Forums >Racing>Goal of sub 20 5k
SMART Approach
I am trying to run 40 miles per week total. The intervals are like 6:00 per mile pace for about 3 miles total with long recoveries in between. Typically 200, 400 meters per rep and occasionally an 800 meter run in 3:02. Tempo runs are 40 minutes total at 7:15 per mile pace or so.
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Almost there... knocked another 38 seconds off my PR yesterday coming in at 20:16. There was a really steep hill during mile 3 of this race too so but I have a flatter 5K in a few weeks so I am hoping that I can do it then. Last year I did both of these same races and dropped about 10 seconds on the flatter course, but we'll see if I cant get it, but I think it is definitely looking doable by the end of the summer at the very least.
No racing flats here. Though my coach did recommend me picking some up I just cant justify the cash outflow right now for shoes I will only wear a half dozen times a year. I hear that they can help you drop about 1-2% off your time - so at a 21:00 5K that could potentially be 10-20 seconds (which oddly enough is about what I need to break that barrier - maybe I should rethink the cash thing and suck it up)
I wish I could run times like yours on low mileage. Just increase the mileage and I bet you will get sub 20 in a tempo run effort. I ran a record 171 miles in March and whether I like it or not I will be faster for it. I was hoping to run a 5k this Saturday but the wife has other plans so my races keep getting pushed back. No biggy I will just keep upping miles. I am thinking about a possible track 5k time trial in the next week. I have my 1st big 5k race on April 20 and I am running that no matter what.
I clocked much better times on 10-20 miles a week of all tempo paced training than I did on 30+ miles of easy running. Of course, if I could keep the same amount of speed work yet increase my total mileage, then you would probably be right.
Quality / quantity isn't exactly an either / or situation. You're doing 400 meter repeats at 80 seconds so you should be able to crack 20 for 5k. If you were doing those same quality workouts on 40 or so miles a week, sub 20 wouldn't be a problem for you at all. You might have to sacrifice the quality while you build mileage, but you should be able to put it back in once you've adjusted to the new base.
Tchuck...I ran 1.75 miles on the track last evening in 11:39. It was a failed attempt at a 5k time trial. I felt I could handle 12 laps at 1:38 pace which would yield me a 5k pace of around 20:20 but I chickened out after my 1600 time was 6:35.