How to break 5 min

Give a little more info on your training. How many miles are you running a week. What paces are you hitting in your workouts? Your 400 time seems a little off as well compared to your 800 time.

Yes

The paces i run 5:45 to 6:00 and I run around 20 to 30 miles a week

Breaking 5 is mostly about heart and is a mind game. I don't mean that in some cheesy sense. You likely have the speed how you just have to be very determined.

It will hurt a lot and before you get to 400m you'll feel like you will simultaneously vomit and poop. All the alarms will be ringing and you have to push past that.

Just tell yourself "I don't want to have to do this again! I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN!" if it's genuine you sure as hell will break 5.

Coming from. 32yr old who never ran track and didn't start running till 30 and broke 5 on my first mile attempt ever with no specific training.

(And yes it felt like death)

How to break 5, for freshman guys:

It's October. You just now barely finished XC season, or it might not even be over yet. Just keep running over the winter. Do some light speed maintenance workouts once a week. Run a bunch of hills. In January/February, start doing the workouts your coach assigns. Don't get injured. Run easy on easy days. Race the 800 and 1600 every chance you get once the season starts. By the end of the season, you're likely to get there.

could you expand on "don't get injured"?

I would recommend trying to get a long run in, once per week. Build up until you can run 8-10 miles at a comfortable pace. This will help you in your quest to break the 5:00 mile. Many years ago as a freshman, I ran 5:13 as my personal best. Started incorporating a long run into my training my sophomore year. Ran a 4:49 that year (not blazing fast, but I was very happy with the improvement)!

weriafla wrote:

could you expand on "don't get injured"?

Don't do stupid things on a bike, with a football, or otherwise. Biking and playing other sports are fine, just avoid the stupid part.

Don't burn out by starting intense track workouts in October.

Don't develop overuse injuries by ramping up mileage too quickly.

Buy a new pair of running shoes when you need it.

Keep up with ancillary and core exercises.

Don't get greedy and overreach in workouts. Consistent effort and gradual progression will get you where you want to go. Save the risky efforts for races.

easy on easy days