My Best 5K Race

My best (5k) race occurred May 9th, 2009. Although i've only taken part in 3 races (two in 2008), I believe this race was my most successful because of the intensity in which I trained. I usually don't do much training throughout the winter months, mainly because I prefer to run outside.


This year however I focused more energy on treadmill running which gave me earlier improvements for the running season. My training focused both on low intensity-long distances, and high intensity-short distances, which alternated to approx 4-5 training sessions per week.

The race was held in my home city, which began only a few kilometres from my house. Knowing where the race was and which track was used definitely helped in knowing what to expect!

The distance of the race was 5k which I finished with a time of 23 minutes. My previous best time back in 2008 was around 30 minutes.

The weather was average for this time of year, which is around 12 degrees celcius, and sunny. Before the race I felt healthy, confident, and energetic. I was really fired up. Once the race began I continued to feel energetic, however I tried to maintain my calmness and keep pace so I wouldn't tire out too early. The last kilometre was painful, but knowing that I was going to beat my previous results with a lot gave me an extra kick to keep up my pace uptil the end.

Upon finishing the race I had a sense of pride and accomplishment. Any time I finish a race I am very happy with myself, however this race was specifically rewarding because I set a goal to finish under 25 minutes.


Some tips I would give any runner who is looking to improve their time:

Don't focus on one element of training, incorporate longer distances (5-10k), as well as shorter-high intensity distances in intervals such as 400m, 1 mile, 100m, ect.

Eat a balanced diet and reduce the amount of alcohol, and junk food you consume.

Focus on having fun. If you're not enjoying it.. whats the point. Training is easiest when you are looking forward to it, and focus on small goals to accomplish that day.

Keep on running!