4 changes I made to run a FASTER 5K | SMASH your PB too!

[@ianjames3078]

First time I’ve come across your channel, subbed. Really easy going and relatable guy 👍

[@Maxkelly600]

@@ianjames3078 thank you Ian, that’s very nice of you to say that! I hope your training is going well 👌🏻

[@DeadOrAliveGames]

My first 5k was 38 mins !!! Was a right mess , I've now got it down to 21 mins in about a year. But currently on my 3rd week of Injury, I can't wait to get back running .

[@danielsitohang7378]

Sorry to hear that.. wishing you a speed recovery mate. Stay positive

[@RedPilled100]

Wonderful progress. Either you went out too fast to soon with mileage/intensity or ignored giggles and pain along with inadequate rest & recovery

[@eloy5808]

Still sub 30 for 5K Hoping i can get at sub 25

[@DeadOrAliveGames]

Are you guys on run Britain?

[@eloy5808]

@@DeadOrAliveGames no... Im from Philippines

[@gunstarhero8028]

I went from <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2087">34:47</a> in December 2023 to <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1453">24:13</a> in December 2024. Focusing on longer distances at the moment so I doubt I'll beat that for a while, but every now and then you rock up to a parkrun just feeling great and you go for it haha

[@Maxkelly600]

@@gunstarhero8028 My word that is a massive improvement!! Fair play and congrats! Haha I agree, I’ll be hammering park run this week too!

[@alexdoherty1984]

I had an opposite approach to training, before I joined CLC Striders. I was an ultra runner who ran almost exclusively in zone 2 and never ran anywhere close to threshold. One year of speed sessions saw my 10km pb fall from 46 to 39 minutes. It’s really easy to not leave your comfort zone.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@alexdoherty1984 Spot on mate!! So easy sometimes to stay comfortable. Those threshold and interval sessions suck but make all the difference!

[@andrejensen7837]

I went from running 500m before I needed to walk. 3 month later 25 min 5k. Now 7 month later I run 80-90 km easy a week. Will increase that that next months, after that I will introduce some speed work. By the way I'm 58, so I'm careful not do speed work before my body is ready. Then lets see what this old man can do 😅.

[@danielsitohang7378]

Wow this is so encouraging, good for you mate.. I just started zone 2 training this new year hope my 5k also improves, currently at 31:55 😂

[@RedPilled100]

You are just as fast as me trying to dip under 24-25 minutes in the 5k. By the way I'm not 30 yet

[@danielsitohang7378]

@@RedPilled100 you'll smash that one soon.. I'd love to get that 24-25 mins but it might take year for me since I'm 46 now haha

[@eloy5808]

@@andrejensen7837 wow... I am 50 And want to get that sub 25 at 5k

[@Maxkelly600]

That’s absolutely incredible loading! Well done mate! My dad is 63 and does a fair bit of running but not quite that amount 🤣🙏 Seriously impressive Andre!

[@bricemenaugh4828]

Sounds very similar to what Frank Shorter did. Right out of his playbook. Excellent bro

[@Maxkelly600]

@@bricemenaugh4828 thank you very much mate! Really appreciate the kind words 👍🏻

[@diegosanches9255]

I started from 42min a 5k to a 13min just after watch this video! It really works! 😂

[@Maxkelly600]

🤣🫱🏻‍🫲🏼👌🏻

[@Pingolyno]

Amazing tips thanks for the motivation!

[@Maxkelly600]

@@Pingolyno thank you for your lovely words!! Good luck with your training!

[@RedPilled100]

Bula 😊 Enjoying from Fiji 🇫🇯 Just subscribed now to your channel

[@Maxkelly600]

@@RedPilled100 thank you so much! All the best in Fiji 🇫🇯 🙏

[@danielsitohang7378]

Hi Max, another great video, love it. Would you mind to make a guideline training for a beginner.. I looked on your vid list but couldn't find one. You do have 10 tips for beginner but I'm looking is a structure training for beginner.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@danielsitohang7378 hi Daniel, thank you for your message! I certainly can do that at some point! What’s sorts of things would you like me to include?

