I know it’s not part of C25K, but am trying various ways to improve my Parkrun times...got to 29:54 best so far but struggling to improve this....am not sure if I should start slow until I get warm then up the pace a bit and so on...anyone found a good method (I probably need to open my stride a bit, but after hamstring/piriformis problem am a bit wary)
Any thoughts HU people.
Many thanks
Congratulations taking out the 30 minute barrier.
Negative splits can produce times that are a little faster, and you’ll see some general increase in pace for a little while. The other things to do are vary run lengths, a long run a week will help... the odd short and quicker session (maybe once every other week) and running all runs apart from that one slower than your race (parkrun) pace to leave plenty in the legs.
Thank you...I think varying runs and using some more hilly courses may help...
Do one long run a week, that will allow you to build up your stamina further, from there you can then increase speed on shorter runs.
The way to improve your pace is to do some longer runs. Have you considered going on the bridge to 10k plan and onto the other forum? Also, hills helped me when I was stuck. Oh, and joining a club is a massive help.
All of the above. But also, do a really really thorough warm up before the PR. Its what the elites do 👍🏼
If you want to push your pb it is well worth doing an extended warm up so that effectively you are over the toxic ten before the clock starts. Obviously this means you are working hard for nearer 40 minutes, rather than 30, so you need to be able to sustain the effort for that duration, which is why doing longer runs is helpful to build stamina.
Trying to beat your time every week is probably not the best policy either if you are only doing three runs per week, so maybe only push for the pb once a fortnight, with one long run and one interval run per week except in the week that you are aiming to push when a more gentle run may help.
Training manuals are written by pros, but one oddity, which I think may apply to many recreational runners, is that I have found that many of my PBS have come after a break from running. That said, my current PBs came during a period when I was doing the highest monthly mileage of my running career.
Please don't try to increase your stride, unless you are under the supervision of an experienced coach.....it is a rapid route to injury for many. Increasing your cadence will be more effective.
As the guide to post C25K running states healthunlocked.com/couchto5... the usual way to build yourself as a distance runner is to spend 75-80% of your running time at an easy conversational pace, only pushing pace for the remainder.
I can only dream of your time....!
As above, higher cadence, don't mess with your stride and get some longer runs in (if you're ready for them) so you can sustain a higher cadence (faster pace) for longer.
I also like using faster music when I want to go quicker 😉
Great question, I would like to increase my pace at my local Parkrun. I have only done one and have a long way to go to get anywhere near the 30 minutes mark. I will have to Google negative splits and cadence as I don't really know what they are. So much to learn!
Maintaining Pace... tips please..
Thank you TurboTortoise and Bazza. Your tips on cadence worked!
Any tips?
Tips to build distance and speed please? 
Tips on Parkrun please!
