Are you wondering how many miles is 5km is 3.1 miles? If so, I am glad you have made it here to RunDreamAchieve. The 5km race distance is one of the most popular in the world. It is also considered to be one of the sport of track and field's most popular races.
How fast you cover the distances will depend on many factors. I will aim to discuss some strategies below that helped me run 14:18 for 5K. I hope that it will help you to see similar or better results.
5 kilometers is 5000 meters. It takes the average individual about 30 minutes to jog a 5K race. Anything under 25 minutes you are averaging 8 minutes per mile which is a very good effort.
The current world record for 5k on the track is 12 minutes and 37 seconds. The record was set by Ethiopias Kenenisa Bekele and is an average of 4:04 per mile or 2:31 per kilometer.
The women's world record for 5K is 14:11.15 set by Tirunesh Dibaba. This is an average of 4:34 per mile or 2:50 per kilometer.
These are incredible efforts by two of the world's greatest distance runners who have ever lived.
What is 5 KM Equal to in Miles?
5 kilometers in miles is 3.1 miles or 5,000 meters. The event definitely requires the athlete to be in supreme speed shape.
In addition, be strong endurance-wise as well. Proper pacing is absolutely essential to run this race effectively. I always tell the athletes I mentor to run a negative split. So, do not try to win this race in the first mile. I would wait until you get to the first mile and then start making your move. You can consider it a 2.1 mile rather than a 3.1 mile.
Of course, you should still get out hard and then settle into your pace. Also, let your competition go out too fast. You can catch them in the last 2.1 miles of the race.
How many miles is 5km is often asked. The fact that we focus on miles and not kilometers here in America is often the reason why. Our speed limits are in miles per hour as well, not kilometers like in other countries of the world.
1K is equivalent to 1000 meters or 2 and half laps around the track. A 5K on the track is 12 and half laps. Can you imagine hitting the first two miles of a 5K race in 8:08 or 8:58? That is the pace of Kenny Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba.
There is just one more thing…
…they still have another mile and a straight away of track to run after they hit that 2-mile split at that pace.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRIVATE, MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITYWorld Record For 5KM On The Roads
The world record for 5km on the road is 13 minutes flat by Kenya's Sammy Kipketer. His pace his an average of 4:11 per mile or 2:36 per kilometer.
The women's world 5000m record is 14:46 set by Meseret Defar of Ethiopia. That is 4:45 per mile pace or 2:57 per kilometer, respectfully.
How many miles is 5km is 3.1 consecutive miles or 16,404 feet. These world-records will eventually be broken. It is astonishing that a human can run at these paces for this distance.
Scientists once stated that the 4-minute mile was impossible and there has been a man who has nearly done it 3 times. The 12:37 mens world record is 4:04 per mile for 3.1 miles.
How to run a 5K takes a mixture of speed and stamina. Long runs of 10-20 miles will also make you extremely strong for the 5K distance.
The world-record for the two-mile is 7:58. There has only been one man in history who has done it too. Daniel Komen from Kenya.
We will probably one day see a woman run two miles under 8:00. It may be a long time before this occurs but it is not entirely impossible.
Running services, sports medicine, nutrition, shoes and training facilities continue to improve. There is no telling what will occur in the 5km to marathon distances in the coming years.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESHow Many Miles is a 10K
A 10 kilometer race is 6.2 miles or 10,000m. Naturally, it is twice the distance of a 5km event. The 10k is more of an aerobic event versus its anaerobic 5k brother. You still need speed and have the capability to sustain race pace in this event.
One of the best ways to do this is to improve your body's lactate tolerance. We do this by doing speed intervals, hill repetitions and fartlek run workouts.
What has been the longest tempo run you have done in the past training for your 5k races? 2 miles? 3 miles? I would work to lengthen that out to around 5 to 6 miles.
Remember, it takes between 3 to 4 weeks for the body to adapt to any stress load being placed on it. So, be patient. The body will always adapt if provided sufficient time to recover after every hard stimulus.
What is a Good 5K Time by Age?