[@danielsitohang7378]

@Maxkelly600 It will be just weekly schedule for completely beginner. Someone who just started their journey into running wolrd. Add do and don'ts and what to expect. Sort of

[@Maxkelly600]

@ I can look at that no problem mate!

[@danielsitohang7378]

@Maxkelly600 thanks mate.. take your time 🙏

[@marshovision]

I normally just go out and run and then smash the odd parkrun, but I'm starting "training" in 2025, so this is just the video I need. Thanks.🏃‍♂️💨👍

[@Maxkelly600]

@@marshovision awesome stuff! Thank you for the kind words! I do love park runs still, I will be doing one this weekend hopefully! Good luck with your training 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[@danielsitohang7378]

I'm in the same boat 😂 Just started this new year

[@09darkzlj5]

The 5 x 200m, 1200m, 5 x 200m, 2 mins rest session. What’s the rest period between the 200m’s?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@09darkzlj5 At my club, we do 100m walk! I hope that helps, good luck with your training!

[@TheRegularRunner]

Cheers for the tips mate. I was just saying to the wife yesterday that I intend to start adding regular hill work into the routine this year. Started yesterday on the treadmill with 6x reps at 6% @ <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="360">6:00</a>/km at the end of a steady 30 minute run ahead of my sub 25 attempt this weekend. I only did it because setting everything to 6 seemed like a fun idea. Felt great afterwards, and I want more of that 😂 also ran a course pb at my local parkrun unexpectedly today, so progress is progressing. Happy New Year mate 👍

[@Maxkelly600]

@@TheRegularRunner mate that’s awesome!!! Treadmill reps are a great way to get them on! We’re lucky enough to have some hills nearby but you can’t go wrong with the treadmill! Where is the race this weekend? Or parkrun/time trial? Good luck mate, please let me know how it goes!

[@TheRegularRunner]

Where we live is pretty much in a valley, so no matter which way we go we are running up hills, which is great for hill reps, but makes the easy runs a challenge, so sometimes in the midweek i like to hop on the treadmill for the easy runs so i can keep them truly easy and then throw in 5 or 6 strides (or some 30-60 second hill reps) at the end. 👌 The sub 25 attempt will be at Alexandra Parkrun in Manchester this Saturday 🤞 It's 2 laps and pancake flat on decent paths, and has only 1 tight turn per lap. I'll defo let you know how I get on. Thanks for all the tips buddy! 👍

[@Maxkelly600]

@ Nice but not nice to live in a valley I guess! I bet you smash hilly races 🤣 Awesome mate. Massive good luck to you. Buzzing for you mate!

[@na-dk9vm]

Max, slightly unrelated to the video, but I've a question about the treadmill please. Is the treadmill a good workout, as long as I have a 2% incline on it?? For example, I want to get my 2mile down to sub 13 mins. I did a run on the treadmill a few days ago at 2% incline and hit 12mins 17 seconds. But I can't get near that on the road. What im asking is, as long as I have a 2% incline on the treadmill,is it still good for increasing fitness ?? Or do I need a 3% incline ?? The 2% was fairly noticeable. Thanks, and another great video..

[@TheRegularRunner]

@@na-dk9vm Think I can answer that for you. The biomechanics on a treadmill are fundamentally different to running outdoors. I personally find treadmills are harder for the same pace. Others find them easier. Also, a lot of treadmills are poorly calibrated, and they often measure the average speed of the belt, which is not necessarily the same speed that you are running because the belt will stretch a bit with every step. I use a stryd pod to more accurately measure my actual running pace on treadmills, and i normally have to have the treadmill set about 10 or 15 percent faster to get the target pace. I use treadmills as a tool to improve, rather than relying on the numbers that they give me being accurate. Good luck with your 2 mile training. That's a speedy pace you are doing 🔥

[@sethdewees1101]

Love how you've structured this video. How often do you run hills and do you include those as a speed session? Great content!

