lucky 13 wrote:
Hey, just another runner here looking to hopefully go sub 14 this summer. Don't have many recent race results because of covid restrictions but I'll be racing soon enough. I know there are many ways to train, so I wanted to get some references so I can get a better idea if going out at sub 14 pace is gonna result in a nice 13:5x PR or a blowup and a very painful 15 min 5k.
If you've gotten under 14, could you please share:
First sub 14 5000m time:
How the race went (splits, solo ...) :
# years training when you did it:
Relevant 1500/mile-3000-10000 prs:
Avg Mileage per week that training cycle/year:
Tempo run pace and duration:
Key workout sessions (repeat k's/miles ... )
Perceived effort in training (did you hammer your workouts or keep it mostly controlled ) :
Any other comments:
thanks!
Have coached two who did it at the Div II level.
1st time under: 13:57 and 13:52 in the same race (previous PR’s were 14:17 from previous year and 14:08 indoor)
Race: They were both around 8:25 for 3k. I believe it was a mid 13:40s race at the front and they sat mid-pack on the rail as long as they could. Big pickup with 2k to go after the pacer dropped (this point of the race is critical - those 3 laps from 3200-4400m have to be pushed) and they were able to close well in the lap. You need a big group aiming for that goal to help tow you.
Experience: One junior (21) and one senior (22) who were running 80-85 mpw at the time. Had been 90-100 during cross country season. Both were 10k runners and ran 28:56 and 29:10 a couple weeks prior to the 5k. I don’t believe either had cracked 3:50 for 1500 at that time, but later that season ran 3:49 and 3:50 at a smaller tuneup meet.
Tempos: You’d be hard pressed to find a week from August through June of that year that did not include at least some sort of tempo running. Fall and winter a lot of longer fartleks and tempos totaling 40-60 minutes (usually progressive in nature) starting 5:30-5:40 and cutting to 5:00. Usually averaged 5:20s for 8-10 mile cutdowns. Not sexy but very effective. When we would do shorter tempos there was almost always something after; start with a 4miler around 5:00 pace and then do 8x200 in 30 or 4x1k in 2:50 or some hill reps. We did a lot of that from March to June.
Workouts: We run 2 workouts a week and a long run on Sundays that would almost always finish in the mid 5-minute range after starting off slow. Up to 2 hour long runs early season - 1:45hr mid season - 90 minutes near out peak. Easy days were really easy, rarely faster than 6:50 pace. And lots of doubles - typically 3 to 5 doubles per week depending on time of the year. I’ll second what another poster said about staying away from 5k paced stuff for most of the year. If we did it would just be a hard 1600 at the end of a workout or something. Only in the last 6 weeks would we do real hard 5k paced stuff (Ex: 1600 + 2x1200 + 3x600 starting at 5k pace and cutting down to 3k pace on the 600s) or (ex: 4x1K @ 5k pace, 4x400 slightly faster, 1k @ 5k pace)
One thing I also want to mention is that our two guys could not have done it without each other. I hope you have group or at least a training partner. At the level it takes to run under 14 it makes a huge difference to have people to support you along the way.
Anyway, here’s a couple sample weeks from our 13:52 guy:
Late September (XC Season)
Mon - 4 AM (7:17avg) / 7 PM (6:55 avg) + 5x100
Tue - 8 hilly & progressive (5:36 down to 5:02) [5:22 avg] + WU / CD
Wed - 13 (6:57 avg)
Thu - 4 (7:25 avg) / 6 PM + 5x100 (6:48 avg)
Fri - 6x1k in 3:00 (1min rest) + 6x400m hill @ 5k effort + 2mi in 9:50 (with WU / CD) in AM / 4 (7:14avg) PM
Sat - 8 (7:01avg)
Sun - 18 in 1hr 54min (started 7:10 cutdown to 5:20-5:30)
Total: 90mi
Late January (Indoor)
Mon - 9 (6:56avg) + 5x100
Tue - Fartlek 6min/5/4/3/2/1 equal time on/off (41mins total @ 5:19 pace - “on” around 4:50 and “off around 5:50) + WU/CD
Wed - 13 (avg 6:36)
Thu - 6 AM (7:18avg) / 6 PM (7:04 avg) + 5x100
Fri - 4mi on the track in 20:16 + 7x300m hill + WU/CD in AM / 5 PM (7:12avg)
Sat - 4 (7:10avg) AM / 7 PM (6:58avg)
Sun - 16.5 in 1hr45min (avg 6:21 ... last mile 5:18)
Total: 87mi
Mid April (1 week before 13:52)
Mon - 4 (7:10 avg) AM / 6 (7:00 avg) PM + 5x100
Tue - 1k in 2:46 + 4mi in 20:40 + 5x300 in 48/47/45/45/44 + WU / CD / 4 (7:18 avg) PM
Wed - 12 avg 6:48
Thu - 4 (7:10avg) AM / 6 (6:55 avg) PM + 5x100
Fri - 2x1600 (4:39/4:36) + 2x1k (2:48/2:46) + 3x400 (62/62/62) / 4 PM
Sat - 8 (6:48 avg)
Sun - 15 in 1hr40min
Total: 81mi