I really can't explain it, but in comparison to what I'm able to do at every distance from 1,000 meters to the marathon, I'm a horrendous 5k runner.
My 10k splits are only a few seconds per mile slower than my 5k splits. But it's not like I'm completely devoid of foot speed either. My 1k time and my mile time match up to what I'm able to do from 10k to the marathon. The 5k is the only distance where I struggle.
Any idea why this is? I know it's not psychological, because I go into every race feeling good and always get the most out of myself. I even feel strong during the race, but I'm always surprised when my times end up in the same range, which should be about 30 seconds faster than I'm actually going. Pacing isn't the issue either. I've tried a few different pacing strategies, and my times always end up within a few seconds of each other.
Where do I need to spend more time training? Where I am weak here but not realizing it?