Mile training plan for Masters runner

Yank wrote:

go to Masters Racing website, there's a Rich Stiller training program which involved very low mileage

Its a motor racing website.

I condensed Lydiard into 2 paragraphs. It seems like you are asking for specific coaching and workouts. I could write a specific schedule for every phase and you would likely not be able to follow it exactly because of other commitments, injuries, etc. And really it would just be a framework anyway. Specific workouts are not as important as achieving the goals of the phase. For VO2, repeat 1Ks are just as good as repeat 1200s or 800s. If you need training paces and specific workouts, use Daniels. If you want theory of aerobic endurance, periodization, and how to run hills, read Lydiard. You have to put the pieces together yourself taylored to your own ability. Start working your base and find a coach or mentor. A coach can help immensely by reading your reactions to the workouts and scaling up or down as needed. That said, here are some more specifics:Base (at least 12weeks): Mon, Wed, Fri: 30-60min easy (as much as you can do and recover), maybe some strides 1-2 of those days.Tue, Thu - 90min - as you get used to the volume, run 30-50min of this faster like marathon pace.Sat or Sun - 120min - pick it up some at the end when you can. Other day off or some easy cross training for us masters guys.Hill phase (4weeks)- read Lydiard - These are hard. I can only handle 1 hill workout per week and do tempo for the other workout like 5-6mi of 90min - usually on a rolling hills course. Maintain 2hr long run.VO2 phase (4weeks)- 2 workouts per week of 2-5min intervals, jog rest between 0.5-1x the duration of interval. NEVER WALK, you compromise your aerobic development. You are probably racing some in this phase. Do shorter intervals race weeks. Make sure you recover from races. Maintain 2hr long run. Speed (4weeks)- intervals of 400m or less. 100hard, 100 easy for 6 laps is a great workout for peak time. Focus on good form and running FAST! Long run comes down here and you are resting up for an all out assault on your PRs. Get to your races FRESH with easy running the last 7-10 days before big races, but do strides every other day.

Moreguys wrote:

Can we have more then this, I have all the books up here.

I train with a group of masters runners who are all aiming for an indoor mile race in February, 2012.

After a solid fall of road racing, we've built a good base since the beginning of November doing lots of lactate work (5 mi tempo runs in sub 30:00, 5 x 1000 in 3:20, Canova's "blend workouts" from April RT).

In the last three weeks, we've moved into hill & speed work (for example, 3 x (3 x 300) in 49, 5 x 500 in 1:29 + 3 x 300 in 49).

We're doing hard workouts twice a week without really knowing if we're doing the right stuff at this point in the lead-up to the race. We're in the 40 mpw range, we take our rest days seriously and do 8 x 100m strides (very fast) twice a week. We have exactly four weeks left and I'm wondering if there are some key workouts we should consider as we move forward. I'm also wondering how masters runners should taper.

All three of us ran in the mid-low 4:40s last year.

I'd be grateful for advice.

10 x 400 (60-90s rec) @ race pace NOW. Plus several time trials 600-1600 before goal race.

And for god's sake don't call yourself "decrepit" if you are running 4:4x for a mile. This false humility BS makes me sick and it's part of why Master's running is so often a joke.

OK - point made. I'll re-post as Fast B*#!ard With Sore Knees

Seriously, thanks for the advice. A good friend said much the same thing - reduce rest on intervals and run a few time trials at pace.

How about the taper?

What about developing some speed endurance?

Helena MT?

Tapering is an art that is very individualistic. I suggest that you look over your training logs before your most successful (not always your fastest) races and see what suits you best. The week before a race I only do race-paced intervals with full recovery; others might like to tighten up the rest and adjust something else.

For instance, I find that for my best mile/1500, a hard 600TT @ 800 goal pace followed by a fast 300, then followed by two easy days then an easy 3-mile progressive tempo the day before the race (with a couple 400's at goal pace just to dial in the pace and be relaxed-full recovery) is the ticket.

Yup.

as for strides, i've always found this to be simple and effective: on any day you are not already doing quality (so basically, at the end of easy runs/recovery runs), do 10x100, 2 easy/1 good (so every third one fast). yes, you are only doing 3 good ones, so make them count. the two easy ones in between force you to fully recover, thereby allowing you to emphasize quality on each third one. finally, by doing this you are incorporating some form of speed EVERY DAY.

Randy Oldman wrote:

Yank wrote:

go to Masters Racing website, there's a Rich Stiller training program which involved very low mileage

Its a motor racing website.

???

For anyone who is still looking for this. I used it at age 60 and ran a road mile in 5:33.

http://www.masterstrack.com/saved/train/middlestiller.html

Skyliner wrote:

This thread is great. I'll be 49 in Dec. I would like to break a 5 minute mile next Dec at age 50. I did 3 indoor miles last Dec (my first attempts) and ran 5:15, 5:13, 5:17. Over the summer I ran an outdoor 1600 in 5:15. My training consists of one hard workout midweek, usually a 10x400 around 77 average with 90-110 sec rec and a long run of about 12 miles on Sunday. The rest of my days are easy 7 milers for about a 50-55 mpw total. I guess I should try to do a 2nd hard workout with longer intervals or a tempo run even if I have to sacrifice the long run or reduce it to 9-10 miles slow. My 5k pr in May was 18:19. Any thoughts? Some great advice already. I'm going to make some adjustments based on some of the info already given on this thread. Thanks

.

Hey, I wish I could handle that much mileage! At 49, I managed a 5:21 mile on about 15mpw. My speed workout was usually 4x400@77. 18:37 for 5k.

Im 53 and will try to go sub 5 this year. Been doing full and 1/2 IM but no speed work. Just did 3 track workouts. Wow does speed seem foreign to me now. As a 16 year old I ran a 4:29 mile and as a 17 year old a 1:56:00 1/2 mile. I think at this age, the biggest limiter is the potential for injury!

Build up gradually. About twice as slow as you what you think "gradually" means. I did my last marathon buildup without any down weeks, but I've had to take a down week after every 3 weeks now that I'm including mile-pace stuff. I can see the improvement in my workouts, but the volume of mile-pace work started low, and is still less than 2 miles total.

This is a great "old" thread.

I just ran the Dallas Half and want to switch focus to a fast mile this Spring. I'm 49 and got up to 40 mpw for the Half without too much speed work except 1-3 milers at threshold.

Are any of the above runners still around, how has your training and racing developed over the last 10-15 years since this thread was created?