Forums >Running 101>5k: time to work on speed?
Greetings, runners!
I ran the Adidas Race with AR virtual 5k today in 34min 54sec (6:58 per km or 11:11per mile pace) (Fastest 5k I have ever run, previous PR was around high 38min). I have been logging about 20 miles a week consistently for about a month now. My longest run is a 10 miler (the long, easy, weekend run), though I keep my long runs around 7-8 miles on average. I must admit I am little overweight (21 y/o male, 104kg (229lbs), 5' 11"), and I am on a weight loss regimen ( I have lost 4kg in 1.5 months). I have some strong legs (Lot of weight training 😅) and a fairly strong core.
Should I wait till I lose more weight before I trying stuff like intervals? I was thinking of doing stuff like 400m repeats at goal 5k pace (which for me right now is 6min to 5:40min per km).
Thanks in advance!
PS. I was just curious, how long does it take the average runner to adapt to the interval paces, that is, when does the higher pace start feeling comfortable?
I would say wait. Given that you are a bit overweight, losing weight will only help. Also, you've only been running 20 miles consistently for about 4 weeks, so you still have gains to be had from just running consistently for longer. Let your legs adapt more to the running before adding in intervals.
Also, to answer your last question, I don't think your legs would get used to running intervals. To me, intervals (and racing) is more of an effort than an exact pace. Some days will be faster, some slower. If your legs adapted to the interval pace then you probably aren't running it fast enough for that particular interval. I typically run my intervals at an effort where I think finish each interval thinking I probably could have held that pace for another quarter of hte distance I just ran.
SMART Approach
Agree with Jeff. Just slowly build volume to 30 miles per week over next 3-4 months with 80-90% of running at easy pace. 1-2 days a week do 4-8 strides at end of a run and last mile of your 8-9 mile long run can be run faster. This is the right way to progress or you get hurt.
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Are we there, yet?
Adding intervals could give you a lot of benefits. A couple things to pay attention to are being sure you get in a good warm up, including a few easy strides, and keeping the pace no faster than current 5K race pace. Your weekly mileage will limit the number your can do initially. I would suggest 200m rather than 400m intervals to limit the stress. You can increase the interval distance later after you've increased your mileage and gotten accustomed to running a faster pace.
It takes a few sessions to become used to interval paces. They never start feeling comfortable except for the first few intervals of a set. If they don't start feeling uncomfortable by halfway through, you probably aren't running them fast enough or you're taking too much recovery.
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03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.