Last year (junior year) my best 5k time was 18:24. Yesterday I ran 16:54. (My cross country season is November to February.) The main things that were different this year from the year before are:
- I skipped track last spring, opting for a few months of easy base mileage instead (I ran track in 2018 though)
- I ran a lot more over the summer
- I increased my mileage from 30 mpw to 40 mpw with about the same amount of speedwork
- I did more way more runs of 8+ miles this year
- I took my recovery days a lot slower
- I spent more time running on hills & trails this year
- I ran less on the treadmill this year
- I spent about 5x as much money on shoes this year :P
- I have been doing core & upper body workouts twice a week this year (did almost no core last year)
- I am probably getting more sleep this year, but I ate a little healthier last year
- I was more relaxed before yesterday's race than I was before any of last year's races
- last but not least, I was not sick for three weeks last October like I was in October 2018
letsrun, what did I do right? what should I focus on to keep improving?