Sub 5 indicators?

lollerama wrote:

Who Let The Dawgs Out? wrote:

So, I ran a 1200m solo time trial yesterday in 3:43.8.

My splits were 77.2, 75.1, 71.5.

A week before I ran 8x400 with 1:1 rest. Reps were 75, 74, 75, 75, 72, 74, 75, 72.

Don't thinks so. You could likely run a sub-3 km (barely) or a 3:00 flat, but would likely be looking at somewhere around 5:07-5:08.

I remember when I was in the exact same shape - maybe a tiny bit faster. I could run a 2:58 km and a 5:06 mile.

I totally disagree here. Unless our friend Dawgs hit the ground with fatigue after his solo 1200m, he can run a sub 5 mile. He ran big negative splits, too. The only two questions he needs to ask himself is:

1) Was he all-out?

2) Does he race better than he trains?

Those answers would be telling. I ran a 3:45 1200m solo time trial after a tempo run. Knowing that I race far better than I train, I can safely bet that I (personally, at least) can run a sub 5 mile in a race against others on the track.

jman1 wrote:

I totally disagree here. Unless our friend Dawgs hit the ground with fatigue after his solo 1200m, he can run a sub 5 mile. He ran big negative splits, too. The only two questions he needs to ask himself is:

1) Was he all-out?

Yes. Track conditions were about 45 degrees and some wind (10-15 mph) on the front stretch. I came through 400, looked at my watch, and was not pleased. I am glad I was able to negative split, but I think I gave a pretty full-out effort. Didn't hit the ground, but I don't think I could have held the pace much longer. But then, my last 200 was my fastest.

jman1 wrote:

2) Does he race better than he trains?

I generally race like I train. I am definitely more of a shorter mid-distance guy. For example, I was a 1:59 800 guy in HS but my best CC 5k was 16:56. The mile/3k is probably my sweet spot.

lollerama wrote:

Who Let The Dawgs Out? wrote:

So, I ran a 1200m solo time trial yesterday in 3:43.8.

Don't thinks so. You could likely run a sub-3 km (barely) or a 3:00 flat, but would likely be looking at somewhere around 5:07-5:08.

I remember when I was in the exact same shape - maybe a tiny bit faster. I could run a 2:58 km and a 5:06 mile.

I actually differ purely because he was continuously negative splitting. 77-75-71 indicates that he had a lot left over to kick that much, and wasn't close to evenly split. So I think running a 76 after that wouldn't be out of his capability if he paced it better.

The wind could have been a factor, as could have been the fact you were solo - that never helps. You might be there already. If you aren't there, you are close. When is your race?

One week. It's indoor...flat 200m.

4:59.9 boys! 72, 76, 76, 73 plus 2 sec for the extra 10 meters. Did I mention I am 43! I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Cool! You're one of the few who ever posted results from a question like this.

Who Let The Dawgs Out? wrote:

4:59.9 boys! 72, 76, 76, 73 plus 2 sec for the extra 10 meters. Did I mention I am 43! I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Congrats! I actually doubted you’d pull it off l until you said you had a 1:59 PB.

You seem similar to a friend of mine who had bests of 4:42 and 2:01 at his best, but could barely manage 5:00 when out of shape. We did a time trial recently and he ran a 5:12, after one month and a bit of training he managed a 5:02. Things were looking up and I thought he’d get back into shape, however, we ran again and again and he could only manage 5:01 even after two months of training.

The fact that you were able to dip under speaks loads to your mental strength and overall determination. I’m sure that’s a great perk that comes with age, I’m only 25.

Who Let The Dawgs Out? wrote:

4:59.9 boys! 72, 76, 76, 73 plus 2 sec for the extra 10 meters. Did I mention I am 43! I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

Yooooooooo Get that!!!

The 800 PR is from HS. I actually ran a 4:02 1500/8:57 3k/15:30 5k in college. Then I took a lot of time off. 10+ years. This was my first track race since 1997.

I'll tell you what: if any master runner is on the fence with making a come back, DO IT! My times are way slower than they used to be but it has been a ton of fun getting back in shape. And the 5 min mile has been the perfect goal to strive for.

Great job!

Who Let The Dawgs Out? wrote:

The 800 PR is from HS. I actually ran a 4:02 1500/8:57 3k/15:30 5k in college. Then I took a lot of time off. 10+ years. This was my first track race since 1997.

I'll tell you what: if any master runner is on the fence with making a come back, DO IT! My times are way slower than they used to be but it has been a ton of fun getting back in shape. And the 5 min mile has been the perfect goal to strive for.

Nice job! When I saw you hit 3:45 in a 1200-m time trial, I figured you'd get it, especially after seeing your splits. I was thinking about this thread over the weekend as I went down to the track on Saturday to keep a streak of breaking 5 in the mile going. I'll just echo what you said about getting back into running and how much fun it is even if the times aren't what they once were. I also agree with you that the mile is a perfect goal. Congratulations again, and best of luck to you in the future.