Three Tips for Running a Faster 5K
Marcus Clegg is the chief operating officer for the Tupelo, Mississippi-based Wise Staffing Group, where he has significantly increased the company’s gross profit. When he is not in the office, Marcus Clegg runs as often as he can and recently finished first in his age group in a 5k race. If you want to improve your own race time for your next 5k, here are three tips to help you achieve that goal. 1. Know the course: Learn the race’s course by practicing on it so you know every turn, hill, and areas that you might encounter problems. If the course is too far away for this to be practical, look for a map of the course online to at least get a general idea of what you should expect on race day. 2. Finish training runs strong: One way to improve your endurance while training is to go all out for the last few minutes of each run. While you do not want to strain yourself, aim to shave up to 30 seconds off your run during the last leg of your training sessions. 3. Uphill practice: Running uphill takes extra stamina and strength, so adding uphill runs to your training regimen will help you run faster when you are on flat ground. Find a hill with about a 10 percent incline and sprint up it for 10 seconds before walking downhill backward, which will prevent added pressure on your knees. Repeat these short sprints to condition your legs and ultimately run faster.
