Sub 20 minute 5K

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  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    I did it for the first time last year in a Turkey Trot, but I had just come off training for a 3:18 marathon... so take this how you will. I didn't actually train for the 5k, just continued my marathon training. The previous turkey trot I had run a 21:26, and in that year I added hill repeats once a week, along with one long run, an easy run, and a tempo or speed run. I was up to running 3 6-min miles, with half mile jogs in between as my top speed run before the race. It kind of sucked.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
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    A well raced 5K is wall to wall pain. 95% of max heart rate = OUCH!
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    bump
  • cls_333
    cls_333 Posts: 206 Member
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    Haven't ran sub 20 since high school, but I'm training harder than ever, lost some weight, sounds like a great goal to me! :) There is an article in Running Times (June) about PR'ing for 5Ks after training for & racing a marathon. Sounds like the more miles the better!
  • fosnanna
    fosnanna Posts: 14 Member
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    Bump
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
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    I haven't mentioned it before, but of course my weight has got to be a big factor. I am currently 166 lbs, but would like to be 161. That's a good weight at 6 ft for a runner right? I was 276 lbs 18 months ago!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I haven't mentioned it before, but of course my weight has got to be a big factor. I am currently 166 lbs, but would like to be 161. That's a good weight at 6 ft for a runner right? I was 276 lbs 18 months ago!
    That's a great weight loss. I am 6 ft and 176 lbs. Ideal weight is going to be a little different for different people. Probably a good place to start is by checking your bodyfat % and try to get it somewhere between 5 to 10%. Then you just have to rely on experience to find out what weight you race best at. I would imagine that at 6 ft and 166 lbs you are in the ballpark of ideal racing weight now.
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
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    I haven't mentioned it before, but of course my weight has got to be a big factor. I am currently 166 lbs, but would like to be 161. That's a good weight at 6 ft for a runner right? I was 276 lbs 18 months ago!
    That's a great weight loss. I am 6 ft and 176 lbs. Ideal weight is going to be a little different for different people. Probably a good place to start is by checking your bodyfat % and try to get it somewhere between 5 to 10%. Then you just have to rely on experience to find out what weight you race best at. I would imagine that at 6 ft and 166 lbs you are in the ballpark of ideal racing weight now.
    I bought an Omron BF measurer recently. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it reads around 14.5%. I lost the bulk of the weight on weight watchers, but I think that towards the end the calories were too low and I lost too much lean body mass which I'm trying to restore.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    You are readying for a marathon, not a mere 5K.

    Mere 5K????:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    I know some insanely talented runners (a couple of whom qualified for Boston) that will tell you a fast 5K is a very hard race......

    Exactly. There is no race pain like 5K pain.

    Yeah, if you are just talking about being able to cover the distance, it might be a "mere" 5K, but to race it well, you have to put in nearly the same mileage as for marathon training.
  • dane11235813
    dane11235813 Posts: 684 Member
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    yea that not too hard when your thinking about it from an athletes point of view, 5k is what 3.1 miles right so even at something as slow as a 6:30 pace gets the job done with that, I run one mile in 5:12 so im assuming I could crank that out in about 18 minutes or so but ive never timed 3.1 miles always either 1 - 3 - 5 - 10 - or 13.1 point is just train up and you should knock that out just fine

    thanks Superman. now tell us again about the time you stopped the earth from rotating and saved us all.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    There's some great info and advice on this thread! Sub-20 was my goal until I actually started running a lot. Now 23:15 is my goal. When I started back running in 2010 I could barely manage 30 minutes, but it came back fast. I beat my old PR and got down to 25. This year, I've broken 24.
  • creature275
    creature275 Posts: 348 Member
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    yea that not too hard when your thinking about it from an athletes point of view, 5k is what 3.1 miles right so even at something as slow as a 6:30 pace gets the job done with that, I run one mile in 5:12 so im assuming I could crank that out in about 18 minutes or so but ive never timed 3.1 miles always either 1 - 3 - 5 - 10 - or 13.1 point is just train up and you should knock that out just fine

    thanks Superman. now tell us again about the time you stopped the earth from rotating and saved us all.

    all Im sayin is that if you train seriously for it then it shouldnt be an issue, obviously the guy has it in his sights so im assuming hes a decent runner, I dont even consider myself a great runner, good sure but great not by a long shot I wouldnt even be able to compete at a college level those guys are ****ing insane runners. but a sub 20 isnt an act of god it just takes a little work and thats all im saying. as for saving you...eh not necessarily save but I do work in special ops and I am in Afghanistan right now so while your there being a ****ing douche-bag im over here, so your ****ing welcome for your freedom and safety
  • GaryRussell123456
    GaryRussell123456 Posts: 87 Member
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    yea that not too hard when your thinking about it from an athletes point of view, 5k is what 3.1 miles right so even at something as slow as a 6:30 pace gets the job done with that, I run one mile in 5:12 so im assuming I could crank that out in about 18 minutes or so but ive never timed 3.1 miles always either 1 - 3 - 5 - 10 - or 13.1 point is just train up and you should knock that out just fine

    thanks Superman. now tell us again about the time you stopped the earth from rotating and saved us all.

