What is the toughest Workout you've ever did?

Is nobody gonna say it?

You've ever DONE

1200 at 3K, then a 200 all out x 5.

so...1200-200-1200-200 etc. (200 m jog between).

It was HOT and windy. I couldn't even see straight by the time it was over. After the 3rd set, after we completed the 3rd 200m in 31 seconds, I considered walking off the track. What compelled me to keep going, I'll never know. What I do know is that I the worst stomach cramps and diarrhea by the time I got home. My body did NOT like that work out.

Does anyone have the reason why I was shatting liquid for 4 hours afterwards? Has this happened to anyone else?

sounds simple but it sucked!

3x800 at 5k pace

2x800 at 10k pace

3200 at 10k pace

2 minute rest between everything. It tricks your body like crazy. The 800s are really easy and you tend to go to fast. Then you hit that 3200 and a pile of crap falls on you at the same time. I did this 4 times between my sr year and my first year of grad school. My best was something like

2:19, 2:21, 2:19, 2:30, 2:31, 10:01... By far the toughest thing our coach threw at us.

You have your fartleks that you have to grind out, your 400s that make your side hurt, 1000's that just never end, and those long runs where the wind only blows in your face for the last 7 miles of the 18.. But this one mentally rips you down when you enter that last mile.

I think its cause your body is used to a break after 800 and you just keep going at that same pace and those 5k 800s catch up to you. All of the guys would always finish every workout, but it was almost a sure thing that at least 1/4 of the guys would drop out.

Nacho Speedee wrote:

6 mile mornining run. Evening--1 miles easy warmup, 10 miles at marathon pace (5:35) finishing on the track, then 5 x mile working from 5:25 down to 5:05, 400m jog between reps, 1 mile cooldown, 25-mile day.

And then did you go die afterwards?? I know a lot of guys on a lot of teams that could hold 5:35 fresh for 10 miles. Tell me that you took a long ice bath and gave your body nothing but easy recovery runs for the next 2 or 3 days? unless you are some 2;20 marathon guy or a 13:40 5k guy I don't see how that is even possible.

3x20x400 at 60 seconds with 100m jog between reps and 400 jog between sets.

The "toughest workout I've ever did" was 8 x 400m in 56-57s with 200m jog recovery on an indoor track. Two days later I ran the worst races in my life, and by the next week had achilles tendonitis. The achilles injury effectively ended my senior track season in college.

10x8x200m in ~31 w/ 100m jogging rest, 400m between sets. Counting the warmup and cooldown it came to 18 miles on the track.

Needless to say, I battled with injuries that season.

My thoughest workout was.

Warm up 2k

6*200 in 30 rest 30 sec

1 min rest

2k in 6:00 rest of 1 min

1k in 2:50 Rest 1 min

2*400 in 60 with 30 sec rest

Easy pace 1k

3*1k 2:48-2:49-2:47

2*2*400 rest 30 and 2 min serie rest in ( 62-60 and 61-60 )

Easy pace 1k

2k in 5:45 rest 2 min

1k in 2:41 rest 2 min

2*400 in 58-56 with 30 sec rest

Cooldown 2k easy pace

Most of these workouts are in the overtraining zone. If we notice, a lot of people talk of results of injuries, bad races and being burnt out.

The toughest workout and the best workout are never the same. In fact my best workouts are when I cut it short by maybe 10 to 25% because I am hitting amazing times. For example if I had 10 400's with 1 min rest, and I am hitting 58 instead of 60 all the way through, I will definitely do no more than 8 400's. Knowing when to cut is always a good idea.

I remember one year in college, I spent a week in Gainesville before Florida relays. The Tuesday I ran a 20 min tempo in the morning at 5 min pace. The afternoon I did 6x300 at 36 point with 2 mins recovery feeling really amazing. At that point I should have taken it easy the rest of the week. But the Wednesday morning I ended up doing a balls to the wall 12 mile run. I ran the worst 800m leg I ever ran on a sprint medley that friday at Florida Relays.

In college, more runners have been lost to overtraining than undertraining. The freshman year "swim or sink" mentality of most coaches destroys a lot of talent. Add to that the overracing, especially running cross-country, indoor and outdoor, and we find the reason so much talent is lost.

The hardest workout we did in college was once a year, always the Sat before the Patriot's day in New England. 2x800, 4x400, and one 1200. the 800's were below two mins, the 400's were typically 56 and the 1200 below 3.10. the recovery after each repeat was 400 jog in just over 2 mins throughout the entire workout. I never ever finished the 1200. And I would surely beat guys who finished the 1200 in the rest of the races for the season. I guess my body knew that the 1200 was just bullshit for me.

Sometimes it really has to do with how we are wired. We used to do a workout indoor that most of the guys hated and I loved. It was 25x200 with 100m jog rest. we would start at 30 and get down to 28's. In the last five, I would typically be on my own while my teammates cursed me as I started running 27's while they struggled at 28's and 29's. I would even run the last one at 26 point.

Most of these workouts are in the overtraining zone. If we notice, a lot of people talk of results of injuries, bad races and being burnt out.

The toughest workout and the best workout are never the same. In fact my best workouts are when I cut it short by maybe 10 to 25% because I am hitting amazing times. For example if I had 10 400's with 1 min rest, and I am hitting 58 instead of 60 all the way through, I will definitely do no more than 8 400's. Knowing when to cut is always a good idea.

