e-,
I don't want to hijack this thread, but this kinda applies so here you go. This is what I have outlined for Aeron this spring in terms of 1500 specific workouts starting 12/15. I always go by current 1500 fitness in determining workout paces, so I'll have her do a Kosmin test 1/3/04 to determine what her 1500 pace should be and go from there. Based on XC results and a 10k back in Sept it's approx 71 pace right now. So that's what the initial workouts will be set at, roughly 36 second 200's on grass. As her fitness improves and her race time drop throughout the spring the paces get adjusted accordingly. This allows me to be fairly certain that the paces are appropriate for her fitness level and not what I think or hope her fitness level is. This keeps me from getting all worked up and having her race the workouts instead of keeping them at an appropriate level. The only thing I'm really manipulating is the length or each rep (or decreasing the recovery, whichever way you want to look at it). I generally go in 4 week blocks of time at each level of work because most people take 3-4 weeks to adapt to a new/greater stress level in terms of workloads. We stay at a particular level for 3 weeks, we race as a test of fitness at the end of week 4, then we move up the workout progression ladder. Paces get adjusted accordingly if race performace improves. If not, we maintain the previous paces. Last year she stayed at 72 pace for 6 months before we adjusted, so I'm not too stressed if the paces don't drop each month because they tend to stay static for a while, then bam - they drop when everything in the body in terms of fitness get's dialed in. This workout outline is not set in stone, it's mearly a guideline I have set up to keep me on track and so she has goals. If she isn't ready to jump up, she won't do it. We have her volume of work at 1500 pace set at approx 3200m per workout this year, so all workouts all add up to approx 2 miles worth of reps. Last year she was at 2400m.
12/15-1/15:
*4 x 4 x 200 at 1500 pace. 200 jog btw each, 400 jog btw sets. On grass if dry.
*2 x 8 x 200 at 1500 pace, 200 jog btw each, 400 jog btw sets. On grass if dry.
1/15-2/15:
*3 x 5 x 200 at 1500 pace w/ 200 float (approx 45/50) on grass if dry. 5 min btw sets.
*2 x 8 x 200 at 1500 pace w/ 200 float (approx 45/50) on grass if dry. 5 min btw sets
2/15-3/15
*2 x [4 x 400 at 1500 pace] 200 jog btw each, 400 jog btw sets. On grass
*4 x [2 x 400 at 1500 pace]. 100 jog btw each, 400 jog btw sets. Grass
3/15-4/15:
*8 x 400 at 1500 pace w/ equal time standing rest, maybe 200 jog.
4/15-5/15:
*5 x 600 at 1500 pace w/ 2x time recovery, maybe equal distance jog
5/15-6/15:
*4 x 800 at 1500 pace w/ 2x time recovery, maybe equal distance jog.
6/15 and beyond: Competitive season.
Hope that explains it. If not, let me know and I'll address it.
Joe