    all Im sayin is that if you train seriously for it then it shouldnt be an issue, obviously the guy has it in his sights so im assuming hes a decent runner, I dont even consider myself a great runner, good sure but great not by a long shot I wouldnt even be able to compete at a college level those guys are ****ing insane runners. but a sub 20 isnt an act of god it just takes a little work and thats all im saying. as for saving you...eh not necessarily save but I do work in special ops and I am in Afghanistan right now so while your there being a ****ing douche-bag im over here, so your ****ing welcome for your freedom and safety
    I'm 42 and only started running 9 months ago, previous to that it was PE in High School. I'm also not genetically gifted so for me it is a huge deal.
  • creature275
    creature275 Posts: 348 Member
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    yea that not too hard when your thinking about it from an athletes point of view, 5k is what 3.1 miles right so even at something as slow as a 6:30 pace gets the job done with that, I run one mile in 5:12 so im assuming I could crank that out in about 18 minutes or so but ive never timed 3.1 miles always either 1 - 3 - 5 - 10 - or 13.1 point is just train up and you should knock that out just fine

    thanks Superman. now tell us again about the time you stopped the earth from rotating and saved us all.

    all Im sayin is that if you train seriously for it then it shouldnt be an issue, obviously the guy has it in his sights so im assuming hes a decent runner, I dont even consider myself a great runner, good sure but great not by a long shot I wouldnt even be able to compete at a college level those guys are ****ing insane runners. but a sub 20 isnt an act of god it just takes a little work and thats all im saying. as for saving you...eh not necessarily save but I do work in special ops and I am in Afghanistan right now so while your there being a ****ing douche-bag im over here, so your ****ing welcome for your freedom and safety
    I'm 42 and only started running 9 months ago, previous to that it was PE in High School. I'm also not genetically gifted so for me it is a huge deal.

    just train hard my friend all it takes is heart and dedication if you have those two things and push yourself every run you will get that sub 20 and have that under your belt forever
  • nwhitley
    nwhitley Posts: 619
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    You are readying for a marathon, not a mere 5K.

    Mere 5K????:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    I know some insanely talented runners (a couple of whom qualified for Boston) that will tell you a fast 5K is a very hard race......

    It takes guts to run a hard 5K! I know a lot of veteran runners who stay away from them because that all-out effort is so brutal.

    Exactly!! A 5k is no joke! Whoever said it is wall to wall pain is right! That's why I prefer longer distances, they are much easier for me. My 12 year old son runs track and cross country on a high school team. His PR last year was 19:19 for a 5K. He wasn't even in the competitive range. As the top times were sub 16. Try running 3- 5 min miles. That is no joke and I definitely can't do it. My best 5K time is a 22:10 and that was a full out sprint and I almost passed out at the end. Never again. Give me a 15K or half any day!!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    You are readying for a marathon, not a mere 5K.

    Have you ever actually ran a 5k by any chance?
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    A well raced 5K is wall to wall pain. 95% of max heart rate = OUCH!
    Thank God for that, I thought something was wrong with me.

    Everytime I run a 5k race, my heartrate is right up there in the 170s - by the last 800m, I damn well feel as though I am about to burst LOL!
  • Ironman2be
    Ironman2be Posts: 140 Member
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    Try Marine Corps Boot Camp....lol.. Jokes.. but yeah.. i ran it in 19 minutes in bootcamp.. well 3.0 miles....haven't been close since!
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Its one of my goal for this year as well.. And it is Dammed hard.

    I don't agree about it being about the mileage though - try reading 'run less, run faster' which basically says you are better off doing fewer but more focused, high quality training session where you run (3 per week: Pace, interval and long) and do complimentary training such as cycling.

    The best runners in my club all cycle and they all claim that cycling has improved their running speed: the important thing is to cycle at a high cadence rather than using power to get speed: the cadence carries over to your running.

    This type of training puts your body under a lot less stress as you have greater recovery time between runs whilst still keeping your endurance training levels high.

    FYI I am coming down from Marathon training and my long runs are 12-15 miles, Pace run is a hilly 10 K and intervals are on a track whenever possible.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    yea that not too hard when your thinking about it from an athletes point of view, 5k is what 3.1 miles right so even at something as slow as a 6:30 pace gets the job done with that, I run one mile in 5:12 so im assuming I could crank that out in about 18 minutes or so but ive never timed 3.1 miles always either 1 - 3 - 5 - 10 - or 13.1 point is just train up and you should knock that out just fine

    thanks Superman. now tell us again about the time you stopped the earth from rotating and saved us all.

    all Im sayin is that if you train seriously for it then it shouldnt be an issue, obviously the guy has it in his sights so im assuming hes a decent runner, I dont even consider myself a great runner, good sure but great not by a long shot I wouldnt even be able to compete at a college level those guys are ****ing insane runners. but a sub 20 isnt an act of god it just takes a little work and thats all im saying. as for saving you...eh not necessarily save but I do work in special ops and I am in Afghanistan right now so while your there being a ****ing douche-bag im over here, so your ****ing welcome for your freedom and safety
    I'm 42 and only started running 9 months ago, previous to that it was PE in High School. I'm also not genetically gifted so for me it is a huge deal.

    just train hard my friend all it takes is heart and dedication if you have those two things and push yourself every run you will get that sub 20 and have that under your belt forever

    Unfortunately, genetics have a way of making a mockery of your last statement.

    IIRC, even Florence Griffith-Joyner could not run a sub-20:00 5K.

    I think the general discussion assumes that someone has the inherent ability to run a sub-20 min 5K, and is looking for some specfic training methods to help achieve that goal.

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