My journey to a sub-17 parkrun (plus tips to run a faster 5k)

My journey to a sub-17 parkrun 

In my post last month about my seven running goals for 2024, I mentioned wanting to run a parkrun in under 17 minutes. I’ve now achieved that, twice in fact! In this blog post I’ll review my progress from my first very parkrun through to my new PB of 16:49, and also offer some tips on what helped me run faster, which I think could be useful for anyone else looking to run quicker times too. 

My first parkrun was in Loughborough in May 2019. It was my first ‘official’ 5km run, and I was delighted to finish in 21:04 – I’d set myself the arbitrary goal of 23 minutes, as 23 is one of my lucky numbers. I ran one more parkrun that year (20:51 in Chichester on a day I was ill), but mostly my focus that summer was on competing in the local orienteering league and training for my first half marathon. 

We then lost parkrun for 16 months due to the covid-19 pandemic, but the return in July 2021 was when I really caught ‘the parkrun bug’ and understood why it was so popular. I volunteered for the first time on the first week back, and then ran 20:09 the subsequent week. This lit a fire in me to try and run under 20 minutes, but it would take me another seven months to do so. First I had to deal with moving to a hillier parkrun while I lived with family for a few months, then I had a knee injury that stopped me running altogether. 

A sprint finish at Chichester - not only is it hilly, but in autumn/winter it's often muddy too!

Despite the frustration of not getting quicker, my passion for parkrun just kept growing. On several occasions my parents came to support me, giving us a fantastic opportunity to start our weekend together. When I volunteered, I got to meet new people and make new friends – I even got a job interview thanks to a recommendation from a fellow volunteer! And when I was running, I found that almost every other participant was supportive, as we all tried to achieve our own goals. Although this post focuses on my running performance at parkrun, I believe the benefits I've gained through volunteering are even greater!

In January 2022, I moved to Hull to start a PhD. The main parkrun in East Park was just three miles away from my house (a convenient warmup) and it happens to be almost perfect for fast times, with a flat, tarmac course to enjoy. In February I ran below 20 minutes for the first time, and then three weeks later I ran 18:55, a time I couldn’t believe after my struggle to get sub20 the year before. 

After that initial leap, my times then stagnated throughout 2022. I still achieved four more PBs, but only saw a cumulative gain of 14 seconds, with my fastest time of 18:41 coming the week before taking on the Yorkshire Marathon. Looking back, I believe that’s because I was completing almost exclusively easy runs. I was running around 40-50 miles per week, but outside of parkrun and the occasional run at marathon pace, there was almost no structured speedwork. The reason for this was simple – I didn’t enjoy it! I had never been a sprinter or a fan of the faster efforts, and while I tried doing some speed sessions such as 5x1km, I didn’t have the same enthusiasm that I did for my usual runs. And since I run primarily for enjoyment, I stopped doing them. 

 

This changed around February 2023, when I started running with a couple of other people. One day my friend Bianca suggested we go and do a speed session on the local track. I had only ever run once before on a track, a local school’s championship 1500m race at the age of 13 where I came precisely last. Therefore, the idea of running on a track seemed exciting simply because it was new! It was suddenly fun to push myself with someone else, and I wanted to see just how fast I could go. 

From this point I started including one speed session most weeks, either on the track or as a tempo session towards my target marathon pace. I was also seeing an increase in my weekly mileage as I trained towards some ultras, with 60-70 miles the new normal. I believe it was the combination of these factors that meant when in May I pushed myself at parkrun for the first time in seven months, I stunned myself by running a time of 17:50, followed by 17:29 two weeks later! Again, other people were vital in these attempts, with both of those occasions seeing me run in a small group with other people who I trusted, hoping that I could stick with them. 

The next factor that I believe made a big difference in my performance was footwear. Like it or not, carbon shoes are here to stay in the running world. The price had always put me off, but last summer I decided I was going to do a half marathon as my next ‘A’ race, and that it was finally time to take the plunge and buy a pair. I went for the Asics Metaspeed Sky, and after checking they fit I then kept them in the box for a month until my fitness was ‘ready’ to gain from the benefit they can produce. I’ll now wear them any time I push for a fast parkrun, and over the second half of last year I saw my time come down further – first 17:15, then 17:08, and finally 17:03 which was my PB coming into 2024. 

Running at Hull parkrun in my Asics Metaspeed Sky's

Three weeks ago I then improved my PB further, getting down to 16:49. It was a perfect morning for fast running, and I’m really proud of myself for digging deep enough to be able to run that time – it certainly isn’t comfortable! I then backed up that performance two weeks later at Market Rasen Racecourse parkrun, where I ran 16:57, despite initially just being there to experience a new parkrun with my friends. 

I’d love to isolate one individual factor for my continued improvement, but I don’t think it’s that simple. My weekly mileage has increased again, now at 70-80 miles per week as I raise my training for the Brighton Marathon in April. I’ve committed to speed work, completing two structured sessions at marathon pace or faster each week (unless I’m on a deload week, or my body is telling me I need to take it a bit easier). I’ve worked on my pacing strategy, and in nearly all of my fast parkruns in the last year I’ve had someone to chase to act as that extra motivation. 

I don’t know what is next for my parkrun times, whether I can still keep getting faster. Ever since running my first 5km, my focus in running has always been on other distances or goals, with improvements over 5km happening as a result of my wider training. And that will continue to be the case moving forwards, with the Yeovil Half Marathon and Brighton Marathon forming my main spring targets. But once every couple of months, I will continue to give my all over the 5km distance, and who knows, maybe see my time continue to come down? 

I’d love to hear about your parkrun journey in the comments below, and any other tips that you have for other people looking to run a faster 5k. Happy running!