Now go do an 8 week cycle of 70mpw with some tempos and strides. You will be even faster.
I don't think the idea that faster will make you faster is that controversial. The issue is how much faster and the risk of overcooking it. The upside is probably like 15s over a 5k. The downside is like getting 30s slower...and time that peak can be hard. I know in HS XC, pretty much everyone got better for this first 6 weeks when we went from easy base running to running like 6 races and some workouts. But a lot of people then fought to hold that fitness over the last 4 weeks that mattered. We were doing a bit too much a bit too soon. And it doesn't help in HS that every 17min guy thinks they are a good race away from running 16:30. And sometimes it even happens...