5k - the no-man's land between 20min and 25min...

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auburnette May 2008 7:24pm, 4 May 2008 5 posts	0 auburnette I just ran a sub 25min 5k but am now in the "no man's land" where there are no attractive numbers to break With this in mind, perhaps it's time to start concentrating on pace instead: a 24.50 5k is a 7.59 pace, a 24.05 is a 7.45 pace, a 23.20 is a 7.30 pace, a 22.32 is a 7.15 pace, a 21.40 is just under a 7 minute mile, a 21.00 is a 6.45 pace, a 20.12 is a 6.30 pace, and after that it's time to break the magic 20.00 barrier. So, my current PB is 24.43 - next target looks like I should be trying to get around 24.00. Who else is in no man's land? Please feel free to share training tips and/or magic speed-increasing track sessions. My current training schedule tends to be around 25-30mpw. One long run of 10 ish miles at the weekend (I am actually training specifically for 10k but hoping to bring 5k time down in the process), 5k time trials on Saturdays, tempo run on Tuesday, Wednesday varies between easy and tempo (running with club), Thursday is track. I am especially interested in track sessions at the moment as I feel like the ones my 10k training program suggests aren't challenging enough.
GregP May 2008 7:45pm, 4 May 2008 572 posts	0 GregP I hope to join this area later this month. My official Fetch 5k PB is something hideous, mainly because the only 5ks I do are either off road (the excellent Langdon 5k series) or off the bike. Stay tuned.
Velociraptor May 2008 7:46pm, 4 May 2008 3,173 posts	0 Velociraptor Me me me me me! Would like to crack 22 sometime. Unlikely ever to crack 20
Hendo May 2008 7:49pm, 4 May 2008 16,878 posts	0 Hendo My first ever 5k is on Wednesday. I have not got a scooby what or how to pace it!
jangles May 2008 7:51pm, 4 May 2008 447 posts	0 jangles I'm racing my first timed 5k in mid June and I've timed myself at 24:50ish. Would like to be faster.
Snapstinget May 2008 7:59pm, 4 May 2008 732 posts	0 Snapstinget me I can see cracking 22 again as a realistic possibility ... sometime in the next two years I think practice makes perfect - it's worth doing as many 5ks as you can find I have done 23:2X trying really hard - and the same time more or less by accident, without trying hard at all - within weeks of each other Hendo - it may not be a good idea to go out at 800 metre pace. But apart from that ...
auburnette May 2008 8:03pm, 4 May 2008 6 posts	0 auburnette Hendo - I've read a few times that it is possible to run too fast at the start of a 5k and still be ok, but I think it's a poor strategy because it does take a while for your body to realise if you are going too fast. And there's a difference between a pace that's 10 sec/mile too fast and one that is 20 sec/mile too fast - the first hurts you, but the second REALLY hurts you. If you go too fast, kms 3 to 5 are abysmal. Probably safer to set off at something that feels very marginally faster than 5 mile pace, and then increase gradually. By km 3 you will probably be able to tell if your pacing is ok. I think the "set off hard" advice only works once you are already very sure of what your 5k pace is - otherwise it's just too tempting to set off like a rocket and completely blow up by km 3.
runnerbean May 2008 8:19pm, 4 May 2008 22,752 posts	0 runnerbean me me , i need 7.15 pace:-(
Vicksta May 2008 8:23pm, 4 May 2008 2,450 posts	0 Vicksta I have a series of 3 races (starting tuesday). Its on a really hilly course though. I am hoping to do 22:30 or something like that, but it is possibly optimistic.
danny wilde May 2008 8:25pm, 4 May 2008 10,178 posts	0 danny wilde Hendo, you'll probably find that unless you're at the front you'll get slightly boxed in from the start. This will stop you going off like a rocket and by the time you get a free run you'll be able to hold that pace until the end. Basically, run as fast as you can without puking