3200 peaking

goforit99 wrote:

I've got a big meet in two weeks, and maybe another a week after. What are the key workouts for me if I want to peak in the 3200? Right now I am consistently around 9:45, but I'd like to get under 9:40. Do I have time to reach that goal? My 1600 speed is probably low-4:30s right now.

Also: long runs - yes or no? Sundays, coach usually tells us to run on our own, so it is really up to me how to maximize that time.

Keep training for a possible 9:30 outdoors (or whatever you are shooting for). You have run 9:45, so what will happen if you run 9:36 or 9:41? ... it won't be that different.

But outdoors it will matter if you don't progress beyond 9:40 ... and it would be the bomb if you could break 9:30 right? So stick with the long runs, stick with the interval workouts that coach has been giving. Don't push all your running super-hard like people do to try and force a top performance.

Run easy two days before the race, normal length, and run short and easy the day before. Even with this approach you should be able to run 9:39. Good luck.

The 3200 is about 85% aerobic. What you need to do most is continue your long runs. I would not do any hard interval training at this point.

Here is what Lydiard did:

Go to the track, run some relatively hard laps untimed. Walk until recovered. Repeat. Do not count how many you do and quit when you feel "pleasantly tired." (I think he meant like 6 x 400, but if you are in doubt about how many to do, do less. If you doubt how fast you should go, go slower. You want your save your best for the race!) I can see doing about two of these per week with two days between each. Do easy long runs on the other days and run every day.

It might help to do some strides before and after each practice. Do these at various speeds but do not do any of them all out!!!

How much you do depends on how much you have been doing. It might help to do less, if you have been training well.

If you do this off a 4:30 mile, a 9:30 is possible. Try to run the race even paced. Let the other guys start too fast, you can catch up later. Keep the 9:30 guys close though.

Thanks, everyone, good advice. My coach isn't great with tapering. I'm sure we are going to do a track workout this week and early next week. What I can control is how hard I push it on the track, and the pace/distance when we go out on the road on non-track days.

It sounds like I shouldn't overdo it on the track. I don't have any problem with 400 repeats at 68-70, but I usually try to drop the last couple at 65.

Also, on our road days, should I avoid tempo runs and just keep it easy? My tempos are around 5:40 or so.

Long run this Sunday? That will be six days before the race.