breaking 19 minutes for the 5k

H.Shafiu wrote:

hello guys. My current 5K PR is 23:26 and i would like to break 19 minutes for the 5K. I can run around 25-30 MPW at 10:00-9:30 min/mile for the easy and long runs. will it be a good idea if I start to build a base from 10 MPW to 30 MPW in around 30 weeks just to stay injury free (im gonna run these easy runs at 8:20 min/mile pace)? after reaching 30 MPW, i will start adding tempos and some structure. can i break 19 minutes with this? i know i have been running too slow on my easy days to see any improvement or to reach my goal. Thanks in advance. and i am new to this forum.

A bit confusing.

Are you running 10 miles per week or 25 -30?

Your normal easy run tempo is 10-9:30 a mile or 8:20?

To your question. I have no idea.

Adding miles and effort pays off. To that extent? You will have to give it a try, and if it does not work (sufficiently), just run more.

currently I am running 25-30 MPW at 10:00-9:30 min/mile and i do run 3 mile tempo runs at 7:30 min/mile. my long runs are 8 mile at 9:30 min/ mile. I want to build a base which i am gonna run at 8:00-8:20 min/mile (which is the easy run pace sub 19 min 5k on most caluculators). i will start my base building from 10 MPW and progress to 30 MPW slowly. hope this is clear now :)

H.Shafiu wrote:

currently I am running 25-30 MPW at 10:00-9:30 min/mile and i do run 3 mile tempo runs at 7:30 min/mile. my long runs are 8 mile at 9:30 min/ mile. I want to build a base which i am gonna run at 8:00-8:20 min/mile (which is the easy run pace sub 19 min 5k on most caluculators). i will start my base building from 10 MPW and progress to 30 MPW slowly. hope this is clear now :)

You must mix it all, have slow runs, runs at goal pace and faster than goal pace tempos.

Do not find a calculator and decide how to train, find your current level and train.

You will get to your goal in the end.

H.Shafiu wrote:

currently I am running 25-30 MPW at 10:00-9:30 min/mile and i do run 3 mile tempo runs at 7:30 min/mile. my long runs are 8 mile at 9:30 min/ mile. I want to build a base which i am gonna run at 8:00-8:20 min/mile (which is the easy run pace sub 19 min 5k on most caluculators). i will start my base building from 10 MPW and progress to 30 MPW slowly. hope this is clear now :)

This makes no sense. Your current 5k PR is slower than your pace for your 3 mile tempo run. A 23:26 5k is 7:36 per mile. How can you possibly tempo faster than you race?

H.Shafiu wrote:

hello guys. My current 5K PR is 23:26 and i would like to break 19 minutes for the 5K. I can run around 25-30 MPW at 10:00-9:30 min/mile for the easy and long runs. will it be a good idea if I start to build a base from 10 MPW to 30 MPW in around 30 weeks just to stay injury free (im gonna run these easy runs at 8:20 min/mile pace)? after reaching 30 MPW, i will start adding tempos and some structure. can i break 19 minutes with this? i know i have been running too slow on my easy days to see any improvement or to reach my goal. Thanks in advance. and i am new to this forum.

Just tailor a few things from what you learn in reading the book. The best runner is an educated runner... Keep it simple, stupid.

You don't force yourself to run 8:00-8:20 on every "easy" run in order to run sub-19. If that pace isn't actually easy for you, then you are not doing the workout that the schedule calls for.

In other words, easy runs should actually FEEL EASY based on your current fitness. It's not something that you pretend is true. As your fitness improves, your "easy" pace will drop. When 8:00 actually becomes easy for you, then you may be in shape to break 19.

When I was in my prime I was at 16:00 for 5k. In my early 40s I was right at 19:00 for 5k. What is your age? What is your running history? What is your current mileage and pace of long runs temperature runs and current race pace? A lot of factors as going from 23:26 5k to breaking 19 is a huge jump. Definitely break it into cycles. Make a goal for 12 weeks out 24 weeks out. 36 weeks out then a year out. Good luck

If you have 30 weeks to build a base, you can get a lot higher than 30 MPW. Also since you have already been running 30 MPW in the past, if you build up to say 50 or even somewhere around 60 MPW you will see major improvements. You will have to keep in the quality and workouts too but just tone it down when you are building mileage and dont try to do it all at once.

You should be able to get to 30 MPW in 4 weeks max with little to no injury risk. Your everyday pace has little to nothing to do with your performance. Don't time yourself everyday, most days run by time 40- 50 minutes. Maybe twice a week use the garmin and time yourself but don't push to run a certain predetermined pace. Work up to a "long run" of 7 miles one day per week. After about 4 weeks add one day of 8 x 200 at a fast but controlled pace (start at 2 mile effort working down to 1 mile effort), 2 min. or so rest. After 2 weeks of running the 200's run a one mile time trial at 90% effort (not all out) to see where you are at. Repeat this 3 week cycle several times to see where you can get your mile time down to. This will get you some data to use to really start your training towards your goal. Run as many hills as you can. Do "strides" from 80 -150 meters a couple days a week. Have fun, good luck.

Just in case you're not trolling, here are your ingredients for now.

Run 30 miles per week or a bit more, in five runs :

- 3 easy runs of 5 miles.

- 1 long run, building up to 10 miles.

- 1 workout day: alternating between (A) a 4-mile tempo run with warm-up/cool-down, (B) 5k race-pace intervals.

(A) a 19:00 5k runner should be able to do tempo runs at 6:30-6:40 pace. Start at 7:00 and see how that goes.

(B) Your goal pace is 6:07/mile. Keep it simple and do about 5k of intervals at that pace or a bit faster: 6x800 in 3:00, 5x1000 in 3:45, or 4x1200 in 4:30. 3:00 rest should be fine for any of these at first, and over time you can get down to 2:00 rest or less. If that pace is too fast at first, do them as fast as you can handle without slowing down badly during the workout.

A runner like you who has barely trained will improve off of that plan.

Do this for 6 weeks, then take an couple of weeks without the "long run" and race a 5k or two.

If you're serious, let us know how that goes and then we can talk about the next steps.

Threads like this make this place worthy.

You are nice and your workouts are fine except that the paces are way too fast. I also think a 10 mile run is way too long for a 30 MPW runner (30% of weekly mileage in one run?). Without knowing what he can run for one mile we can't even begin to suggest workout paces.