How Much Faster Can You Get In 8 Weeks?

How much fitter can you get in 8 weeks and does everyone’s running speed and fitness improve at the same rate? If you start at the same level and do the same things in training, would you improve at a similar level?
Well, adidas have challenged Sarah to find out! She is going head to head against keen runner Alice to see whether if they train in exactly the same way for the next 8 weeks, will their 5k times stay the same? Stay tuned to find out!
Click here to find out more about the adidas Solar Glide 5 shoes:
adidas.com/running
↓↓ What’s your 5k goal? Do you think Alice and Sarah will walk away will similar times at the end of the challenge? Let us know in the comments! ↓↓
What’s in this video?
00:00 Welcome To The 5kTchallenge
00:55 Meet The Challengers
01:38 5k Time Trial
06:08 Time Trial Results
06:37 Meet adidas Coach Georgina
07:13 Running Drills Session
11:28 What's Next?
MUSIC licensed by Artlist and Epidemic Sound
Thank you to our partners:
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[@shmittty89]

Sarahs speed has improved so much since her first videos on the channel. Good to know their programs work on average beginners

[@allisonscanlan4144]

Yeah I mean I even thought she was pretty fast at first since I think she had a 23 min 5k but she was called the average runner 😅

[@katierobinson5464]

@@allisonscanlan4144 23 minutes is more than average in my mind! I was so proud when I got under 30 minutes 😅

[@mahbubhossainshamol9362]

So true, I am highly inspired by her.

[@cliodhnamalone7493]

true

[@Stephen-N]

​@allisonscanlan4144 I know this is 2 years old but the average 5k for a female on strava is 37mins 👀

[@kirstymoult5141]

Team Sarah! seeing her improvement after saying her first 5k was around the 45min mark gives me so much hope and motivation that I’ll get to her level one day 🏃‍♀️

[@YvonneKD1]

Agreed. As that was my time in my first parkrun 3 weeks ago!

[@tadejdanev5030]

I am worse around 50min

[@kruidenanto8452]

@@tadejdanev5030 that's not worse, you just run your speed. Like me. We have kinda the same times. I always say "i run for the fun". I love the improvement of my health now I run. I started 2 years ago from zero. Trainings went up and down ánd all payed out. My body feels (and shows) very nice and capable now.

[@tadejdanev5030]

@@kruidenanto8452 so true.

[@goodyeoman4534]

Absolutely. I did 26 mins for my first Parkrun but am down to 20:58 after about 12 weeks of sporadic training.

[@zinniamofo]

So impressed with your current 5k times. I did my first park run this weekend and did 5k in 33 mins 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@PLefevre95]

It takes me 45-49minutes🤔

[@nedludd3641]

33 mins for a 1st ParkRun ain't bad at all - well done

[@philsmithson6919]

hey well done you! Been running for a while and my times have pretty much plateaued, but I ENJOY IT (most of the time)

[@tadejdanev5030]

what is 5k? 5 miles aka 8km?

[@nedludd3641]

@@tadejdanev5030 - No, 5 kilometres

[@Sabre29]

Im 5 feet 6 inches and weighed 97 kgs. Started my fat yo fit journey in Feb 23. Ive done 2 10ks this month at 63 and 65 mins each and Im down to 78kgs. Im now able to run my 5k at 29.41 mins. Feeling awesome. Praise the Lord

[@nopahrefa4466]

I dunno, Alice's strides are a thing of beauty, but we all know Sarah's tenacious. But mostly, I'm team Doing The Work. :) I'm coming back from a cascade of injuries myself, so right now my improvement goal is to just run 5k at all, nevermind the time. And I think using a consistent training programme is helpful in all cases.

[@runningchannel]

Good luck with your recovery, we’re sure you’ll be back to 5k in no time 💪

[@paxundpeace9970]

Yeah very good, but a bit of an overstride as you can see in the slow mo when sprinting at 11:20 ...

[@candace3358]

I'm getting back into running after a 5 year lapse and videos like this are such great motivation! Thank you both for trying this challenge and letting us all see! My guess is that you will both improve a LOT by the end and that your times will be within 15-20 seconds of each other. Best of luck!

