Sub 20 minute 5k

How long had you been running when you did the 22.52? It is possible to improve dramatically in the first few months of running but even so,  3 mins by Feb is a big leap. Even allowing for your current diet and low mileage. What is your BMI?

Yes the 22.52 was at the Poole Park Run and I went off so slowly because I was chatting to a friend. Could probably take off 30 seconds with more conviction in my run.

1st part of sub 20 min 5k done.

4x1k interval run.

Varying between 4.20 - 4.30 min per k with 3-5 min rest between each k.

That's fairly low intesity for a sub 20 5k. (which is good at this point in your running).

6 X 1k @ 3:45 with 90 secs recovery would be better. (as an example)

You're only starting out I know but just to show what a sub 20 5ker would be doing.  You should aim for your k reps to be 4 mins with 2 mins recovery.

Do you run the parkrun weekly? Doing so would help you reach your goal. Or at least get a few more parkruns under your belt.

Progress at this stage should feel like it's comming on in leaps and bounds. Don't fret if you don't go sub 20 in three months, that really is a big ask. It may take you 2 years but that doesn't mean that that is the end of your potential. It's just that you should really aim lower to begin with simply to avoid injury. If you over stretch yourself now you may set yourself back more than 3 months, so do take it easy.

Upping my mileage to 35k+ per week with 1 or 2 interval training sessions on top. Need to do this training for a few weeks to improve my endurance. I didn't run much over the holidays. I've run 13k so far this week and I will run 10k tomorrow.

I can run a sub 6 minute mile which according to the McMillan Calculator equals a 20:25 5k which I'm 2 minutes off.

So IMO my general fitness need to improve and my weekly mileage must increase with quality runs included.

After a few weeks training I will run another parkrun and see if there is any improvement.

Anyway, let's see how it goes. Enjoying the journey.

Good stuff Tonester, let us know how you get on ....... do you have any kind of long slow run in your training?

Hi Tony,

Good luck with your challenge.

I started running last January to lose some weight and improve my fitness, but only did my first Park run in the June - coming in at 22:06, followed by 20:50 a few wees later.

I was training to run the Liverpol Marathon in the October, so I gave Parkruns a bit of a miss for a while, but came back to them in November and had by the end of the year had run 20:26, 20:37, 20:15 and then out of nowhere came a 19:51!  All of that was really on the back of a long run each week and everything else easy, more about getting used to regular Parkruns.  I've had a couple of 19:45s since, but not done a park run for about a month.

I have since done interval sessions each week for 4 weeks and had tempo finishes to my recent longs runs, so I'm hoping for another decent PB in tomorrow's Parkrun.

Hope this proves you can do it Tony, keep working at it!!

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Good stuff Tonester, let us know how you get on ....... do you have any kind of long slow run in your training?

Every weekend. I tend to post the quality sessions because they are the most painful'

 

Martin King 8 wrote (see)

Hi Tony,

Good luck with your challenge.

I started running last January to lose some weight and improve my fitness, but only did my first Park run in the June - coming in at 22:06, followed by 20:50 a few wees later.

I was training to run the Liverpol Marathon in the October, so I gave Parkruns a bit of a miss for a while, but came back to them in November and had by the end of the year had run 20:26, 20:37, 20:15 and then out of nowhere came a 19:51!  All of that was really on the back of a long run each week and everything else easy, more about getting used to regular Parkruns.  I've had a couple of 19:45s since, but not done a park run for about a month.

I have since done interval sessions each week for 4 weeks and had tempo finishes to my recent longs runs, so I'm hoping for another decent PB in tomorrow's Parkrun.

Hope this proves you can do it Tony, keep working at it!!

I enjoy the speedwork which I only do once or twice a week and I am looking to increase my mileage to 25 - 30 miles per week.

Thanks for the posts David and Martin. 

Tom Rendell wrote (see)

Nice one tony.

Thanks Tom

I would like to say that marigold is an inspiration too. I follow him on twitter and his training for the London marathon is immense.