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Equafi wrote:My fastest 5k so far was just under 30 minutes which is terrible, I know most guys are running much quicker than that immediately following a base build, which is kind of frustrating.

Don't fret about this. First, remember that "most guys" is probably just "most guys WHO POST". We don't really know how most people do. For all you know, you might do better than most. Second, you can only begin where you are now. You're coming from a powerlifting background, so aerobic endurance isn't your thing. Just worry about how much you are improving, not how you compare to other people (who may be coming from very different backgrounds, have different body types, etc.).

Congrats on finishing base building and taking the first steps all-around fitness. You will get to the marks you want with patience.

With that said, I have seen progress. My endurance runs started at about 14 minute pace and are now down to a 11:30-12 minute pace staying around 140 - 160 bpm. My resting heart rate has dropped to 44 - 50 BPM. I really want to bring the pace down even further though.

Do I need to add HIC to green? I'm running 20 mpw, on my way to 30mpw.

Definitely add HIC, but use stuff that will carry over to your 5K (assuming that's your immediate goal). Fast 5, Speed Endurance Ladders, 600m Resets, and hills of all varieties are my preferences.

Should I focus on SE for a block as well? I come from a powerlifting background with no running so I'm happy with my strength so far, but the progress in the cardio department is slow going and I was thinking the SE might help get more adaptations for endurance.

I have no idea whether this carries over to your running, but I think SE circuits (especially a hard Tango) do help burn the butter a bit. If you think your weight/body comp are hindrances to your running, you might bear that in mind. You could, however, get teh same effect from some well chosen general conditioning drills

Equafi wrote: With that said, I have seen progress. My endurance runs started at about 14 minute pace and are now down to a 11:30-12 minute pace staying around 140 - 160 bpm. My resting heart rate has dropped to 44 - 50 BPM. I really want to bring the pace down even further though.

WallBilly wrote:This has been discussed in several threads before but I can't find the threads right now.

To go fast for 5k, it really helps in training to go both

1. A lot farther than 5k but much slower than race pace.
2. A lot faster than race pace but much shorter than 5k.

If you're putting in 20 miles a week but it is all LSS, you're not going to improve as fast as you could. Ditto for 30 MPW.

Take one or two of your running days and do some #2 from the list above.

Do 600 meter resets, or traditional intervals at a track. 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, a few sets of each. Go balls-out.

You could add a "tempo" run at about race pace, which it sounds like you are doing, but you need to go faster for the shorter distances to get the times down.

J-Madd wrote:

Equafi wrote:My fastest 5k so far was just under 30 minutes which is terrible, I know most guys are running much quicker than that immediately following a base build, which is kind of frustrating.

Don't fret about this. First, remember that "most guys" is probably just "most guys WHO POST". We don't really know how most people do. For all you know, you might do better than most. Second, you can only begin where you are now. You're coming from a powerlifting background, so aerobic endurance isn't your thing. Just worry about how much you are improving, not how you compare to other people (who may be coming from very different backgrounds, have different body types, etc.).

Congrats on finishing base building and taking the first steps all-around fitness. You will get to the marks you want with patience.

With that said, I have seen progress. My endurance runs started at about 14 minute pace and are now down to a 11:30-12 minute pace staying around 140 - 160 bpm. My resting heart rate has dropped to 44 - 50 BPM. I really want to bring the pace down even further though.

Do I need to add HIC to green? I'm running 20 mpw, on my way to 30mpw.

Definitely add HIC, but use stuff that will carry over to your 5K (assuming that's your immediate goal). Fast 5, Speed Endurance Ladders, 600m Resets, and hills of all varieties are my preferences.

Should I focus on SE for a block as well? I come from a powerlifting background with no running so I'm happy with my strength so far, but the progress in the cardio department is slow going and I was thinking the SE might help get more adaptations for endurance.

I have no idea whether this carries over to your running, but I think SE circuits (especially a hard Tango) do help burn the butter a bit. If you think your weight/body comp are hindrances to your running, you might bear that in mind. You could, however, get teh same effect from some well chosen general conditioning drills

BlackPyjamas wrote:Add in some speed but don't neglect your LSS. The 5k is mostly aerobic as others have pointed out. Aerobic training should make up the bulk of your conditioning sessions with about a third of it dedicated to tempo work in the form of Fast 5, hills, track workouts.