5000m – 5 Race Indication Workouts
Training for the 5000m and want to know what your race pace should be? Below you’ll find 5 5000m race indicator workouts to give you an idea as to what shape you’re in.
Keep in mind that these workouts are just an estimate as to what shape you’re in. Don’t take them too seriously and remember that a real 5000m race is the true indication of your 5000m shape! These are just challenges you can complete in training.
6 x 1000m with 90sec rest. Your average pace in these 6 1000m intervals is your 5000m pace.
Many top coaches have used this simple workout to indicate 5000m fitness, including Renato Canova. If you can manage to average the 6 1000m intervals in 3:00, this is 15:00 5000m pace. If you can manage to average the 6 1000m intervals in 3:20, this is 16:40 5000m pace.
12:47 5000m runner Sileshi Sihine apparently completed this workout in the lead up to his personal best time in 2:34 average which would predict a 12:50.
Let’s say you can average the 800m reps in 2:40’s, this is 3:20 per km which is 16:40 for 5000m. Let’s say you can average these 800m repetitions in 2:20’s, this is 2:55/km pace which would indicate a 14:35 5000m time.
3000m, 2000m, 1000m (5 mins recovery). Average pace is your 5000m pace.
A tough workout, starting with a hard 3000m. Let’s say you can run 9:30 for the 3000m, 6:20 for the 2000m and 3:00 for 1000m (a slight pick up in pace), this is an average pace of just under 3:10/km, indicating a 5000m of around 15:45. Let’s say you’re in excellent shape and can manage the 3000m in 8:30, 2000m in 5:40 and 1000m in 2:50, this would indicate a 5000m of around 14:10, as the average pace is 2:50/km.
Portugal’s Rui Silver (1500m 3:30.7, 5000m 13:19) used to complete this workout regularly. Shortly before he ran his 5000m best of 13:19, he completed this workout in 8:04, 5:23 and 2:35 which is right around 2:40 average per km (13:20 5000m pace).
4800m Pace Change Workout: 8 x (200m a little slower than 5000m pace followed by 400m a little faster than 5000m pace)
This workout has a surprisingly accurate prediction for 5000m. Whatever you can run this 4800m run in, is right around the time you would run for 5000m in a good race. The workout consists of starting with a 200m a little slower than you would race a 5000m (so let’s say if your 5000m goal time is 15:00, which is 72 seconds per 400m and 36 seconds per 200m. You would run these 200m’s in around 38-40seconds. Following the 200m, you would run a 400m in 68-70 seconds; a little bit faster than your 5000m goal time. So 200m (slightly slower than goal pace) + 400m (slightly faster than goal pace) 8 times through. A workout requiring changes of pace is significantly harder than running at an even pace, therefore this 4800m timed run is right around the time you’d run for 5000m in a good race.
