You guys are correct lactate threshold/tolerance is far more important for running under 5k. Also VO2 can be improved by losing body fat w/o losing muscle.
This brings up a interesting question: Let???s say for the sake of argument that two athletes are equal in other factors (i.e. lactate threshold/tolerance, mental toughness etc.)…Will the athlete with the superior VO2 max have an advantage in the 800/1600?
I have heard that just having a 10% improvement in VO2 can improve one???s 5k time by app. 1min.
How about the 800/1600? Maybe 10/30sec max. respectively?