This month, we've challenged you to get your 5km time under 30 minutes - hundreds of you have taken up the Challenge and here are some top tips from Challenge completers on how to beat that half hour milestone!

Beka W asked the community for their top tips on improving your 5km time and, as always, you guys haven't disappointed with dishing out great advice, here are the top 5 tips for improving your running pace:

1. "Set yourself a time goal before you head out. Make it a course you know well."
   
   Great tip from Jane H - preparing for a target time before you're out running will make it a more solid goal, deciding on targets once you're on the move can make your target more changeable as you tire. Knowing your route will also save you wasting time checking your location or distance - top advice!
   
   
2. "The most effective motivator for progression for me is the public proclamation of a target or an attempt at a PB,otherwise I find myself running within myself a lot and not breaking free from those mental shackles we so often put on ourselves! If you want to find a reason not to try and run a bit faster then you will, and the same goes for making that extra effort, it’s a mindset as much as a physical exertion!!"
   
   We all want Brad N on the sideline of our next race! His advice is definitely worth taking on board - take the Challenge to hit a new goal and you're more likely to reach it!
   
   
3. "Do hills!"
   
   Short and sweet advice from J B - but hill training can be an excellent way to improve your pace, pushing you to work at a higher intensity as you hit the hills. It's also vitally important if you have an event on a hilly course to train on the same terrain! A sentiment shared by Monica S:
   
   "I do most of my training on hills, gravel, off road trails and mountain trails. If you can do those everything else is cake."
   
   
   
4. "Allow more time for recovery, don't run every day ,if you are really pushing hard mentally you will need longer to recover physically.For greater speed you will need greater strength and your body needs time and good nutrition to build new muscle."
   
   Overuse injuries can really knock your confidence, as well as being very frustrating! Jim G's top tip to take your recovery as seriously as your training may save you from developing an injury.
   
   
5. "Fuel yourself sufficiently"
   
   Daniel H knows a thing or two about eating the right foods for your goals! Running-on-empty is never a good idea, eating the right food and staying well hydrated will help your running. 5km distance at a 30 minute pace shouldn't require any sport-specific nutrition products, in fact, running with water over a 5km will just give you one extra thing to think about. to avoid overthinking things, just think natural carbs (e.g. a banana) before and protein after (anyone for some chocolate milk?!)