Goal: 5k run with 8 minute miles

Nov 18, 2020

eight-minute-mile-5k

One of my goals for the year was to run a 5k while averaging 8 minute miles. I met it today after 16 weeks of training with a final time of 24:43. Seven seconds to spare!

All organized 5k runs were cancelled this year due to COVID-19, so I made up my own route from the Ballard Fred Meyer to the Ballard Locks parking lot and back. (No traffic disruptions and no other joggers around so I don’t need to wear a mask.) I measured the time and distance with my Garmin watch.

For a workout plan I used the running part of the “sprint” plan from “The Triathlon Training Book” (James Beckinsale). I also took some tips, including measuring my daily “Diet Quality Score” (DQS), from Racing Weight.

5k trial runs

I ran a 5k every 4 weeks to measure progress:

Date Time Notes
2020-07-31 32:23 10:45 min/mile (My garmin watch told me I needed “4 days” of recovery time. Haha.)
2020-08-29 29:27 9:26 min/mile
2020-09-23 27:00 8:42 min/mile
2020-10-21 25:38 8:16 min/mile
2020-11-18 24:43 7:57 min/mile, goal achieved!

Takeaways

  • Training by alternating hard/medium/easy runs really seemed to work!
  • Run without headphones. It’s easier to work on technique, and it feels better.
  • Do the “warm up” and “cool down” routines described in the Beckinsale book.
  • It didn’t feel good to run more than 3 times a week, so I mixed in some bike rides instead.
  • My weight and body fat percentage stayed mostly the same, which was interesting.

4 week training period 1, August 3 - 30

Day Weight BF% DQS Workout
1     25 L2 run, 1.5 miles, 20 minutes
2     17 weights
3     20 L2 run, 3 miles, 36 minutes
4     7  
5 185.4 20.1 17  
6 186.0 20.2 6  
7     15 L2 run, 3 miles, 39 minutes
8 186.6 20.2 27  
9 184.8 19.9 21 L2 run, 2.5 miles, 30 minutes
10 184.4 19.9 16 L2 run, 3.3 miles, 46 minutes
11 183.6 19.7 23 L2 run, 3 miles, 39 minutes
12 183.6 19.6 13  
13       (overtrained, took a break)
14        
15 184.8 19.9 18  
16 185.6 20.1 10 L2 run, 3 miles, 39 minutes
17       L3 run, 3.5 miles, 45 minutes
18       L2 run, 3.6 miles, 48 minutes
19        
20       (overtrained again, took a break)
21        
22       L3 run, 2.7 miles, 35 minutes
23        
24       L2 run, 2.6 miles, 32 minutes
25        
26        
27       5k race! 29:27 (9:26 min/mile)
28        

4 week training period 2, August 31 - Sept 27

Day Weight BF% DQS Workout
1 188.0 20.6 23 L5 run, 3.5 miles, 45 minutes. 5x 200 meter sprints
2     10 weights
3 186.8 20.4 3 easy bike ride, 11 miles
4 188.2 20.6 24 L4 run, 3.9 miles, 48 minutes. 3x 6 minutes (6 minutes rest)
5 185.2 20.1 24 weights
6     9 L2 run, 4.4 miles, 61 minutes
7     15 weights
8 185.0 19.9 28 L4 run, 4 miles, 46 minutes. 3x 7 minutes (7 minutes rest)
9 184.0 19.8 22 weights
10 184.8 19.9 11 L5 run, 4 miles, 52 minutes. 8x 150 meter sprints
11 184.6 19.9 20 weights
12 185.6 19.9   pilates
13 185.0 20.0   (no run, smokey outside)
14     15 weights
15     19  
16 185.2 19.9 11 weights
17 186.0 20.1 22 L2 run, 4.5 miles, 59 minutes
18 186.2 20.2 0 weights
19 187.8 20.4 15 L4 run, 5 miles, 58 minutes
20     15  
21 186.2 20.2 8 L5 run, 2 miles, 25 minutes, 3x 400 meters
22 188.2 20.8 18  
23 186.4 20.2 19 easy bike ride, 10 miles
24 186.8 20.2 20 5k race! 27:00 (8:16 min/mile). Note very rainy/windy
25 186.8 20.1 20 L1 run, 2 miles, 15 minutes
26 186.8 20.2   weights
27 187.8 20.5 12  
28        

4 week training period 3, Sept 28 - Oct 25

Day Weight BF% DQS Workout
1 187.8 20.5 21 L5 run, 3.5 miles, 46 minutes. 8x 200 meter sprints
2 186.0 20.1 22 weights
3 186.2 20.2 17 Easy bike ride, 10 miles, 1 hour
4 187.8 20.5 26 L3 run, 5 miles, 56 minutes. 4x 1 mile runs, 1 minute rest
5 185.2 20.0 14 Easy bike ride, 10 miles, 1 hour. pilates
6     19 L2 run, 4.8 miles, 58 minutes
7 185.0 20.0 22  
8 185.2 20.1 19 L5 run, 3.4 miles, 45 minutes. 8x 200 meter sprints
9 186.2 20.2 16 weights
10 186.8 20.4 22 easy bike ride, 10 miles, 1 hour
11 185.8 20.2 24 L3 run, 5.3 miles, 60 minutes
12 184.8 19.9 14 weights. easy jog, 1.5 miles, 12 minutes
13 185.2 20.0 17 L2 run, 3.8 miles, 47 minutes
14 187.8 20.4 21  
15 185.4 20.1 22 L5 run, 3.3 miles, 42 minutes. 10x 200 meter sprints
16 184.4 19.8 26 weights
17 185.0 20.0 20 easy bike, 10 miles, 1 hour
18 185.4 20.1 21 L4 run, 5.3 miles, 60 minutes
19     16  
20     21 L2 run, 6.25 miles, 75 minutes
21 185.0 20.0 20 weights
22 185.8 20.0 14 L3 run, 3.2 miles, 45 minutes
23     11 weights
24     23 5k race! Time: 25:30 (8:13 min/mile)
25 186.0 20.2 9 easy bike, 10 miles, 1 hour
26 188.4 20.6 15 pilates
27     8 big bike ride, 50 miles
28     12  

4 week training period 4, Oct 26 - Nov 18

Day Weight BF% DQS Workout
1 188.0 20.6 20 L4 run, 4.6 miles, 53 minutes. 3x 7 minutes, 7 minute break
2 186.2 20.3 25 weights
3 185.4 20.1 17 L5 run, 4.5 miles, 55 minutes. 10x 200 meter sprints
4 185.0 19.9 25 weights
5 187.8   15 30 minutes pilates
6     19 L2 run, 6.2 miles, 74 minutes
7 186.0 20.2    
8 185.8 20.1   L4 run, 3.5 miles, 41 minutes
9 185.2 20.1    
10       L3 run, 3.6 miles, 45 minutes
11       weights
12 188.0 20.5    
13       L2 run, 4.5 miles, 60 minutes
14        
15 188.0 20.3   L4 run, 2.9 miles, 31 minutes. 2x 7 minute run (7 minute rest)
16 187.4 20.4   weights
17 186.6 20.2   L3 run, 3.6 miles, 40 minutes
18 186.6 20.2    
19 186.6 20.2   weights
20 185.4 20.1   L2 run, 3 miles, 36 minutes
21        
22 187.0 20.4   run, 2.5 miles, 30 minutes. 4x 2 minute pick ups
23 186.2 20.2    
24 186.0 20.2   5k race! Time: 24:43 (7:57 min/mile)