Am I In 18:30 5k Shape?

I think you're ready now. I'm running fewer repeats and shorter distance with more rest, and I think I can finish in the 18-18:30 range, weather permitting, based on previous race times. We'll see what happens in my own 5K the same day, but I think you should be confident.

feb 9 is a good day to fly wrote:

I think you're ready now. I'm running fewer repeats and shorter distance with more rest, and I think I can finish in the 18-18:30 range, weather permitting, based on previous race times. We'll see what happens in my own 5K the same day, but I think you should be confident.

Thanks for your response. Please keep us updated. Would love to see how your race goes. What's your goal?

**Update:

Ran 7 x 1000m today and averaged 3:42 (5:57 pace for an 18:30 5k) with an average of 59s jogging rest. It was hard. I could have run 8, but not 9. I ran 50 miles last week and hit my Tempo (4 miles at 6:35 pace) and a long run as well as the 7 x 1000m w/90s jogging rests as explained in my last update. All I have left is my regularly scheduled runs this week including my last 4 Mile Tempo on Thursday and then my taper next week for a February 9th goal race.

So, my questions are:

1. Am I ready to run 18:30?

2. What should my taper look like next week leading up to Saturday’s race?

You are ready if you don't botch your taper. And don't mess up your race pace. You'll potentially feel good the first mile and get all stupid.

I'm also "fast with not great endurance". Sprinting is fun. I do 4 miles two days out and 3 miles the day before. I'll do maybe 8 surges then 6 surges in those days. Mile to 3k pace for the surges. Maybe 10-20 seconds. Jog some in-between.

Personally I'd cut the long run by maybe 20-30%. Knowing how you need to taper is tricky. Take notes on what did and didn't work.

DevinChaulk wrote:

feb 9 is a good day to fly wrote:

I think you're ready now. I'm running fewer repeats and shorter distance with more rest, and I think I can finish in the 18-18:30 range, weather permitting, based on previous race times. We'll see what happens in my own 5K the same day, but I think you should be confident.

Thanks for your response. Please keep us updated. Would love to see how your race goes. What's your goal?

Last week: 20 minute tempo @ 6:10 pace, then 5 x 200 @ 5:17 pace. This week: 4 x 1200 @ 5:47 pace. I'm feeling pretty confident of being in 18:00-18:30 shape, but if the weather stays bad, I might have to adjust my goal to finishing the race with all my fingers and toes.

**UPDATE:

Well, I buggered it up. I'm injured. Doing intervals on Monday. Tweaked something in my left buttock. I don't really know what it is. It's not my glute. I think it might be my piriformis, though I don't think it's piriformis syndrome. I've been doing lunges, foam rolling and light stretching these last few days to loosen and strengthen it, but it still hurts. Swam on Tuesday and Wednesday, but ran today. Still hurts. It's not terrible pain, but it doesn't feel like one of those things I should just power through.

I'm going to take it easy these next few days. Do some swimming and some running and some strength exercises to hopefully fix the issue. I hope I'll be ready to race in the next 1-3 weeks or so. I don't want to lose the fitness I've gained.

Any advice while recovering? How can I quickly tune back up for a race after backing off for 1-2 weeks?

Well, I took it easy this week. Only ran about 12 miles. I swam, did lunges, squats and lots of foam rolling and stretching. I feel pretty good. Not perfect, but much better. I plan to up my mileage and do no workouts this week. Then resume next week with regular training and see how I’m feeling. Maybe after a couple weeks I’ll feel like I’m ready again and I’ll finally put together a good race.

An Injury always sucks. What sucks more is the mindset of trying to recover from it quickly and getting stuck in the frustrating cycle. I do think you went too aggressive with workouts. A healthy body can take abuse for sometime but don't confuse that with the true conditioning. I say that recover well before jumping right back in. You know speed isn't your weak point. 7*1k with 60" jog at 3:40@1k tells that plenty. Figure out what else is lacking.

Have some restraint wrote:

Sounds like you are on track to be derailed by an injury right before the race.

Not sure he'll be back to say he told you so. Don't repeat the same mistakes.

Thanks for the advice.

Ouch. wrote:

Have some restraint wrote:

Sounds like you are on track to be derailed by an injury right before the race.

Not sure he'll be back to say he told you so. Don't repeat the same mistakes.

Haha. Can't deny how funny that is. Stings a little though.

Good luck with your next attempt. I was in reasonably good shape, but the course for my 5K was covered in ice and no one was running fast times. I'll give it a few more shots later this spring.

