5km Whats Possible?

Some background....I'm 35.....I attempted a marathon twice about 5/6 years ago. Got injured in training both times and just jogged round in 5 hours both times. Then i got into cycling...

Over the past 3 years i've done quite a few cycling sportives and aim to get out on the bike at least once per week for a longish ride (30-70 miles). Until i was busy at work more recently I'd head to the gym maybe twice per week and do an hour of intervals or what not on the spin bike. No running at all during this time.

Due to being short on time at work i've recently (the last 2 months) i've started nipping out for a jog maybe twice a week round the streets of london. After tracking these runs on Strava, my best 5km time so far is 22:30, while my average over the last 7 runs is 24:24.

What d you think it would take to get it under the 20 minute mark? Realisticvaly i'm not going to be able to run more than twice per week but a little part of me is wondering if i could get under the 2 minute mark...

Any thoughts welcome!

el gump wrote (see)

Realisticvaly i'm not going to be able to run more than twice per week but a little part of me is wondering if i could get under the 2 minute mark... 

Wow! That's one hell of a target!  

el gump wrote (see)

What d you think it would take to get it under the 20 minute mark? Realisticvaly i'm not going to be able to run more than twice per week but a little part of me is wondering if i could get under the 2 minute mark...

 

At 2 times a week I think a lot will depend on how much other aerobic stuff like riding you do, and what set of genes you've got. It certainly might be possible.

Of the runs i've done so far i've always tended to start off quite easy ('dont want to get injured') and ended fast ('wonder if i can better that pb'). Only really on the 22:30 run did i try and go quick from the start.

Also they've all been in central london so hopefully i'll go a bit quicker when not stopping to cross the road etc. I had to stop to give directions to a hopelessly lost chinese tourist today!

el gump, can you get to a park run on a saturday  morning at 9am. This will give you a traffic free, tourist free, measured 5k course to track your progress. There are plenty around the London area. Appreciate that work commitments can get in the way, but if not, then by 9.20am you are done, and can have a proper crack at the 5k distance. Beats dodging tourists, taxis and shoppers.

i live in the sticks so will try and get a 'full gas' 5km done on the country lanes (no traffic apart from the odd horse!).

am interested to know what 'training' to do to get my time down given the limited time i can devote to it.

I would say with the amount of training to PB ratio you are on, you are certainly more than capable of running sub-20 minutes. However, your ability to do so will depend on commitment to training. Given a certain degree of natural talent, and the long cycle ride, you might be able to get away with 2-3 runs per week, but only if both of the two runs are high intensity interval work outs. 

For as long as the rest of your weekly training is building and supporting a solid aerobic base I'd throw everything else 'running wise' into a weekly speedwork session and perhaps a weekly 5K time trial.

On the speedwork front you could simply work on 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile reps at a faster pace than your projected 5K time. On the 5K time trial front I'd leave this at least two days after your speedwork, but set a realistic goal and try to run it 'even pace'. If you start too fast you can end up really ruining your time.

agree with also.ran, try and get to a parkrun

have a look here to see if there is one near you
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/events