[@Maxkelly600]

@@sethdewees1101 thank you for your kind words!! Really appreciate this! I do hills once a week as part of my long run usually! I will sometimes do some shorter ones after an easy run!

[@skrahs1]

Thanks for the great video, super informative! Question - how do you differentiate between easy runs and long runs? Are you running your long runs “easy”? Cheers

[@Maxkelly600]

@@skrahs1 thank you for the lovely comment! Easy for me tends to be low HR and maximum an hour - long runs are usually 90 min but at the same HR. This is different from person to person. Easy can be 15 mins!

[@danielsitohang7378]

​@Maxkelly600I'll copy this into my training but wait I'm a beginner, is this safe for me Max? Easy 60 mins and long run 90 mins.

[@Maxkelly600]

@ if you are a complete beginner, I would focus more on one easy run and one speed session a week. Don’t worry too much about the long run in the early stages. Add this in when you feel comfortable running for an hour without stopping and it doesn’t exhaust you. Hope this helps mate!

[@danielsitohang7378]

@Maxkelly600 got it.. thank you Max

[@yaukwankiuyaukwankiu2743]

How many months did it take you to achieve such improvement? Thanks

[@Maxkelly600]

@@yaukwankiuyaukwankiu2743 it took me years not months! I would say though that if I did all of these things from the start it would have taken me a lot less time!

[@robertofuentesmaldonado5036]

Max, how long should the easy run and long run be?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@robertofuentesmaldonado5036 that totally depends on the individual. Personally, my easy runs are 1 hr - 1hr 15. With long runs being 1:30-2hrs. I appreciate that might be more than some but it’s about an amount of time you can feel comfortable running in zone 2/easy effort.

[@sschwen8050]

I do all those. I ran <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1040">17:20</a> in my teens. Around <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1110">18:30</a> at about 40. Now I’m 56 and I can probably run about <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1410">23:30</a>. I follow the same structure you do and I have a professional coach. Is there any chance I can get down to <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="920">15:20</a>? (My point is that age and talent are of much greater importance to your times than your training. Many,many people will never even break 20 minutes.)

[@Maxkelly600]

@@sschwen8050 great point! First of all, congrats on those performances, very impressive! I would say that there is no exact science between age/talent and performance. There are those who outperform their age/Talent and training load etc… The structure that I speak about and the other points that I mention are very standard stuff in running (as I’m sure you already know) and when applied it will give a runner a better chance of running faster. Of course, it won’t always be the case and Talent/ age will play a part! But when combined with this, you should improve further! The 15:20 is my time and as I always say, everyone is on their own running journey, this is not a goal I can say everyone will achieve. Some will go way faster of course! I hope your training is going well mate!

[@robbarnett524]

Good work Max. Massive improvements you have made 🤟

[@Maxkelly600]

@@robbarnett524 thank you Rob! I hope you are well mate!!! Legend!

[@goodyeoman4534]

Good tips, mate. I only run about 40k per week and do a <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1152">19:12</a> 5K. Where do all these kms go? 20 for the long run? Is each easy run like 10k then?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@goodyeoman4534 40k is no easy week! Great job. I do 6 runs a week, long run is anywhere from 20-30km. Easy for me are 12-16km. I hope your training is going well!

[@goodyeoman4534]

@Maxkelly600 Appreciate the video and shared knowledge. Cheers mate.

[@Maxkelly600]

@ thank you mate! Legend 👌🏻

[@carr16k]

What zone heart rate for the weekly long run

[@Maxkelly600]

@@carr16k Great question! Usually zone 2 but by the end it might be higher due to tiredness and fatigue!

[@carr16k]

@Maxkelly600 thanks for the reply!

