Fuelled by an audacious goal – a 15 minute 5k – I’ve entered a 5k race and undertaken a 12 week training block. I am running the Ross 5k this weekend and I am hoping to shave some time off my 5k PB. This will be one small step towards my ultimate, possibly unrealistic goal to run a 15 minute 5k. In this post, I’ll cover the specifics of my training plan, race-day tactics and how I plan to push to my absolute limit.

📋 Hatching a Plan

The workouts are specified based on pace zones and desired distance. This is a significant change from the way I have been training for the past few years. But running by pace makes sense when training for a 5k and it helps gain an intimate knowledge of different paces and how they feel.

The book is in imperial units so I made a spreadsheet (shared below) with the paces and distances converted to metric units. I also compiled the training plan onto a single page to make it easier to view. I won’t share it here because it belongs to the author. You should buy the book if you want to follow the plan.

See the Spreadsheet Converting to Metric distance and pace

I setup another tab in the spreadsheet that converts the paces into % of threshold pace which makes creating structured workouts in Intervals.icu easier. I now realise I made the mistake of choosing my paces based off my goal time 😬 when in actual fact my pace should have been based on current 5k time. This made for some hard workouts!!

🎬Plan in Action

Training plans never seem to go to plan and this one was no different. I started with the best of intentions but these were soon derailed by the proposition of a winter Overland track run. This was NOT part of the plan, but I love trail running too much to miss such an opportunity. This first derailment occurred on week 3.

After the Overland Track I planned a recovery week. I came down with some kind of virus the persisted for a long time afterwards. My single recovery week turned into almost 3 as the sickness never seemed to go away. I would have a day or two off running then think I was fine and start running again but feel horrendous. This cycle continued and was super frustrating because I struggle to rest for more than a few days.

By week 7 I was back in action and locked in for some solid training weeks. At the beginning of week 10 crisis struck. I ran into a stationary car and gave myself a nausea inducing quad corky. I limped home and lay prostrate on the lounge room floor moaning in pain for an hour or so while my housemates watched with concern that soon became amusement. The pain was so intense at the time I was worried about how long I’d be off running. The next day I was hobbling around struggling to walk. By the following day I was able to walk / run to the gym and do some elliptical. Then on the third day I rose again!!

In my household the car incident became folklore. Ziggy went as far as to re-enact the incident as part of the investigation. You can see his re-enactment on this Strava activity. The main finding is that old Datsun’s are solid and unforgiving. I was able to salvage a decent week from the wreckage and get a tempo run and a long run in for the week.

Week 11 was another solid week. I managed to do both workouts feeling strong and confident and rounded out the week with a good long run. I’ve compiled a summary of my training weeks below. As you can see the build was less than ideal. I hope to have another crack at the plan next year and aim for better compliance.

📊Training Log

Week	Key Workouts	Total Km	Notes / Compliance
01	10 x 30s (3k) [1m] 8 x 1m (10k) [1m]	77	🟡ok week
02	8 x 2m (5k) [3m] 10 x 30s hill repeats	85	✅ solid week
03	6 x 3m (5k) [3m]	109	🏔Overland track run
04	No workouts	35	🤧 Sick and tired
05	2 x 10m (HM Tempo) [3m]	60	🤧 Still sick
06	No workouts	58	☺Almost recovered
07	Pete sesh at Domain 8 x 1m (10k) [1m]	99	✅ solid week
08	14 x 400m (5k) [100m]	93	🟡 ok week
09	2 x 10m (HM Tempo) [3m] 15 x 30s (3k) [60s]	96	✅ solid week
10	Corky on Monday run 😢 2 x 8m (HM Tempo) [3m]	80	🤕 corky week
11	16 x 400m (5k) [200m] 2 x 10m (HM Tempo) [3m]	100	✅ solid week
12	4 x 3m (5k) [3m] Ross 5k!!	??	🏁 race week

🏁 Race Plan

The training is now in the bank. With little time left to build fitness I have started formulating strategies for the race. This section outlines my race goals and ideas that I have been dreaming up to see if I can find little improvements.

🥅 Goals

🏃‍♀️Pacing Strategy

In my studies of 5k pacing strategies it seems that they vary from go out hard and hang on to go out a bit slower and hang on. Extreme pain seems to be the inevitable constant. In Endure by Alex Hutchinson he talks about the pacing of the best 5k times in the world. They generally all follow a horse shoe shape with a fast first km then settling in during the middle kms then finishing with a fast final km.

In my previous 5k PB I was happy to pull off the horseshoe splits. I have decided that this is going to be my goal for the race on the weekend. The first km always ends up fast because of the excitement of the race start. I go out fast then settle in to what feels sustainable for the middle. Then on the final km I will dig deep and see what is possible.

