Improving Your 5K

123

tell me you easy pace and your 5k pr (Read 1517 times)


Slow-smooth-fast

    My current PR which was about 5 months ago is just over 21. I have been doing Low HR training, and now I can do easy miles under 8 min mile pace (average over 4 miles is about 7:51), using my heart rate monitor, so I am thinking that this should translate into a sub 20 min 5k. I will have to wait and see as I will be doing more base building until I reach a plateau. Anyone else feel free to post their easy pace and their 5k pr so we can see the relationship. Remember easy is strictly 100% aerobic.

    "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

      I don't monitor my heart rate on a regular basis. I should start and put my Garmin to work. My 5k PR is 21:37. For logging purposes... My easy pace is between 8:00 and 9:00 - most comfortable at 8:20 Between 7:00 and 8:00 I consider a medium pace. Between 6:00 and 7:00 is tempo/race pace.

      Michelle



        Like Michelle I don't use an HRM. I tried for a long time and finally gave up as it was cutting me to pieces no matter what I wore or where I wore it. My 5k PR is 22.29 (7.15 pace). My easy runs at work are done at about 9.15-9.45. Easy runs at home have a very big hill in them so are normally over 10.00 in order to keep the hill bit easy.


        Slow-smooth-fast

          judging on what you guys are running I think I should have it in the bag the next time I try. I mean some of my easy runs I have had mile times of below 7:30. Mississippi; looking at your 5kk pr it doesnt really match with your 10K. I am sure you can knock quite bit of the 10k. My PR was 21:13 for 5k, and then I did a 10K in 42:24.

          "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

            Mississippi; looking at your 5k pr it doesnt really match with your 10K. I am sure you can knock quite bit of the 10k. My PR was 21:13 for 5k, and then I did a 10K in 42:24.
            I know, and I'm hoping to. That was my first 10k race and my first race in winter elements, and I'm still somewhat nursing my hamstring injury (afraid to push my luck with it on hills still at this point). I'll work on it when the weather warms up a bit. Nice race times Eddy! Smile

            Michelle



              5K PR - 23:17 (October) Easy Pace: around 9:30, sometimes faster, sometimes slower
                New to group and RunningAhead. Last years 5K's between 20:15 and 20:29 Easy pace 9:00 to 10:30 pace.


                Slow-smooth-fast

                  New to group and RunningAhead. Last years 5K's between 20:15 and 20:29 Easy pace 9:00 to 10:30 pace.
                  this is interesting. you are nearly sub 20. If your easy pace is as you say it is and mine is between 7:45 and 8:15 using a HR monitor, I may be in for a treat on my next 5k race

                  "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

                    Good luck at your next 5K. I hope it goes well. Another question that may be of interest is the total number of easy miles done each week and 5K PR. I do between 30 and 35 miles per week easy pace (between 9:00 and 10:30)
                      When I ran my PR, I was doing about 15-20 mpw, most of those easy with a little speedwork thrown in.


                      Slow-smooth-fast

                        As mentioned, I am awaiting to test my 5K time, but at the moment I am averaging between 60 and 70 miles a week, and they are all run under MAF, between 7:50 and 9 minutes, depending on the terrain and hills etc. When my speed plateaus at this heart rate, I will be introducing tempos and hill reps etc, and then going for gold in a 5k.

                        "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

                        TexasRunner


                          Using a low HR program a few years back, I ran 18:22 on a tough course. My easy runs were somewhere between 8:10 and 8:30 while keeping the HR below 70% for me. Actually, I didn't do any speed sessions during that period of time, so I was really surprised to run that well. I'm trying to get running more again, so I'm slowing my pace back down on easy days to about 8:20-8:30. I've seen a lot of schedules where the easy days are about 2 minutes/mile slower than 5K pace. That might be a bit slow, but the key is to make sure that you're recovered for races and the hard workouts. If Bob Kennedy can race a 5K at 4:08 per mile and ran his daily runs at 6:30 pace, there might be a lesson in there for us. The late Andy Palmer (a 15-minute 5K guy) once said, "I run my easy days slower than 8 minutes per mile and no one wants to do that. I run my hard days at under 5-minutes per mile, and there are not too many who can do that."
                          jEfFgObLuE


                          I've got a fever...

                            I run my easy days anywhere from 7:45~8:45 per mile, depending on how I feel. I haven't raced recently, but estimate I could probably run a 5k a little under 20 minutes right now.
                            The late Andy Palmer (a 15-minute 5K guy) once said, "I run my easy days slower than 8 minutes per mile and no one wants to do that. I run my hard days at under 5-minutes per mile, and there are not too many who can do that."
                            I like this guy's thinking. Similar to a one of my cross-country coaches, who believed that easy days should be real easy, hard days should be real hard, and "medium miles = wasted miles."

                            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.


                            Slow-smooth-fast

                              done to hard sessions this week to prepare me for a sub 20 attempt Tues: 8x800m at 5:47 pace with 1 min recovery Thurs: 5x1mile at 6:21 pace with 2.5 mins rest. Both were me working really hard, and I was nervous about them seeing as though I have just come out of y base building. What you guys think? Any comments welcome, and comparisons with your times so I can equate it to how I may perform in my next 5K.

                              "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

                              jEfFgObLuE


                              I've got a fever...

                                Thurs: 5x1mile at 6:21 pace with 2.5 mins rest.
                                Well, 20 minutes is 6:27 pace. It looks like you're ready. See my post regarding a 5k prediction workout for comparison.

                                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.

                                123