--- title: How to run your best 5K - 5 killer tips description: how to run a faster 5k, best 5k running plan, ultimate 5k running program image: https://posullivan-20856225.hs-sites.com/hubfs/Running%20fater%20Icon.png --- ![](https://posullivan-20856225.hs-sites.com/hubfs/Running%20fater%20Icon.png) Hundreds of conversations. 1000s of km later. Here’s 5 strategies for your 5km run that really do work and form the foundation for best practice 5k workouts.  In fact if you just do the first one, it will be enough to deliver the results you've been dreaming of. Most of these tips are to help you prepare fully for the 5K time trial or race and I recommend pushing that event out 6 weeks to give you the time and opportunity to properly prepare. What's six weeks if this is going to be your best every 5K?![PB Icon](https://posullivan-20856225.hs-sites.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PB%20Icon.jpeg?width=225&name=PB%20Icon.jpeg) 1. Run a 5k time-trial  twice a week for 6 weeks - any time I have a 5k race coming up I instantly go into "rehearsal mode", that means getting some very specific practice in on a Semiweekly basis. Anyone with experience in performance will appreciate the importance for practice and rehearsal. Yet most of us are running fast intervals, slow steady long runs and everything in between and expecting somehow on the day for our body to perform an award winning 5k without the specific practice that your mind and body needs to smash it on the day. So what does good look like? Pick two days a week that are 3 days apart(e.g Monday & Thursday or Tuesday & Friday),make sure that you warm up as if you are going to race(tip number 2) and run 5K close to race effort. This is about effort not pace (more in tip 3 on this). It's important that you treat this like a time trial and time it. If possible run the same 5K route each time, so that when you compare your time that you get a clear indication of your progress. If you have a heart rate monitor you need to stay in your threshold zone, usually this is the orange zone or zone 4 but ultimately it's difficult but not full out race effort. If you over do this and move into the next zone up if possible it is difficult to complete the full 6 weeks and this is where the magic happens. For anyone who hasn’t tried this training approach before, I am genuinely excited for you and the results that you will gain.. enjoy and good luck. 2. Warm up like a pro - This is a really important running ritual that will greatly improve your performance in a race and also help prevent injury during these 5k efforts. Not everyone has the same warm up needs, some like a longer warm up and others warm up faster. My recommendation for a 5K effort is 10 minutes of easy running and toward the end of that 10 minutes break into some strides are at the speed/effort that you will be racing.  Then gather yourself and get ready for the race with some final preparations such as pre race stretching or some running drills. By this point you are warm, your nervous system is awake and you're ready for a great 5K effort. Same ritual when warming up for the semiweekly 5K rehearsals,  again 10 min of easy running building up to the tempo effort/speed that you will b preforming during the 5K session.  3. Effort not pace during training - Swap effort (Hart rate) for pace per Km/MileSo this time might seem counter intuitive saying that effort is more important than the pace when talking about running a faster 5K time. However if you focus  on your effort particularly in your training it will lead to more consistent pacing and faster overall times. Think about the times that you went out too hard only to slow right down and miss your overall target time, or the times when you came away from training session feeling defeated because you just couldn’t hit the target pace per KM/mile. By focusing on the effort , you're in control and you will continue to improve your times and look forward to the next session, not dread the possibility of failure.  4. Lose the watch on race day - this tip is a big leap of faith for most people, but if you want to run your best 5K you should try a race with no watch. Sounds crazy and risky ..right? Well maybe it is right now but not after you have 6 weeks of 5Km time trials under your belt. By following the plan to run semiweekly 5k efforts you will internalise the pace and effort that you have grown into for this distance and you will not need a watch to tell you how to run this race. You will have become an expert in how you run this particular race. By internalising this process and not being distracted from the event by looking at your watch you can better listen to your body and concentrate on your breathing, digging deep and the course ahead. 5. ## Watches are for training and heart and soul is for racing!!Some barefoot training - This is not for everyone but if I'm going to write an honest article about who to improve your running times, I just have to include this. In my experience running  on the grass in my bare feet made me faster, less likely to pick up injuries and I simply enjoyed it more than running in running shoes. This just may not be practical or accessible for you but if you have some nice grassy areas  nearby and are up for trying something new, you might just have found a new way to get faster and enjoy your running even more. 1.