What is the minimum running required to run sub 18 5k?

Mirambi wrote:

Bullet the Blue Sky wrote:

Either commit to the goal or don't. But don't put these false constraints and contingencies on your plan. You're essentially building in excuses for not training hard enough and not achieving the goal.

The rule of thumb for weight loss is about 1.5- 2 sec per pound per mile.

How does "losing strength" by running more miles work, exactly?

That's an interesting stat on the time per mile per pound; that helps.

I'm committed to it, and trust me, I don't make excuses.

I know I could run under 18 if I just focused on that and nothing else, that wouldn't be much of a challenge.

But maintaining a high level of strength and running that fast will be quite a challenge.

If you don't lift enough and lose too much weight, you lose muscle, and thus, strength.

I think I can get down to 185, MAYBE 180 without losing too much strength.

Going under 180 will require purposely losing muscle which I don't want to do.

20 pullups / 4:40 mile/ over 40 wrote:

You're probably a nice guy but this post makes you sound like a dick.

If I went on a body building forum and said I know I could bench 255 if I really tried but I want to bench 225 off of 2 gym sessions a week id get blasted.

Same here. I get your concern about losing weight/ strength but I think you'd be more satisfied if you ran 3-4 times a week for 6 months and seeing what that got you while accepting whatever temporary weight loss that entailed.

I read your later posts and understand you got shin splints. Realize shin splints happen and you just have to deal with them. They go away, they come back, then they go away again. 95 percent of the time shin splints are nothing more than a sign to do a few runs on grass to change up your foot strike pattern.

If you are in your late 30s, your V02 max will drop 10 -15 percent over the next 10 years if you don't do regular intense aerobic work . That means your window to run a fast 5k is closing rapidly. (If you commit to intense aerobic work you can limit your VO2 loss to around 5 percent per decade while in your 40s and 50s.

Your muscular strength doesn't significantly drop until you are in your late 40s. All that said, 4 runs a week gets you way more than 2 and you have plenty of time to put weight back on later.

Do what makes you happy though.

Mirambi wrote:

The goal is a sub 19 min 5k at minimum, stretch goal sub 18 min within the next 3 months.

A little background:
I recently ran a 5k in 20:35 on very little training, like 3-6 miles a week for 4 weeks little.

Other than that, I haven't run more than once or twice a month in about 20 years.

I currently strength train 5 days/wk with 3-4 days of conditioning- typically metcon/CrossFit style stuff.

I started running once a week about 6 weeks ago and decided last minute to jump in a 5k to see what I could do.

My goal is to get my strength numbers in the big three to over 300# bench, 400# squat, and 500# DL (I will likely get there within the next two months) and maintain that strength while I try to run some fast times in various events and eventually do some triathlons.

But the most immediate running goal is 5k under 19 (stretch goal 18) in the next 3 months.

I’m 6’0” and currently weigh ~200#.

20 years ago, when I was 5’2” and 95 pounds lighter, I ran 16:46 in XC; I just haven’t really run much since then (long story). Short story is my running career peaked freshman year of HS due to injuries and alcohol.

Point is, I have more natural running ability than most and I know I can run sub 18 again if I really want to.

The question is, can I do it without losing too much strength?

Anyway, I’m pretty sure just cutting 10# will be worth at least 30 seconds, probably more.

My question is this:

How little running do you think I can get away with and break 18 or 19 in the next 3 months?

Could I do it with just 3 days a week? Something like 1 long run, one tempo/interval day, and 1 other day?

tyhddrc- wrote:

This is the last time I will feed the troll.

#1- You want people to admire your running performance because you trained less than the average amount to achieve it. It doesn't work that way. An 18:46 5k, is exactly that , an 18:46 5k. Nothing more, nothing less.

#2 An 18:46 5k is slower than the average highschool xc varsity runner, conference champ hs girl, and master's male 3rd place finisher at a decent road race. Its a full two minutes behind the tail end of what qualifies as "competitive" for a 20-40 year old weekend warrior runner. It signifies exactly jack squat in a competitve sense.

#3 You haven't accepted a single piece of advice people have offered you in terms of balancing running and lifting and have insisted on running as little as possible. Again there is absolutely nothing wrong with running once a week and running a 18:xx 5k. If that is your goal/ program, so be it. Just don't plug up the board with your posts and claim to be aiming high or looking for advice because your actions show you aren't.

Again- Good luck with everything-

tyhddrc- wrote:

This is the last time I will feed the troll.

#1- You want people to admire your running performance because you trained less than the average amount to achieve it. It doesn't work that way. An 18:46 5k, is exactly that , an 18:46 5k. Nothing more, nothing less.

#2 An 18:46 5k is slower than the average highschool xc varsity runner, conference champ hs girl, and master's male 3rd place finisher at a decent road race. Its a full two minutes behind the tail end of what qualifies as "competitive" for a 20-40 year old weekend warrior runner. It signifies exactly jack squat in a competitve sense.

#3 You haven't accepted a single piece of advice people have offered you in terms of balancing running and lifting and have insisted on running as little as possible. Again there is absolutely nothing wrong with running once a week and running a 18:xx 5k. If that is your goal/ program, so be it. Just don't plug up the board with your posts and claim to be aiming high or looking for advice because your actions show you aren't.

Again- Good luck with everything-

Mirambi wrote:

The goal is a sub 19 min 5k at minimum, stretch goal sub 18 min within the next 3 months.

A little background:
I recently ran a 5k in 20:35 on very little training, like 3-6 miles a week for 4 weeks little.

Other than that, I haven't run more than once or twice a month in about 20 years.

I currently strength train 5 days/wk with 3-4 days of conditioning- typically metcon/CrossFit style stuff.

I started running once a week about 6 weeks ago and decided last minute to jump in a 5k to see what I could do.

My goal is to get my strength numbers in the big three to over 300# bench, 400# squat, and 500# DL (I will likely get there within the next two months) and maintain that strength while I try to run some fast times in various events and eventually do some triathlons.

But the most immediate running goal is 5k under 19 (stretch goal 18) in the next 3 months.

I’m 6’0” and currently weigh ~200#.

20 years ago, when I was 5’2” and 95 pounds lighter, I ran 16:46 in XC; I just haven’t really run much since then (long story). Short story is my running career peaked freshman year of HS due to injuries and alcohol.

Point is, I have more natural running ability than most and I know I can run sub 18 again if I really want to.

The question is, can I do it without losing too much strength?

Anyway, I’m pretty sure just cutting 10# will be worth at least 30 seconds, probably more.

My question is this:

How little running do you think I can get away with and break 18 or 19 in the next 3 months?

Could I do it with just 3 days a week? Something like 1 long run, one tempo/interval day, and 1 other day?

tyhddrc- wrote:

This is the last time I will feed the troll.

#1- You want people to admire your running performance because you trained less than the average amount to achieve it. It doesn't work that way. An 18:46 5k, is exactly that , an 18:46 5k. Nothing more, nothing less.

#2 An 18:46 5k is slower than the average highschool xc varsity runner, conference champ hs girl, and master's male 3rd place finisher at a decent road race. Its a full two minutes behind the tail end of what qualifies as "competitive" for a 20-40 year old weekend warrior runner. It signifies exactly jack squat in a competitve sense.

#3 You haven't accepted a single piece of advice people have offered you in terms of balancing running and lifting and have insisted on running as little as possible. Again there is absolutely nothing wrong with running once a week and running a 18:xx 5k. If that is your goal/ program, so be it. Just don't plug up the board with your posts and claim to be aiming high or looking for advice because your actions show you aren't.

Again- Good luck with everything-