4:20s 1600m through solely running hard distance?

Training Advice/Discussion High School

9 years ago 01/15/2015 9:23pm EST

Hi all,

I am a senior in high school ending my winter track season with a 4:41 1600m, a 10:01 3200m and a 16:52 5k. My times are average but I'd like to really chop down on my mile time, but solely through hard distance.

I was thinking:

Monday- Light 4 mile run

Tuesday-3200m and 1600m (Race day)

Wednesday- Light 6 mile run

Thursday-10 mile tempo run (7:00 pace)

Friday-Light 6 mile run

Saturday-5 x mile (5:05-5:10 pace) (I usually break 3/5 of them)

Sunday-12-14 mile run (Medium)

I never really had much knowledge in running. I had so many different coaches that track just felt like a club after a while. But this year I want to take it into my own hands to experiment with what I can really do and how I can do it.

Thoughts?

9 years ago 01/15/2015 10:02pm EST

re: ssj4weed

You should not describe 7:00 as "tempo" pace if you are looking to run in the 4:20's.

5:05 - 5:10 for five mile repeats is some pretty substantial strength work if you are only a 10 flat/sub 17 guy.

You're in high school. Develop your speed. Train like a miler. Doesn't mean neglect the strength work, but train more speed.

9 years ago 01/15/2015 10:30pm EST

re: ssj4weed

7 minutes for a 10 mile tempo is not too slow. Are you counting strides as speed work, because the hard distance workouts will count for more if you do those before and after.

9 years ago 01/16/2015 12:21am EST

re: Hitmonlee

Hitmonlee wrote:
7 minutes for a 10 mile tempo is not too slow. Are you counting strides as speed work, because the hard distance workouts will count for more if you do those before and after.

For a 4:20 guy (likely sub 15 5k) that's a nice easy jog. Not a tempo. A decent tempo for that length would likely be closer to 6:00 than 7:00

9 years ago 01/16/2015 12:35am EST

re: LM

When my 1600m PR was 4:36 I ran a 58 minute 10-miler as a hard/tempo effort. My 3200m best at the time was only 9:59.

7:00 is easy pace by any definition of the word.

I should note that when I first broke 4:20 I did it without running faster than 5:00 pace in training. Basically 60-70mpw, long runs on sundays, always ran the last 2 miles of every run at an accelerated tempo pace. Lots of 3 mile tempos at 5:20 pace, etc. Strides a few times a week.

I broke 4:10 in the mile (in my season opener) off of pure distance for the prior 6 months and didn't even touch a sub 5 mile in training, although my tempos came pretty close to that pace.

Strength = Speed. The specific track workouts would only help me drop ~5 seconds over the course of the season from my distance base.

9 years ago 01/16/2015 7:29am EST

re: Demotivated Runner

could you give a weekly layout of how many tempo runs you ran.What tempo where those 2 miles fast at the end the same tempo as your tempo runs?

9 years ago 01/16/2015 10:39am EST

re: DaCloner

I see a lot of talk about speed training.

How would a 16x200 w/ active rest workout sound in the middle say at 31 second pace?

9 years ago 01/19/2015 1:39pm EST

re: ssj4weed

ssj4weed wrote:
I see a lot of talk about speed training.
How would a 16x200 w/ active rest workout sound in the middle say at 31 second pace?

It would sound good, but you have to be able to run a 200m in at least 26 to do a 4:20. It just doesn't work if you run 7:00 Tempo Runs. A ten mile tempo run should be at six flat or less. Milers are a cross between the speed of a 400m runner and the strength of a cross country runner.

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