Target 5k in 2 weeks; run a 5k the week before?

davemunger

I'm not really in top form for a 5k; I've only just started refocusing on the distance after running the Pikes Peak Marathon in August. But the national Master's Championship only happens once a year and I will be out of the country in 2015, so October 5 is my shot.

I don't think I have a chance at an AG placing or a PR, but I'd like to give it everything I've got. Another mini-goal this season is to run sub-18:40 to qualify for "second seeding" at the Bloomsday run in Spokane in the spring. That should be doable at my current fitness level, but I'd like to be a little less conservative than that at the National Masters.

So I'm thinking I'll run a local race next week just to get that 18:40; then I can go all-out at the Master's. Make sense? Or is it stupid to run hard a week out from a target race, even though it's only for 5k?

litsy3

Is there a time limit for the sub-18:40? I think it'd be okay a week before, but why not just wait and do it later? There must be plenty of other 5ks you can enter.

tappae

I'm clearly less experienced than you, but I don't see why it would hurt. During a normal training week, aren't you running more than 5K hard? I think as long as you do the race instead of another hard day it should be fine.

litsy3

During a normal training week, aren't you running more than 5K hard?

Some people do but I wouldn't normally run more than the race volume at race pace in a training session. So e.g. I've been training for 10k and didn't go above 5 miles' volume of 10k pace reps at a time.

Having said that, I think you probably could recover okay from a 5k a week before as it's such a short race. I just don't see why it needs to happen that specific week.

davemunger

During a normal training week, aren't you running more than 5K hard?

Sure, but not during a race week, especially if that is a target race. But with a week to recover I think I should be all right.

davemunger

I think you probably could recover okay from a 5k a week before as it's such a short race. I just don't see why it needs to happen that specific week.

It's not a huge deal except that, as a race timer, I don't get a lot of opportunities to race, since I am busy on the days when most races are. I'd like to qualify for Bloomsday as soon as possible so I can make travel arrangements. As it happens there is a rare Sunday race this week (US Masters is also a Sunday race), so I could do it.

I'm leaning towards doing it because as you say, typically a week is plenty of time to recover from a 5k. I'd love to hear from others with experience in back-to-back 5ks to see what they think. I don't think I've ever run 5ks back to back.

lcyama

i ran weekly 5Ks one summer, and finished with the EXACT same time week 2 as week 1. week 3 i improved because i was chasing after someone. i was unable to PR again thru the next four weeks.

grains of salt: i am WAAAY slower than you, and had only been running for a year at the time. it also didn't help that the weather got warmer and windier each week. but i could actually tell a difference in my energy / motivation.

you, you're a strong runner, and would probably be fine racing back to back. it's only two weeks, not seven.