I don't monitor my heart rate on a regular basis. I should start and put my Garmin to work. My 5k PR is 21:37. For logging purposes... My easy pace is between 8:00 and 9:00 - most comfortable at 8:20 Between 7:00 and 8:00 I consider a medium pace. Between 6:00 and 7:00 is tempo/race pace.
I've been trying to follow Daniels' VDOT tables. For my 5K PR of ~21:38, he recommends an easy pace of around 9:17, which seems to be about right under ideal conditions.
My 5k pr is 20:17 and I aim to run outdoors at 8:30 for easy pace runs.
Good luck at your next 5K. I hope it goes well. Another question that may be of interest is the total number of easy miles done each week and 5K PR. I do between 30 and 35 miles per week easy pace (between 9:00 and 10:30)
The Limping Jogger
done to hard sessions this week to prepare me for a sub 20 attempt Tues: 8x800m at 5:47 pace with 1 min recovery Thurs: 5x1mile at 6:21 pace with 2.5 mins rest. Both were me working really hard, and I was nervous about them seeing as though I have just come out of y base building. What you guys think? Any comments welcome, and comparisons with your times so I can equate it to how I may perform in my next 5K.
"Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is."
Slow-smooth-fast
If you can do those workouts then I'm not sure what is stopping you. I couldn't do that when I first went sub 20 in the 5k. Note that I currently use the McMillan pace calculator: http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm Pace ranges for all training distances are based off my 5k & 10k PRs. They line up exactly.
"I've been following Eddy's improvement over the last two years on this site, and it's been pretty dang solid. Sure the weekly mileage has been up and down, but over the long haul he's getting out the door and has turned himself into quite a runner. He's only now just figuring out his potential. Consistency in running is measured in years, not weeks. And over the last couple of years, Eddy's made great strides" Jeff 14 Jan 2009