Title says it. I'm a junior in college (a female). This season, I built up to and maintained 40-45mpw (historically maintained around 35 and peaked no higher than 42 due to injuries). I haven't been seeing great results in the 5k, despite training for it specifically. My PR, which is over a year old now, is 19:25. This season, I've managed a 20:00 on a 45 mile week and a 19:40 on a down week of 30 miles.
I've run workouts that indicate a faster time (6x800 in 3:04 and had enough in the tank to run a 400 in 80 afterwards), but in races, my legs just won't go. I end races unable to stand, but feeling like I could have kept going from a cardio standpoint.
Fast forward to this week. I didn't run all week due to shin splints and a bad cold. Did light swimming, and some painful lifting on Wednesday (that left me with very sore legs), but that's it. Last night, I popped off a 5:34 mile in a time trial with teammates. Although it was technically a race scenario, I was out in front by 400m, so no one was pushing me. I also only race the mile once per year at time trials, so I don't know how to pace it. I ended the race feeling like it was a strong effort, but I definitely could have gone a few seconds faster, possibly sub 5:30. Also, it was a ten second PR. My previous PR of 5:44 was run last year, a few weeks after I ran my 5k PR. My workouts this season have all been tempos or longer repeats no faster than 3k pace, so it's not like my training is middle distance focused, either.
So, what gives? Am I just naturally better at middle distance? How is it that I can easily run a ten second PR in the mile when I can't touch my 5k PR? Is it mental? I tried a bunch of race equivalency calculators and they all indicate I should be going faster in the 5k. Even on the high mileage week, where I only managed a 20:00 5k, I doubled later that day to run a 2:34 800m-- which was a 2 second PR, and my first 800m in almost a year.
I don't think it's iron, because I had low iron for a season in high school. I know what that feels like, and I take supplements now. The shin splints and sickness at the same time points to overtraining, but I built up mileage *very* conservatively due to my history of injuries, and shin splints have always been a part of my life in track season. My body just doesn't like the harder surface and turns.
Any ideas? Do I just need to find a friend to pace me to 19:00 in a 5k and hang on for dear life? Thanks.