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

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Jan 2022
11:15pm, 15 Jan 2022
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njosmith
Can anyone recommend a good sub 20 min 5k training plan? This is my natural home (5km pb 20:09) but I am keen to make a concerted effort at sub 20 this year.
Jan 2022
11:11am, 17 Jan 2022
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RichHL
I wrote one for a Summer of Speed thing at C&C a few years back. I'll see if I can find it and add it to the training plans here.
Jan 2022
4:25pm, 17 Jan 2022
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auburnette
@njo my own (not especially educated) view would be that you might need a plan which has more work than you've done previously at VO2max or faster than 5k pace. That's just based on the observation that your WAVA is maintained pretty well all the way up to marathon (you have a faster marathon than my husband who has run 19.30 and a sub 40 10k).

Therefore you might have a bit of a bias towards endurance and need more fast stuff to get the legs turning over in a way that suits 5k. I am the opposite, I've got a strong bias towards 5k and under and tail off more the longer it gets unless i work hard at building an aerobic base and really running my long runs slowly.

Not a coach or anything so just my observation.
Jan 2022
5:00pm, 17 Jan 2022
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RichHL
That plan was on an old laptop which is refusing to fire up now.
Jan 2022
6:01pm, 17 Jan 2022
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Dvorak
(Did you email it out, Rich? Might have a copy that way.)
Jan 2022
8:44pm, 17 Jan 2022
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njosmith
Hi auburnette, I very much agree. my best 5k time came when I was doing regular 400m and 800m intervals. I could make a plan and a guess the specifics are not super important as long as it is reasonably sensible. There seem to be lots of marathon and half plans available but not so many 5k plans.
Jan 2022
11:32pm, 17 Jan 2022
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RichHL
I can't really remember, Dvorak. It's more likely I was sharing it through the club somehow.

I could come up with something generic again. I like the challenge.
Jan 2022
12:43pm, 18 Jan 2022
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Pam runs
Run less run faster has a 5k plan where it has 3 key runs a week based on your current 5k time.
Jan 2022
2:49pm, 18 Jan 2022
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auburnette
@njo i once got a plan from "the5krunner" - it seemed pretty good and i did get an improvement although i suspect it's a standard plan adjusted for paces. He's more of a triathlon specialist but does have an interest in 5k as the name would suggest!
Jan 2022
6:18pm, 18 Jan 2022
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RichHL
I've found that plan I wrote. It's crap. I need to rewrite it. The intervals are too long, and there are too many of them. I've changed my way of thinking on 5k training of late. I prefer to see athletes hitting quick paces for shorter distances then building up. I would add really easy recovery runs the day after effort sessions, and cross-train on a bike or in the pool for endurance, strength and flexibility. S&C is important as well and I'd include the sort of drills and bodyweight circuits session I run on a Thursday night.

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