Cheat Your Way To A Faster 5k - The Running Channel

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of Cheat Your Way To A Faster 5k from The Running Channel. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

The challenge allows you to pause the GPS watch any time, so you can sprint, walk, or rest without inflating the final time.
Use a steep hill: sprint downhill (or fast on flat) for 100 m – 1 km repeats, then walk back up to recover.
Target a 5 km total around 15 min (≈ 3 min / km) by stringing together short, high‑intensity efforts with long recovery walks.
Location matters – a hill with a long descent lets gravity do the work, reducing the effort needed for the fast segment.
Keep the intervals short (100 m–200 m) if you’re new to the “cheat” format; longer repeats (1 km) work if you can sustain downhill speed.

Workout Example:

Warm‑up 5 min easy jog to the top of a hill.
Downhill sprint: 100 m at maximal effort (aim for ~12 s/100 m).
Recovery walk: walk back up the hill (≈ 30‑60 s) until heart rate drops.
Repeat steps 2‑3 until you’ve covered 5 km total (≈ 15‑20 repeats, depending on hill length).
Finish with a cool‑down 5 min easy jog. Adjust the sprint distance and recovery time to match your own paces in the Pacing app.

Closing Note: Give this hill‑repeat sprint workout a go, pause the watch whenever you need a break, and tweak the intervals to fit your speed. Have fun “cheating” your way to a faster 5 k, and remember you can always customize the paces in the Pacing app for your own goals! 🚀