Does going sub 20 in the 5k take any degree of talent for a female?

Have you raced shorter/longer races before? What kind of times are you putting up in those?

Keep in mind that a 20 min 5k for a female is like 18 min for a guy.

It takes time and lots of miles to get there, especially if you aren't talented.

With a sub 20 min 5k you can probably get on the podium at your local 5ks (speculating)

45 mpw is ok, but it's not really a lot. It's quite low actually. I would make a goal to increase that mileage to 60 in the next 1-2 years if your goal is to get faster.

I'm an old, fat, asthmatic dude, but I can give you some basic info since I took up running later in life and my 5k PR is just under 20 minutes at bmi of 25.

When I ran 19:45 I was able to run a 5:30 mile and a sub-1:30 HM. I was running one or two times per week with faster runners. We did hill sprints, Indian runs, stepped intervals (800, 1200, 1600, and back down). My overall mileage was about the same as yours. I could do a half dozen track repeats of 400m at 80s each and could easily break 30s for a single 200m in trainers.

The only non-collegian/hs competitive female runners I've known who could drop under 20 minutes for 5k had a lot of talent and put in the work.

In the loop wrote:

I'm an old, fat, asthmatic dude, but I can give you some basic info since I took up running later in life and my 5k PR is just under 20 minutes at bmi of 25.

When I ran 19:45 I was able to run a 5:30 mile and a sub-1:30 HM. I was running one or two times per week with faster runners. We did hill sprints, Indian runs, stepped intervals (800, 1200, 1600, and back down). My overall mileage was about the same as yours. I could do a half dozen track repeats of 400m at 80s each and could easily break 30s for a single 200m in trainers.

The only non-collegian/hs competitive female runners I've known who could drop under 20 minutes for 5k had a lot of talent and put in the work.

If you could actually easily break 30 in trainers you'd be a hell of a lot faster.

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

Have you raced shorter/longer races before? What kind of times are you putting up in those?

100m 14.7

400 1:20

800 2:55

Mile 6:11 (current fitness is 6:35 as I did a time trail the other day)

1.5 mile 10:00

5k 22:30

10k 47

HM 1:47

Every time range needs a degree of talent 20 minutes for females is pretty rarefied air.

You would need to be more detailed with your previous training and your level of basic speed.

Some people can't even sprint at 20 minute pace.

Your sleep and diet are not factors of any significant degree.

In the loop wrote:

I'm an old, fat, asthmatic dude, but I can give you some basic info since I took up running later in life and my 5k PR is just under 20 minutes at bmi of 25.

When I ran 19:45 I was able to run a 5:30 mile and a sub-1:30 HM. I was running one or two times per week with faster runners. We did hill sprints, Indian runs, stepped intervals (800, 1200, 1600, and back down). My overall mileage was about the same as yours. I could do a half dozen track repeats of 400m at 80s each and could easily break 30s for a single 200m in trainers.

The only non-collegian/hs competitive female runners I've known who could drop under 20 minutes for 5k had a lot of talent and put in the work.

I don't mind putting in the work at all, I am currently on about 30 MPW and if my body works with me, I am aiming to double that before christmas. I usually do my 400 repeats at 85-95 sec with full recovery. Working on building up to 20 repeats per workout (and faster recovery).

How old are you? Age has a huge impact on your ability to run certain times.

she mentioned she's 24, still a pup, so age won't be a limiting factor at all.

I would honestly spend 6-8 weeks running easy and accumulating mileage to around 40-50 per week, and then start adding threshold workouts like cruise intervals and 20 minute tempo runs, with 5k pace sessions like 5x1000, 6x800, 4x1200, 10x600 added later on. This sort of bread and butter training plan should get you there

Consistency is the key to success. Get in 3-5 runs every week for a year. At least one run per week should be a workout, not necessarily very hard. But don't take weeks off. That will kill your progress. You may stay on the same plateau for a long time, but one day "something" will suddenly happen and you'll fly.

Yezzy wrote:

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

Have you raced shorter/longer races before? What kind of times are you putting up in those?

100m 14.7

400 1:20

800 2:55

Mile 6:11 (current fitness is 6:35 as I did a time trail the other day)

1.5 mile 10:00

5k 22:30

10k 47

HM 1:47

That 100m time is suspect. It makes it look like you are essentially a sprinter but a slow one.

live like a clock wrote:

Consistency is the key to success. Get in 3-5 runs every week for a year. At least one run per week should be a workout, not necessarily very hard. But don't take weeks off. That will kill your progress. You may stay on the same plateau for a long time, but one day "something" will suddenly happen and you'll fly.

Thank you. This is essentially what I plan on doing, I hate taking days off let alone weeks. Not running makes me grouchy. The only time I ever take time off is when I'm sick or injured. I have managed a pretty long streak of running consistantly the last six months though. I have a few races in september, a 5k and a half marathon- so I hope staying injury free pays off and shows :)

And to the guy who said I would make a better sprinter, You have a good point. Maybe I just have more fast twitch fibers and type II fibers so distance running may be a little harder for me. I was always one of the fastest sprinters in my class as a kid which is when natural talent shows most (i'm talking about when I was about 8-10 years of age) even though I did the same amount of running around as everyone else. I have also noticed that my age graded scores are higher for shorter distances EVEN though I have never done a day's training for an event less than a mile in my life.

I also think that 100m in 14,7 tells everything......at least for me :) You can move your feets! :) I wonder what programs and coaches you have been threw?

