After years of experience, do you still occasionally run the first repeat too fast?

Maybe I'm a scrub who doesn't try hard, but I tend to have the opposite problem. I start off conservatively to make sure I can handle the workout and then only on the last few reps do I let myself get carried away. The way I know I messed up is if in your example I go out and easily drop a 2:40 at the end of the workout because I predicted my fitness incorrectly from the start.

This is not intended to be an insult, but you really aren't that experienced a runner. Less than two years is really just a newcomer to the sport.

Part of the issue may be that you are paying attention to the wrong things when doing your initial intervals. If you go by perceived effort, it will be pretty easy for you to go too fast since you will be fresh, likely have others around you, etc.

Instead, I try to pay attention to my stride. When I am doing fast reps at mile pace, my heels come up fairly close to my butt, my knee drive is higher, and my arms drive more. When I am running at 5k pace, I get up on my toes, but the push off, and thus the heel and knee lift, are just not as high. I know if I am kicking myself in the butt with my heel during a 5k paced interval, I have gotten out wayyyyy too fast.

My suggestion is to check splits at the 200 and 400 (I even check at the 100 split fairly often) and correct mid-interval. Once you lock into the right pace during the interval, pay attention to what your body is doing: how long is my stride, how much arm drive am I employing, where is my knee coming up to, where is my heel coming up to? Over time, you will internalize those body cues and will be able to get away with doing workouts without constantly checking your splits.

I usually start off a little slower and get a little bit faster as the workout goes on. Probably a good thing though to have occasional workouts where you start out too fast on purpose, then just try to hang on.

Speculator Sam wrote:

Funniest thing happened in today's workout. I was doing half-mile intervals at 5k pace. I was trying to run these things in 2:52, but I ran the first one in 2:40 (My best mile is 5:18). Predictably so, I ran 2:54, 3:03, 3:10, 3:04, and 3:07. I've been seriously running for almost a couple years now, but it seems it's been a while since I've done 5k pace running, so I'm having a giggle at these splits. I was disappointed while I was running, every interval unfolded my doom as I ran the first repeat near mile race pace. Thanks for reading.

1k in 2:40 and your mile is 5:18

You're very bad at the final 609m of a mile.

crete wrote:

Speculator Sam wrote:

Funniest thing happened in today's workout. I was doing half-mile intervals at 5k pace. I was trying to run these things in 2:52, but I ran the first one in 2:40 (My best mile is 5:18). Predictably so, I ran 2:54, 3:03, 3:10, 3:04, and 3:07. I've been seriously running for almost a couple years now, but it seems it's been a while since I've done 5k pace running, so I'm having a giggle at these splits. I was disappointed while I was running, every interval unfolded my doom as I ran the first repeat near mile race pace. Thanks for reading.

1k in 2:40 and your mile is 5:18

You're very bad at the final 609m of a mile.

Why do you think the rep was 1k?

I agree with everything you said, but being a new runner (such i am too) you gradually get a better 5k every few months such the 5k rep pace changes too, so I'm constantly re-adapting a new 5k pace. What I can say is I have become much more aware of what 5k effort feels like and tempo effort feels like thanks to you suggesting me to get Daniels Formula several months ago.

Glad that Daniels seems to be working for you. It's been invaluable to me as a self-coached runner.