Is this 8x800 workout a good predictor of what I could run in a 5k race?

No

I think you could run between 18-36 minutes

That's a lot of rest for this workout. Low 19 minutes maybe for 5000m???

Thanks, anyone else?

trying to make a comeback wrote:

Thanks, anyone else?

If you need workouts and coaching post your e-mail.

You'll need to break 2:50 per interval if want to run low-18's. When I was a 18 minute 5K guy I was hitting those at 2:45+

You might be in the mid-19's or higher if you are at 3:02.

Thanks, anyone else who ran this workout?

Tell us how long you take for those recovery 400s.

People are so different in this, and with short intervals like 800s at your 5k pace yes it does matter.

You might find doing 4 x 800m with 45s rec at the time you wish to achieve a closer indication, so 16m 48s is 80sec per 400m in a 5k race.

Work out your average 400m that you wish to race at.

The times you indicate and the rec bear no relation to what you are trying to achieve.

5k running is 5k of sustained pace, at a pace that you can manage for 5k, you do not get a 400 jog after each 800m run in a race.

The 400 jogs were really easy, like 2:20-30/400.

trying to make a comeback wrote:

The 400 jogs were really easy, like 2:20-30/400.

Your "really ez jogs" between reps are 2:20-30, yet you only average 3:02 for the 800s? This doesn't make sense to me. Your 800 reps should be must faster if your 400 jogs are 2:20-30.

Why doesn't it make sense?

I did a similar workout a few years back when I was was running without a team for the first time. I did six averageing about three minutes with a 400 jog. I ran 19:20 for a 5k (that I won by about two minutes). So if you got in a better race you could probablybget around 19:00)

trying to make a comeback wrote:

Why doesn't it make sense?

I'll do a similar workout (10 x 800m) workout with 200m jogs in 1:45-50 and I'll average 2:53-55 for the 800s. So my equivalent 400m ez jog would be about 3:30 (ok, maybe 3:10-20 to allow for starting up from a walk in the first 200m) - a minute slower than yours.

So, either you're sandbagging your 800s or your "ez jogs" are more like "floats", not recovery jogs.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

I thought you meant my easy jog was too easy... but almost 10 minutes pace for my 400 jogs feels very easy... "floats" would be more like 8 minute pace.

I did almost that exact same workout a few years ago. Ran them in 2:50-55 (a little windy though), ended up running an 18:19 a couple weeks later. I did not run a smart race, though; I was breaking 18 before and after that so I'd say that's a better estimate of fitness. So at 5-12 seconds slower per 800 I would say sub 19 is possible.

Thanks, so is the general consensus that what you run for the 800s is probably around your 5k pace?

trying to make a comeback wrote:

Thanks, so is the general consensus that what you run for the 800s is probably around your 5k pace?

bump

Indicates nothing.

Why not just run 5km and find out?