if my easy run pace is 6 min/mile, what is my 5k PR?

General rule of thumb is 2 min per mile slower than current 5k race pace. But it also depends on muscle fiber ratios, efficiency and what phase of training your in. If you are doing structured workouts I would say you are unable to properly recover from them unless you are running 13 min or under. If you are simply running mileage and doing no structured workouts at the time then this may adequate recovery if your a sub 14 guy. 6 min pace would most likely be in the 70-80% max HR range off no workouts a current fitness level of 14 min or faster w no structured workouts. . Ifou have a higher density of slow twitch fibers this may also result in being able to run faster and recover quicker than a guy with identical PRS and having more intermediate and fast twitch fiber density. So context matters. You could also be someone that has no clue what easy pace is and is over training and over doing it every day.

Unless you're Geb, or Bekele, or Mo, 6 min pace isn't going to be "easy." You may be able to do regular training runs a 6 pace, but unless you're around 13 min. 6 min pace will still feel like you're training and not just going for an easy jog.

In general, 6 min. pace feels like 6 min. pace.

Tell the truth wrote:

I'd guess that for many runners, their 5K race pace/mile = easy run pace/1.3. Hence, our 6:00 guy can run a 5K at 6:00/1.3 = 4:36/mile, which is about 14:20.

Try the 1.3 conversion for yourself, and let us know how it works. Thanks.

For what it is worth, my answer was based on me consistently running pretty comfortably and conversationally at 6:00 pace (+/-5 seconds) when I was running my PRs, which includes a 5k PR of 14:19.

I have an idea: go run a 5k race! I imagine there are some road races around were you can test your ability. Or maybe find an open indoor meet this time of year. If you don’t think that one race is a good reflection of your current ability, run a couple more to get more data points. Good luck!

Your calculations are about 30-50 seconds too fast for my easy pace.

15:22

If you have a speed side limitation, you may not be able to break 14:30 for 5000m, but most who run easy at 6 pace have < 15’ 5000 capability, and probably closer to

I might not even break 17 minutes now so I am pretty slow. I only run 3 times per week which means I am always almost fully recovered and running on fresh legs. I would say my natural pace for a five miler is 6:30 pace. It doesn't feel easy but anything slower than 7 minute pace feels awkward, sluggish and a waste of time. A few years ago I ran up to 60 miles per week, felt tired most of the time and had to start each run with a few miles jogging at 8 minute pace just to get my stiff and sore legs going. These days I can head out of the door at 6:30 pace, sprinting to catch a bus feels great and in the morning I don't need to tiptoe to the toilet. No real talent, only 16:30 back then but I am confident I could break 5 minute mile even now. Maybe that's why going slow feels so unnatural.

6minuser wrote:

Assume that it is not a troller`s post and 6 min/mile is really easy, what 5k PR should i be running at?

About 13:45

It's actually about :30 off based on my current 5k pace and easy distance pace (5:03/7:00)

Smoove wrote:

For what it is worth, my answer was based on me consistently running pretty comfortably and conversationally at 6:00 pace (+/-5 seconds) when I was running my PRs, which includes a 5k PR of 14:19.

If you were running your easy @ 6:00/mi to run 5k @ 4:37/mi what was your tempo pace?

I was running 6:40 for easy, 6:00 for moderate, 5:30 for tempo for 5K=14:10, 10K=29:18, Marathon=2:17:15

I'd put 6:00 easy at 5K=12:55, 10K=26:48, Marathon=2:06

Galen's PRs are 12:58, 10K=26:44, Marathon=2:09:20 ergo he can drop his marathon PR by about 3 minutes.

Here is an interview of Galen Rupp doing an easy run at 6:10 pace. It's at altitude, but easy pace doesn't change much at altitude.

https://www.flotrack.org/video/5360331-galen-rupp-after-american-2-mile-record-thoughts-on-lagat

It was 24 years ago, but I'm guessing I was around 5:00 pace on my tempo efforts. Of course, this was in the era before GPS watches, so those estimates could be off significantly.

In the era of GPS watches, I typically run 6:45-7:15 for easy distance pace and my 5k time has been in the 15:20s-15:40s range during my peaks in my recent years.

But my experience with people I coach has revealed similar results for people in that fitness range. One guy runs 6:00 or so pace on his own (probably on the fast side of easy for him), but typically run :35-:60 per mile slower that when we run together. He's probably in 14:20s track shape (ran 64:40s recently for a half).

I'd only be able to have a conversation when jogging 9:30 pace. I'd be able to talk when running faster, but it'd feel so uncomfortable. I preferred 6:45-7:30

- sub 9 in HS

Most male elites, who post their training to strava, tend to do most of their easy days between 6:20-6:30/mile.

I'm talking about sub-13:20, sub-27:30, sub-2:10 marathon guys.

And how many of them are doing 100+ mpw and are at altitude? There is a school of thought (Salazar was the big one) who has a lot of 5:40-6:00 type easy runs. Some of the Kenyans also do stuff like this. And back in the 80s/90s everyone did it. These days most people suggest backing off another 30s...

Doing 100+ mpw? Quite a few. (but that's the point; slowing down, so that you can do more is better training than running faster and doing less).

At altitude? Not as many as you'd think.

A lot of those guys, Salazar and most Kenyans included, had very short careers.

Running in that "greyzone" is just inefficient training. It targets no specific system (vo2, Lactate Threshold), and targets no specific race pace, but it's a fairly high musculoskeletal stress - so you don't actually recovery while doing it.

Unless you're training for the marathon, I see no valid reason why it would be included in your weekly schedule.

17:00. Not even 12:xxx 5kers run 6:00 pace all of the time.

Not everyone has infinite time like a pro. If you have 7 hours to run/week are you better off doing 70mpw or slowing down and doing 56? We ran faster in HS than college. Why? Mainly cause we were doing half the mileage. Pretty easy to recover from a 6mile run. A lot harder to recover from a 9 mile run after 4 in the morning...