4xMile @ 5k pace w/ 1 min rest: too hard

How fast are you?

mid 14's track pr . I know a lot about training and I personally think that its nuts but my college coach said thats the workout for tommarow.

Probably impossible if you are truly doing 5K pace, at least for a pvssy like me.

Maybe this is meant as a race effort, because that is essentially what its gonna be.

As long as you have no races within the next couple weeks, this should be fine.

workout wrote:

...my college coach said thats the workout for tommarow.

"tommarow"?

Dude, where do you go to college?

I could never do something like that outside of a race situation. You'll wanna kill yourself in the middle of the third interval.

I remember doing a similar workout my freshman year in college: 3 x 1600 in 5:20 with a 400 jog recovery. That was probably around 5k pace for me at the time (it was January). I thought my coach was nuts, and I was surprised by how much easier it was than I expected.

Make an honest effort at this workout and see how it goes. Just make sure you jog your recoveries. I don't know about you, but I feel much better when I jog my recoveries instead of standing around.

You coach doesn't have a clue. Do not do the workout or you will regret it.

That's going to be a hell of a workout.

Best to be spiked up and psyched up.

Too early in the season for that extreme of a workout. Workout might be better at either 8k pace or 10k pace

not an uncommon workout, now you are doing it on like your cross country course or on the grass right, and not on a track. we used to do this workout and the last 1/4 of the mile was uphill. I won't try to out think your coach but I am guessing that they want you at or around 5:00 min pace. that was where we started and tried to increase pace from there each interval, some of us were running 4:30 or faster for the last mile... good luck with the workout I think you will like it and no your coach is not totally insane, this is basically a long interval workout w/shorter recovery to get your legs and lungs used to race condition. I am assuming that you a mid 14 min guy wants to race at or faster than 5 min pace when you are racing right?

I remember when a typical early season week for me (in high school) would look like this...:

PR that season was 16:34 5k... (5:20ish pace)

Monday:

4xmile w/ goal pace of 5:00 (3:00 rest)

Tuesday:

7 miles easy

Wednesday:

either 30x150 hills at a full sprint w/ jog rest

OR

10x400 on 75 second rest at 67-68 each, faster on the last one if possible

Thursday:

7 miles easy

Friday:

1.5 miles easy

Saturday:

race, slow, of course

Sunday:

nothing or more speedwork on very rare occasions

then as the season progressed it would become Monday workouts of 10x800 starting at 2:35 and cutting down to 2:15

Its ridiculous to do such stupid workouts and be so slow...

Stupid coaches

In college I run easier, more reserved, more miles, and I am much faster

workouts =/= all out efforts

I remember when I did 24x400 in sets of 6 w/ 75 seconds rest

First set was

74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69

then 6 @ 68, 6 @ 67, and IF possible 6 @ 65

Obviously I died...I was also a 4:39 1600 guy that year...so that workout is retarded...I still averaged 68.6, or FASTER than my mile pace

WE'd also do 30x200 in sets of 6 (32, 31, 30, 29, all out)

Ridiculous things like that

cassio598 wrote:

I remember doing a similar workout my freshman year in college: 3 x 1600 in 5:20 with a 400 jog recovery. That was probably around 5k pace for me at the time (it was January). I thought my coach was nuts, and I was surprised by how much easier it was than I expected.

Make an honest effort at this workout and see how it goes. Just make sure you jog your recoveries. I don't know about you, but I feel much better when I jog my recoveries instead of standing around.

There is a big difference between the workout you described and the one the OP is supposed to do. One less mile is a big difference and having about two minutes of rest with your 400 jog recovery is much different than one minute.

seems like a bad workout. too taxing. you could attempt that with about 3 min rest i'd say, but it would still be tough.

I think those who have said that it will be pretty close to a race level workout are pretty close. That being said, try it. If it really does kill you, tell you're coach that you think it was too hard. One killer workout won't ruin your season.

decide whether which your coach will judge least harshly.

2+x1M @ 5k pace then bonk

4x1M @ <5k pace

then do that.

Well somebody has to say it to you wussies that are trying to say that this workout is too hard. Remember that intervals are actually supposed to be at greater than race pace, so that when you race your system is used to the pace. So check your shorts see if you got a pair, if ya don't, grow a pair, lace 'em up, quit second guessing your coach and just get the workout done or go Gallow-walk your next race......

Yeah, the rest is ridiculous.

6400 meters isn't that much for cross season either.

Much better to do 6xmile with 3:30 recovery, starting at 10k pace, working down to 5k on the last one.

in high school, when i was about a 16:30- 3 miler, i did 4 x mile @ 5:30 average w/ 3 min rest and that was a killer workout

but i was in high school and not as strong or as fit as a 14-min 3-mile runner

still i think it's a bit much, unless like the above poster said, your coach wants you guys to get in a race-type effort and you don't have one for at least a week

i'd take the first mile out a little slower than race pace

the second one closer to at race pace

then feel the third one out in anticipation of how much you feel like you'll need to have left to do the fourth one, if you make it there

you could do it if you had 3 min rest intervals