how are you guys running 1530 5ks?!

Training is the easy part. What are you doing the other 22 hrs of the day? Sleeping 9-10 hrs, eating not too much or too little and getting all the nutrients, staying stress free, etc. This sport is a lifestyle and there is much more to being fast than just “training”

15:17 this year.

15-20 miles/week.

3 x workouts per week.

Workout in gym (upper body) 3 x week

Senior

I averaged 35 mpw and one tempo per week. Ran 15:25. Talent does trump hard work

Ran 14:57 junior year. 60mpw consisting of tempos and intervals with mostly easy mileage and a long run every week (~90 mins). Would recommend double threshold training and high mileage to get fit for the 5k quick. I did run 14:45 this season in xc off 35mpw over the summer although this kind of mileage is not ideal for the 5k and I would recommend running as much as possible, but above all else listen to your body and rest when you need to. Sleep and proper nutrition will probably help but I'd say they are only about 1% as important as your training. Talent is the most important factor but it is meaningless without the work. All in all, just show up to practice every day and do the workouts.

I would also recommend incorporating weight training and core workouts into your training plan to build strength. You can cross train if you are injury prone, but for most people the best way to get better at running is running.

Everyone trains differently, some are more speed oriented, some are plodders who can run forever. But, the general recipe I did in the “off season” in high school en route to a sub-15 was a one hour run Mon through Fri, with a long run of 75-90 min on Saturday. Sun was off, though it was active rest swimming, playing soccer, basketball, etc.

Mon was a speed/lift session, Wed was a tempo AND/OR fartlek (sometimes both), and the Sat long run was a progression run, usually hitting the last one or two miles near tempo pace. Everything else was how I felt but generally easy sometimes picking it up toward the end.

I agree on maximizing sleep. It matters. This was before supershoes and before anyone really knew how to train. So 3x 15:30 is believable though still probably pretty rare. These guys all probably played running sports as youths.

You gotta get really comfortable running 4:20-4:30 pace, 4:50 mile pace is approaching a sprint for most people and you can’t feel like you are sprinting an entire 5k. You also need the endurance to make 5k feel like a short race where you’re in control the whole time.

When I broke 15:00 I was doing 8-12 miles a day consistently for 70-75 miles per week during the months leading up to the season, with a hard (10 mile to half marathon race pace) 6-8 mile effort once a week, and another hard 20 minute run at probably 6-8 mile race pace another day of the week. Easy days were all 7:00-8:00 miles and i’d do 3-5 100-200m strides around 3:30-4:00 per mile pace on almost every easy day with full rest.

Going into race season I would switch between the longer and shorter tempo run week to week, but also built the longer tempo run all the way up to 10 miles at 5:40 pace, and carved the shorter tempo day down to 3-4 miles at 5:15-5:25 pace. Then on my other workout day i’d do something like 12x400m averaging 64-65, or 8x800m averaging 2:25-2:30, and most workouts would have me doing a jogging rest instead of a standing one. At this point, i’d also have a harder long run usually 13-15 miles where I’d run 6:30ish pace over a super hilly environment. Every second or third week instead of a hard long run i’d do more of a 800/1500 workout like 8x200m in 27/28 or 8x400m in 62-63.

If you aren’t super talented at 5k, 15:xx takes a hell of a lot of hard work and dedication. Most people need to make running their #1 priority in life to run that fast.

Building up your mileage and doing at least 2 LT threshold workouts a week. Strides and short hill sprints in the off season to touch on speed/turnover.

My mile PR is 4:50

My 2-mile PR is 9:56

I am a 30 y.o male and honestly I think next year if I can stay healthy, I might be able to run close to 15:35/ 15:40 in a paced environment if I do a lot more tempo/ hard aerobic runs next year. One of the reasons I think it's feasible is because I also have run 32:45 for 10km..(more than once).

I am as slow as it gets. I can barely run under 70s for one lap on a track. My 800PR is 2:18.

There are different ways to get to 15:30...=)