The biggest and most common mistakes of distance runners (and coaches).

simply put:

a 14 min 5k is a 4:30 per mile pace

a 24 min 5k is a 7:45 per mile pace

25 seconds is 9.3% of 4:30

25 seconds is 5.4% of 7:45

Which would be easier for you on a tempo run, running at 5.4% slower than your 5k pace or running at 9.3% slower than your 5k pace.

If both the runners are doing a tempo run at 25 seconds per mile slower than 5k pace the 24 minute 5k runner is running much hard and closer (% wise) to their maximum pace.

Math dude strikes again wrote:

simply put:

a 14 min 5k is a 4:30 per mile pace

a 24 min 5k is a 7:45 per mile pace

25 seconds is 9.3% of 4:30

25 seconds is 5.4% of 7:45

Which would be easier for you on a tempo run, running at 5.4% slower than your 5k pace or running at 9.3% slower than your 5k pace.

If both the runners are doing a tempo run at 25 seconds per mile slower than 5k pace the 24 minute 5k runner is running much hard and closer (% wise) to their maximum pace.

This is one of the reasons I said 25 seconds slower/mile at the LEAST! Most of the time it is better (and safer) to be 30-35 seconds slower per mile.

Another thing to consider with these two runners is that a 20:00 tempo for the 14:00 guy is 6 minutes longer than his 5k, while it is 4 minutes shorter for the 24:00 girl (or guy). The girl is only running about 2.5 miles and the guy is running about 4 miles. Now who is working harder?

For the typical competitive runner who's 5k is in the 14:00-17:00 range, going 25-35 (most of the time around 30) sec/mile slower than 5k pace is a good place to start. I'm sure you could find how to adjust paces in a most running books, but I don't have one with me.

Like I said in my first post, running about 30 sec/mile slower than current 5k pace is what worked the best FOR ME. Faster than 25sec/mile slower than 5k pace started to feel hard, left me feeling tired too long, and did not cause much improvement at all.

WWYL wrote:

Another thing to consider with these two runners is that a 20:00 tempo for the 14:00 guy is 6 minutes longer than his 5k, while it is 4 minutes shorter for the 24:00 girl (or guy). The girl is only running about 2.5 miles and the guy is running about 4 miles. Now who is working harder?

Though the 14:00 is clearly doing more work to run at a faster clip for a longer distance, their perceived efforts are the same. That is because they are running at the same percentage (of their 5K PR, VO2max, etc.) for the same amount of time.

Coach DD wrote:

WWYL wrote:

Another thing to consider with these two runners is that a 20:00 tempo for the 14:00 guy is 6 minutes longer than his 5k, while it is 4 minutes shorter for the 24:00 girl (or guy). The girl is only running about 2.5 miles and the guy is running about 4 miles. Now who is working harder?

Though the 14:00 is clearly doing more work to run at a faster clip for a longer distance, their perceived efforts are the same. That is because they are running at the same percentage (of their 5K PR, VO2max, etc.) for the same amount of time.

how do you know that your tempo effort is the correct effort, HR?

deadperson wrote:

wrong..

you would have run those times anyway. its called lifetime K's. you have another whole year of running behind you and you think its just because you ran tempos slower..

Wrong. In one year's time I only dropped my 5k by 5 seconds, and the workouts I was doing in cross the fall before my breakthrough weren't any better. When I started running my tempos slower and more controlled, I improved by 33 seconds. In one year training stupid I improved by 5 seconds, and the next year when I started running my tempos slower and more controlled I improved 33 seconds. I would assume most of reason was due to my tempo pace since that was pretty much the only variable changed.