I wrote an article about what is the average time for a 5k you may want to check out. I cover more of the specifics of this particular question there. It is always best to aim to start running earlier than later. That being said, there are countless amounts of runners who succeed starting later in life as well.
The key tactic is to continue to work on your leg speed, regardless of age. I would also not start a 5k training plan until you have run easy for at least 4 weeks. The optimal time frame to train for a 5km race is a minimum of 8 and preferably 16 weeks in length. The reason being is that you will be provided adequate time to adapt to the hard training.
Remember, it takes the body anywhere from 21 days to 4 weeks to adapt top any stress load being placed on it. So, great fitness does not arrive overnight. A longer build up is always going to be better than a shorter one.
I would also start adding in strides to your routine twice per week. Strides are short 50 to 100-meter long acceleration drills. How many miles is 5km? 3.1 miles or 5,000 meters. Strides will help you to work on your form and acceleration capability.
Whats a Good 5K Time for a Beginner?
I think a good 5 time is anything under 25 minutes. Of course, there are many runners out there who can run slower as well as faster. A good 5 time for beginner is going to mean something different to each athlete. There will be some athletes who think a good 5k time for a beginner is 20 minutes or faster.
So, it just depends on who you ask. Again, be patient with your training. The benefits of your hard training will be seen if you stay consistent. Also, continue to work on staying relaxed in training and when you race. The less muscular and mental tension you are feeling the more effective and relaxed you will run.
Also, watch your pacing in the race and do not try to win the race in the first mile. Be confident in your training build up. I am a big believer in a 10-day rather than a 3-week taper.
10 days is plenty of time to recover and rest from a short or long build up. A lot of runners start dropping their intensity and volume too soon. The result is they go into their races feeling lethargic and tired rather than rested and motivated.
How many miles is 5km? It is 3.1 miles. So, run it smart and do not go into oxygen debt too soon in this race. It is much more fun to pass people and set a new personal best then to be forced to slow down.
5K in Miles Average Time
The average 5 time for most runners is around 28 to 37 minutes. Of course, times will vary depending on the level of fitness of the runner. The faster we are aiming to run over any distance will require more specific training. Are you seeking to break 15 minutes for a 5k? If so, you may have to have a higher level of genetic talent as well as equal amount of work ethic.
How many miles is 5km? Again, we are talking about 3.1 miles or 5,000 meters. Remember, faster workouts will assist us to recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers. The more of these we can recruit the more efficient we will run. Pace sustainment is one of the biggest issues for most runners.
Sure, we can hold goal pace for a portion of our race. It is something entirely different to sustain it from start to finish. How fast are you doing your long runs? Are you running long, slow and easy every single weekend? If so, please stop doing that.
Faster Long Runs
Yes, you should still run long and easy but just not every weekend. I started doing faster, varied paced long runs and started setting new personal bests. Below is an example of the type of long runs I was doing prior to running 2:19:35 for the marathon and 14:18 for 5k.
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 5 miles@5:35 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile in 4:55, 5 miles@5:55 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile in 5:10, 2 mile jog cool-down (20 miles)
I would always run very easy at or around 8 to 9 minute mile pace the following weekend. Remember, the real benefits of our hard training are going to come from within the rest period. So, the benefits of the hard training you are doing today will be seen several weeks and months from now.
Closing Thoughts
I hope that this post has been helpful to you. Be sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I focus on making new training and racing videos there each week. Also, make sure to start focusing on your mental training routine. The vast majority of runners are only doing 50% of the work. What do I mean?
They are paying all their attention to physical training and bypassing mental rehearsal. Remember, success starts in the mind. So, we have to train our mind as we do our bodies. The good news is that it does not take more than 10 minutes daily to do this. You can rehearse getting across the finish line in your goal time when you first get up. Also, when you go to bed at night.
How many miles is 5km? You now know it is 3.1 miles or 5,000 meters in length. I hope that the strategies I have briefly mentioned in this post will help you set a new personal best. Keep me updated.
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