[@hennedyeng4666]

You both are so close to each other in times, I'm rooting for both. This is such a great idea for a series, and can't wait for the next episode. I am following along with the training to try to improve my time as well!

[@fatrunner]

Not taking sides this time, want both ladies to smash their PBs. ❤️

[@TheDancechick801]

So excited for you both! Your times for your current 5Ks are so impressive!

[@davidhunt6508]

I think sub 20 is achievable.

[@kevinbernert376]

Great 5K times! I can't wait to get down from 24min to 22min in the 5K this year. My ultimate goal is a sub20. Loooong way to go, but I've got patience :) Good luck improving your times over the next 8 weeks Sarah and Alice!

[@kentcyclist]

I'd like to get to sub 25

[@Steveness100]

Have you got sub 20 yet?

[@freyatooley7791]

So wonderful to see you cheering each other on despite the competition!! You'll both do brilliantly. Looking forward to the next chapter!

[@lauriem8159]

Team Alice and Sarah! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ I’ve just finished c25k! I couldn’t fathom running 5k in 22 mins!!! 😅 you both are awesome already! Can’t wait to see your journey over the next weeks!

[@runningchannel]

Thanks Laurie! What's your favourite distance to run? 😊

[@danf8047]

Don't worry I finished it last october running 35min before I got injured but as you run and train your legs you'll see how you can run faster.

[@lauriem8159]

@@runningchannel well, since I’m such a newbie 5k is about it for me 😂 I’m currently working towards 10k! This channel has been a massive help and source of motivation for me! 😊

[@emj8997]

I'm team Sarah, "Let's do this"! Cant wait see your determination, always so positive love it!

[@marnieCN]

Great challenge looking forward to see how you both progress! My 1st ever 5k I ran was 45mins or so...my times became 33/34mins and I just hoped I'd break 30minutes but pre lockdown I achieved 25minutes and now I'm averaging 23mins.....looking forward to tips and training ideas! Team Sarah

[@meganhill5419]

Definitely team Alice AND Sarah!! You gals will knock it out of the park, I'm sure!!! So excited to see how you do! I'm currently training for my first 5k. But I'll be honest, I don't know what I'm doing at all! I don't have any professional help with this at all. So these videos are truly a wonderful help! As always, you all are such an inspiration! Thanks so much and keep on running!!!!

[@lauraflynn1504]

This is very exciting! Really looking forward to seeing how you both get on. Too early to pick a team yet - but I’m cheering for you both really 😊

[@TomTheOriginal]

Team Sarah all the way, looking forward to seeing how both runners improve their 5K time

[@Motherrrrunner]

Ooh so close!! I can’t pick 🙈 good luck to you both 🙌

[@martindanielcaillahuaargue854]

This is so great. Training is very important. I've been training for the passt 5 months and now my PB for 5K ist 23'07". In the very begining my pace was around 30 minutos/5k. Good vibes for you Girls! :)

[@muchasgracias6976]

Can't wait to see how much of a difference you make over the coming weeks so am supporting you both equally. Oh, and I'm definitely going to try those drills myself.

[@clairehumes5092]

Good luck to you both. Love the warm up exercises and canny wait to see your progress she hints and tips to improve my own running xx

[@katrnaa]

Good luck Alice and Sarah! :D I'm feeling very inspired to improve my running as well. For now I can barely run 3km. If Im able to do 5k on a decent pace in 8 weeks that would be awesome haha

[@raquelgarcia-cabrera7337]

Great stuff! I am definitely trying those drills. I am looking forward to see the other sessions. You both will get better after 8 seeks so I can't pick one :) 5 km goal just under 18 min! Hopefully, I can implement Georgina's tips and get there :)

[@annapurcell5609]

Absolutely supporting both Sarah and Alice. This is wonderful information, hope I will see an improvement in my pace by utilizing the techniques they are sharing.

