Try this fitness test ahead of your next 5K
Ross Ristuccia, coach of Tokyo 2020 Olympian Andrea Seccafien, who holds the Canadian records in both the 10,000m and the half-marathon, gave us his favourite workout to find out how you'll fare in your next 5K
Throughout your training cycle, it’s a good idea to test your fitness once or twice to get an idea of where you’re at, whether you’re responding to the training and how well you’re recovering. While many runners like to use a time trial to accomplish this, you can also get a good indication of your fitness through an interval workout. Ross Ristuccia, the former varsity cross country and track coach at the University of Toronto and current coach of Tokyo 2020 Olympian Andrea Seccafien, gave us one of the workouts he gives his athletes ahead of a 5K race. If you’ve got a 5K on the calendar, you’re going to want to give this a try.
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Seccafien is the Canadian record-holder over 10,00m, and competing in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She finished 14th in the 10,000m in 31:36.36. In the 5,000m, she finished 15th in 15:12.09.
The workout
“This [workout] shows me that the person is ready to run the full distance at that pace,” says Ristuccia. “It would be done three to four weeks before your goal race.”
Warmup:Â 10-15 minute easy jog, followed by drills and strides
Workout:Â 6 x 1 km with 90 seconds rest, all at goal 5K race pace
Cooldown:Â 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching
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