Hello all, I (M27) am trying to break 20 in the 5K this year. A little background on myself, in high school I had PRs of:
Half marathon - 1:28:31
5k - 17:40
3200 - 10:25
1600 - 4:48
800 - 2:08
After high school I didn't get any college offers, and had no motivation, so I basically didn't run at all from 18-25. I started running again when I was 25 as I wanted to run my first marathon, which I did in September of '22. Now I want to get some speed back in my legs, so my goal this year is sub 20 in the 5K. Right now I'm doing about 25-30mpw and started doing one speed session per week about three weeks ago. Usually I'll do either 4x800 at 3:10 or 8x400 at 95 seconds, usually with 90 seconds rest in between reps.....and not gonna lie, these reps feel tough. My 17 year old self would cringe watching me run now. I also will throw in a long run of about 10 miles every two weeks or so at 7:45ish pace.
Anyway, I'm wondering what kind of indicators I should be looking for to know when I'm in sub 20 shape? I feel like I'm getting close to it, but am not completely confident yet. Thanks.