Goal of a sub-30 minute 5K (Read 10495 times)

I just went looking for something like this and found it. Interesting read.

In June my 5k was 34:48 - my best ever. Down from 36:44 Sept 2008.

I have a 5k tomorrow but I don't think my PR is in any danger. I ran a 15k race last Saturday, I donated blood last Monday, and I did an intense leg workout on Tuesday night that I am still feeling the effects of in my quads. Suffice it to say I have to work on my planning.

Okay it seems certain info gets asked for/given so here:

-overweight; 210 pounds and about 5'7" and yes I am working on that.

I usually run in Brooks Trance 8s but as they are getting harder to find I found the Saucony Hurricane Xs feel good too. I am just starting those.

I do have and use orthotics.

Right now my "training" is basically geared to increasing my kms. I like the idea of the speed workouts but there's no track near me. A friend said I could just go out and run fast for portions of one of my runs each week but I like the ability to measure and track progress. Still working out how best to do that. I was thinking there's a fairly quiet street nearby. I could measure it out and just use that.

Oh, wow!

I thought this thread was totally dead and so I forgot about it!

Kelly/Cagery - you're doing track workouts now?  That's something I think about from time to time.  Somehow I always seem to chicken out at the last minute.  I think I'm afraid of finding out that I'm as slow as I think I am.   

Lisa/redleaf - sounds like you're halfway to creating your own "track" to measure progress.  And why not?  If you know a certain section of road takes you XX seconds to traverse now, and that two months later it takes you xx-10 seconds, then you know you've gotten faster, right?  It's kind of starting from scratch, but if you absolutely can't get a measured distance, than that would work.  Or maybe you can use the mapping feature here to get a measure of distance you can use.

I'm still streaking.  I tried barefooting it exclusively for a while, but ended up hurting in the insides of my feet all the time and so I moved on to Newton shoes, which are designed to support forefoot striking.  That's been working well for me, and I occasionally throw in a short barefoot run for fun now. 

I've got plans for September - try to adapt to having three longer runs per week on top of my daily runs, and to make my daily runs all 2 miles instead of 1-2.  Well, that's the evil plan for September anyway.  We'll see how that goes!

Oh - and I've got my first race of the year in about 2 weeks!  It's a 5K.  At night in September in North Carolina.  Last year it was 80 degrees and humid at the start... and 5.5 kilometers long.  I ran it in 38:11.  I'm hoping for a better time this year, but I certainly don't feel faster this year than I did last year!  The only other race I've done this year was a sprint tri.  That 5K was about 38 minutes too, but I was really tired when I started it since I hammered the bike portion.  (It was my first tri.)  So I'm hoping to be faster this year.  Even if I don't expect to get anywhere close to 30 minutes.  Or even a PR.  (Current PR 32:11.)

OP

I think you need to get off that treadmill and get some mileage outdoors on the pavement. I believe that your times will improve as I find it easier to run faster outdoors as compaired to a treadmill. I also find it easier to run longer distances outdoors.

I used to run on a treadmill exclusively. I thought it was harder on my body to run outside because of the pounding. I had a VERY difficult time breaking 30 minutes for 3 miles and was normally around 34 minutes. I have completed two 5k's this summer. I finished the first in 28:11 and three weeks later I ran a 26:54 5k. I now run with a heart rate monitor and stay in an easy Zone 2 (60-70% of max HR) for all my runs. I'm hoping to break into the 25 minute mark in a few weeks.

Glad somebody is bringing up goals for ordinary beings. I'm 82 and still like to enter 5 or 10Ks without embarrassing myself.  I have never lost the sheer animal thrill I experienced when the school bell rang and I dashed across the school yard. Instead of giving up when my performances dropped sharply after age 70, I determined to keep enjoying running. This year, at 82, I ran 31:48, so I am still seeking the magic 30 mins.

 

I just like to be active. The health benefits are a bonus.

Good for you. I will be praying to not only race as fast as you at age 82 but be able to run PERIOD! Congrats and keep it up!

There is NOTHING to be ashamed of with a goal of sub-30.  I've coached and worked with a LOT of runners with that goal.

Over the past few years I've worked with a lot of runners with this goal and what seems to work the best is thinking long term, staying consistent, avoiding injuries, putting in the miles and getting variety in your training.

Please keep posting updates!