Hello everyone,
I started running in 2018 as a 20 year old. I didn’t have any structured training, but went from a 24 minute 5k to a 21:30 5k in about 3 weeks. Then I stopped training due to school.
I started running again in July of 2019. I followed a somewhat structured plan of tempos and interval workouts, and ran 20:30 for 5k at the end of September. Then I got injured with a stress fracture in October and stopped running completely until August 2020.
I started base phase in August, just running 10-20 miles a week of easy running, with strides every now and then. I time trialed a 5k in 22:32 on September 28, followed a new training schedule and ran 13:20 for 2 miles just yesterday (so around 21:15 shape for 5k).
My goal for 2021 is to run sub 18 for 5k, but most importantly sub 5 for the mile. Do you think this is possible for me as a 23 year old? How should I progress without getting injured? How should I set up my mileage properly, to see the best results? I really want to achieve these times for the next year, and am willing to be committed and disciplined to reach those times, perhaps faster.