Am I In 18:30 5k Shape?

0/10. Happy new year.

ha ha no way

can you do 8 x 1k @ 3k pace w/ 90 sec rest?

5:30/19:30

I ran an 18:29 5k a few weeks ago. Purely based off your 12x400 workout, I would say you’re not in 18:30 shape. the week before I ran that race I did 10x400 in 1:21-1:23 with 1 min rest. However, in 8 weeks, you might be able to pull it off.

just my 2 cents

RayD wrote:

5:30/19:30

The relationship between 1 mile/5km times can vary based on training. Previously my training was endurance focused with little/no quality (fast) work and my best times were 5:41/18:30.

You do not mention where you are from? That matters because I tell you what, in Wisconsin you will

not break 20, let alone 19. But if you are in a warm state I could see you break 19 on a day where

everything goes together for you.

You must have a good race strategy though. You have to follow the right person or people and use

them as a goal to catch before the finish. If it's a small local race and you know a few runners this

might work well.

If it's a big race, it's easy to get drawn out fast. Your race strategy matters more than your fitness.

Indianapolis. It is of note that my 19:42 5k PR came in -3 degrees Fahrenheit weather (-19 degrees Celsius). Very cold. Almost no warm up because it was unbearable outside. I'm a very good cold weather runner (I'm Canadian).

As for race strategy, I might pay for a faster friend's bib and have him pace me (14:10 PR).

I just skimmed your Strava workouts. Very similar to me awhile ago. I used to do a lot of 400s. I realized they were worthless for me for 5ks. 1000s proved to be much more effective. What worked for me was picking a reasonable goal workout, say 6-7 1ks at goal pace with 60-90 seconds of jogging between. Come up with a plan to get to there. Do a little more running or a little less rest each week. Be honest with yourself and don't finish workouts trashed. Dont slack on other weekly runs.

Maybe that's what you're doing with 400s. Either way, at your exact age AND exact yearly milage I was around 19:30. Switched to 1ks and my workouts seemed more predictive.

Based on me doing it I'd say you too can if you tweak it and don't slack.

Keep us posted. It's why I come to this site.

This can be very useful if your friend is able to run slow enough. He can keep you steady without you thinking. You can also draft if there is a head wind. I'd say do it if you are close But make sure he is using GPS. This will be painfully slow for him and he might make you blow up. Seen it happen. You'll likely be surprised as you end up passing all the people that dropped you at the start. It'll still hurt like a MOFO though.

Thanks for the advice. I've added some 1k repeats into my plan increasing reps from 5, to 6, to 7, and decreasing recoveries from 2 minutes down to 90 seconds down to 1 minute over the course of the next 7 weeks. Appreciate your help.

slow jv guy wrote:

I ran an 18:29 5k a few weeks ago. Purely based off your 12x400 workout, I would say you’re not in 18:30 shape. the week before I ran that race I did 10x400 in 1:21-1:23 with 1 min rest. However, in 8 weeks, you might be able to pull it off.

just my 2 cents

Added this into my week prior to the race as a reality check. Thanks!

I’ll be sure to update the post.

I ran 19:14 in a race over labor day weekend and dropped it to a 17:36 on Thanksgiving.

It's possible if you want to do the work.

This is a ridiculous statement.

Maybe for you this may be the case but there are people like myself that run much better in the cold.

javery529 wrote:

I ran 19:14 in a race over labor day weekend and dropped it to a 17:36 on Thanksgiving.

It's possible if you want to do the work.

That is an amazing improvement in such a short time. I don't think I'll be able to achieve that great an improvement, no matter how hard I work. That said, I'm going to put in the work and see where I end up on race day.

Just ran 5 x 1000m w/2 min recoveries. All 5 reps were done in 3:41 (3:42 is 5:57 pace, goal pace).

A good place to start. I have 7 weeks to bring that up to 7 reps while dropping recovery times.

**Update**

Week 2:

Ran 7 x 1k w/2:00 recoveries today. Target: 3:42 (5:57 pace for 18:30 5k goal). Actual Splits: 3:42, 3:41, 3:41, 3:41, 3:40, 3:42, 3:42.

I'll start reducing the recovery time over the next few weeks. I'm encouraged. I hope this shows that I'm on the right track. Anybody care to weigh in on whether or not running 18:30 in six weeks is realistic or not, now that we have more information?

What does the rest of your week look like? Are you still getting in respectable milage and a long run? How do you feel after? Trashed or feeling like you have a bit left in the tank?

Based on my results it seems like you are on track. But the previous questions matter.

DevinChaulk wrote:

**Update**

Week 2:

Ran 7 x 1k w/2:00 recoveries today. Target: 3:42 (5:57 pace for 18:30 5k goal). Actual Splits: 3:42, 3:41, 3:41, 3:41, 3:40, 3:42, 3:42.

I'll start reducing the recovery time over the next few weeks. I'm encouraged. I hope this shows that I'm on the right track. Anybody care to weigh in on whether or not running 18:30 in six weeks is realistic or not, now that we have more information?

Wow. That's a good workout. I think it's definitely possible. Everyone is different. Some people could do it right now based on that work out. If you can do that on 1:30 rest you should be gold.

What is your 400m best? Believe it or not, it does help to know.

You should still do some pure speed (80-100m) work. It will make the pace seem that much easier.