I remember one year in college, I spent a week in Gainesville before Florida relays. The Tuesday I ran a 20 min tempo in the morning at 5 min pace. The afternoon I did 6x300 at 36 point with 2 mins recovery feeling really amazing. At that point I should have taken it easy the rest of the week. But the Wednesday morning I ended up doing a balls to the wall 12 mile run. I ran the worst 800m leg I ever ran on a sprint medley that friday at Florida Relays.

In college, more runners have been lost to overtraining than undertraining. The freshman year "swim or sink" mentality of most coaches destroys a lot of talent. Add to that the overracing, especially running cross-country, indoor and outdoor, and we find the reason so much talent is lost.

The hardest workout we did in college was once a year, always the Sat before the Patriot's day in New England. 2x800, 4x400, and one 1200. the 800's were below two mins, the 400's were typically 56 and the 1200 below 3.10. the recovery after each repeat was 400 jog in just over 2 mins throughout the entire workout. I never ever finished the 1200. And I would surely beat guys who finished the 1200 in the rest of the races for the season. I guess my body knew that the 1200 was just bullshit for me.

Sometimes it really has to do with how we are wired. We used to do a workout indoor that most of the guys hated and I loved. It was 25x200 with 100m jog rest. we would start at 30 and get down to 28's. In the last five, I would typically be on my own while my teammates cursed me as I started running 27's while they struggled at 28's and 29's. I would even run the last one at 26 point.

As a college freshman with the XC squad: 4 mile warm up, 5 @ one mile (averaged a bit under 5:00, fastest @ 4:40), 4 miles warm down.

Ran faster workouts later, but this was a shock to my system. In time trials that fall, dropped 30 seconds from my 2 mile PR and 10 seconds from mile PR with no speed work. All hail repeat miles!

First college workout. In HS, it was 3 mile runs, so 5 milers seemed great summer college prep. First college practice, we had to run 11 miles, around 5:45 pace. I'd never run more than 7 miles.

I am sure that I went to college that supplied the hardest, toughest, longest workouts (maybe not the smartest at times).

Here are a couple workouts...

warm up 3 miles easy,

4 mile tempo on the track (20:00)

jog over one mile to our 400 meter hill.

4x400 meter hills Hard.

jog back to the indoor track.

4x800 in 2:20 w/ 1 min. rest.

4x400 in 69 w/ 1 min. rest.

8x200 in 32 w/ 1 min. rest

then jog outside 1 mile to our 400 meter hill and complete 4x400 meter hills hard.

Another one was...

10 mile am run. Going to do at 10 mile pm run with team. ("OK. 20 mile day pretty good" I told myself).

tricked us and made us run a 17.5 miler in the afternoon. 27 mile day.

4 X 400m ( One minute rest)

49,52,55,59.

I was a 400 IH guy but also had a 1.47 800m Pr.

24x400 w/ 1:15 rest

i believe it was supposed to be:

75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70

69, 69, 69, 69, 69, 69

67, 67, 67, 67, 67, 67

65, 65, 65, 65, 65, 65

But I died on the last set and ran mostly 69s. Averaged 68.6 for the workout as a whole I was a 4:39 1600m runner at the time...

Our weekly training was usually something like:

M-track meet (double) OR 8-12 x 800 @ faster than 3200 pace avg.

T-7 miles easy

W- 10x400 @ 70

Th- 2-3 miles easy

F- track meet (double or triple)

Sat- 20-24x400 or 30x200

Sun- off

All workouts except wednesday were "all out," to the point that i'd be WAY off my splits by the end. Our coach thought if everyone on the team tried to keep up with the kid who'd run 4:15 for the mile, then we'd all be able to run 4:15 for the mile...

Brilliant stuff.

And by brilliant, I mean that it negatively impacted my long term development and ability to stay healthy for yearssss

Sounds like I've been lucky to have reasonably smart coaches.

Toughest workout I've ever did? High school XC, around the beginning of October, we'd go do these hilly 800m repeats. 6x800, real hard (not sure how to quantify), maybe 3-5 minutes recovery. These hills were steep, too... we had a 1:58 guy go all out on the first one and run a 2:43.

Then our assistant coach says the 7th is optional... but he's going to pace our top girl. So of course every boy has to do the 7th one too. That day sucked.

8x800, 2:08 on grass, first 400 down slight grade, turnaround, then uphill, with 3:00, for Bruce Lehane in Franklin Park way back in the day. Thought I was gonna die, but best workout ever!

Lot's of tough ones back in the day. Once 20x 400 with the first 12 (62-64), then last 8 around 60 or better. It was around 90 degrees and i might have spoke to god on the last couple.

Actually doing this workout this week (25 years later) and plan to do the first 12 (72's) and the last 8 under :70. Times sure have changed!!

Cheers

Most intense workout ever:

3x300 cutdowns at 36-35-34 seconds. Full recovery, a nice warm day (for Oregon at least), and a bunch of teammates cheering me on for the last one which at 34 equalled at my 400 PR pace!

Hardest workout ever:

12x400 with no pre-set goal for each interval, but had to hit an overall average of sub-60 seconds when the workout was finished. I was all over the place from about 53 to 67, and didn't quite make sub-60 on my average (I think it was like 60.8 or something). That kind of volume for a sprinter made me want to DIE.