older guy running (Read 243 times)

Hello Youngster (I'm 55),

If you're racing every week at your best 5k tempo (for summer temps), then that is not a weekly tempo run, but a weekly race. That is a much heavier training load than an actual tempo run done around your lactate threshold. A race takes more recovery time. That along with your speed workout and long run is pretty heavy for summer. I recommend cutting all the speed  work for the summer and work on your aerobic system by building up the time you run aerobically. This will give you better endurance. Building a solid aerobic base is the best thing I ever did for my 5k time. Consider having some kind of  brief monthly benchmark run (45-60 minutes) at like an MAF or 70%MHR heart rate to keep tabs on whether or not your aerobic system is improving. You should be getting faster at the same aerobic heart rate. If you're regressing in speed at the same aerobic heart rate, despite what you think might be a good sized training load, then you're most likely overdoing it and are headed for overtraining, injury, or depressed immunity, if you don't cut back. If you're on a plateau, an adjustment one way or the other might be in order (time for speedwork, or no speed work, depending on where you are in your training cycle). So, build a big aerobic engine, bring back speedwork, then racing, and see how it goes. Good luck!