How much 5k interval volume per week?

Personally I would say 4 miles a week is plenty, it's more than I would do at 5k pace per week. 5k pace is quite specific and you will get a lot of the necessary 5k adaptations by running LT2 pace. I think you would be much better stacking threshold work, 2 threshold sessions a week with around 12-15miles of pure threshold work and short recoveries.

The 5k specific pace should be started about 6 weeks before the race imo. But it's more to get comfortable at that pace than actually get a lot of physical adaptations, because the most benefits are to be had at the threshold paces.. In the 6 weeks build up you can incorporate one session a week of 12 x 400m @ 5k pace (60s), 8 x 600m @ 5k pace (60s), 6 x 800 @ 5k pace (90s), 5-6 x 1k @ 5k pace (90-120s) where the recovery is just a standing/walk. This would be more than enough and get you comfortable at 5k pace IF you are actually fit enough to run that pace.

By getting your body used to 5 k pace training and that way get more energy and biomechanical efficient and used to the pace you will improve together with the right mix of easy steady runs and threshold intervals. The trick is to run shorter reps at 5 k pace to be able to perform them most weeks and then e.g 12-20 x 400m is a very good interval workout . Then you can have weeks you run one 5 k pace interval + 1-2 threshold intervals or sometimes only 1-2 threshold intervals. Good luck! 🇸🇪🧙🏼‍♂️🇸🇪

.......and I just add there is no need to do 10 k paced workouts. You will " automatically" run about your 5k time x 2 + 1 min at a 10 k race if you just do your 5 k pace and threshold pace intervals in training.🇸🇪🧙🏼‍♂️🇸🇪

You could just do this for a general idea or to riff off it

Two suggestions:
- 8k of volume at 5k pace is what a number of distance coaches like to use. So 5x 1600m, 8x 1k, 10x 800m
- Tinman's formula: 420/Date Pace 5k in minutes = volume of stamina workout for CV and 5k paces.

You have it right OP. You can only reasonably do 1 5k specific session/week. 6k-7k in volume (maybe 8k but even then not all of it would be 5k pace) max. The other workouts you're doing will help your 5k training. Since you have a good strength background, you'll benefit from some under distanced work (mile-3k) + strides. Keep it relatively simple. Every 2 weeks you're doing something like 2 5k workouts, 1 tempo/threshold, & 1 3k/mile. Sometimes you can stick some quality into your long run.

5 miles or 8k is definitely the max if your actually running at 5k pace. The longer the intervals the harder it is and the lower the volume needs to be. Like if you look at Canova when he gets his athletes to 3k-2k-1k etc you have longer rest but less volume. 10k workouts you can definitely do 6-7 miles worth.

I'm interested. Can you link to that tinman formula or flesh it out a bit? Hard to decipher as written. Thanks.

I almost never did 3000 or 5000 pace reps. Just too hard on your body. I'd probably do 3x1000 at 3000 or 5-6x1000 at 5000 twice per season.

I'd rather just run a 5000 to get a VO2 max workout, or do a few 10000 pace repeats instead.