Can I improve from a 4:43 1600m to a 4:24 in one year?

Trackfan1414 wrote:

I just finished my junior year of track with a PR of 4:43. I was happy with my progress from 5:03 sophmore year, but i know it's no where near competitive. I have never trained outside of the four months of training during track. Also, I didn't lift at all during the season and I am still fairly skinny. This upcoming year I am going to training extremely hard during the summer. I am doing summer track and then XC for the first time in the fall. Also i will do indoor track for the first time. I am going to focus on increasing mileage and building more muscle. I have never focused on training efficiently. With this preparation is it possible to achieve my goal? 4:24 is the qualifying time for states.

YES!

I have seen a 19 second improvement form one year to the next a couple of times. And, I have seen it happen in circumstances similar to yours. But, you will have to train your butt off and hopefully you are still maturing physically. In fact, if you are running 4:43, I would expect a 10 second improvement the following year. Improving by 19 second is a bigger jump and it doesn't happen often, but doing the things you describe makes it possible. With that said, be patient allow the improvements to come in increments and don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen when you want it to happen. - Good luck

Trackfan1414 wrote:

I just finished my junior year of track with a PR of 4:43. I was happy with my progress from 5:03 sophmore year, but i know it's no where near competitive. I have never trained outside of the four months of training during track. Also, I didn't lift at all during the season and I am still fairly skinny. This upcoming year I am going to training extremely hard during the summer. I am doing summer track and then XC for the first time in the fall. Also i will do indoor track for the first time. I am going to focus on increasing mileage and building more muscle. I have never focused on training efficiently. With this preparation is it possible to achieve my goal? 4:24 is the qualifying time for states.

As a HS junior I ran 2:07 for 800m and 4:43 for the 1600m (or was it a mile?). As a HS senior I ran 1:59.3 on a relay and 4:22.5 for 1600m.

My HS mile/1600/1500 progression was as follows:

frosh: 5:01 mile

soph: 4:56 mile

junior: 4:43 (unsure if 1600 or mile)

senior: 4:22.5 1600; 4:06 1500

Great luck!

4:45 8th grade, 2:06 800

40ish miles a week

4:23 freshman year, 1:57 800

It's encouraging to see that it is possible. What kind of training did you do to improve by that much?

Thank you! I will definetly train extremely hard in trying to attain my goal

Trackfan1414 wrote:

Fingers, nose & toes intact wrote:

As a HS junior I ran 2:07 for 800m and 4:43 for the 1600m (or was it a mile?). As a HS senior I ran 1:59.3 on a relay and 4:22.5 for 1600m.

My HS mile/1600/1500 progression was as follows:

frosh: 5:01 mile

soph: 4:56 mile

junior: 4:43 (unsure if 1600 or mile)

senior: 4:22.5 1600; 4:06 1500

Great luck!

It's encouraging to see that it is possible. What kind of training did you do to improve by that much?

I'm 54 years old and was graduated from high school in1980 in a New York State suburb of NYC. Before HS, I played baseball, football and soccer but excelled on the "long" (3 mile) runs during soccer camp and began competitive running with spring track my frosh year. While I competed at spring track for 4 seasons, I competed at XC and indoor track for 3 seasons each (soph-senior). We didn't do tempos then and the only lifting I did was for an elective gym class). I hit as many as 70 miles / week during XC season my senior year. I was our 1st or 2nd guy in XC my senior year and the fastest over 1500/1600/mile my senior year, YET only 4th or 5th over 800m - I was one of five (four seniors and a junior) who could hit 1:56-1:59.xx on a relay.

We're I a high schooler today I would hope to have a weekly tempo, a weekly long run, even some pure speed work (2-4x40m all-out with >= 4-minute recovery). I might take one day for non-running and substitute some swimming.

Yes, definitely possible. For what it's worth, I went from 6:02 to 4:40 in about nine months in 9th grade. That's not a totally fair comparison because I was fourteen, growing, and it was my first year running.

However, if you're only training four months a year, you're more similar to a newbie than someone who's been running for three years straight like some juniors.

You could definitely take that much time off. Possibly even more, since you aren't even close to your potential... we just don't know.

trackster48 wrote:

4:45 8th grade, 2:06 800

40ish miles a week

4:23 freshman year, 1:57 800

I once ran @ my best a 76 quarter in 6th grade... JR year in college now a 4 min miler. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

It's not the same but I went from a 2:03 800m PR Junior year to a 1:52.7 800m PR senior year. I'm sure my mile time would have dropped had I run it more.

Run more miles and do things like lifting, hill sprints and strides and if you're dedicated enough, you'll get there.

Went from 4:36 to 4:14. If you put in the work and you train efficiently, you can improve too.

I did nearly exactly that. Maybe a tick slower. How?

It started summer before my senior year. I ran 45-50 mile weeks, instead of 35-40. I started running one or two runs a week very uptempo, or just one if I really went hard on the first. I got on the track every chance I could, and would do a few 400s steady, rarely putting a watch on them. I'd run an hour or so one of the weekend days, usually Sunday, Saturday was usually the second uptempo run. I went to two or three all-comers meets that summer, and would run the 4 and 8 to see what I could do, or the 1600 if I felt like it. I got down to 4:40 before XC started.

This was completely by experience by this point, it just seemed like what I should do (early 80s, no Web to consult).

XC went well, I won a few meets and placed very high at our state meet. I stuck with the same program throughout the winter, and found that just a week or two into the track season that I could go a few seconds under 440 without too much trouble. I knew it would just be a matter of getting in the right race to go under 430, and it was.

Sorry, 4:42 my junior year during track season.

Got to 4:40 that summer in open meets.

Ran 4:38 as a TT very early in the track season.

Ran a 4:32 after a 10:02 and a 2:03 in a meet.

Ran a 4:25 in a fast race, where I could have found another two seconds or so.

Add my voice to the list that says it's possible. Junior year I ran 4:41 and Sr. 4:27. I got pretty sick for a couple months during indoor season and lost some training or I might have done your 4:24.

Some great advice here so I won't muddy the waters.

Be committed. But don't try to do too much too quickly. Injury or sickness will set you back. So, be smart about your progression.

Best of luck.

My line

8 - 7:00

9 - 4:58

10 - 4:45

11 - 4:21

12 - 4:11

I dropped from 4:35 to 4:16 in my senior year after a summer of travel, lots of beer, and only light running. I don't recommend that, but your goal is very reasonable.

Yes it's possible I ran 5:10 in middle school, 4:57 9th, 4:42 10th brought a 4:27 11th and starting my senior year. In junior year cross I finished with 17 flat and this season finished my season with a 16:26 finished all state. Hoping to get my 1600 time down to a 4:10 this year to get a good college interested.

Trackfan1414 wrote:

I just finished my junior year of track with a PR of 4:43. I was happy with my progress from 5:03 sophmore year, but i know it's no where near competitive. I have never trained outside of the four months of training during track. Also, I didn't lift at all during the season and I am still fairly skinny. This upcoming year I am going to training extremely hard during the summer. I am doing summer track and then XC for the first time in the fall. Also i will do indoor track for the first time. I am going to focus on increasing mileage and building more muscle. I have never focused on training efficiently. With this preparation is it possible to achieve my goal? 4:24 is the qualifying time for states.

yes absolutely. I was the same as you until I committed to it full-year round after my sophomore year.

9th grade: From 5:40(?) to 5:05

10th grade: Mainly 4:50's, popped off one 4:36 in my last race

11th grade: 4:22 (full year of training)

12 grade: 4:16 going out in 2:03// 9:00 3200m

Good luck!