why do I suck so much more at a 5k

If the 5k was on a xc course or road course, it will be slower.

when did you run the 5k? during xc or at the same time as the mile?

What do you mean by "tons of endurance training" 40mpw? 70mpw? 100+mpw?

baffled wrote:

Can anyone explain why as a freshman I ran a 5:16 mile and my best 5k time was only 19:21. I do tons of endurance training. I think that I need to do more short speedwork like I did during track but if any of you people who are actually good have advice please help

My wife recently ran 19:27 for a 5k and a 5:48 mile. She is training for a marathon with little or no speedwork. With your 5:16 mile you should be running around 18:00 for 5k. You have plenty of speed, but I doubt that you are doing "tons of endurance training" like you claim.

Are you running negative splits? Is your last mile in your 5K your fastest? Or are you going out in 5:45 and then running 2 6:30 miles?

If you have a *good* aerobic threshold, you should be able to handle a 5k in

17:20

A poor aerobic threshold would be 18min +, so you definitely need to think about long runs, and long tempos, and just overall increase of miles.

cross-country I ran like 20 flat for most courses I ran my fastest right after track season but I guess I worded it wrong I didn't mean that I was doing "tons of endurance" I should of said that I haven't done a lot of speed for a few months. As far as my races I usually go out around 6:00-6:05 then the next mile and a half is slow and I do my last 800 at around 3:00

one of our athletes is a 5:09 miler and only a 19:02 5k runner and she does a fair amount of mileage for that level (though she doesn't focus on that event). Perhaps you're just not predisposed to 5k but to improve your time, you probably need more longish interval sessions. 800 or 1200 repeats in 90-91 to 4 miles of volume or so (equal rest or slightly less). With your legspeed that shouldn't be hard but will help your aerobic capacity. The other possibility is race strategy. Make sure you're running even or negative splits to race most efficiently.

If you were a freshman and ran around 20:00 during cross country and then a 5:16 mile in the spring and followed with a 19, then I would guess you are maturing. As stated previously, cross country courses are more demanding and a lack of strength will be exploited. Put in lots of miles on rolling natural surfaces (trails, grass, dirt). Since you do not seem to be a "natural" who tried track as a freshman and ran 4:40, your only chance to excel will be lots of miles. I think my times were like yours, but I was too cautious about adding miles. Shoot for the following: 50 mpw, 60 mpw, 70 mpw over the next three years.

17:20 is much, much better than his mile time.

There is no way that 17:20 and 5:16 are equivalent performances...18:20 maybe.

Yep, he can do 17:42 by at least one calculator (if he trains right).

Calculator, smalculator! This will very from person to person. There are some HS kids that can run a 4:45 mile and still not run faster that 17:30-17:45 and there are some that run a 5:00 mile and run 18:00. Many factors play in here and not just a chart. The runners mentality and how hard they work in practice are keys like we all know.

i think a 5:19 mile would equal around a 19:20 5k depending on how hard the course is...

i mean i ran a 4:40 freshman year but only an 18 minute 5k...