mile and 5k difference

I think your mile was either dodgy GPS or you are bottling your 5k attempts

I’m not a professional at running, but it seems that you have a pretty good amount of speed compared to your 5k. Depending on if you have a season or not, listen to your coach. You need to increase your aerobic base if you want to run 1745, so next summer begin to up your mileage with slower easy miles with a 20-30 min tempo once a week. Maybe reach for 40 maybe more? Keep up the strides and DO HILL WORK, especially hills with no standing rest, great for aerobic base!

Ganawag wrote:

I think your mile was either dodgy GPS or you are bottling your 5k attempts

Mile was on the track, measured, no GPS

5k was roads, some minor hills but nothing big

Mile felt just a tad harder, like I wanted to give up at the 2/3rds point, but pushed through and tried to finish the last 400 as fast as possible. Don't really remember the last 400 well

5k felt similar, but I was a bit more confident around the 3k-3.5k mark. Legs heavier at the end, though. Coughed up a ton of phlegm and almost puked

highschooldude wrote:

I’m not a professional at running, but it seems that you have a pretty good amount of speed compared to your 5k. Depending on if you have a season or not, listen to your coach. You need to increase your aerobic base if you want to run 1745, so next summer begin to up your mileage with slower easy miles with a 20-30 min tempo once a week. Maybe reach for 40 maybe more? Keep up the strides and DO HILL WORK, especially hills with no standing rest, great for aerobic base!

In my early 30s, no coach or anything

I'm already doing the slower, easy mile thing with a tempo every week, basically. Not doing hill work, as in pushing pace on hills

When I get to hills on easy runs, I either run them really slow or walk them if they're too steep

25-30 mpw is quite low mileage, but a 19:35 5 k is decent for this volume.

Mile time is not so much affected by this, it depends more on basic speed and lactic acid tolerance.

When I was a young beginning middle distance runner at about 16 yo and ran my very first mile race at 4:54 (a real 1609 m) I was not faster than 18:45 for the 5 k, but had a 12 s FAT 100 and a low 2:0× 800.

I soon progressed to even sub 4:40 in the same year (converted from a 4:18 1500). It was not connected to mileage at all, maybe 30, definitely less than 40 mpw even at winter base training at that time. While the 3000 was still ok with just a sub 10, the 5 and 10 k sucked with 18:45 and something around 41.

Of course I had a good progress in the longer distances, too, with higher milage later on.

However, middle distances like the mile are not necessarily comparable to 5 k times and strongly dependend on body composition, type of training, basic speed, power and lactic acid tolerance.

You seem to have some talent for the shorter distances, but it might be difficult to find adequate races at your age.

If you like to improve the longer distances, training volume and consistency (high mileage and no interruptions due to injury and the like) are key.

op, i am pretty much the same as you. i have not run any real mile time trials, but last year i could do workouts like 8x400 in average 1:16 with 90 seconds rest, 4x400 in average 68 with 5 minutes rest. But my 5k was only 19:39. This is with similar mileage to you. THis year i have aimed to hit 2000 miles for the first time. I have trialed in awhile. a couple months ago I did 19:22. I think I can do sub 19 now, but who knows. I'll give myself another 2 years with good miles and see if it makes a difference. Sub 18 is ultimate goal. I'm 38 now. I give myself until 40.

would also be nice to break 5:00 so I can consider myself to be a real man!

Hey sport,

Keep training hard and you’ll get there. I recommend you bump your mileage up to at least 100 miles per week. No need to use the 10% rule or anything; we didn’t do any of that back when I was your age. Next you should be doing 9 speed workouts per week, so this would equate to one every other day. I know most people follow the 7 day week schedule, but at Bobs Bugs be Gone, we prioritize the 18 day week schedule. Lastly, be sure to get no more than 4 hours of sleep per night. This way, your body will never rest, giving you an increased stimulus. Hope this helps and good luck this year.

Your pal,

Bob Duncan

Bob’s Bugs be Gone

Thanks xc coach and Patridge. I think I have decent speed at the mile for my age and experience, but my endurance is still really questionable, maybe below average for what I've put in

I'll keep building my aerobic base for a while and see where I go. I hope to hit 50 mpw in a month and sustain it for two weeks before dropping down again (I feel like I'll get exhausted if I don't build up progressively). I'll keep my tempos and monthly speed workouts but also concentrate on slow runs for building mileage

Bob Duncan wrote:

Hey sport,

Keep training hard and you’ll get there. I recommend you bump your mileage up to at least 100 miles per week. No need to use the 10% rule or anything; we didn’t do any of that back when I was your age. Next you should be doing 9 speed workouts per week, so this would equate to one every other day. I know most people follow the 7 day week schedule, but at Bobs Bugs be Gone, we prioritize the 18 day week schedule. Lastly, be sure to get no more than 4 hours of sleep per night. This way, your body will never rest, giving you an increased stimulus. Hope this helps and good luck this year.

Your pal,

Bob Duncan

Bob’s Bugs be Gone

Thanks Bob, that seems very rational