Advice to drop my times to mid 15 min 5k

I don't have your history or previous training, but here is my quick help...

1. You are 17. Increase mileage if you can. Do it progressively throughout the winter and summer. Be smart about it. Get up to 70.

2. Do 2 workouts/week.

Tempo/Cruise Intervals - No idea how you are doing your tempo's currently, but I would recommend continuing those at around 3 mile/20 minute tempo's at 1 hour race pace. Every other week, do threshold cruise intervals isntead of the tempo. I suggest 5xmile @ 1 hour race pace with 60 second rest. Or 7x1K @ 1 hour race pace with 60 sec rest.

5K/3K Paced work - Week 1, do something like 5x1K @ 5K (current PR) pace. Take 2 minutes of rest. Week 2, do something like 6x600 @ 3K (current PR) pace. Take 90 secs of rest.

Also, on your easy days, do strides. Take 1 day a week and do 5x10 sec hill sprints for speed.

Goodluck

50 mile per week is plenty to achieve your aim.

you can recover well and keep healthy and enjoy your running.

6 weeks

do 6-8 miles per day on the hills easy to steady for 6 weeks. do a long run of 12 -15 miles and take a day off. include 3 days per week strides of 150 m x 6 with full recovery, in the middle of end of a run is fine. recover fully, if you have 2 tired days in a row, take the next day off. when you're going good go hard up the hills, or at least steady.

6 weeks

then keep up the mileage and do 2 workouts per week something like this

6 weks

get a partner or group and run repeat miles at 5 minutes x 6 with 5 minutes recovery

do 4 x 600 meter hill workout with walk down recovery, and do this hard, where at 400 meters you are having trouble, and at 500m you feel done. recovery is walk slowly down the hill.

do the 6 x strides 150 m easy but fast 3 x per week, they can be used as warmup for the hill run repeats.

3 weeks

back off to 40 miles per week. - easy to steady depending how you feel.

3 quality workouts

12 x 200 m in 32-33 seconds with 45 seconds rest.

2000m to 2400 hard on the track, 5 min mile pace or better

6 x 300 m hill sprints hard with slow jog down recovery

go easy on easy days. and go hard on hard days.

find a group that has guys that do 1430 5k, and try and hang with them in workouts like these.

once the 5 minute per mile pace becomes ingrained, and habitual, you only need to hit the track healthy and you'll run that pace for 3 miles easy.

listen to your body and come into your quality days ready to hit it hard.

good luck, and this schedule should be a lot of fun.

if you keep track of the times, and you rest, your times will come down every week.

How's he going to run 2k-2400m at 5:00 mile pace when he's a 16:58 5k runner?

The other guy advised going to 70 mpw right away from 46. Instead, go gradually to 60 over the next two months by adding to the long run and adding some easy runs a few mornings a week. Do strides at the end of them. 3x2k @10k pace is a workout that will help your strength, as is 4M tempo@1 hr pace or better. Bread and butter for the 5k are 12-20x400m@5k pace; 5xmile@5M-10k pace; 8x800 (200j)@3k-5k pace.

Sleep: 8 hours a night, to help with recovery so you improve more from your training, and reduces injury risk

Training: Your plan seems fine for someone your age. I would try to increase the mileage this summer to a consistent 55-60 miles per week if you're doing 40-45 this winter. One weekly tempo of 15-20 minutes during the winter/summer, one weekly long run, and a rest day once a week.

Real Important: Focus on the process, not the outcome. Try to train well, and let your race times be a result of that, whatever they are. It's a healthier mindset that leads to better results. I learned this the hard way first hand, so don't repeat my mistakes. Maybe you run 15:30, maybe you run 16:30. As long as you've got the process down well, you should steadily improve each season, and every now and then you'll see a large improvement all at once if you're lucky, but don't try to force it.

I think it is a tall ask to shave off 1:30 in less than a year. As the person above advised, focus on the process.

robert678 wrote:

Real Important: Focus on the process, not the outcome. Try to train well, and let your race times be a result of that, whatever they are. It's a healthier mindset that leads to better results. I learned this the hard way first hand, so don't repeat my mistakes. Maybe you run 15:30, maybe you run 16:30. As long as you've got the process down well, you should steadily improve each season, and every now and then you'll see a large improvement all at once if you're lucky, but don't try to force it.

Couldn’t agree more. Focus on developing the right habits, skills and mindset and everything else will follow. Basing your training around outcomes is a recipe for frustration. This applies throughout your running career

Interesting!

There are several factors which impact improvement that should enter into this conversation.

First, healthy eating habits: increasing mileage, as suggested, needs to correspond with fueling the increase. Along with your running plan, you need a strategic nutrition plan.

Second, a long term goal such as a sub 15:30 5K needs some strategic benchmarks this Spring. For example, this track season you need to establish some 3200 meter objectives. If you only run the 800 or 1600 all season, it will not allow you to attain key benchmarks for your long term goal at 5000.

Lastly, don't do this alone. Training partners are crucial. There will be days when losing sight of your goal will be tempting. Having someone to share the path to similar goals will lighten the load.

Good Luck.

Sounds pretty good to be honest.

we need to know more if we would prescribe any type of training to cut 90 seconds off of your 5k. it seems very unlikely unless you were very undertrained before or just recently started running.

please provide more background info.

You have to get pretty comfortable with a pace before you can race it. If you can to 5x1k with 90s rest at a pace, you have a decent shot at that pace for a 5k. But that is just a benchmark workout.

You have to get comfortable with the paces! Strides are an excellent starting point. There is very little energy and time cost to do 5-6x 100m strides a few times a week at 800m-1mi race pace. This will work on your raw speed and efficiency but not wear you out. Do them RELAXED but quick - not straining.

In addition you need to get used to sustained efforts. 4-5mi tempo runs are going to be great for that. Again, quick but not straining and run at an even pace. Let your fitness determine the speed, not some arbitrary race time you hope to run. Daniels Tables are excellent for this based on current fitness. Don't overreach, but steadily try to get a little faster over the months.

More miles won't hurt either. As someone else suggested add to the long run first. You should be doing 90+min long runs and finishing faster than you start. If you can't do that, work to it.

Remember that 90sec faster in a 5K is 7.5s per lap! At your age and training level it may be possible, but it is a big jump. Doing repeats (1ks, 800s, 600s, 1600s, etc) are for honing in on your race pace after you have built the above base of miles, long runs, and consistent strides for months.

Good luck. Post back on your progress.