tips to break 16min on the 5k

Dang dude that's some pretty good endurance at 10 miles/13.1 compared to your mile/5k. Up to you on how you want to approach things. Daniels is tried & true. Most people probably have much faster PBs before approaching your times at the longer stuff.

The 10 x 400 workout is good but maybe on the slow side, especially given the rest. Same deal with your 1k repeats depending on how many you're doing there. Guessing your 5k/10k times are blurred to some extent.

If you want to make serious improvements at 5k & under, you need to train for the shorter stuff. 4 workouts/week -- 1 @ 5k, 1 @ 10k or T, 1 tempo, 1 shorter reps (3k & under). Mostly easy long runs up to 25k or so. 12-13 weekly is enough for most. Don't be afraid of taking more rest earlier in a 5k build or when doing shorter repeats. Don't be afraid of standing rest. Do strides 2-3x/week.

Instead of 8 x 1k @ 3:12-3:16 on 400 jogs, you want to build to 6 x 1k off of 200 jogs/90s @ 3:10. So start with 5 x 1k off of 400 jogs/2:30 rest early in a 12 week build. Hit that 6 x 1k ~10 days out. Instead of 10 x 400 @ 73-74 off of 400 jogs, you want 8-10 x 400 @ 70-72 off of 1:00 or 12-16 x 400 off of 1:00 @ 72-74. 

Seems like you need to work on your speed.

- Are you doing strides?

-how about hill sprints?

-Also, try some 200 repeats at mile race pace

Also, race a few more 5Ks... you can do these as tune-ups outside of a goal race and don't taper for them... If you did 16:30 solo effort you're probably closer than you think.

I think you're about there. Run unattached in a d3 meet that has had times in the 15s and 16s in the past few years and you may hit it.

Strength and aerobic development is not your issue (surprisingly since you are a newer runner). You need to get better/more efficient at faster paces.

I am actually surprised that with the combo of 400m intervals, volume and LT work in the long run that you haven't been able to get there.

I would probably look at some sort of new stimulus. Try throwing in hill sprints as someone added and maybe add some workouts that focus on fast recoveries. Try Deeks Quarters, Aussie 200s, Mona Fartleks etc. These made a big difference for me than more traditional Daniels-esque intervals workouts like the on your mention above.

You’ve gotten good advice. The one workout that seems strange is the 10x 400 with 400 jog. 
You should be able to run 74-75 on one minute. If you are taking 400 jog between, run them in 72-70 and make it a true speed workout.

Thank you all for the replies=)

I think I am getting close to meeting my goal but I am not quite there yet. I have decent endurance I think because I do a fair share of walking on a daily basis too (I think it helps a tiny bit.)

Also, I didn't mention my weight or height but I am 6'0/ 155lbs...so pretty lean. I could maybe lose 1-2lbs but that's about it. I already have a hard time keeping this weight. Before I started running higher mileage in 2020, I was at 172lbs for comparison.

Some key take-aways from previous replies:

1. I should aim at trying to hit my 400m in 70-72s instead, decreasing my rest time from a 400m jog to a 200m jog over the next few weeks.

2.Same goes with the 1k., build towards 6x 1k @3:10 with 200jog/ 90s.

One of the posters above mentioned strides, I have very recently started doing these since the new year. It definitely feels like a 'sprint' hitting that kind of pace. Same goes with hill sprints, it is something I have very recently started doing in my easy runs. Doing a 5k time-trials or participating in D3 meets unattached as a workout on its own may also be a good idea to push myself!

For 200m repeats, I think Daniel's Formula prescribes to do these around 34-35sec. I doubt I could do them much faster anyways.

I'll look into "Deeks Quarters, Aussie 200s, Mona Fartleks etc" as far as different stimuli.

Lastly, wow, I didn't expect all these replies in such a short amount of time; browsing this board has been very enjoyable.

I'll keep putting the miles in and update you guys along the journey. The 16-min would be a big milestone for me.

Well......you get some pro advice for free  :)    What I had changed in your program is 1) cut out the hilly run on Thursdays and put in an easy run 40-50 min and pace 7.20-7:30 instead to really recover from the Wednesday workout interval. 2)   extend your 400m reps on Tuesday to 15-20 of them but slower and 75-76 sec and rest between walking easy back to 120 beats per min pulse 3) On Fridays instead of 1000 m reps at 3:12- 3:16( what I call a pace in No man`s land) you should work up to max 15 of them but at slower lactate threshold pace and 3:26 / km . Same rest as on Wednesday back to 120 bpm .  4) Saturday you need to take a day off. No training and just recover 100% to load your energy batteries perfectly.  The recovery is at least as important as the effort. It`s during the recovery phase the real training takes place!  Instead for training you do something else you like to do alone or with friends.  5)  Your easy runs should be at 7:20-7:30 pace as often as possible . You can run slower only on days when you feel tired sometimes.

