Episode 17: The 5K Training Guide, Part 2

Episode 17: The 5K Training Guide, Part 2

In Part 2 of the 5K Training Guide, Bjørn-Ivar Sigbjørnsen moves from the purpose of different workouts into how training can be built around the runner doing it. The episode looks at how much easy and harder running makes sense when you train two, three, or more days per week, and why a 5K plan should have a clear weekly rhythm rather than simply collecting sessions. The episode covers practical workout choices, including threshold sessions, 5K-specific intervals, hills, strides, and longer easy runs, along with how those sessions can be balanced across a training block. Bjørn-Ivar also discusses the limitations of the 10 percent rule, why distance alone does not show the full training load, and how tools such as Strava Relative Effort or Garmin training load can be used alongside body feel and recovery. Recovery, sleep, fueling, and hydration are connected to the training itself, with particular attention to the importance of carbohydrates around harder running and the role of protein in rebuilding afterwards. Strength training is discussed from a runner’s perspective: as a possible support for performance and durability, but also as an added demand that needs to earn its place in the week. The episode also explores how to respond to soreness and recurring discomfort, how to taper for a goal 5K without losing speed, and how to approach race day with controlled pacing and a clear head. After the finish line, the race becomes useful feedback for the next block rather than a verdict on the whole process. Bjørn-Ivar also shares an update on his own goal of returning to a sub-20-minute 5K at age 57, reflecting on why speed now has to be built with more patience, respect for recovery, and a commitment to protecting the daily running he values most. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 16: The 5K Training Guide - Part 1

In this first part of the 5K training guide, Bjørn-Ivar Sigbjørnsen looks at what the 5K really asks from a runner and why the distance is more than just a short hard effort. The episode covers how to start from the runner you are today, why easy running matters, how harder sessions should have a clear purpose, and why the body needs time to adapt before race fitness shows up. The episode also explains how different workouts support different needs, from short faster running and 5K-specific intervals to threshold work and hills. Recovery between reps is discussed as part of the workout itself, including when standing, walking, or easy jogging can change the purpose and effect of a session. Heart rate, pace, feeling, and lactate are presented as useful tools when they support the bigger picture, rather than numbers that should control every decision. Bjørn-Ivar also shares an honest update on his own Sub-20 5K project at age 57, including why speed takes more patience now than when he was younger, and why staying healthy and keeping daily running in his life matters more than forcing a goal too quickly. The episode closes by introducing Part 2, which will continue with recovery, sleep, fueling, strength training, injury signals, race week, pacing, and the mental side of the 5K. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 15: 1:59:30 – Marathon Special

In this marathon special, I take a closer look at Sabastian Sawe’s 1:59:30 in London and why it felt like more than just another world record. With three runners under the previous world record in the same race, this episode looks at what may have shifted at the very front of the marathon. We go into what made the run so remarkable, why this counts as the first official sub-two marathon, and why the negative split tells us something important about how the distance may now be raced. We also spend time on the harder questions around trust and testing, and on the practical side of performance, including shoes, high-carb fueling, bicarbonate, weather, race execution, and marathon-specific training. The episode closes by bringing the conversation back to regular runners. What can ordinary marathoners actually use from a performance like this? How should training, pacing, fueling, and long-term development be understood in light of what we saw in London? This is a calm and thoughtful look at one of the biggest moments the marathon has ever had. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 14: From Spring Strength to Summer Speed

Spring has given many runners a base of strength, consistency, and momentum. Now the question is how to use it well. In this episode, Bjørn-Ivar looks at the shift from spring strength toward summer speed, using Faith Kipyegon as a profile of calm, efficient running built over time. The episode explores how speed works best when it grows out of a steady foundation, not when it is forced too quickly. There is a workout idea built around controlled effort and quicker rhythm, a nutrition spotlight on feeling light without under-fuelling, and an injury check-in focused on the lower legs, calves, achilles, and feet as faster running returns. For masters runners, the focus is on adding speed without overloading the week: one clear quality session, one longer aerobic run, small touches of pace, and enough recovery to absorb the work. The Sub-20 project update brings the same theme back to real training life, where the base is present but race readiness still needs time. A calm episode about choosing the next phase carefully, protecting continuity, and letting quicker running come from support rather than urgency. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Episode 13: Stuck but Fit

In this episode, I stay with a part of running most of us know well: the stretch where the work is there, the consistency is there, but things still do not quite come together the way we hoped. Through the story and training approach of Sifan Hassan, I look at what runners can learn about patience, range, timing, and staying healthy enough for progress to last. I also get into the kind of workout that helps when you want to move forward without forcing it, how nutrition supports training when the body feels flat, and why spring can bring soreness in the upper quads and groin when hills and forest running return after a winter on flatter ground. There is also a masters running section on how to keep improving through better rhythm, recovery, and durability rather than chasing too much intensity. To close, I bring it back to my own Sub-20 5K project, now only a couple of months from the deadline, and talk honestly about where things stand with the base training, the missing speed, and the adjustments needed around back pain, migraines, and recent groin soreness. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.