Can I go from sub 18 to sub 16 in 2 months

yes

Do you think I can hit around 16:00 if I put in the work ?

maybe

No. Next question

Train well and get back to us. No one can predict this.

Anything is possible. But probably not probable.

100% possible, talk to mo he gives out nike's golden shoes and sells performance enhancing drugs on the side

Dgomez225 wrote:

I ran a pr of 16:40 in the 5k last season but right now I am at 18:04. Is it possible for me to get back to where I was or even better in 2 months I am currently running 30 miles a week ! This is just the start of the season .

Yes. Stay off the roads if you can, bump mileage to 45 for two weeks, then 55, then 70 for the remainder and progressively work on speed intensity. Early on do short interval/high speed short rest workouts to work on VO2 max and avoid very long workouts. Keep them between 2000 to 4000 m worth of work and keep the speed at 4:40 pace or better; mix up the workout arrangement and keep it fun. Later on focus on high speed/long recovery workouts and try to include 2-3 hard repeats from 1 mile to 1.5 miles at some point each week; these should be faster than race pace, may 4:50 -5:00 pace and could just be an additional hard mile at the end of an easy run. Just make sure to keep clear of longer volume workouts as you don't want to get hurt. Also make sure to get at least one longer12-15 mile run in each week, 80% or this should be very easy but build towards threshold for the last 3-5 miles. Good luck.

DO NOT DO THIS YOU ARE GONNA GET FRIED AND BURN OUT

Exactly what I was thinking as I read it. That is a recipe for a crash and burn if your body could even take it, way more likely that you would get injured and never race. 30 miles to 70 in 6/7 weeks and including the quality is nuts, not a bad idea if you spread it over 6-8months or so.

You are currently running 30 miles per week...

1) is that over the last 52 weeks = 1,560 miles in the past year....

2) or have you averaged 30 miles per week since August?

Big difference.

Person #1 has a great shot of reaching sub16 if the workouts, other fitness work, and lifestyle are intelligent over a 12-24 month period.

Person #2 may not be too serious about running well. This person should be happy with a 17:20 and continue to enjoy other priorities in life.

Yes, there are a small % of highly talented folks that can prove me wrong... but the average person is not going sub16 without the work.

Enjoy your season and thanks for the post.

Effillo wrote:

dont wrote:

DO NOT DO THIS YOU ARE GONNA GET FRIED AND BURN OUT

Exactly what I was thinking as I read it. That is a recipe for a crash and burn if your body could even take it, way more likely that you would get injured and never race. 30 miles to 70 in 6/7 weeks and including the quality is nuts, not a bad idea if you spread it over 6-8months or so.

If he has been in 16:40 shape he has run more than 30 before; you don't need such a slow progression then as long as you stay off the roads and keep the speed workouts small. If the OP has never run more than 30 mpw, I guess this would be too much, but it is clear from his status that he has run enough to hit 16:40 and is capable of handling a modest ramp in mileage.

Background on me last season I went from 18:26 to 16:40 from august to November with avg of 25 miles a week then I stopped running everyday during this pandemic. That was a big mistake on my part but I am willing to work as hard as I need to get to sub 16 and want to know if it is possible for me to hit it . I’ve practiced 2 weeks so far and am around sub 18 can I go sub 16 in the next 2 months and how ?

What's your hurry? If I were you, I would analyze how I'm training and, possibly, modify my approach. Why am I slower than last year? Does it have to do with overall strength or am I overtraining at this point? Talk to your coach. Young runners should show a gradual improvement over time, given they are running the right workouts for themselves. Good luck and I hope you improve and continue to do so.

Dgomez225 wrote:

Background on me last season I went from 18:26 to 16:40 from august to November with avg of 25 miles a week then I stopped running everyday during this pandemic. That was a big mistake on my part but I am willing to work as hard as I need to get to sub 16 and want to know if it is possible for me to hit it . I’ve practiced 2 weeks so far and am around sub 18 can I go sub 16 in the next 2 months and how ?

If you have only ever run 25 MPW, then I would not build up to higher than 50 MPW; so 2x35 MPW, 2x45 and then hold btw 45-50 keeping the speed workouts intense but not excessively long; long hard workouts = injury, particularly if you have not done a lot of volume. I would also reduce the long run to 10 -12 miles.

I hate to be that guy, but the chances are slim.

You slacked on training, but now that competition is happening you regret the mistake you made. You can’t go back in time, so train hard this season, and run your best. Learn from the mistake you made.

A guy on my team did no workouts at all over the summer, only easy milage, and less than 40 mpw, and he went from 18:36 to 16:28 in a season. However, he ran 16:50 the year before, and the fact that he had a base and you dont makes it seem unlikely that youll get there. gl tho.

I have many runners who do the first time trial in 18 minutes and break 16 minutes 2 months later. That is just normal improvement.