Exercises to Run a 16-Minute 5K

In sheer numerical terms, the 5-kilometer run is the most popular road-race distance in the United States, with more than 5 million finishers in U.S. races in 2011. Given that the average times for men and women were 28:05 and 34:09 respectively, a 16-minute 5K is clearly a great athletic achievement, and, at the time of publication, was just over three minutes slower than the men's world record. To run this time, you'll need to complete several types of speed workouts.

  1. Interval Workouts

    • Do interval workouts on a 400-meter track; they are probably the most important type of speed workout for anyone training for a 5K. According to Competitor Running, these workouts typically include repeats of 200 to 1,600 meters, which you run slightly faster than the pace you would keep for a 5K. Alternate walking or jogging with running intervals. To finish a 5K in 16 minutes, run at a pace of just under 77 seconds per lap. Examples of interval workouts geared toward reaching this time include 12 400-meter runs in 75 seconds with 40-second jogs, six 800-meter runs in two minutes, 32 seconds with 75-second jogs, and three 1,600-meter runs in five minutes, five seconds with jogs to two minutes, 30 seconds.

    Tempo Runs

    • Tempo runs, also known as anaerobic threshold runs or lactate threshold runs, are sustained for 20 minutes -- more for experienced athletes. Do these at a pace you can hold for about an hour. This is the intensity at which your body starts to produce lactate faster than it can metabolize it; runs at this speed train your system to more efficiently process accumulated lactate, pushing your threshold back and allowing you to run faster without going into oxygen debt. According to "Running Times," this pace is about 25 to 30 seconds a mile slower than 5K race pace, so a 16-minute 5K hopeful would do tempo runs at about 5:34 to 5:39 per mile.

    Hill Repeats

    • According to coach Rick Morris of RunningPlanet.com, running up hills improves your running economy in addition to building strength and fitness. To get faster at 5K, he suggests doing eight to 15 repeats of about 150 meters up a hill with a 10- to 15-percent grade, running as fast as you can on each repeat. To recover, walk or jog easily back to the bottom. Another workout involves six to 12 repeats of 300 meters up a somewhat more forgiving but still-steep incline -- one with an 8- to 12-percent grade. Your pace should be 10 to 12 seconds per mile faster than your 5K race pace; this is about 4:57 to 4:59 a mile, or 56 seconds for 300 meters.

    Fartlek

    • Fartlek, a Swedish word that means "speed play," is a type of high-intensity training that offers more freedom than other types of speed work such as track intervals and tempo runs. You choose the duration of the hard portions as well as the duration of the easy running interspersed between them on the go; alternatively, stick to a predetermined scheme. Brian MacKenzie, a longtime coach with UK Athletics, suggests doing a 10-minute warm-up jog, then running eight four-minute bursts at a hard effort -- think 5K race pace -- and finishing the workout with another 10-minute jog, thereby giving you 32 minutes total of hard running.