If you follow this my advice I can guarantee it won`t take long time before you experience great improvement. Good luck!  :)   ......and you are welcome to come back to this thread if you have questions and want me to comment your improvement and what to do out from your improvement. Cheers!  :)

You guarantee? What sort of results have your athletes had in the last 4 years that guarantee that? There is a whole thread showing what an incompetent coach you are. Leave the OP alone. You have ruined enough athletes.

When I broke 16 in Nov 2019, it happened after marathon training. I had a 1:13 (now 1:12) and my 10 mile split during the half was 56:00. 15:52 on the road.

I think you can break 16. You are doing everything right, except for the speed part. Your speed workouts need shorter rest. 10x400 should have 1 min recovery. You need a 4:40 mile to stand a chance. I think if you improve your speed, you can run faster than just sub 16. In the meantime, add strides after easy runs and work on strength and conditioning. Plyometrics help with improving speed.

My athletes at all levels have had very good results and most of them improved. One elite ran 61 min half  . One guy lowered his 5 k from 18:30 to a win in 16:59 in just 5 months.One masters runner lowered his marathon best from 2:43 to 2:39 ........you are one of few stalkers trying to blacken my coaching. Of course OP should listen to my pro knowledge and very long experience of running and coaching.Besides he get it for free ))

The 61 half was run in a non-record eligible course. Did you forget that "detail"? And this by a runner you said years ago would be running sub 60.

I am not a stalker and you don't need your coaching blackened. Your horrible results do that themselves. Come on! You have a 62 half marathon runner now running 66 and barely dipping under 2:20 for the marathon.

What the OP should do if he ever consider your "advice" is look at your thread, which is full of your lies being exposed. He should also look at your website and facebook pages and wonder why in 6 years you have almost zero positive reviews and so many people calling you out on your lies.

Even the great Renato Canova said that to him you are not even a coach.

That thread is full of you and a few stalkers trying to blacken my coaching and you claim a lot of falsehoods. By the way I don`t care what "knowig Iten" thinks about my online coaching. I have proven him to be wrong a couple of times in some matters. 

You are funny. Like a clown.

Looking good! Throw in some doubles and you'll see 15.xx in no time!

Thanks all for the encouragements.

One thing that stands out is the speed aspect. I really think I am relatively slow. I need to get in a meet and see if I can run somewhere in the low 4:4X range. Pretty sure I could run around 4:45 right now.

I will aim at building up to 10 x 400 in 70-71s with only a 200m jog but that might take a while to happen. I think Daniel in his book has the 400m repeats following a 400m jog so I haven't tried to take only 200m in between.

Do you guys think doing 200m repeats would help? If so I am guessing no more than 1min jog/ 200m rest right in between. How many of them as a 'workout'?

I started doing sprint hills but I am not sure I am doing them correctly. I found a 'hill' that has maybe a 5-6% grade (is that enough?) and I tried to 'sprint' on it for about 15-seconds. Is this what 'sprint hills' are supposed to be about?

I ran ten 'easy' this morning @ 7:30, very relaxing.

Your 10 mile and particularly half are impressive for the amount of time you have been running.

I would say you tend far more to the endurance side of things. I was more the opposite - 1:57.5 for 800m, 4:20 for a mile; 15;22 for 5k; 32:20 for 10k, but a little slower than you at the half marathon.

It's possible that you have good aerobic capacity, but need to develop lactate threshold a bit, which you might do with so reps at 10k pace. You could also mix up your 5k pace work and do things like 3 x 1 mile as a break from the 5 or 6 x 1000m

I'd also say that my experience would be that after a period of rep work I would start to stagnate, and need to go back to more aerobic schedule, then cycle round again.

200 sprints, 200m jog is a good standard workout. I would say 8-10 reps

Thanks!

daniel’s has some workouts mixing up 400/ 200s on the 5k plan.

I did a short workout today (well I aborted because I fried myself) but I was going to do 5x1000m on the road. I only did 4 repeats at 3:10/3:10/3:09/3:12 with 90sec jog and then I really couldn’t do one more so I am not quite there yet and starting slower would have been better but I still have a hard time “pacing” myself on the roads. This is actually one of the first times I am able to go “fast for me” on the roads.

I decided to do it on the roads because on the track I find it easier to just accelerate a bit in the straight lines to make up time etc..(plus you have the benefit of knowing your splits) and I want to simulate a road race environment. I actually now think I could do better than 16:30 with my current fitness.

Excited for the next few months! 

Try to hold a pace around 5:10 per mile. That ought to do it.