Best intervals session for a sub 20m 5k?

[JonWalters]

I really hope the link between 8*500m intervals and 2k pace is accurate.... yesterday I was in a hotel gym and a bit short of time, so did 7*500m, 1 min recovery at an average of 1:54.6.

Splits were:
1st 500m 1:55.2 28s/m
2nd 500m 1:53.8 27s/m
3rd 500m 1:54.6 27s/m
4th 500m 1:54.4 29s/m
5th 500m 1:55.0 29s/m
6th 500m 1:54.6 29s/m
7th 500m 1:55.0 29s/m

Only reason I didn’t do 8 was that someone else was hovering to use the rower, and I was running late...

It would be an exaggeration to say this felt like an easy session, but it also was nowhere near being really tough. For all of them I was deliberately focussing on not increasing the rate too much (was aiming for 28 on all of them) and for the last three I was slowing down in the last 200m to try and keep the split as close to 1:55.0 as I could.

As such, I reckon I could comfortably do this at 1:54.0, and if I did that in a 2k, that would be a reduction of 14 seconds off my PB. That maybe a plan for the weekend - and another indicator I’m pretty close to sub 20 for 5k.

[hjs]

Don,t be afraid to push the rate. If this did not feel super tough you will pretty easy pull this during a 2k. Sessions like this should feel very nasty, if not you have reserve. Learning to push yourself is part of getting better.

[JonWalters]

Don,t be afraid to push the rate. If this did not feel super tough you will pretty easy pull this during a 2k. Sessions like this should feel very nasty, if not you have reserve. Learning to push yourself is part of getting better.

Thanks for this - and understood. Yesterday was definitely not very tough, but when (and if) I decide to have a shot at my 2k PB I will almost certainly be up over 30 s/m for at least half of it.

By a strange coincidence, I was actually in Amsterdam yesterday and the hotel in question was halfway between Schipol and the city centre...

[hjs]

Don,t be afraid to push the rate. If this did not feel super tough you will pretty easy pull this during a 2k. Sessions like this should feel very nasty, if not you have reserve. Learning to push yourself is part of getting better.

Thanks for this - and understood. Yesterday was definitely not very tough, but when (and if) I decide to have a shot at my 2k PB I will almost certainly be up over 30 s/m for at least half of it.

By a strange coincidence, I was actually in Amsterdam yesterday and the hotel in question was halfway between Schipol and the city centre...

Ok, lots of hotels over there. We live close to schiphol, drive is 10/15 min max. We are just east of it.

Was a promising session then, stuff like that, certainly when you haven,t done that much can boosd your fitness rapidly.