I signed up to run my 1st 5K in May 2012. My goal was to run a good race with a respectable time. Since I had never run a 5K, I needed to choose a training program. I chose to train by doing a P90X/Insanity hybrid and by running a 5K once per week to learn how to pace myself.
I had 6 weeks to train before my race. The first thing I did was to run a 5K practice run to get a baseline time. My time was 28 minutes and 31 seconds.
Weeks 1-3 I did the following: Mon – P90X Chest and Back, Tue – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Wed – P90X Shoulders and Arms, Thur – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Fri – P90X Legs and Back, Sat – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Sun – 5K practice run.
Week 4 I did the following: Mon – P90X Core Synergestics, Tue – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Wed – 5K Practice Run, Thur – P90X Core Synergestics, Fri – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Sat – 5K practice run, Sun – Rest
Weeks 5-6 I did the following: Mon – Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, Tue – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Wed – Back and Biceps, Thur – Insanity Pure Cardio & P90X Ab Ripper X, Fri – P90X Legs and Back, Sat – 5K practice run, Sun – Rest
My final practice run was 24 minutes and 8 seconds. Over the course of 6 weeks I shaved 4 minutes and 23 seconds off my 5K time.
In addition to the fitness training program, I used P90X results and recover after my workouts. My diet consisted of 3 meals and 3 snacks per day. I ate cleanly with no process foods and had Shakeology as my healthiest snack of the day.
I ran the race in 26 minutes and 41 seconds. I finished first in my age group and 7th overall. Even though I didn’t reach my goal of running the race in 24 minutes, I was very pleased with my results for my 1st race.
I continue to train using a more intense version of a P90X/Insanity hybrid. My goal is to run in the 22 minute range in the Fall when I start running 5Ks again.
I would love to hear how you train for your 5Ks and feel free to drop me a line if you have questions on how to improve your training.
