What do I need to do to hit my goal times in track?

High School Running Distance

6 years ago 11/15/2017 7:41pm EST

I'm a junior with pr's of 4:38 and 2:05 from last year, and 16:10 from cross country this season. I've never raced a two mile, but I split 10:28 in a 5k this season, so I guess that's my pr. I've consistently run like 35-40 mpw in cross, and I maxed out at 50 in the summer. This year in track I'd like to lower my times to sub 2 in the 8, 4:25 in the mile, and 9:30 in the two mile. I was wondering what I should do to make the jump, whether it be doubles, higher intensity, more mileage, etc. I'm really open to anything. I eat really poorly right now and don't get much sleep, so I'm hoping to improve there. I'm also going to consult with my coach to figure out what he thinks I should do to improve. Thanks for any suggestions.

6 years ago 11/15/2017 8:50pm EST

re: Hopingforabigtrackyear

The very best thing you can do during the winter is increase miles steadily but never to the point of injury, and do tempo runs and strides. That will help you tremendous aerobic fitness and have the support you need to be able to transition to racing and faster track workouts. Good luck!

6 years ago 11/15/2017 9:19pm EST

re: Boost.Boston

Boost.Boston wrote:
The very best thing you can do during the winter is increase miles steadily but never to the point of injury, and do tempo runs and strides. That will help you tremendous aerobic fitness and have the support you need to be able to transition to racing and faster track workouts. Good luck!

This. Goal mileage might be around 60-65mpw by January for 3 weeks, with a long run of 90 minutes or so. 1 tempo/ threshold run of about 30 minutes.

Try this workout once per week too:

2-3 mile warmup

8x100m hard, but start by rolling into it (not a standing start). Jog 300m. Do this in the grass barefoot if you can. Otherwise use racing flats.

2-3 mile cool down.

That's 6-8 miles with good quality running in between, and will get you in a track mindset. Personally, I think this is a workout that should be done every week, no matter what phase of training.

6 years ago 11/15/2017 9:34pm EST

re: Booya!

Thanks for the replies! I have indoor track in the winter, but I know that outdoor is the more important season, so I guess I should just treat the season as chances to gauge my fitness and just train through it? All these tips sound good, and I'll try to incorporate them into my training.

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