[@annacapano5839]

Love this kind of challenge and videos ! It provides motivation and hope :) Thanks TRC

[@timbrennan6766]

Nice work! I've tried that "B" skip myself and it's tough to get right...not that I've gotten it right yet😂 Excited to see how the next 8 weeks go!

[@runningchannel]

It's all about the practice 😂

[@mareenicola3710]

Can’t pick a team, I think both of you will improve! Looking good Sarah but Alice has a super effortless looking running form. 😎

[@hasnainnawab7452]

Rooting for both of you since it'll give me hope that I can improve my 5k time too! Looking forward to this series. Best of luck, Sarah and Alice!

[@esmailomary5371]

Well done 👍✅ that was amazing!! . Look forward to seeing how much progress has been made!

[@TM-vk6qc]

I’m supporting both team Sarah and Alice. Both of you will definitely have improvement in your 5k times. Best of luck!

[@silvanacruz268]

Team Sarah her love what she brings to the videos and has helped a lot with my personal running. Go Sarah!!!!!

[@josettesmits3395]

Superfast 5k times already from both of them! I wish I could get such a time! I think both of them will improve, but I cannot say who will be improving more.

[@tonyreeves5083]

Great video - very informative, thanks! The slow motion segment of your strides looks amazing - you both look very strong. A great start, ladies

[@elviratherunner]

Love these warm up drills! I'm rooting for both Sarah and Alice. I know you'll both improve tremendously!

[@gabbymoore4517]

You're both fast and very fit! I wish you both the best of luck. Sub 20 mins would be amazing. I'm running my first marathon next month! 🙌 x P.s those trainers look amazing, would love a pair of these! ☺️

[@alisonbinns7158]

Good luck with your marathon. Which one are you doing?

[@SchvennMeister]

I'm very jealous of those times. I started running again this year after several years off and just joined Parkrun. My 24th run this year was my 6th Parkrun and it was my fastest yet, dropping from my first @ 33:05, down to 28:59 today. I hope to hit 26:00 by the end of the year.

[@theyracemesohardchair]

Rubbish

[@SchvennMeister]

@@theyracemesohardchair thanks for reminding me about this post, because I actually topped out at 24:12 by year end. So, I smashed my goal.

[@chdfnh]

I started this year with similar time 33 m and now I hit 26m last week, I hope to break sub 20 by the end of the year!

[@SchvennMeister]

@@chdfnh well, I did manage to get down to 24:12 by November. This year, I hope to go even lower. Good luck on your sub-20 goal!

[@georginaforster2560]

Amazing! Looking forward to seeing how you both progress through the challenge and get faster, team Alice and Sarah!! 🔥🔥

[@paulg3540]

Looking forward to watching the progress of you both ! 💪

[@suzannekurtich289]

Both ran really fast, great job!

[@beebylando]

Team both. As I'm at a similar-ish level of fitness, I'm interested to see how this pans out :-)

[@jainasonsteng4764]

Just started training for my first 5k this summer and looking forward to getting some tips through this series. Rooting for the both of you!

[@HighwireMarketing]

Love the competition between the girls! I’ll be watching and hoping to improve a road race I do every year at the end of the summer. Good luck w the training ladies!

[@christinaclementson2685]

I trained for a faster 5k in lockdown. My coach set me a 15 week programme. It works! I did my time trials at a local park that is shaped like a big track 👌 7.5 laps = 5k. Got down to 21:24 - never ever dreamed of running that fast. Good luck to both of you.

[@XanaDP]

Team Alice. She has great coordination.

[@00Sparkie00]

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing how much improvement you both manage!

[@brionia9760]

I’m supporting you both. You will definitely both get faster. Looking forward to seeing the training plan, might try it too!

[@deegard2123]

yay to both of you - very impressive! I'm training for my own 5k, and have 7 weeks to go. I hope all three of us kick some serious butt in our near future. 😊

[@montblanc303]

Looking forward to the outcome of this challenge, you two look really positive and I wouldn't be able to choose a team yet 😅 best of luck to both of you

[@ginam4870]

Best of luck to both of you!! This is giving me a lot of motivation for when i can get back to training

[@elizawalsh1359]

Great video! Absolutely love Georgina she seems like an excellent coach!🎉 Best of luck to both of you in your training and excited to see the final results! 🏅🏆

[@runningchannel]

Thanks Eliza! Would you consider taking on this kind of training?

