The first group was issued a low-intensity training plan, with 80% of all training done “easy”: significantly slower than the lactate threshold (about 1.12x slower than 5k pace for most runners). The other 20% was split evenly between moderate intensity (close to lactate threshold) and high-intensity (close to max heart rate) workouts. Before a 5K. Rojas typically has her athletes do a two- to three-mile warm-up before racing a 5K. Goodman suggests also picking up the pace near the end to get your heart going. “For a 5K, it 6. Recover with carbs, protein, and more water. Congrats, you did it! Celebrate by replenishing and refueling your body within 30 minutes of completing the race, says Berard. First up: Drink lots Heart rate zone 5 (90-100%) – Very hard effort run for 2 minutes. Heart rate zone 1 (50-60%) – Cool down for 10 minutes. If you’re a marathon runner, for example, typically 50-70% of your training will be done in heart rate zones 1 and 2. Think easy runs and long, continuous runs at a comfortable pace. TheDude--Abides- •. Agreed. the build up to trying a 5k PB is quite tense, knowing its going to be hard work and you'll have to suffer a bit. I think what sets apart some runners is the mental strength. People who sub 20mins generally are a bit more mentally tough and will push themselves further and faster. The marathon is the only race that you can’t easily run in training before your goal race.Therefore, like the 4 minute mile and the 100 mile week, the 20 mile long run becomes a mental barrier that feels like an obtainable focus point. Once you can get that 2 in front of your total for the day, you should have no problem running the last 10k Mile record down to 6:40; 1.5 miles in 11:22 just last week; 10k in sub-55 minutes last month; ran over 9 miles straight for the first time in September too! So long story short, keep hitting the road/treadmill and feel free to take it slow, crank out 15-25 mpw, and very soon you'll see some great improvements. Here's an example of a good VO2-max workout: 6 x 800 metres at VO2-max pace with 4 to 6 minutes of recovery jogging between efforts. You should do VO2-max workouts no more than once a week, and to 6week plan. I was recently reading this thread on runner’s world . Basically a young fit guy just ran his first 5k in about 21:30 and has bet his mate he can do sub 20 in 3 weeks. He is not a runner however. But he claims to be very fit and he is prepared to do anything in 3 weeks to I went from 33 minute to 20:30 5k in about 6 months of very dedicated training, and a decent natural body running composition (6'1 weighing in @ 145lbs). However, getting from 23:00 to 20:30 was equally hard, if not harder, than going from 33:00 to 23:00. fxlhk.