How to Approach the 2021 ZA Run Baseline 5k

Welcome to ZA 2021. If this is your first experience with the Zwift Run Academy program then you are in for a great running adventure over the next 8 weeks. If you were with us last year – it’s great to see you back and I hope you like this year’s workouts even more than the ones we put together for you last season. Our goal in 2021 is to create an even more fine-tuned runner experience than last year. We want to make sure that you get the most out of each and every interval session and to do that we are trying to learn a little bit more about who you are as a runner before we get it all started. So with that in mind we came up with our Baseline 5k Run.

The Baseline 5k is probably better described as less of a race and more of what we call a fitness test. We will save the race for the end of the program once we have gotten some good training under our belts. I am sure that by now you are asking “Why do I need to bother with a fitness test 5k before I start the program? Why can’t I just get on with the workouts and either estimate my current fitness or go off a 5k personal best from a few years ago?” The answer is twofold. First, many of our runners either haven’t ever ran a 5k race or it has been quite a long time since they did one and to just assume that we are in the same shape as last time is probably not the best idea. It is much better to do the Baseline 5k and shake off the rust before we get into the program. It is a great way to put out a hard first effort with no strings attached and then look to improve upon it big time by the end of the program. The second, and more important reason, is it is hard for me as a coach to tell you how to get somewhere if I don’t know where you are starting from right now. The results from the Baseline 5k will do just that. It gives me(and you) a benchmark from which to build your training program. In order to maximize your time and effort on these workouts I want to make sure that the intensities of the efforts that we are searching for match your current fitness level. Otherwise we are just taking a random guess at what your paces should be for the tempos and speed work and believe me when I say it – that is a recipe for disaster.

What is the best way to approach this 5k test? Don’t worry – you don’t need to do any special training to get ready for it. In reality we want to see where you are right now and that’s it. No strings attached. No special bonus for running fast and we don’t kick you out of the program if you go slow, walk, bonk, legs fill up with lactic acid, etc. Just give it your best shot and we can take it from there to build out the program you need to improve your fitness. What I would recommend is that you give yourself at least 2 easy days of training before you do the 5k. Hold off on any hard intervals, tempos or long runs leading into the effort. The same goes for any other hard cardio training. I would also recommend that you don’t do any heavy lifting prior to it as well. If you are strict with your training program then no need to do a total rest, but it would be helpful just to keep the efforts sub-maximal for the 2 days before you race. Once you get the race in then you can go back to your normal routine.

If you are looking to really test yourself for the Baseline 5k then here are a few helpful tips to maximize your performance.

1. Get in a good warm up that includes a few 20-30 second efforts at your estimated 5k pace with 60 seconds easy in between. 3 or 4 of those efforts should suffice to wake your legs and lungs up before you get started. Once done the warm up, give yourself a few minutes to get the heart rate back down before starting the run.
2. Don’t go out too fast! Try to run negative splits by starting out at a more conservative pace and then trying to increase the speed a little bit every 1k or 1 mile.
3. If wearing a heart rate monitor then try to keep the HR below 90% for the first few minutes of the run. After that if it creeps up a bit that is ok, but save the final push for the last few minutes.
4. Challenge yourself to have a finishing kick. Most runners don’t think they have anything left in their legs when they get over 4k into a 5k race, but the reality is that we can all push just a little bit harder for the last 60 seconds or so. See if you can do that on this one. Remember that the pain goes away fast once you finish the race.
5. Not sure what pace to even start at? A good estimate is to say that you can run 90 seconds to 2minutes per mile (65-90 seconds per kilometer) faster than your normal running speed. So if you average an 8:30 mile pace on a regular 5 mile run then you should shoot for a 7:00 mile pace to start out for the race. If you feel good you can always pick it up and if the pace feels a bit fast then just dial it back a bit and see if you can increase it towards the end.

After your baseline 5k, you will want to go into the menu screen and adjust your paces manually based on your 5k performance. This will set you up for success when it’s time to complete workout 1 and beyond.

Ok, I think that about covers it. Remember to take it all in stride and know that the plan here is to help me build out the program that is specifically tailored to maximize your experience with ZA Run.

Enjoy!

Terrence Mahon