[@dangallagher6176]

Aiming to run sub 20 by the end of 2025, currently at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1650">27:30</a>. Difficult part is that I weigh 100kg lol. May update this comment monthly if I remember to.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@dangallagher6176 awesome stuff mate!! Good luck with it, weight is nothing!! Let me know how you get on 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[@samuelhughes7960]

Not sure why hard km repeats aren’t any good for a 5k training plan ?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@samuelhughes7960 they are good but not when it was the only session I would ever do! 1km repeats at pretty much 1km effort made no sense 🤣 if done at the right pace they can be a great session 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

Yeah thats it smashing 5-6x 1k @ 1500-3km pace every ​@Maxkelly600is brutal & after 4 to 5wks likely injury / early peak...then burnout. 5x1km @ 15min/ or approx "4km race pace" for many fun runners works well if they are also putting in healthy aerobic training to utilise the Anaerobic/ vo2 type session.. Cheers

[@Maxkelly600]

@ Spot on! I used to do 1km reps at that 1500m ish pace, very silly!!

[@13lars]

Is longruns zone 2 only? (2+hours?)

[@Maxkelly600]

@@13lars I find my long run starts in zone 2 but occasionally creeps higher towards the end when fatigue sets in. Hope this helps!

[@qigong1001]

How many miles per week are running?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@qigong1001 Great question! 90-100km 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[@qigong1001]

@Maxkelly600 Wow! Sub 15 here we go! May sound crazy, but band work has helped me a'lot.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@qigong1001 Thank you, will be giving it everything this year! That’s amazing, band work is so good isn’t it! I first came across it a few years ago and use it all the time!

[@אמירמצליח]

A great video,how many hard days do you recommend to do in a week for intermediate runner?

[@Maxkelly600]

@אמירמצליח one hard day is more than enough! Once you feel comfortable doing one, think about a second but try do it every other week to start with. Good luck with your training!

[@hucklejoko4838]

aight but how many years did it actually take you to do that

[@nyquil4526]

Doesn’t matter. You could improve faster than him or it could take years to even take off 10 seconds. Stay consistent and you’ll see your paces get faster

[@ln5747]

Some people could achieve that very quickly if they have decent talent and dedicate to it.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@nyquil4526 absolutely spot on! Consistency is everything in this game!!

[@Maxkelly600]

@@hucklejoko4838 It took me 10 years to drop these times but in the last 4 years I have made the best improvement! Each second I shave off feels like a minute! These are all things I’ve learned though, and I hope they will help other people! Ultimately, running is about enjoyment, time really is irrelevant but I’m happy to help share my story if it’s of any interest! I hope you’re training is going well 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

[@Maxkelly600]

@@ln5747 spot on!

[@Giovanni_Niese]

How many days and How many miles do you run a week

[@Maxkelly600]

@Giovanni_Niese hi there! I run roughly 100km per week over 6 days!

[@rodginator]

I struggle with easy runs. To keep myelf in Z2 I'm pretty much in a brisk walk.

[@GardenChess]

Doesn’t hurt to push easy runs slightly harder if it keeps you running & stop for like 30 seconds after 2 miles

[@ln5747]

You're not fit enough yet. Most people who are untrained/new to running struggle to stay in zone 2 just jogging. Unless you're doing high mileage and assuming you have done enough build up (a few months of running for example) to avoid injury, you should be pushing on with more purposeful workouts and not worry about staying in Zone 2. I wouldn't worry if you're sitting at LT1, for example, if you're only doing say sub 20 miles a week. A couple of months of conditioning and you'll be able to jog continuously in Zone 2.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@rodginator do not worry if it feels too difficult to run in zone 2. If you can keep a slow jog going that is great, if it means you are in a different HR zone it’s no worry! As long as you aren’t worrying too hard it’s all good! The more of this you do, the Zone 2 running will happen!

[@Maxkelly600]

@@ln5747 Very well put! Great explanation!

