I'd say go for the 5k. Your PR's 1200 and under seem much stronger than 1500 and up. There will be much more race oppurtunities for the 5k than pretty much anything else.
My PR's are similar and I'm currently hoping to break 15 and posting my training on a thread on LRC "sub 15 post grad training)
800: 1:56
1K: 2:34
1500: 3:55
3k: 8:37
5k (track): 15:14
5k (road, this one is new): 15:41
Speaker of hard truths. wrote:
Just as I predicted, you didn't have the discipline to actually stick with it. Why bother.
lol you a**hole. I'll show you I can get back into shape.
slopenguinrunner wrote:
My suggestion is to focus on the 5k. There are plenty of road races at that distance and your PR might allow you to sneak some local road wins and age group wins.
Although you have a career, it isn't hard to rack up decent mileage running 6 days a week just on 60-70 minute runs, tempos, and fartleks. And that will be a solid base if you ever want to move up to a half-marathon or marathon program.
As much as I value weightlifting in a training program, that assumes weightlifting on top of regular mileage. If I had the choose between running or weightlifting, it is running every time. If you had an injury history or were a masters runners with a backlog of aerobic development, then I can see the benefit of reduced mileage and adding weightlifting.
My concern is more how the physiological and psychological play out. If your mileage isn't high enough because you are weight lifting, how much does your 5k ability diminish? If you are running 16:30s instead of 15:30s, will you still be motivated to run and race? Or do you call it quits and be a bro and go to Crosscult, er, I mean Crossfit?
And it seems like every former college runner that I have seen take up weightlifting gets enamored with the novelty of getting big. Then they get too big and can't race fast anymore. Then they quit running because they are slower. Then they gain fat weight because they aren't running anymore.
I'll never cross over into the crosscult lol. I just want to maintain decent muscle tone and strength, don't really care about size.
Randy Oldman wrote:
800/1500 with the occasional road 5K or XC in the Fall. How old are you?
I am 23 years old right now, turning 24 soon though!
KomLazer wrote:
Any last minute suggestions?
Yes, don't lose hope when you run 5:30.