What is a good pyramid workout to indicate sub 19 in the 5k?

not the fastest wrote:

What is a good pyramid workout to indicate sub 19 in the 5k? How is this one, all with 2 min rest in between:

400: 85

800: 3:00

1600: 6:30

1200: 4:35

600: 2:05

2x200: 40

Thoughts?

are you serious? for one, the rest is way too long. you have the 1600 at 6:30, which is eons slower than the pace you'd need to maintain to actually run the 5k sub 19.

why don't you just do 5-6x1k in <3:48 with a min rest instead of creating some stupid wanna-be speed workout that gets way too slow in the middle?

Let's be honest. Sub-19 isn't that fast. Assuming you're a guy and not super old, just do more miles and sub-19 will come to you.

You are right on track if they let you stop for a 10 min rest in the race

4 x 1600m with 90 sec rest gives pace

Or do 3 mile time trial you should be able to race 5km in that time

not the fastest wrote:

What is a good pyramid workout to indicate sub 19 in the 5k? How is this one, all with 2 min rest in between:

400: 85

800: 3:00

1600: 6:30

1200: 4:35

600: 2:05

2x200: 40

Thoughts?

Honestly, I could do that pyramid pretty easily, and I have yet to break 19 in a 5K.

I think you need to account for the fact that practice pace is never as fast as race pace, no matter how hard you may try to ready yourself for the practice session. I would echo the above post about 4x1600, but add a bit more rest. I regularly run 4x1600 with a 3-min interval and it tends to predict my 5k fitness within +/- 5 seconds. If anything, I tend to be a little faster than that pace come race time. Also keep in mind that you should do that workout in flats during a normal training week and make sure not to rest up or taper for the workout.

I am not male.

I will be running this workout alone as well. So is 5x1000 with 200 jog @ goal 5k pace (3:48) or 3-4x1600 @ 6:05 with 400 jog a better predictor?

I don't know, but there are always miracles. There is in the whole country one guy with the same name as mine, he is same age similar built and lives in the same city. I know these because his creditors are calling me all the time. Anyway, until now at least I had my running past to myself, but it seems like that he started to run 5Ks last year. He ran 3 in the 20-22 min range, then one in 16:30. WTF?