[@timeonfeet]

Great stuff Sarah. Looking forward to tuning in for the next installment 👍

[@clairet7374]

I am rooting for both of you, it's always so rewarding to see an improvement when you've put in the hard work. Good luck :-)

[@heatherl9523]

Great starting times, can’t wait to follow your training and see you improve your times!

[@nicholas_hill]

Thank you so much for such an inspiring video. Battersea park and the Millennium arena track are my favourite London running venues. The bandstand location was also the start and finish line of the inaugural GMFC charity 5k run in 2016, a race which I was proud to win. Unfortunately a spine injury in 2020 stopped me running at all and I'm only now getting back fitness. The Running Channel and videos like this have been a huge inspiration to get out running and slowly rebuild my speed. I look forward to seeing you both progress in the next instalments! Thanks once again for all the inspiration!

[@natashacnossen]

This sounds so fun and challenging 😆 you'll both do great! Gotta be team Sarah and Alice, can't wait to see how you both improve 😊

[@kerzaabroad2186]

Can’t wait to see the progress you both make in 8 weeks!!

[@user-pz1vb9lv5l]

Good luck ladies! Can’t wait to watch the result of your training program!

[@lifesavor111]

All the love to the both of you but I'm definitely team Alice! Also, training for my first ever half-marathon and I've recently become addicted to this channel! Peace and love from sunny FL

[@joneaton3366]

Great to watch thank you, I'm inspired to get training now 😊

[@matthewsylvester7745]

Brilliant! Good luck both of you!

[@francesca193]

Fab 5k times even before you've started! Really looking forward to the rest of this series. I don't normally bother with my 5k time but decided this year to do something different and try and improve my PB, so perfect timing! Good luck Sarah & Alice!

[@eleanormorgan1891]

Really interesting to watch! I’m still new to running so I love watching these videos to see how I can improve my speed 😄

[@veerakaro]

So exciting & so interesting! Rooting for the both of you 💫

[@redpeppersgreentomatoes]

Love the video...I'm training for my first ever half marathon and it's videos like this that keep me motivated 💪

[@Jamieaverageaussierunner]

Looking forward to watching over the next 8 week! Great experiment. I wish adidas runners were in Brisbane Australia, such a great community for running but we miss out sadly! All the best ladies!

[@RB-ks9ge]

Really looking forward to seeing how much you both improve over the coming weeks and will be trying out the drills myself! Good luck to you both 🏃‍♀️🙂

[@runningchannel]

Thanks! Let us know how you get on with the drills 😁

[@jesslammey9196]

Go girls! Perfect motivation to start a new 5k training plan! I can’t pick a team, both look amazing runners to me! 🏃‍♀️

[@rebecca4508]

So excited to see how this all pans out. I would love to get just a bit faster on my 5km (or any run to be honest!) so hope I can steal some of these tips to help! Good luck Alice and Sarah!

[@stephabdoh1618]

Great video, look forward to seeing the results!! A fast 5km is just brutal, go Sarah and Alice!

[@alliegrewal4727]

Wow ! It’s so amazing , getting that adrenaline rush from just watching this video . I am rooting for both of you Alice & Sarah ❤️ you got this girls 💪

[@domino3574]

Thank you for sorting these drills. I will incorporate them in my training. Good luck ladies.

[@bethanyandrews3569]

Amazing form from both Sarah and Alice! Looking forward to seeing how you progress!

[@reelestatething]

Great times already! I look forward to seeing how both of you do.

[@knightrhonda7963]

What a fabulous session, great insight to training for a stronger, faster pace. Great information, looking forward to seeing your progress and implementation of the same!

[@julietwistguernsey]

Great idea for a challenge and will be really interested in the outcome, as well as seeing the different types of training - I've already learned a new drill! Good luck both of you 🏃‍♀🏃‍♀

[@tjr1770]

Loving the enthusiasm and positivity x

[@CoolInOlympia]

Awesome!!!! Lots of great information!!!!

