Have to Run 5K in 25 Minutes - How Do I Prepare?

by Sachin A Jagdhane
(Mumbai, India)

I am trying for security services and have to run 5 km in 25 mins. I am 28 yrs old and weigh 70 kg. I am able to run 2-3 kilometer in 10 mins. I also have to do pull ups and 100m sprint followed by long jump and shotput. Before trying for the same I was working in tech job for three years.

Please let me know if I can do this and how much time will it take to prepare for this.
Sachin

Answer by Dominique:

Hi Sachin,
Thanks for your question about your training for the security services and asking me to help you get to a 5k in under 25 minutes.

I think this is a doable goal for you, provided you put in the work. Now, let's cover off on the following:

1. What is your starting point?
2. What training is needed for a sub-25 5k?
3. How long may it take to achieve a sub-25 5k?

What is Your Starting Point?

It sounds like you have got some basic fitness, i.e. you are able to run 2-3 km in 10 mins. Big difference though! 2k in 10 minutes is good. 3k in 10 minutes is pretty fast and if that is already possible, running the last 2k in 15 minutes should be pretty easy?

So, let's assume 2km or a little more than that in 10 min. So you can run at the right speed. But, if I understand the situation well, you have not been training (much). So, it sounds very much that you need to work on your endurance and you need to get comfortable with a regular running routine.

Does that sound fair? Now, let's move on to what training is needed to achieve a sub-25 5k.

What Training is Needed for a Sub-25 5k?

First of all, I'd like you to run regularly. At least three times per week. Three runs per week is a decent amount to build up your running, get fitter and faster. More is better, but when you are just starting out, you want to make sure you don't do too much too soon and get injured.

Secondly, most of your running should be at an easy pace. You want to build a long run into your shedule. In the beginning the long run may be 3 km long. Build it up slowly from there. The 5k is short enough that you can actually do a long run that is longer than 5k. As a beginning runner aiming to run a faster 5k, I think a 6-9k long run may be a good starting point. In addition to the long run, do a few easy shorter runs during the week (3-5k).

Thirdly, add some speed. To improve strength and speed some faster running would be beneficial, i.e. faster than your current goal of 5:00 min/km. A good introduction to speed training is fartlek, but also have a look at the interval running page and the tempo running page.

There you have it. The basics of any good running program. Run regularly. Do a long run. Do easy runs. Add a little bit of speed. The principles are easy. Now, it "just" comes down to execution.

How Long May it Take to Achieve a Sub-25 5k?

So, how long may it take to achieve this goal? This is the trickiest part to answer. Apart from a paragraph of high-level information, I don't know much about you.

Generally, I see many beginning runners make a lot of progress when they start exercising regularly. The great thing about new beginnings is that you will set many personal records. Longest training run, most mileage per week, fastest intervals, etc. Almost every week you will have something to celebrate.

It may take longer than this, but a really reasonable approach would see you getting ready for your 5k in three months. You are already able to run 2k in 10 minutes. I really think that most of what you need is consistent practice and an increase in your endurance.

I am quite convinced that if you run three times a week consistently, you will be a whole lot stronger and faster at the end of the three-month-period.

In addition to the running I would spend two or three sessions per week training for the other parts of the fitness test. You can do this by doing those actual components (e.g. pull ups, sprints, shotput), but also by doing weight/resistance training etc. Check out the strength training for runners page for more information about lifting weights.

Especially pull ups are tough. You may want to start with negative pull ups, i.e. take a chair, start at the top of the pull-up position and then lower yourself down. It takes a long time to go from 0 pull-up to 1 pull-up, but again, with consistent training you can achieve a whole lot.

I hope this gives you some ideas about what to do and how to do it. If anything, just to repeat it one more time, consistency is key. What I laid out above is a reasonably structured approach. But even if you are less structured and just exercise very regularly (3 times running, 2-3 times cross-training) you should make a lot of progress in the next three months.

Hope this helps.
Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique