Ww40 wrote:
How the heck did you get so fast so quick? I started off at a 36 minute 5k four years ago, stopped smoking for a year, ran consistently and only got down to a 25 minute 5k /: then I started smoking again and my 5k went back to 28-30 minutes. I am currently running a 24 minute 5k after 4 and a half months after quitting.
I am so untalented it's literally unreal. I'm only in my 20s aswell, I'm also only 120 lbs.. I cannot relate to anyone on this board who says "I ran sub 22 for my first 5k whilst fat and out of shape" ..... I'd kill for the kind of fitness people here think class as slow and rubbish.
I would guess that you had less "talent" to begin with. After I quit smoking, I could run a 22:00 5k literally within two weeks; and as stated, ran my first actual race in 20:20 within 6 weeks. I remember it well - I had no concept of pace and ran a 3:10-ish first km with the leader (hey, it felt good.... for about two minutes, lol)... I then staggered through the next 3km, but managed to pick it up a bit in the final km.
Also, perhaps it's training (or lack of). I was hit hard by the running bug and ran twice a day right from the start. Not because I had any idea that was a specific training method, but because I really liked it. I'm one of those people that has to be the best at anything I try, if you know what I mean. So, I was running 5-7km twice a day almost right from that start. This included a 5km time trial twice a week; sometimes three times (again, no idea of what I was doing). Luckily, I didn't injure myself, other than a bit of moderate IT band issues that I just ran through with the aid of a patella strap.
I don't know what your mileage is like, but I would guess it might not be much...? Try twice a day, even if it's shorter runs. It certainly worked for me.