[@lazyreaderg]

Excited to see the results of this, what a great idea for a series! They are both so speedy!

[@heikostock9959]

I so much hoped for such a series! I also try to improve my 5k-PB (on a pretty much slower pace) and I am excited about the tips and your improvement! Good luck for both of you

[@runningchannel]

Thanks Heiko! Hope you find the rest of the series helpful 😊

[@edp6886]

Great video, wow both your times are so fast! I honestly can't choose who will get quicker, looking forward to seeing the results though! Happy training ladies.

[@georginakenny2547]

Excited to see how you both get on in the next 8 weeks! I'm not training for a 5km at the moment but want to get back that distance at some point as its one of my favourite distances :)

[@KelseyLeighAu]

Team Sarah! I have loved following along your running journey since you joined TRC. I feel represented by you, and love pushing myself too to get faster, stronger, and enjoy running from the other side of the world!

[@SilviaPallova]

Both of you will improve 🙂 Looking forward following this challenge.

[@heidibrandsma5166]

Very excited for this challenge. I’m getting back into running and training for a half marathon in eight weeks. Hoping some of these training tips will help me with a new pb. And since I’ll be doing a 5k in the sprint triathlon I signed up for I’ll definitely be using these tips. Go team Sarah

[@jungtao]

Love it . Such good content!!!

[@leannastephens7675]

How awesome!! Good luck to you both!!! Love those shoes.

[@Star_pawzy]

Great video! Really excited to see the outcome of the training!

[@alexandra.gracee]

Team both! Both of you were flying round that time trial so am super excited to see how you both improve. Best of luck!

[@georgianaanielabanica281]

Thanks for the running faster tips, I’ll try it out. Good luck girls!💪🏻

[@kellyherring2889]

Loving this challenge, can't wait to see how you both progress. Cant wait to watch the next one. Good luck ladies x

[@runningchannel]

Thanks for all the support Kelly!

[@livewire1957239]

Sarah! I remember you did the fastest Parkrun in England and I think you ran it in 23 something, and now you're doing a 22-minute 5k and getting even faster in the coming 8 weeks. Way to go! Me, I'm training for an ultra (56k) now but when that's done and I've recovered, want to go back to improving my 5k. Definitely excited to see the training plan you'll be using!

[@brendalogan3784]

Looking forward to following along!

[@danielleleexo]

What a great series, I'm motivated to train for my own 5k! I'm on team Sarah. Best of luck to the both of you! :)

[@sharonlouise4422]

I'll be following this and hoping to get some tips. It'll be interesting to see how much you both can improve as your times are so good already

[@ashleymiller8571]

Love the video! Keep them coming! Team Alice& Sarah 🏃🏽‍♀️ 🏃🏽‍♀️

[@ivylovesrunning]

I am cheering you both on as you really are racing yourselves in the end. You can do it!

[@blouies]

Keen to see the effect…these exercises are already a great tip to take into my own trainings tx!

[@bobmassey5051]

What a great eight week challenge, good luck to Sarah and Alice. They are both very competitive so it’s going to be interesting who comes out with the largest improvement. I love this running channel, keep up the good work guys.

[@IRunThings]

I really enjoyed this video. Specially the drills portion. And I am huge adidas fan. All my PRs were set in the Boston

[@Draddar]

Go Sarah! You've always been such a relatable runner in your videos and it's been wonderful following your progress over time to what is now already a very impressive level, imagine being even faster in 8 weeks! I'm sure you both can do it. As for time trials - I always dread them😅Just something about them, being alone with the clock with not much at stake, usually no competition but yourself, it's tough mentally and physically. On the other hand the information they provide is amazing so it's a great tool, doing a few of them throughout the year is perfect to track progress. Short of doing a lab Vo2max/lactate test this is the best method I know.

[@akashdas7500]

It will be real fun to see the final run🏃🔥 Good luck to both of you❣️

[@andrewmorrissey2423]

Awesome video. I can't wait to see how much you both improve.