We Trained for 5K PRs: Workouts, Race Strategy & Katelyn's 18:36 Surprise

Come to our LIVE SHOW in Boston! Join Alex, Katelyn and Michael and some very special guests, + giveaways and prizes! 📅 Saturday, April 18, at 6:45 p.m 📍 Trident Booksellers & Café, 338 Newbury Street 🎟️ It’s free to attend, but make sure to RSVP now, as space is limited: https://forms.gle/sFk28hfMYznrsNxMA SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: This episode is presented by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: https://⁠livemomentous.com Lagoon pillows help us sleep better, so we run better. Want to try? You can save 15% with code MARATHON. Go to https://LagoonSleep.com/marathonhandbook and take the 2-minute sleep quiz to find your match. An ultra runner. A half marathon specialist. Both chasing 5K personal bests — and willing to share every rep, setback, and race-day secret to help you do the same. In this episode, Katelyn Tocci and Alex Cyr go deep on their personal 5K training journeys: why they decided to train for the 5K, what their 12-week build actually looked like, and the key workouts that made the biggest difference. Plus, Katelyn tells the full story of her dramatic quest to break 20 minutes - including a rainy race day, shaky legs at the start line, and a finish time that genuinely shocked her. Whether you're chasing your first 5K finish, trying to break 30, 25, or 20 minutes, or you're a marathoner looking to get faster at every distance, this episode is packed with practical training advice you can use immediately. Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro 0:00:46 Alex's Morocco Running Adventure 0:04:14 The Harry Styles Marathon des Sables April Fools Prank 0:05:50 Des Linden Update: Marathon des Sables 0:10:49 Why We're Both Training for the 5K 0:14:15 Katelyn's Story: An Ultra Runner Goes Short 0:18:23 Alex's Story: Chasing Sub-14 Minutes 0:20:37 Has 5K Training Actually Made You Faster? 0:24:57 Building a 5K Training Block: Timeline & Structure 0:28:32 The Best Speed Workouts for 5K Training 0:36:31 The "Prove It" Workout: How to Know You're Race Ready 0:43:25 The Three Pillars of 5K Training 0:48:29 The Toughest Weeks of a 5K Build (And How to Survive Them) 0:51:44 Managing Peak Weeks & Deload Weeks 0:53:14 How to Taper for a 5K 0:58:34 Training Tips: Work On Your Weaknesses 1:00:24 Why the 5K Is Harder Than You Think 1:03:16 Katelyn's Quest to Break 20 Minutes: Race Day Begins 1:08:30 The Gun Goes Off (Race Breakdown in Real Time) 1:15:26 The Final Kilometer & Finishing Stretch 1:16:24 The Result: 18:36! 1:17:21 Race Reflection & What Really Happens in a 5K 1:20:55 Rapid Fire Q&A 1:21:17 Most Underrated Recovery Tool for 5K Training 1:22:26 Biggest Mistakes First-Time 5K Runners Make 1:25:58 Do Racing Shoes Actually Matter for a 5K? 1:29:13 Wrap-Up, Boston Marathon Preview & Where to Find Us What we cover: ✔️ Why 5K training makes you faster at every distance (yes, even ultras) ✔️ How to structure a 12-week 5K training block ✔️ The key speed workouts Katelyn used in her build (repetition pace sessions, the pyramid workout) ✔️ Alex's "Prove It" workout — the best way to know you're ready to race ✔️ The three pillars of 5K training: speed, endurance & strides ✔️ How to taper properly for a 5K (it's shorter than you think) ✔️ The biggest mistakes first-time 5K runners make ✔️ Whether racing shoes actually matter for a 5K ✔️ The most underrated recovery tool in any training block ✔️ Katelyn's full race day story — rainy conditions, a body cam, and a massive PR Resources: Katelyn's Sub-20 5K video: https://youtu.be/tPXSg3od1k0?si=KdVE6pNVQ8pm4xoB 5K training plans: https://marathonhandbook.com/trainingplans/5k-training-plans/ Marathon Handbook newsletter — nearly 300,000 subscribers: marathonhandbook.com