Hitting 5k, 10k & HM pace in training

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minardi. Jul 2015 8:50am, 28 Jul 2015 3,014 posts	0 minardi. I understand the logic behind various paces in training schedules and they all look great on paper. But I seem to have the inability to hit those paces when I'm not racing. Any tips on how to hit those targets when on a training run? I thank you.
becca7 Jul 2015 9:27am, 28 Jul 2015 6,320 posts	0 becca7 I can't do this in training either unless I am running with others who are faster than me. I try and hang on at the back of the fastest group at my club. For 5km pace I would need to be running on a track really.
Molesy Jul 2015 9:29am, 28 Jul 2015 2,238 posts	0 Molesy
Derby Tup Jul 2015 9:30am, 28 Jul 2015 16,942 posts	0 Derby Tup Training with people who are faster than you can be helpful. Maybe tag on with their recovery runs or mid-week longer runs. I had a good spring doing just that in the year I set most of my besy times (2007 - :-(:-))
minardi. Jul 2015 9:44am, 28 Jul 2015 3,015 posts	0 minardi. Thanks Molesy I've been once to our local club which wasn't a success. I keep telling myself that I have to give it one more try........ Ideally, parkrun would help with the 5k bit but my nearest one is an hours drive away.
fetcheveryone Jul 2015 9:52am, 28 Jul 2015 16,242 posts	0 fetcheveryone You could pick out some local checkpoints and try to work your way up a few leaderboards. Each pair is typically about half a mile, so you could start with one pair and work up.
Autumnleaves Jul 2015 10:33am, 28 Jul 2015 6,532 posts	0 Autumnleaves I assume you mean that you want to hit these paces as a way of testing race pace, rather than trying to hit them on a regular basis? Most training schedules I've used have a range of target paces, and most training runs would be quite a bit slower than target race pace? I generally find the McMillan pace calculator very effective - but if I found the target interval paces too hard to hit I think I might assume the race target I'd set myself was a bit hard - or that over-training was starting to creep in.
Dvorak Jul 2015 11:10am, 28 Jul 2015 10,583 posts	0 Dvorak No, I have the same problem. Somehow, a pace which would feel pretty easy in a race is impossible if training by myself. The closest I could get would be on a track. Which suggests that the impeding factors are a combination of focus and external factors. The way around that, I suppose, would be to approach training sessions as you would a race, but there's a host of reasons why that's not a good idea.
minardi. Jul 2015 11:17am, 28 Jul 2015 3,016 posts	0 minardi. AL - these paces are not as a way of testing race pace but part of a marathon training plan which bases certain sessions on known achieved paces. I just have difficulty hitting those paces when I'm not racing. Dvorak - no pace feels "pretty easy" in a race! but near on impossible to achieve on my own. I think I'm going to have to persuade hubby to come out on his bike with me for my speed sessions and crack a whip or wave a carrot or something! Which won't be easy if the sun isn't shining and the sky isn't blue (not that he's a fairweather cyclist or anything!)
minardi. Jul 2015 11:20am, 28 Jul 2015 3,017 posts	0 minardi. Fetch - I'd forgotten about checkpoint. I can't see what to do when it says "click connections to see leaderboards" ?