What workouts did you do prior to breaking 15 in the 5k?

I ran 1442 on the track my senior year of college.

I was a low mileage guy—60 mpw on 6 days in season.

8 mile lactate threshold runs at 5:20-5:30 pace.

3x6x300 at 48-51 seconds with 1 minute rep recovery and 2-3 min set recovery.

4-5 1 mile repeats sub 5 min with 1-2 minute recovery.

I'll come at this from another angle, what didn't lead to sub 15 for me!

8x800 @ 2-23 average, 1:15 recovery

3x2 mile tempo @5-20, 2 mins recovery.

Workouts leading up to my 14:45 during my junior year on the track:

30 minutes@5:21

20 minutes@5:13

6x1k@2:55 w/ 3 minute rest

14x400@67 w/ 1 minute rest

12x200@29 w/ 1 minute rest

I was also in 4:17 mile shape and 8:31 3k shape, run during that indoor season. I had fairly negative splits, first 3200 in a fairly calm 9:38 with a 4:31 last 1600. I opened my season with a 4:00 1500 at a crappy meet, but about a month after the 5k I ran 3:54 for 1500, so I probably could've run 3:57 on the same day I ran 14:45. My mileage was pretty solid, peaking at 90 in cross but only around 80 or so during track, and less after I ran the 5k and started focusing on the 1500. I dropped my 5k from a 15:28 to 14:45 during that season, and the massive improvement in strength really showed during the next cross season when I ran 24:38 in my first season under 25:00. I was hoping to run 14:20s senior year of track but unfortunately after an 8:26 opener I got hurt and never got to finish it out. After college I moved to the roads and never touched my college track PRs, though I did run a 2:21 marathon and a 1:05 half.

2 mi warm jog

20 x 400m, with 200m jog, 2-3 mi cool

I was a low/med mileage type person. 60 to 70mpw. I would load my weekends. Wasn't uncommon to run 30 miles between a Sat/Sun. Worked for me.

Anyway, I had a predictor workout I loved to run on Saturdays.

In light-weight racing flats (so what I'd wear for half marathon on up) go run 10 miles at whatever pace. For me this was 65 to 68 mins usually. Without stopping, go directly on the track and run 1600/1200/800/400 with half distance recovery. I found that what I could comfortably run for the 1600 would be my 5k pace. Run the rest of the intervals comfortably at about the same pace. Although I'd often run the last 400 as a "float". So run 62 to 65 without straining. I'd sometimes add another float 400 on the back as well (I'd do this on other workouts too) with full recovery. I'd jog a few laps cooldown and be done. Sunday I'd go run 15 in 90/95 mins.

2.5 months out: mile race in 4:18

Right after the mile race I took over two weeks off due to a tender foot, and then eased my way back into things.

4 weeks out: 3 mile road tempo in 18:08 (I remember this being the toughest tempo in quite a while - shockingly hard for over 6 minute pace).

3 weeks out: 6x800 averaging 2:27 (2 minutes rest, in trainers)

2 weeks out 5 mile road race in 26:17

8 days out: 3200 hard effort on track - 9:57 (in spikes)

3 days out: 12x400 in 68.5 average, 1 minute rest (in spikes)

Race: 14:51 5000

For the month and a half before my 5000, I probably averaged 70 miles per week.

I guess the moral of the story is to keep the faith that things could come together on race day, even if it seems improbable just a few weeks out.

I ran 14:54 in cross last fall and honestly, the workout that I think did the most was kilometer repeats. I did 6-8 1k repeats in grass around 2:50 for 3 weeks leading up with about 3 minutes of rest and a tempo each week and the final week I cut the tempo and did 4 800s at goal 5 k pace on the road. No idea why my body did so well with those workouts but I ran 25:25 on the road 3 weeks before for 8k and then 14:54 just three weeks later.

I was also super low mileage even for a hs junior, ran maybe 40 miles a week in the last month of my season but almost if not half of that milage was in workouts

I did 20 x 400m at 68 sec with rest back to 120 bpm ( about 60 sec) + Workout tempo run another day in the week 10-12 km at 3:15 min/ km ( so a 10 k at 32:30 in training).

On this I did 14:20 at 5000 and 29:51 at 10000. Total mileage about 50-55 mpw.

sub15 dreams wrote:

I’m hoping to break 15 in the 5k this fall. I’m wondering what workouts and paces I should be aiming for. Also what was your weekly mileage when you hit those workouts? And how soon before you broke 15?

Thanks

- Charlie

What is wrong with all of You on LRC??? Everybody try to find workouts combination, predictors and so on.... Not a workout combination is an answer...

Canefis wrote:

sub15 dreams wrote:

I’m hoping to break 15 in the 5k this fall. I’m wondering what workouts and paces I should be aiming for. Also what was your weekly mileage when you hit those workouts? And how soon before you broke 15?

Thanks

- Charlie

What is wrong with all of You on LRC??? Everybody try to find workouts combination, predictors and so on.... Not a workout combination is an answer...

That`s true Canefis. There is a need of the 3 most important factors for the result to be guaranteed. The individual best aerob easy pace is also a must. All good things are three. :)

Most of the people here will give sub-15 pace workouts, so one that I remember doing was 2x 3200m in 9:58/9:52 (equal rest so fairly long recovery, but I remember it felt fairly comfortable). I would also do 4-5x mile repeats (equal recovery) in 4:50-55 with the last one aiming for low 4:40s.

60-80 miles a week

5x1k in 2:55ish with equal rest

20 min tempo sat 5:15-5:10

Progressive 4 mile tempo 5:35, 5:25, 5:15, 4:40-4:45

Some 400s in 67-64 range

Ran that in the 2-6 weeks leading up to it. Prior to that large base with lots of moderate threshold and sub threshold workouts.