Chasing times

RoadRunner2016

Long time lurker here. I've been following a few of the training logs with interest and feel like I could really benefit from having one of my own.

My big goal at the moment is a sub 20 5k.
My current PB is close but I feel like I'm stuck in a rut and haven't seen much improvements in the past 6 months or so.

Background
30 year old female runner, I've been running regularly for about 4 years and joined the local club about 2 years ago. I've noticed some big improvements since I joined the club and started doing regular speed sessions but the improvements have stalled in the past few months.

Current PBs
1 mile 5:59
5k 20:20
10k 44:05
HM 1:47:10
Marathon 3:59:20

Training
I currently run about 20-25 mpw, comprising:
An interval session with the club
A tempo run (3 x 1 mile or 20 mins continuous or similar)
A long slow run (8 miles)
Two easy runs of 40 mins, one with 4 x 15 second hill reps

Based on my current PBs I think I'm lacking in endurance so will try and increase my mileage.
I would appreciate any other advice in relation to my training and how to improve my 5k time.
I really want to crack the sub 20 this year!

Thanks for reading.

denis b

Best of luck with the log R^2 2016. The only thing that strikes me is what you pointed out yourself.....the tail off. Perhaps there is a tale in the Marathon time.


Enjoy.

denis b

Best of luck with the log RoadRunner2016. The only thing that strikes me is what you pointed out yourself.....the tail off. Perhaps there is a tale in the Marathon time.


Enjoy.

RoadRunner2016

Thanks Denis!

There isn't really a marathon tale - I've only done one & the plan was to stick strictly to 4 hour pace for fear of blowing up & not enjoying it! Although I don't think I could have gone much further under 4 ours even if I did try to test my limits a bit more.

And looking at my HM & 10k times as well there definitely is an endurance problem which needs to be tackled!

Edit - Sorry just realized my marathon time should read 3:59 and not 4:59!

RoadRunner2016

Saturday
6 miles, alternating 3 x easy & 3 x tempo.
Ran this by feel as garmin was out of action.
Easy miles were roughly 11 min miles.
Tempo miles were roughly 8 min miles.

Sunday
8 mile slow run - 90 mins
Average pace per mile - 11'15

Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Session: 400m, 800m, 1200m, 1200m, 800m, 400m
Times were:
400m: 1'40
800m: 3'24
1200m: 5'09
1200m: 5'08
800m: 3'25
400m: 1'36

Wednesday
4 miles easy
Pace per mile - 10'57

Thursday
4 miles easy including 4 x 15 second hill sprints to finish
Pace per mile - 11'10

Friday
Rest

Bungy Girl

Hi! and welcome .

Those are some really nice PBs, especially for the shorter distances. I just have a few thoughts and hopefully others will jump on with their 2 cents too.

As you said yourself you need to increase your mileage. Take care to do this slowly and gradually. Something that really helped me to build endurance last year was a period of base building and I was able to bring my half marathon time down more in line with the other distances.

If the 5K is your priority now then I'd suggest that your try to do your intervals at current 5K pace. Based on 20:20, if you feel that is your current form, then the reps should be a bit quicker than those you mention above (1:38/400m, 3:15/800m, 4:53/1200m would equate to your current 5K speed)

I suppose one caveat would be not to try to do everything at once. Maybe spend a few months on the 5K and then later in the year work on your endurance. Or vice versa. Plenty of people on here wiser than me who should be able to advise or you could talk to the coaches at your club for advice too.

RoadRunner2016

Thanks Bungy Girl for the advice!
I had a feeling I was probably going slightly too slow on the intervals - going to try and hit those suggested times at the next session!

Bungy Girl

Have a look at this calculator. You can work out race paces, training paces and equivalent times based on a recent race.