Anyway.....you have to cut a little time after time....now you are close to 45-46 min at 10 k and close to the mark 22 min 5 k you say is a problem. You only have to take a little step after another....first go for 22 min again....then you just do like this:

mo: 5 miles 9-9:30 mile pace

tu: 10-20 x 400m at 1.42 min recovery= wait easy walking until 120 beats/min

we: 4 miles 9-9:30 mile pace

th: 8 miles 9-9:30 mile pace

fr: 5 miles 9_9:30 mile pace

sa: Treshold intervals, 6-12 x 800m at 3.42 min rec= wait easy walking until 120 beats/min.

su: Restday

Try this until you run 22 min in a race 5 k again and then you contact me again. Good luck!

The Swedish Salvation

Sub 20 for women is probably closer to 17 for men. I live in a huge city and can count on both hand the number of women who run sub 20 in town who were not scholarship athletes in college. 22 min 5k is usually top 3 age group depending on the size of the race.

Unfortunately, body type can be a big limiting factor. 21 BMI does not tell the whole story. If you have a heavier frame, shorter legs or fat storage patterns that put more weight on your legs than upper body, you may have an uphill battle to get to sub 20 (not impossible, though).

Also, there are some people who just have lousy cardio capacity. I used to go out with a flute player in college who was trying to be a professional musician. Her lungs did not have enough capacity to let her play long phrases without taking a breath. She had to quit playing and find another career.

But you never know until you really try. In millennial speak, I would look at the follow 5k hacks:

Hills. Lots and lots of hills. Short all out sprints of up to 200 m and longer reps of up to 800.

Lifting. Strength training can make a big difference from 0-5k for amateur runners. It can help a lot to rid your stride of inefficiencies due to imbalances and weaknesses.

Rabbits. I know it is a bit sexist, but I have found that a lot of women runners do not push themselves hard enough in workouts because they are unwilling to try to chase faster runners. If you want to get faster, find someone who is faster than you and chase them. Hitting perfect splits according to the nice training plan you have often cannot hold a candle to locking on to someone during a working a pushing your self beyond what you believe is possible.

Miles. It really does make a difference. You will be faster running 50-60 mpw than at 40-45 mpw.

Variation. If the training plans you have followed are heavy on short track intervals, try more tempos and VO2 max stuff. Also, look at trying a training plan that has periodization if you have just been hammering the same workouts over and over. Whatever you do, your training needs to challenge you in order to give your legs a stimulus. If you do too much of the same thing, you will acclimate and see no improvement.

Race a lot. 5ks are finicky races. A bad first mile can be the end of it. Get out and race more and try to improve your splits. It also can take 2-3 5ks to get into PR shape. Don't train like crazy and then give up because your first 5k was a stinker. The first one is usually the worst one.

Thanks coach. This could be useful, very similar to what I'm doing now. Where do long runs and tempos fall into the mix?

I hit my PR at age 31 after running for 16 years. Keep at it.

See if this helps; When I was dating my now wife I half jokingly said that I couldn't get married to her unless she broke 20 minutes for a 5k. She found a slightly downhill, point to point 5k and ran 19:36.

I never really considered her much of a runner but she did swim in HS and was doing the triathlete thing at the time. The funny part is when I tell this story to our kids they look over at her and say, "20 minutes, that's slow!" They don't seem to think that having spousal time limits is a strange thing at all.

So the moral of the story is that maybe you need sufficient motivation or cross training or both.

Yezzy wrote:

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

Have you raced shorter/longer races before? What kind of times are you putting up in those?

100m 14.7

400 1:20

800 2:55

Mile 6:11 (current fitness is 6:35 as I did a time trail the other day)

1.5 mile 10:00

5k 22:30

10k 47

HM 1:47

Have you ever had your iron checked? I'm getting mine checked for the first time this week, I've heard of people getting way faster from correcting low iron/ferritin.

For what it's worth, I bet you can run a faster 400 and 800 than your PRs. I'm a HS girl and have somewhat similar PRs, almost the exact same mile and 100m. My last timed 100m was 14.79 (hand timed) so I'm right there with you, and I run high 60s/low 70s for 400m, and 2:40s for 800m. Since we have almost the same mile time too, it seems like we ought to be close for everything in between.

30 mpw is probably not enough to break 20 in the 5k, it isn't for me, so you and I should probably focus on just breaking 22 first. A sub 20 5k for a female does require some talent, but I think you have enough of it to have a shot at sub 20, although it probably requires some high-ish mileage. I'd be surprised if you aren't at least close on 60 mpw, depending on what mileage you ran when you set your other PRs.

Yezzy wrote:

Dennis T Reynolds wrote:

Have you raced shorter/longer races before? What kind of times are you putting up in those?

100m 14.7

400 1:20

800 2:55

Mile 6:11 (current fitness is 6:35 as I did a time trail the other day)

1.5 mile 10:00

5k 22:30

10k 47

HM 1:47

Non collegiate runner late to sport. Broke 20:00 for 5k few times, although I'd say I was more a consistent sub 20:30 runner. Here are my PR's:

800m- 2:40

Mile: 5:33

5k: 19:38

10 mile: 1:12

Half: 1:34

(I hate 10k's, and honestly good ones are hard to find around here, so I've never felt I had a true PR at that distance).

The training run I like best and always felt gave me best results was a progression run of 3-5 miles. After a warm up, start just Under Marathon pace in first mile, each mile progressively getting faster by 10-25 seconds, with the last 800 of last mile as close to goal race pace as possible. There are other progression run formats you can try.

Taught me to hold form and gut it out when tired, along with the aerobic / anaerobic benefits. Did that workout no more than once a week. Got more out of these than intervals, but just my opinion.

BTW, my best 5k times were fairly even splits. Don't expect to go out too fast then hold on. Even pacing!!!

Good luck!