengthening and building up my leg muscles which should help (this won't be a regular thing as I can't afford it, but it feels worthwhile to have a few sessions)