This comment from redditor Jaemean eloquently describes how to pace a 5k. I am hoping to go full King Lear howling on the heath.

I go out pretty hard, but at a pace I feel I can maintain for the entire race. usually feels pretty good.

The second mile, I start getting on the pain train, and I have to bite down hard to keep my focus. Often my mind will wander, and my pace will break during this mile. Focus.Focus.Focus.

The third mile I’m bathing in lactic acid, pain and shame. I’m constantly talking to God, and I’m agnostic. I’ll play mind games by marking distance with land marks. I’ll count to 60 over and over. I mark the person in front of me and catch them, I try to hang on to the bastard who passes me for as long as possible.

When I see the finish line, I throw caution to the wind, dig down and go full king Lear, howling on the heath.

I have roughly calculated the splits I would like to aim for based on horseshoe splits. Below is my planned splits compared to my previous PB splits. I know it is futile to plan to this degree but I have been thinking about it while I visualise myself running the race.

🧠 Mind Games

An all out 5k is so intense and painful that there becomes a point where it’s mind over matter. I believe that 5k times are strongly linked to how much you ‘want it’ on the day. I heard a quote recently, I can’t remember where but it was from:

‘The final 1km of a 5km is just you against yourself’

I know that there will be a lot of hard bargaining to keep myself pushing and holding on through to the end. I always struggle from about 3.5km onwards with the urge to stop. I don’t think I am alone with this feeling. I know that giving up is not an option, I would hate myself if I did and this thought often keeps me pushing.

For the race on the weekend I have decided to adopt a mantra. I want to be ‘locked in for greatness’ so when things get hard and painful I will repeat in my head ‘lock in, lock in’ and hopefully the repetition of the wording keeps me locked in. I have been using this in training and hope it can work as an anchor to bring my focus back to the task at hand.

Somewhat relevant meme:

👟 Shoes

Pete Magill claims that reducing the weight of shoes can shave 9 – 18s off your 5k time. This seems like low hanging fruit but also comes with a cost. The only road runners I own are my old ‘battle axe’ Saucony Axons that have done over 1200km. I started looking into carbon plate race shoes for an extra performance gain but nearly fell of my seat when I saw the prices.

I was lamenting the cost of shoes to my housemate. In response he generously offered to sell me an old pair of Saucony Endorphin Speed 2s. He let me take them for a test spin first. After the first run I was in love, it felt like I was wearing lightweight springs on my feet. So for the low price of $20 I now have a pair of lightweight carbon plate race shoes. I have been doing my speedwork with them for the past few weeks. Hopefully I can cash in on some of Pete Magill’s claimed time reductions.

💊 Ergogenic Aids

Ergogenic aids are supplements that claim to enhance the performance of athletes. I have been researching and testing a variety of different options in the lead up to the race. Obviously there is no substitute for fitness and putting in the work, but if I can shave off a percent or two then I am willing to try.

There is an element of expectation outcome with these aids, essentially a placebo effect. Even if they don’t provide me with physiological gains I still may get a performance boost from thinking I have done something to make me go faster. I like the thought of having an ace up my sleeve even it it’s only a small ace.

These are options I have been considering and the ones I will use on race day:

Ergogenic Aid	Yes/No	Notes
Pycnogenol	✅	100ml 90min before start
Caffeine	✅	Caffeine gel before the start
Sodium bicarbonate	✅	22g 90min before start
Beta alanine	❌	Not this time but will test in future
Beetroot juice	❌	Not this time but will test in future

🧁 Sodium Bicarbonate

Kilian Jornet used sodium bicarbonate (bicarb) mixture midway through the UTMB in 2022, this was the first I heard of such a thing. I looked it up at the time but forgot about it till recently when I was listening to a podcast with David Roche talking about winning and setting the course record at Leadville. He uses bicarb and sings it’s praises. This put it back on my radar and sparked my curiosity, especially given it’s cheap and already in the cupboard at home.

Sodium bicarbonate is an alkaline salt, this means that it possesses a pH on the basic side. The theory is that it works to neutralise the acidic build up in muscles and allows for longer harder bouts of anaerobic exertion. It specifically works to pull hydrogen out of working muscles allowing the muscles to return to a less acidic state. The performance benefit is purported to be between 1-3% but it comes with an extreme caveat. There is commonly side effects such GI distress. The small gains are quickly be cancelled out if you need to run to the toilet mid race.

