Workouts at goal pace or current pace?

Daniels would have you run VO2max workouts based on your current race fitness.

Both could have benefit.

Physiologically and metabolically speaking, it doesn´t make a whole lot of sense to do your VO2 max workouts at much faster than 5k pace (if you are a 15 min type person). But, races aren´t won by physiology alone. Runners need to practice running at goal pace as well as date pace (current race pace). It could break down like this.

pre season 5k workout= 20x400 at 72 with adequate recovery (What is adequate, I don´t know, 90 seconds, 2 min?....it depends on the athlete) The point of the workout being to practice running at goal pace without having the workout be overly taxing. During the pre season, the main training emphasis would be on volume and tempo running as well as general fitness, core, etc...). Granted, during this workout, the athlete won´t be doing too much to improve his VO2 max, but that isn´t the point of the workout.

Early season or mid season, provided there aren´t many races on the schedule, the same runner might do 6 or 7 x 1000 in 3:05 with 2 min recovery. If there are races in the schedule, he might do them with 3 min recovery.

Down toward the end of the season, the same guy might do 4 x 1000 @ 2:56 to 2:58 with 4 or 5 min recovery.

If you want to boost your VO2max the most in short time, you should run your intervals at your current fitness level, not what you run in your dreams. That's been demonstrated over and over again by physiologists. Whether this training is optimal for running as fast as possible is an entirely different thing. VO2max is not highly correlated to fast times.

However, 5k pace is very different from VO2max pace. Daniels is wrong on this. Your VO2max pace is the pace you can hold for 6-9 minutes. So if you run your "5k-pace" way too fast, you may indeed run a good VO2max workout.

When you talk to your friend next time, you should also keep in mind that speed is not positively correlated to IQ.

You shouldn't have to increase the rest at the end of the season in order to meet goal times, if you do then you are running your repeats too fast... if you have 3:05 with two minutes rest at the start of the season you should be able to run 2:56-58- with two minutes rest at the end of the season... our start with the 2:56-58 and keep for our five minutes rest, then lower the rest as the season progresses, if your increasing pace and speed your getting the same thing out of your workout... there's no progression there imo...