[@na-dk9vm]

Max, slightly unrelated to the video, but I've a question about the treadmill please. Is the treadmill a good workout, as long as I have a 2% incline on it?? For example, I want to get my 2mile down to sub 13 mins. I did a run on the treadmill a few days ago at 2% incline and hit 12mins 17 seconds. But I can't get near that on the road. What im asking is, as long as I have a 2% incline on the treadmill,is it still good for increasing fitness ?? Or do I need a 3% incline ?? The 2% was fairly noticeable. Thanks, and another great video edit: the run was done using a garmin 955, calibrated to the treadmill speed.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@na-dk9vm Great question! From what I understand, running outside can be tougher, it’s a less forgiving surface on the body and you’ve got wind resistance and other elements to contend with! I would try to do as many workouts as possible outside as your race will be too! Good luck with the race!

[@na-dk9vm]

@Maxkelly600 do you think treadmill can still increase fitness or even maintain it,as long as the session is very tough and there's an incline on the treadmill??thanks

[@ferozadeeb2531]

​@@na-dk9vmI had the same question in mind, so I decided to do an experiment. First, I ran my best 5K outside and recorded the results. Then, I spent 70 days training in zone 2 and doing speed runs exclusively on a treadmill. After that, I ran another 5K outside and recorded my performance. I improved by 4 minutes and gained 2 points in VO2 max. What i noticed is that My pace was much faster on the treadmill, but when I ran outside, I was slower. My heart rate also increased more easily when running outdoors. Now I'm running outside regularly because I feel it helps me improve my pace and fitness faster.

[@Maxkelly600]

@ oh absolutely it can! Just try to do both outdoor and indoor!

[@rm6857]

your like 60-80miles per week?

[@Maxkelly600]

@@rm6857 100km give or take! Max 75 miles!

[@rm6857]

@Maxkelly600 then your times are proportional to your training volume.

[@zacsborntorunrunningadvent3441]

​@Maxkelly600100-120km a wk is great...welldone on excellent results down to low 15s.

[@neilcaskey3305]

Strength train. Especially if you're new and/or overweight. Or you'll absolutely get injured.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@neilcaskey3305 great point!! Ideally twice a week with mobility added in!

[@frankMIALL]

Bang on!!!!!

[@Maxkelly600]

@@frankMIALL thank you mate!!!!

[@ItsTimeToBuildIt]

Nothing new. It's all standard. Almost everyone who are been running will say the same thing though. Speed session, tempo, strength training, long run, easy days, eating more enough carb. Nothing new.

[@Maxkelly600]

@@ItsTimeToBuildIt you’re not wrong there! It’s all very standard stuff! Unfortunately a lot of runners still don’t know these principles so I want to reinforce these and help as many as possible!

[@Jockuptown]

​@Maxkelly600 you and every other running influencer in existence.

[@lololololzers]

Great feedback guys well done, bet you’re both chuffed with yourselves. If it’s not for you just scroll on past, no need to leave sassy comments is there. Why not try to be more positive towards things other people have spent time working on, it feels better than cynically slating everything. Have a great day, and try to do better xox

[@DandoesFitness-ih6mj]

Anothe good watch mate did 10 minutes efforts Monday 4 miles 9 minutes for 9 miles last night speed session tomorrow and Saturday pacing my partner to a 39 minute attent pb at king geroge my week this week will make a date up soon to meet

[@ln5747]

Don't forget to take a breath

[@Maxkelly600]

@DandoesFitness-ih6mj awesome stuff Dan, sounds like you are on for a top 2025! Good luck to your partner this Saturday! I’ll be doing park run too but Pitville!

[@ThatRunnerAaron]

Bros really copying Ben Is Running’s thumbnails 😂

[@Maxkelly600]

@@ThatRunnerAaron he’s the 🐐 🤣 I’ll be getting a telling off from the KZbin bosses!