It's taken a while, but I was determined to beat my old PB of 27.12 for the 5K before the end of the year. I've had a couple of weeks off of hard training because of a niggly calf thing going on in my right leg (a legacy of my recent half marathon training run) but have kept up at least two runs a week and one or two fitness sessions at school. I ran 7 miles on Sunday and I could feel the calf but wasn't too bad, especially once I'd warmed up a bit.
So, after a 40 minute fitness session on Monday, working hard on the cardio, I decided to give my back to back edited pyramid workout another try...this is what got me down to the old 27.12 timing. The training podcast pyramids from 190bpm up to 200bpm and back down again over several intervals with "own pace" short runs inbetween.
I gave it five minutes at 155 bpm as instructed to warm up then started the timer on my Garmin...and flipping went for it (highly technical term). The first mile just went but then as it edged towards the end of the second mile and the second part of the edited intervals it started to get a whole lot harder.
The way I have edited it, the intervals ended around 2.5 miles so the very last half mile or so I just had to keep up the step count as high as my lungs would let me and keeping going.
The last few hundred metres were on a long incline and I was puffing like an old steam train as I began to reach the crest of the hill, checking and checking my Garmin because I knew as long as I was bloodyminded and refused to slow I was going to make it through the wall of 27mins which I've been bashing against for months...
One last check - YES, the magic number 3.1 miles (my Garmin is set to "old money"), I pressed the timer again to stop it and slowed right up to a walk for about two hundred yards, not daring to look at the time but knowing it was going to put a smile on my face...
connect.garmin.com/activity...
Then, a medium paced jog for about another ten mins to home, not timed, just happy and running for the sheer joy of it!
CaroleC
5k at last!!!
A fantastic sub 30min 5k so pleased
Yay! First sub 30 min 5k! 
As if i just managed a sub-30 5k!!!!!
My 2017 goal of sub 30 min 5k done!
