Does 5 min mile pace feel slow to people who run let's say 4:20 for a mile

Bro, if you can run 52 you should be way faster than 4:42.

Yes, it's like pacing women.

4:13 miler here. Not slow but comfortably fast to manageable depending on the terrain and distance.

So by that logic WvN should be able to run much faster that 3:43 right

It really depends on the context. I have workouts where 5 flat feels really fast, and other times where it feels fairly slow.

other options wrote:

4:13 miler here. Not slow but comfortably fast to manageable depending on the terrain and distance.

Yea, but can you do 5 of them with 1-min between, now that's a solid tempo day!

It doesn't feel slow for a 4:20 guy. It's about 8K race pace - so a good tempo-type workout pace.

Jms3 wrote:

It doesn't feel slow for a 4:20 guy. It's about 8K race pace - so a good tempo-type workout pace.

That's got to be much too fast for a tempo workout. A lot of the guys I compete against who run a sub-4:20 mile can barely hold 5:00 pace for a 5K.

Feels like a crawl if in a mile race!

mrtalent wrote:

Jms3 wrote:

It doesn't feel slow for a 4:20 guy. It's about 8K race pace - so a good tempo-type workout pace.

That's got to be much too fast for a tempo workout. A lot of the guys I compete against who run a sub-4:20 mile can barely hold 5:00 pace for a 5K.

4:12, 14:18, and 24:22. I ran 3 x 3200 repeats at 5 min pace. I'd buy the race time, but a tempo run is probably 8k minimum, and definitely not the same as race pace.

I was a low-mileage sub 4:20 guy in HS, but I had trouble running 9:40 for 3200. So 5 min mile pace in training felt all out. For a 4:20/9:10 guy, I would think it would feel like a fast tempo pace.

Ran 4:25 for the mile, 16:14 for the 5k (~5:13 pace), and 9:40 for the 3200. No, it does not feel like jogging. Feels slower than 2 mile pace but faster than 5k pace.

40 seconds per mile over 1 mile race pace is pretty intense pace.

I think more to directly answer the OP's question:

As you get into better shape, 5 minute mile pace feels exactly the same, unless your top end speed has improved. It is only after a minute or two as you start to fatigue that it will feel different.

In other words, running for a short distance at 60% of your top speed always feels like 60% of your top speed, regardless of aerobic fitness.

But sustaining 60% of your top speed for longer amounts of time obviously starts to feel very different some number of minutes into that run, depending on aerobic fitness. In other words, strides at 5 minute pace will likely always feel the same to you. But the second half of 800m repeats at that pace will feel vastly different now versus when you were running 5:20 in the mile, and also if you get to 4:20 in the mile.

crash trainer wrote:

40 seconds per mile over 1 mile race pace is pretty intense pace.

Agreed. It's still fast and it feels fast in workouts.

However, it's all situational. Because for sure starting out a mile race with a tactical first lap or two at a pace 10s slower/lap than PR pace feels like walking.

Nah, pretty much feels the same but you don't get tired as much

mrtalent wrote:

Jms3 wrote:

It doesn't feel slow for a 4:20 guy. It's about 8K race pace - so a good tempo-type workout pace.

That's got to be much too fast for a tempo workout. A lot of the guys I compete against who run a sub-4:20 mile can barely hold 5:00 pace for a 5K.

That is definitely true for most HS and even college runners. Just means they either aren't aerobic monsters or haven't done enough mileage. I know a couple of high school kids who haven't yet broken 4:20 for 1600 who can run under 15:10. They are the rare breed who will immediately do better in college with the increased cross country and track distances.

This is a dumb question. "Fast" is totally contextual.

As a 4:20 miler with a 30:45 10k pr, I can tell you that 5:00 feels almost exactly like 10k race pace.

So if I were racing a HM, it would feel suicidal, and in a 5k it would feel like a jog.

Feels way hard. I've done stuff like run a 10:05-10:15 3200 in practice leading up to 4:12-17 races and it feels awful. Then again my 5k PR is 15:52, so my effective range is very limited. 5:45's feel great however when I am in shape.