Seems to me you were in shape long ago for this. I ran 18:27 in my late 30s and I wasn't doing 1000s as fast as you. I would do either 5 or 6 x 1600 in ~6:15 with about 2:15 rest (jogged 400).

For that workout, I ran at a pace I figured I could maintain for every rep, and I didn't have a goal race time in mind. Ran by feel and ended up with what I ended up. I probably could have run faster but my first two miles were 11:30 and I ran out of gas on the final 1.1.

Taking 7-10 days easy is hardly going to set you back. Ease back into it by feel (don't be stupid) and you'll be right back to where you where.

Do an honest assessment of what you think went wrong, learn from you mistakes and get back at it.

You've proven you can do a classic 5k build up.

Keep us updated. You're closer than you think. Just don't be an idiot and you'll nail it!

Good luck!!!

DevinChaulk wrote:

Haha. Can't deny how funny that is. Stings a little though.

I would relax with hammering these workouts. Stop spazzing out and trying to run as fast as possible. I'm the same height, weight and age, running similar 5k times (ranges from 18:40~19:00 depending on time of year or my training).

Generally, take your last race and punch in the results to any one of the race equivalency calculators online. ie. McMillan Running, Tinman, etc. That will tell you where to run your 1k or 400 reps at: your current fitness level. A big mistake a lot of people do is they aim for a target, say, a 5k at 6:00 pace. So they just start doing intervals at 6:00 pace and gradually getting longer intervals, or more of them, with shorter rest, hoping to one day put together a big enough workout in training that will indicate they can do it in a race. The goal is to train at your current fitness, and each workout is supposed to improve your fitness (the intervals should get easier), not prove your fitness.

Be careful. I haven't read the whole thread, but it sounds like you're running on an indoor track, which I'm guessing has some tight corners. That's a great way to get hurt.. running on any track is.

Dial it back, and go for the long game, rather than trying to rush a new PB in a matter of weeks. We are old.. it takes some time to do it and keep the hard running sustainable. Nice work on the progress and the weight loss. I can't lose a pound to save my life.

This has totally been my approach (hammering away at workouts until I can do them at the desired pace).

I have taken some time to figure out what went wrong. Here is my assessment:

1. Running myself into the ground with 7 x 1000m at goal pace.

2. I recognize that I need a recovery week every 4-5 weeks. 3-4 weeks on, one week easy running. I trained 6 weeks straight.

3. Indoor rectangular track: 152m. Four 90° turns. This was especially bad when running hard.

All easy running for almost 2 weeks now. Will introduce some strides this coming week and will pick up training the following week.

I’m somewhat concerned I’m dealing with piriformis syndrome or some sciatic nerve issue, but I’m just hoping it will go away with easy running.

You're running on a squarish track!?!? I find regular 400 m tracks a bit much sometimes. How have you not destroyed yourself sooner? What percentage of your running is on this track?

whoa!! wrote:

You're running on a squarish track!?!? I find regular 400 m tracks a bit much sometimes. How have you not destroyed yourself sooner? What percentage of your running is on this track?

Sorry. That wasn’t clear. Because of frigid and icy weather I’ve been doing a lot of my running indoors. Did a few workouts on the indoor track. Wasn’t smart. I know.

DevinChaulk wrote:

whoa!! wrote:

You're running on a squarish track!?!? I find regular 400 m tracks a bit much sometimes. How have you not destroyed yourself sooner? What percentage of your running is on this track?

Sorry. That wasn’t clear. Because of frigid and icy weather I’ve been doing a lot of my running indoors. Did a few workouts on the indoor track. Wasn’t smart. I know.

Regarding the injury problems.. could be due to the track, could e due to running too hard, could be to just bad luck, who knows. Either way, sort those out carefully and I would highly, highly suggest not using that indoor track anymore. If they have treadmills at the same gym, that's a better option. Or buy/borrow/rent a treadmill or join another gym until it's nice enough outside. It's easy to get carried away on those indoor tracks because it feels like you are running super fast!

And my advice is to take the last race you're proud of and punch it into the Tinman race calculator, or McMillian Race Calculator. That will give you your current training paces. Run at those paces and it won't be long until they feel easier and easier. If it feels too easy, then it's time to do a race and see where you're at.

Perhaps one of the hardest parts about running is *not* doing intervals at your goal pace, and having trust in the system and that you will get to your goal. ie. "How can I expect to run X pace if I'm not doing X pace in training". You can, and you will. And you won't even get to the start line if you aren't patient in training!