The optimal dosage is 0.3 g/kg with the minimum effective dose being 0.2 g/kg. I have been testing it out on some of my speed sessions. Starting with a smaller dose of 15g which is right on the 0.2g/kg threshold for my body weight. I was nervous about the side effects but I read that taking it with a high carb meal could help reduce side effects. I ate a banana and drank the mixture which tasted horrendous. I nervously went to the toilet a couple of times before the run but had no issues once I got going. I noticed that it makes me feel tingly and slightly anxious but also kind of good. I had one of the best speed sessions of the whole training block. This convinced me of it’s efficacy.

I continued experimenting with upping the dosage to get closer to 0.3g/kg. I found that bicarb is only mildly soluble in water and can only dissolve 8g per 100ml. This sadly means that the disgusting drinks turns into nearly 300ml of filthy salt water. I am going to look into mixing it in juice and see if that helps. On the weekend I will take 21g of bicarb 90 minutes before the race starts and see how I go.

More information: ISSN Position Stand on Sodium Bicarbonate (Jäger et al., 2017)

🌲 Pycnogenol

Pycnogenol is a trademarked natural plant extract derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. It is a thought to be a rich source of antioxidants. It can potentially improve sports performance due to the following effects:

• Improved blood flow: Pycnogenol helps to increase nitric oxide production, which can improve blood flow to the muscles. This can help deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles, potentially enhancing endurance and performance.  
• Reduced inflammation: Pycnogenol has antioxidant properties that can help reduce inflammation in the body. This can be beneficial for athletes who experience muscle soreness or joint pain after intense workouts.  
• Faster recovery: By reducing inflammation and improving blood flow, Pycnogenol may help athletes recover more quickly from intense training sessions. This can allow for more frequent and effective workouts.

A few years ago I tried a product called Modex, which is a liquid formulation of pycnogenol marketed towards sports people. I used it for a few months and did feel good while using it. I was convinced of it’s efficacy when I went for a run and felt absolutely amazing but I’d forgotten I’d even taken it. This made me think that it was more than a placebo effect giving me a performance boost.

I stopped using it though due to the cost of the stuff being too high. I have never really gone back to using it regularly but I thought I might as well get a bottle in the lead up to the race and see if it helps. I have since discovered that the Modex product is sold under different labelling and is available at Chemist warehouse for cheaper and no need to pay for postage. The ingredients are identical seems to be to be just different labelling, it’s even sold by the same parent company.

I have been taking 30ml per day for the last month. Before key workouts I take 100ml and I will take this dose 90 minutes before the race on Sunday.

More information on the latest research: Literature Review: Pycnogenol® French maritime pine bark extract in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical studies (Weichmann and Rohdewald, 2024)

🥵 Heat Adaptions

There’s no chance of it being a hot day on Sunday but I am still following a passive heat acclimation protocol for the possible performance boost. One of the physiological adaptions from heat acclimation is an increased blood volume. More blood in the tank directly improves athletic performance. Heat acclimation is sometimes referred to as the poor mans altitude.

I have been following a similar protocol to what I did last year in the lead up the the GPT100 (see post for more information about the protocol). Ziggy and I built a sauna in our back yard earlier this year. This has been a good excuse to put it to use. It’s been enjoyable having a few days in a row of sauna sessions and inviting friends over for sauna parties. Stay tuned for my upcoming blog series on how we built our own sauna in the backyard!

⏩ Going Forward

This race will be a stepping stone for me. I hope to gradually improve my 5k time over the long term. After this race I will be changing my training focus towards the trails in preparation for the GPT100 stage race in November. Then there will be many more ultras to run through the summer.

I will revisit the Fast 5k Project next year. The Launceston 5k will be my next goal. I will follow the 12 week training plan again and aim for better compliance. A fast 5k may seem irrelevant to my main pursuit of trail and ultra running. But personal best 5k time is one of the better predictors of ultramarathon performance (O’Loughlin et al., 2019). I am convinced that if you raise the ceiling you lift the floor. Increasing my top end speed brings my everyday cruisey pace up with it and leads to better ultra performances.

This wraps up my post about training and preparation. Now I have to follow through and do the thing! Stay tuned for an race recap. Hopefully I have good news and a new PB to my name. If not I don’t mind, it’s all about the journey and I have been having so much fun with running super fast for a change.

References

Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14(1):20. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

O’Loughlin, Emma, Pantelis T. Nikolaidis, Thomas Rosemann, and Beat Knechtle. 2019. “Different Predictor Variables for Women and Men in Ultra-Marathon Running—The Wellington Urban Ultramarathon 2018.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 (10): 1844. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101844.

Weichmann, Franziska, and Peter Rohdewald. 2024. “Pycnogenol® French Maritime Pine Bark Extract in Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Human Clinical Studies.” Frontiers in Nutrition 11 (May):1389374. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1389374.