From rmg3@access4.digex.net Thu May 28 12:29:52 EDT 1998

In article <1998052802325000.WAA06970@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
Rick0251  wrote:
>I am a relatively new runner age 47. Since starting running last summer I have
>gradually improved my 5K time from 30 mins to 24:50 (I know, still slow) and

1) Congratulations! Both on starting and on the fantastic improvement. 
  (5 minutes off a 5k is huge!)

2) Not slow.  Granted there are people here who are faster.  But I wager
  that you're not coming in near last, and probably not even in the
  bottom third, of your 5k's with that kind of time.  Regardless
  of these externalities, you're a whole lot faster than you were.

>I find that I can maintain a strong pace for the first two miles but then 
>die in the third. Last weekend I ran the first two miles in under 8 mins 
>each but faded to 9 for the last mile. How can I improve my endurance 
>for the last mile?
>I am doing some intervals (half mile) once a week. What else can I do to
>improve that last mile and also improve my overall time? 

  The ingredients to the mix, as I know them, are:
Long slow distance (for 5k, I gather this should be on the order 
                    of 60-90 minutes)
'Tempo' runs (fast enough that you're _not_ going to try to talk to someone,
              but slow enough that you can still breathe easily.  I'm
              guessing maybe 30 seconds off (slower than ) your 5k pace, 
              held for 2-4? miles)
Intervals -- which you mention you're doing halves.  3-6? at 5k pace? with
              3-4 minutes rest between?  I think more common recommendation 
              is to take 1000 - 1200 m repeats for a 5k, at 5k pace, 3-4 
              minutes rest between.
Easy days -- the 3-4 miles at an easy pace
Rest      -- Don't forget.  Time for the muscles to rebuild.

  I recently realized that I'd dropped out the 'tempo' days.  Their
lack, I think, is why I've had some problems in the later stages of
my timed efforts (that, asthma, the phase of the moon, ...).  Plenty
of long slow, a fair amount of interval/speed work, but nothing at
a significant (but not max) intensity continuously for longer than
race duration (I'm working around 800-1600 m, which changes some 
perspectives).

  Hal Higdon's web site includes a number of training programs for the
5k (and 10k), based on running level.  Don't have the address offhand, 
but I think I link to it from my page at http://www.access.digex.net/~rmg3/ 
(Running links).

-- 
Robert Grumbine rmg3@access.digex.net http://www.access.digex.net/~rmg3/
Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much 
evidence and ease; this great facility makes them less appreciated than they 
would be had they been presented in a more abstruse manner." Two New Sciences