Whether you’re doing the 5k as an event or as a fitness test, your pacing approach is pretty much the same. On some level it might seem as though pacing a 5K is almost counter-intuitive. After all, it’s only three miles and the goal is to go as fast as you can, right? Where’s the need for strategy?

The truth is that pacing does play a key role in how you execute your 5k.

First off, before you even start running, the most important thing you need to do is warm up well. The golden rule is the shorter your race distance, the longer the warm up needs to be.

• If you’re planning on running under 20 minutes for a 5K, your warm-up needs to be at least 20 minutes.
• If you’re planning on running sub 30 minutes, then your warm-up needs to be about 15 minutes.
• If you’re sub a 40 runner, then your warm-up needs to be about from 10 to 15 minutes.

Your warm up goal is just to get the blood flowing, easy jogging for the first half, and then actually job away from the race site, and then the return trip includes some 30 second pick-ups at your race pace, or your estimated race effort.

Before the starter’s gun goes off, be sure to seed yourself appropriately so you’re able to start running as soon as you cross the line. Your goal is to build your effort across the first two miles.

Mile ONE

For the first mile, let’s take the example of someone who’s hoping to run nine minute miles for their 5K. That first mile, you’re probably going to run around 9:10 or 9:15 and that’s okay. There’s going to be some traffic, you’re still getting into the race, you’re still getting a sense of where your body is.

Don’t pressure yourself too hard to run a fast first mile, that’s guaranteed way to set yourself up for a quick fade at the end. So, the first mile is a little bit conservative to the tune of 10 to 15 seconds and that’s okay.

Mile TWO

Now, your second mile is exactly on or perhaps slightly faster than goal pace. In the case of the nine-minute miler, if you run 9:10s in the first mile, you might run an 8:55 for the second mile. That means you’re only five seconds down off of that goal pace which is possible because you took the first mile conservatively.

Mile THREE +

In the last mile, you just let it rip. You just give it everything you have, you play whatever mental trick you play to keep yourself rolling. It’s only a half mile, it’s only a quarter mile, it’s just a tenth of a mile. Whatever you need to do, keep the cadence up, keep pushing forward.

The overall goal is that you’re conservative in Mile ONE, on (or just slightly faster) during Mile TWO, and then you give it all you’ve got in Mile THREE, and ideally if the course suits you and you have a great day, you’re going to nail it with a nice finish.