An improvers guide to running a 7.5km race in 5 weeks!

This guide is for runners who are running regularly and want to increase their distance or their speed.

This plan includes four runs a week and is designed to help you improve over the weeks and be able to complete the distance and do the distance quicker!

To be ready for this plan you should be able to run for 30 minutes continuously and be ready to tackle some interval training!

The days are not fixed, and you can run when you want, but I would recommend a couple of rest days and not running for four days continuously.

There are a few different types of running that I will mention, easy runs – this means you should feel comfortable (able to hold a conversation).

Steady run – this is about 6 or 7 out of 10, a conversation maybe able to happen but shorter sentences rather than a long gossip!

Threshold runs – these are runs that push you to a point of discomfort, but which is controlled discomfort. You should be working about 8/10 when completing these runs, and it will really make a difference to your long steady runs! I promise.

Running a 7.5km race means knowing what your 1 km times are and hitting that repeatedly to enable you to not slow down as the race goes on.

To work out your target race pace – look at how quick you would like to complete a 7.5km in. Then divide that number by 7.5km, and that gives you your 1 km split times.

• Convert your target time to minutes
• Divide by number of kilometres.
• You’ll end up with a ‘decimal’ number, which you then need to convert to minutes and seconds to give you a split time for each mile.

For example:35 minutes/7.5km = 4.67

.67/100*60= 0.40seconds.

= 4minutes 40 seconds is your split times per kilometre.

Do not spend half the race getting into it slowly – you should be warm and ready to run at your race pace from the get go! But remembering not to start too quick!

The training plan:

Week 1

Run 1	30 minutes easy
2	10 minutes easy, 5 x 1km at target race pace.
3	40 minutes easy run
4	10 minutes easy, 10 minutes steady (6/10 effort), 3 x 1km race pace, 2 minutes easy.

 

Week 2

Run 1	35 minutes easy run
2	5 minutes easy, 5 x 1km race pace, 5 minutes easy
3	5 minutes easy, 10 x 1-minute threshold runs (8/10 effort), 5 min easy
4	40 min easy run

 

Week 3

Run 1	40 min easy
2	5 minute easy, 10 x 2 minutes threshold runs 8/10 effort), 5 min easy.
3	30 min easy
4	5 minutes easy, 6km race pace.

 

Week 4

Run 1	50 minutes easy
2	5 minutes easy, 1km race pace with one-minute easy run in between x 6km.
3	20 minutes steady 7/10
4	10 x hill runs – up 8/10 effort, down slow and recover.

 

Week 5

Run 1	40 minutes easy
2	5 x 1km race pace with one-minute recovery in between, 5 min easy.
3	6 x km at race pace
4	20 minutes easy

You are now ready for race day!

Eat well, sleep well, warm up well and run well!