How to Speed Up My Running: Improving My 5k Time

My average 5k speed is about 5.05 minutes, my 10k speed is about 5.40 minutes. I have tried all kinds of ways to speed my times up such as different eating habits, drinking habits, clothing, time of day running, running a bit quicker for 15 to 20 seconds at the start of every new kilometer, starting off a bit slower trying to gain speed as I run, running more on the flat, etc. Nothing I seem to do helps my speed. All I end up doing is getting injured, I am now adding distance rather than speed, two days ago I completed 10 miles for the first time in my entire life. How can I improve my running speed and achieve a faster 5k?
Paul

Answer by Dom:
Hi Paul, thanks for your question about speeding up your 5k time.

First off, congratulations on that 10-mile run — that's a massive achievement and shows you've got the determination to push your limits. What you're experiencing is incredibly common, and the fact that you're getting injured when you try to go faster tells me exactly what's happening here.

Here's what's happening with your training, Paul, and how we can fix it:

1. Why your times reveal the real problem
2. The foundation work that'll unlock your speed
3. Smart speed training that won't break you
4. Healthy habits that actually matter

Why your times reveal the real problem

Your 5k time of 5:05 per km gives you a finish time of 25:25. When plugged into my race conversion calculator, your 10k should be around 52:59.

But your actual 10k time is 56:40 — almost four minutes slower than predicted.

This tells me exactly what's limiting your 5k speed, Paul. You're running out of gas as the distance increases, which means your aerobic base isn't strong enough yet. Don't feel discouraged by this — it's actually great news because now we know exactly what to fix. And you are already on the right track

The 5k is a relatively "short" distance. Often runners feel that they need to do a lot of intervals to improve their 5k. That can help (a little bit), but is not the real answer.

The 5k is roughly 85-90% aerobic energy system dependent. Your heart needs to pump more blood with each beat, your muscles need better oxygen delivery, and your whole cardiovascular system needs upgrading. All those speed tricks you might have tried? They're like putting racing tires on a car that needs a better engine.

Runners with your exact same frustration often experience this pattern — fast enough to run 25:25 for 5k but hitting a wall when they try to go faster. You're not slow because you lack speed — you're slow because your endurance foundation isn't there yet.

The foundation work that'll unlock your speed

Your 10 mile long run shows you're already thinking correctly about building distance. That's exactly the direction you need to keep going.

Based on your current fitness level shown by that 10 mile run, focus on easy running, lots of it, consistently.

You haven't told me how much you are running currently. Three times consistently is a minimum to see some improvement. 4-5 times per week is better, much better. Many of these runs should be at a conversational pace — you should be able to chat with a running buddy without gasping for air. For someone with your current times, that's closer to 7:00-7:15 per km, maybe even slower on some days. Yes, that slow.

That's tough to do. It does not look sexy on Strava. But it helps to add mileage to your week without a lot of effort. Build your weekly mileage gradually. If you're currently running 20 miles per week, aim for 22-23 next week, then 24-25 the week after. Increase sensibly and don't hesitate to plateau a few weeks in a row at a new mileage level.

You want to build a consistent habit. No point in increasing from 20 to 30 miles per week in 3-4 weeks and then getting niggles and injuries. So, take it easy and build up very slowly.

Your long run is already solid at 10 miles, but you could gradually build it to 12-13 miles over the next couple of months. Having said that, 10 miles is great and should already help your 5k a lot. This isn't about running further for the sake of it — longer runs force your heart to become more efficient and your muscles to process oxygen better.

Many runners at about that 25 minute level can drop as much as 2-3 minutes off their 5k time just by building their aerobic base properly. No speed work, just consistent easy miles. After all those injuries from pushing speed too early, Paul, this foundation work will feel like a relief instead of the constant injury cycle you've been stuck in.

Smart speed training that won't break you

Now, in the previous section I said that many of your runs should be conversational and easy. Many, not all. Some of your runs, 1-2 per week, can be targeted speed work. But we're going to be smart about this.

The answer to all your problems is tempo running. Tempo running is the sweet spot between easy and intervals. These are comfortably hard efforts — think about the pace you could sustain for 60-90 minutes if you had to. For you, Paul, that's probably around 5:45-6:00 per km right now.

You can do your tempos by doing them in interval form. A good beginner tempo workout is something like 3 x 6 minutes or 4 x 5 minutes with 60-90 seconds rest in between. You can build this up to about 30 minutes of total tempo effort. When you go faster, always wedge in your tempos between a good warm-up and cool-down.

For most of us, that's really all we need. Easy runs and tempos in a consistent, sustainable way, week after week, month after month. I can hear you go? What about intervals? What about running at 5k speed in training? Yes, you can do that, however there are risks involved like you have noticed. You can get injured much more easily. They are harder on the body. And because the 5k requires your aerobic system much more than your anaerobic system, you get 98% of the way there with just doing easy runs and tempo runs.

Few last comments before I move on to healthy habits: tempos count as hard days, so don't do them on back-to-back days. Don't do them or reduce them when you're very tired from yesterday's run (or other stressors like job, family, life...). And if something hurts, skip it. Staying consistent is infinitely more valuable than any single session.

Healthy habits that actually matter

You mentioned trying different eating and drinking habits. Clearly, depending on what "normal" looks like for you, improving your eating and drinking habits can help. It can make you feel more energised, it can improve your long-term health. It's part of the basics of looking after yourself. But unless you have had to seriously clean up your act, it won't shave minutes off your 5k right now.

The one habit that I'll call out that actually makes a real difference is sleep.

Sleep is your secret weapon. This can't be overstated. When you sleep poorly, your heart rate variability drops, your perceived effort increases, and your recovery suffers. Aim for 7-8 hours consistently.

This is hard in modern life. And depending on your life stage sometimes near impossible. I have had my share of this: raising young children, long commute into work, maintaining this website in the evening hours.... At times something has to give. Unfortunately it's often our sleep that gets impacted. Try to prioritise and protect it and do your best to improve it.

Everything else — the clothing, time of day, different routes — these are micro-optimizations that might save you seconds at best. Focus on the big rocks first: base building and sleep.

Your instinct to add distance rather than speed is spot-on. Keep building that 10 mile run, keep logging easy miles, and be patient with the process.

Give this approach 3-4 months and you should see significant improvements in both your 5k and 10k times.

Best of luck with your training, Paul. You've got the determination — now you've got the plan.

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