Almost no running progress ...
Just finished my 3rd 5k running test today and I'm a little bit disappointed actually ...
I started with an 18:10 at the beginning of JOS which I was basically very satisfied with.
After 5 weeks I retested and hit a 18:07 so almost no improvement but I felt a little cold coming up (which actually hit me a few days later) and also the weather wasn't really as fine I on the first test.
Now - another 5 weeks and 3 of them from the Get-Faster plan, later - I did another test today. Of course the weather was even worse than ever before when testing but anyhow I felt strong and was pretty confident to get a "big" bump today.
I was running really VERY HARD - TrainingPeaks immediately proofed this by sending me a new heartrate Threshold for that whole workout. The avg HR for the 5k was a 184bpm peaking at 192bpm (which is only 4 beats below my highest recorded HR ever
)
... what did I get for the effort ... LOUSY 5 SECONDS (18:01:92)!!! 
So as it looks like I'm somehow on a plateau and need to change something in my training to get faster ... all inputs are welcome 
I'm transitioning to the IM-Advance plan next week so I can't do anything that completely knocks me down for the next whole day 
PS: Yes I did hit all the intervals in the plan and most of the time I was even faster by about 3sec/km than I should be.
Comments
Time for a volume pop? Or a string of 5ks?
For me, 5k fitness seems hard to hold on to. Last year I spent a month just racing 5ks. I dropped from an 18:40 to 18:10 in one month. As much as I want to believe it, I really doubt I gained 30 seconds of fitness. More like I figured out how to better race them. On the other side of that, 5k fitness goes away pretty quick. After an outseason with EN, I didn't gain much in terms of 5k speed, but I am stronger across than the board than I was before. If that makes sense.
Seems like I do best when I push my volume way up there for a couple months, then sharpen it with a block dedicated to 5ks. But that's hard to do in the midst of tri-training.
I realize it's frustrating to do all these intervals and not see much time improvement. However at high 17/low 18 pointy end, you're running out of low hanging fruit. The local guys who are consistent 17:XX are typically only running, and usually at least 40 miles a week with quality.
This. At this level, real gains (not those based on course/weather) are very very tough to come by and even more so if you are looking for gains in three different sports simultaneously. I've spent the last two years trying to crack 18 in a 5k and haven't gotten there yet. Keep doing the work and one day when you are not paying attention, you run "that race" and it will all be worth it.
Good luck.
Seriously congrats ... faster is faster , to go from 18:10 to 18:02 , increasing your vdot from 55.56 to 56.04 in 10-12 weeks is awesome.... At your level and your speed I dont think your going to see "big bumps" but rather small hard earned bumps like the one you just got!.... The fact your disappointed and willing to work so damn hard means you have more to come.... just keep earning it the hard way!
As far as suggestions I gotta believe something would have to give. IOW More of a run focus and less bike work. Your no slouch on the bike either so that is taking its toll . Since your about to move into an IM plan Remember its all about adding far ontop of fast and focussing on sustainable power and pace. With speed like you already have its hard to imagine getting even faster while increasing the volume for the IM.
You sir are going to crush it this year!
I agree that for a real runner I've too much weight to carry with me but that will be fixed by itself as soon as the volume goes up. I'm targeting a race day weight of around 70kg (thats almost 5kg less than what I've now) ...
So to summarize that - if I want't to get just a faster 5k-runner I should change something here but as I'm not supposed to run that short for that fast in an IM I'll stick to the plan and enjoy the melody
Actually, now that I read your last post - I see you have already considered this. Nevermind, then
Stefan - time to move on to IM training. You have a strong focus and goal for IM Austria: Sub 10 hours. Now you have a marathon target, based on your proven 5K speed: sub 3:25. All the running you do between now and race day should be designed with that target in mind. Couple that with the sub 5:10 IM bike you are capable of, and meeting your goal becomes a question of execution, not ability at this point. Follow the plan, and be surprised at your ultimate result.
Remember, the goal from now on during your IM training is not to increase your running or biking flat out speed/wattage, but to leverage the speed you already have into the best possible time on race day.
Stefan,
X3 what everyone else says. In the context of the overall mission (crushing IM Austria) and what you have done thus far it seems to me you are right on track and a less than expected "big" 5 k bump from a time that is already very remarkable should not get you all jazzed up.
The key will be keeping your wits about you and remembering "the big picture", not getting injured, avoiding overtraining and, of course, execution.
It seems to me you are clearly on track to have one remarkable day in late June. Keep the faith.
I think this is something I really needed at that moment due to my too high expectations. I'll try to absorb all the things said here and probably I should print out this thread and pin it next to my desk
My 2 cents.First congrats on a well done test and very very solid time.
Make sure you are recording temp, humidity and wind, assuming you tested over the same course. Environmental conditions can vary enough to obscure your true gains. Subjective feeling of "being strong" is telling itself.
5k fitness has it's limited duration as it is based on primarily VO2max ability. We usually spool up to our max over the period of 6-8 weeks and it is very hard to hold on to it for prolonged periods of time. More so when triathlon training. Standalone running can use other tools to keep expending on that ability, but we are limited to much more narrow set of tools and types of training as recovery gets affected. Bike and swim training do put a ceiling limit on how far can you raise that roof for running only.
You do have room to "grow" in body comp department, as I understand from your post. That will be your next low hanging fruit, caution though, not too fast, as it will affect bike power and swim speed. Remember you are managing a total triathlon time, not 3 sports individually, loosing 6-7lbs to cut 20sec out 5K time my lead to loss of power on bike and adding 45sec-1min to your bike time split.....
Finally, if IM is your game, you have already done more than enough on your "speed potential" front. IM courses around the world are littered by sub 18min 5k-ers that never realized their potential in IM racing. EN type, IM race specific training, should now arm you for a killer run split. It is that IM race specific run and bike fitness that will enable to lay a smoking fast run split and run your competitors down in closing stages.
Good luck going further, fun watching you develop.
@David - u are right 5kg is damn much but as winter has decided to stay at least 3-4 weeks longer as last year it's just too much time for surfing the net and having some nuts right beside you
I'll put that 5k-sub-18" onto my 2do-List right at the bottom for now
I really need to focus on #1 now and as you all said it simply doesn't matter if I can run the 5k in 17:48 or 18:02 for that #1 goal at the moment!
With a 56 VDOT I suspect you are well along the flat part of the improvement curve. Lots of input will yield small incremental improvements. You might say ROI gets lower but that really depends on how you define the "R"...I suspect your historical definition will have to evolve...
Al's comment is right on the money...let's see the FTP and VDOT see flawless raceday EXECUTION and translate into an awesome finish time.