Improving Your 5K

1

New 5k PR! (Read 513 times)


Just Be

    I totally skipped the 18s! Haha. Went from 19:09 to 17:35!! Cool Ran it on a 1600m track. I really love how amazingly fast my aerobic pace has dropped this month (from low 8s to high 7 minute miles to high 6 to mid 7 minute miles). I'm not sure if it's because of the 200 miles that I ran last month or the increased intensity of this month or a combination of both... thoughts?
    jEfFgObLuE


    I've got a fever...

      Nice job! Big grin Where in the world did you find a 1600m track? Aren't they usually 400m? Tongue I'd attribute the big jump to volume probably more than intensity.

      On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.


      Just Be

        Yes, it was a 400m track. My bad. Big grin I think of everything in terms of the 1500/1600/mile. Tongue


        Just Be

          BTW, thanks fo the congrats! Smile At the beginning of the month my paces were still the same as they were last month for aerobic... high 7s to low 8s. Then I did 1 week of higher intensity and that seemed to make my body 'click' or something. Suddenly after the recovery period the following week my times dropped to the high 6s mid 7s. Weird. I undoubtedly agree that the higher volume played a huge part, but think that the higher intensity may have sparked a greater efficency in my anaerobic systems or something? Not sure. Tongue
          jeffdonahue


            Congratulations! Wow, that is a big jump - especially at the times you were at. I remember jumping from 23:30 to 22:00 in a three month period, but then it took me another year to drop a minute off that. Nice job!
              Congrats! That's an awesome time, you should be proud. Big grin
              jeffdonahue


                Hey Runner92, I just took a quick look at your profile and one thing I noticed is that you are probably one of the only (if not teh only) person I have seen whose goal weight is higher than their current weight. Planning on bulking up?
                jEfFgObLuE


                I've got a fever...

                  At the beginning of the month my paces were still the same as they were last month for aerobic... high 7s to low 8s. Then I did 1 week of higher intensity and that seemed to make my body 'click' or something. Suddenly after the recovery period the following week my times dropped to the high 6s mid 7s. Weird. I undoubtedly agree that the higher volume played a huge part, but think that the higher intensity may have sparked a greater efficency in my anaerobic systems or something? Not sure. Tongue
                  Well, I think the combination of volume and intensity is helping your body to re-learn how to run fast. If I remember right, you're starting over running after a long break, but ran some sizzling times in the past. I'm sort of in your boat. I used to run 5ks in the mid-to-high-16's, but that was 10~15 years ago. I'm slowly trying to increase my volume over the course of the next several months, and I hope that like you, I'll get to a point where it clicks and my body remembers what it used to be able to do.

                  On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.


                  Just Be

                    Hey Runner92, I just took a quick look at your profile and one thing I noticed is that you are probably one of the only (if not teh only) person I have seen whose goal weight is higher than their current weight. Planning on bulking up?
                    Hey, yes, I'd like to get a little heavier, but at my level of activity, I'm finding it extremely difficult. I remember when I was 22 and in the best shape of my life, I weighed about 170. I'm hovering at about 160 right now, so I've added around 3 to 5 lbs since my bodyfat dropped, but I'd still like to get back to 170. All I'm doing is eating a tiny bit more than my body needs per day (healthy food) and it's gradually getting heavier, but it might take another year or more before I reach 170 (if I over eat too much my running performance will suffer).


                    Just Be

                      Well, I think the combination of volume and intensity is helping your body to re-learn how to run fast. If I remember right, you're starting over running after a long break, but ran some sizzling times in the past. I'm sort of in your boat. I used to run 5ks in the mid-to-high-16's, but that was 10~15 years ago. I'm slowly trying to increase my volume over the course of the next several months, and I hope that like you, I'll get to a point where it clicks and my body remembers what it used to be able to do.
                      Good luck, I'm sure you'll get there! Smile And yes, you do remember correctly, I used to be pretty quick in my younger days. Big grin I hope that I can get it all back in the next couple of years, mainly for myself and my sense of well being, but in tiny part so that I can say to all the naysayers that gave me a hard time in that thread (I'm sure you remember Big grin )... "I told you so!" haha. Smile Plus, in the back of my mind, the thought of competing in the 2012 Olympics is gnawing at me to put in that extra effort when all I want to do is take a break.


                      Just Be

                        Congratulations! Wow, that is a big jump - especially at the times you were at. I remember jumping from 23:30 to 22:00 in a three month period, but then it took me another year to drop a minute off that. Nice job!
                        Thanks! Smile I'm definitely excited about the time. I ran the 19:09 back in November of 2007. The 5k PR was kinda bitter-sweet this time, as I had intended to set a 10k PR, not a 5k - but I overestimated my ability and went out too fast. Rather than slowing my pace and risking giving up a nice 5k PR and definitely a 10k PR, I decided to finish the 5k strong and see where that took me in terms of time. I'll go for the 10k PR in a week or two, I want to try to break a 5 minute mile next week sometime. Smile If you look at my running log summary by month page, you can see how fast my monthly paces have been dropping. I've only been at it again since September of 2007. In the past, I almost broke a 14 minute 5k, so that probably helps in terms of my ability to lower my times in huge chunks like that. I'm expecting the same type of progress (well, slightly slower) until I get near the low 15s, but we'll see.
                          Congratulations! If your increased mileage is what helped you take off that much time I'm thinking of increasing my mileage ASAP!! Smile

                          Michelle




                          Slow-smooth-fast

                            shit me that is impressive. I am back from injury, been out for 6 weeks, so I am back on the MAF. Keep it up

                            "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