Could Bekele break 15:30 for the 5K off of 5 miles a week?

correction.. he could stop after the 2 years of 5mpw then break 15:30. That's not that fast. It is for slow people like us but not for talented as f*** people like bekele

I think people are getting tripped up by the specific time of 15:30. Yeah that's faster than a lot of us on this board will sniff even at 80 miles per week, but keep in mind that 15:30 is about 3 minutes slower than Bekele's best.

A better question to ask would be:

Can someone run within 3 minutes of their PR on just 5 miles a week? I think most people could.

Apparently, Amby Burfoot thinks so!

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2009/08/aug-30-yo-dathan-and-alberto-ive-got-a-new-training-plan-for-you.html

Jeez sub 4, lighten up. Your panties are all in a bunch for no reason. Everybody likes to think hard work will take them places, but it's all about natural talent. I bet Bekele could go sub 15 without any training whatsoever. Some guys running 70-100 mpw never even break 15:30. What about dunking a basketball? If you keep practicing to eventually dunk a basketball, will you do it? No, because you don't have the talent. If you start chucking footballs at tires all day, will you make it to the NFL? No way. I suck at running, not because I don't train hard, but because I don't have the talent.

Correct. A trained runner of average ability could take a year off and run within 3 minutes of their pr for 5k. If the athlete never trained, then it would be difficult. But Bekele is the very best of all time. I'd say if he never trained for running but played pickup soccer a few days per week, he could certainly run 15:30 with 5 miles of running.

Everyone is missing the point. Bekele would not have the massive aerobic base of running to school every day as a child that many Ethiopians have that enable them to become professional runners when they reach adulthood without much "organized running." No way in hell he could run a 15:30 with only a few months of 5 miles a week and a sedentary lifestyle up to that point.

i took about 2 years off and jumped in a 5k at my friend's urging. i did 2 days of training before the race and one of those days was helping him through a hill workout (horrible idea for your first run in 2 years and 2 days from a race). i ended up running 1809. i am a no talent ass clown and if i can do 1809 from nothing, bekele can surely do 1530 from nothing.

What could a 17 minute 5ker run a 5k in with no fitness whatsoever? Like, a completely sedentary lifestyle for a year.

What could Bekele, a 12:37 guy, run a 5k in with no fitness whatsoever? Like, a completely sedentary lifestyle for a year.

How much does training really make you improve?

Your friend must suck if you helped him through a hill workout after two years of no running. I'm calling BS on your claim also.

The subject was a little misleading but the message is ridiculous. Starting from scratch? He wouldn't be Bekele, would he. That's like asking, could other similar looking ethiopians break 15:30 for a 5k off 5 miles a week:

No. I've never thought that genetics has a whole lot to do with distance running. Distance runners are good because of the cumulation of every damn thing they've done over every friggin' day of their lives. Bekele, for example, because of running as a schoolboy, because of taking up serious training as a teenager/young adult, being inspired, being from a certain time and place and having art and existential mortal appreciation flowing through his veins, and an incredible amount of DMT in his pineal gland. This latter part, is not proven, but I've thought, from my own experience, goes hand in hand with the determination behind such hard work.

ges wrote:

Apparently, Amby Burfoot thinks so!

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2009/08/aug-30-yo-dathan-and-alberto-ive-got-a-new-training-plan-for-you.html

But there's little to no evidence saying 100 is better than 40. Amby Burfoot

yes

espesically for ritz

he'd have to cut cals thought

a lot of the 100 miles is so you can eat garbage

Yes, absolutely yes. There are plenty of stories of kids just starting out who run great times with no training. Bekele would be at the top of the list.

Depends, will he make any money doing it? If you're framing the question as if he were born in America, with the same genes, and that training, I would say yes, he breaks 15:30. If you're framing the question as though he's living in Ethiopia with an American lifestyle (though not the resources) then I'd say no chance in hell.

It's hard to keep a tally of responses since some people post twice, but it looks like about 6 to 4 in favor of Bekele being able to do it.

Unless you add me to the mix. I vote "no". 15:30 is too fast for someone with zero base and only 5pw training. Even for Bekele.

So it looks like the OP may not have to retire just yet.

Instead of retiring he should think how he could take it to the next level.

Increasing mileage something that would obviously work if you are under 40 mi/week.

Changing the intensity for the run mileage enough ways to do that.

2 years of 5 miles per week? Maybe. I don't know about Bekele, but Sydney Maree ran a 3:57 mile off of soccer training. However, all is not lost! Maree topped out at 3:48. There's more to endpoint potential than the ability to run quickly off of little training. Rob de Castella consistently finished midpack when he first started XC in middle school. By the end of HS, he could run 10 km in 29:11 off of 50 miles/week. His talent? Maybe not getting injured (shrug).

I was a 15:30/32:40 guy in college. I took 3.5 years off after college (maybe 20 total runs in between there). I started running again and after about a month I ran 42:50 or something like that for the 10k.

I did get in shape more quickly than a non-runner person would have since some of my base carried over. I know everyone who is running a ton right now thinks a 5:00 mile or 17:00 5k is super slow (I know I did when I was running 70 a week) but after you are TOTALLY out of shape you gain a new perspective.

Of course I'm not quite as talented as the best distance runner ever.

sub 4 dreamer wrote:

Given 2 years to try, would this version of Bekele break 15:30 for the 5k off of 5 miles per week? If more than 2/3 of you say "yes" I am going to completely retire from anything resembling competitive running and just jog to stay fit or something.

No, he couldn't!

one more vote.

He could take 5 years off and eat at McDonald every day and still break 15:30.