Hardest workouts you have ever done?

Pitt wrote:

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My sophomore year in college;

400-53 5 min rest 300-38 3 min rest 200-24

10 min rest

400-51 5 min rest 300-39 3 min rest 200-25

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I agree with PITT. Brutal. I did that exact workout when I was running fast 800s in college (very similar times too). Worse, our coach would occasionally make the first interval a 500m instead of 400m (I did 67 and 68)....I would be in the fetal position on the track after these....another m'f*cker was:

4 x 300m fast (30 sec rest) 300m fast - 5 minutes between sets.

I did (39,39) (38,40), (38, 41) puke, (39, 47)...staggered in, could barely walk after...I PB'ed shortly after this in the 800m

these classic jumbo elliott-workouts burn like hell without destroying the athlete:

6x400 w/2min at true 800m race pace or

10x400 w/2min at true mile race pace.

this thread leaves me thinking about the meaning of workouts: "build up" or "all out before the race"?

3 mile warm up

4x800m moderate pace (2:22/2:21/2:23/2:21) w/ 2 minute recovery

6x400m harder (61, 62, 63, 64, 64, 64) w/ 1 minute recovery

1 mile cool down

You wouldn't believe me.

Wave run (15 miles)

1 mile @ 4:55 HMP

2 miles @ 5:40 MP + 25sec

repeat x 5 (no rest)

Mine was 8 by 8 with 2 min. Rest on the track in lightweight trainers, ran 2:08, 2:08, 2:07, 2:07, 2:07, 2:08, 2:07, 2:06. Another equally hard workout was 5 by mile breakdown in the track with 3 min. Rest, went 4:40, 4:36, 4:30, 4:25, 4:15.

my coach made us do pushups once

There's a hill near my house that's almost exactly 800m from the start to the point where it levels out. 3 reps up that and my lungs feel like plastic.

Also 5 x 1500 on a hilly loop with about 3.5- minutes rest.

similiar in nature to oldlegs' workout:

4x400 with 8 minutes rest. I was a 4:55 mile at the time, so my splits weren't impressive. The idea was to be about 2-3s off 400 race pace.

That was high school though. toughest workout I did while actually in college was 10x600m hill (jog down recovery) followed by 1 mile tempo on the track.

York HS, 25x400, mid-60's, 1 min rest. a workout you would think about all day... still gives me shivers

500-2min-300-5min-500-2min-200 ; 70-42-70-28

very hard!

The Champ wrote:

500-2min-300-5min-500-2min-200 ; 70-42-70-28

very hard!

2 man (evenly matched teams) 10K relay on the track. Exchanging baton every lap. Oh sure, the first 4 were a breeze; the next 4 were tough; the last 4 seemed like no recovery before you got the baton again.

Maybe I'm a masochist, because it was also one of the funnest workouts I've ever done.

mid distance life wrote:

Just curious what some of the hardest workouts people have done to train for college xc or track?

common workouts for me are 20 by 400, 8 by mile, 5 by mile, 3x2mile tempo

I did many "hard" sessions and runs over many years but the goal in these sessions was never to go "too hard" always holding back just a bit, not "racing"

One winter evening in Jan. of 1985 on a very cold and blustery evening, single digits with a wind chill, I met up with a fellow athlete, a collegiate miler type for a session on Heartbreak Hill.

I worked all day at my full time job and got out around 5, ran 4 miles to Heartbreak and did 5 repeats at a very fast pace, way out of my comfort zone.

Afterwards I ran 5 miles back to my car. When I got there I was shivering uncontrollably and could barely get out of my wet shirt into dry clothing.

I turned up the heat full blast. I began driving but was afraid I was blanking out. I stopped at a donut shop, bought 2 chocolate donuts and a hot chocolate. Tasted awesome, best I ever had.

I scoffed that down, and went back in for another donut and a large coffee. Started feeling pretty good. Warm and high on sugar.

Funny thing, as I was near reaching home about an hour later I stopped and got two burgers and a cola from a fast food place.

I had a warm shower at home & beer. Life was good.

"Reported to OF run"?? Wow.

Choisty wrote:

Sounds like Zatopek only he was never that easy. Reputed to of run 100 x 400m @ sprint effort

kod3200 wrote:

mfw hardest workout you'll ever run:

THE LUMBER JACK

4 X (4 X 400 sub 70 with 1 min rest, then a 10 minute tempo at 5 min pace)

YOU SHALL NOT SURVIVE

otter wrote:

cbenson4 wrote:

For me the most brutal workout is when we do a 200 close to all-out, 15 seconds of rest, and then a 600 at about mile pace.

Do that a few times, and you and lactate will become best buddies. Huffin and puffin.

That's a great workout. I've done something similar to that before except 300 meters all-out, 30 seconds, and then 600 meters at 5k pace.

It feels like you are recovering during the 600 which is the strangest feeling I've had in a workout on the track.

It's a Marcus O'Sullivan workout. At least I've heard him advocate for it.

Yes, I've done a similar workout, but a variation. 200 fast (roughly 800 pace), and then we just went right into a 1600 at tempo effort (no stopping). It was a very interesting sensation.

A 7 x 1400 meter @5K pace workout during marathon training. I turned the last one or two into 1200s. Too much VO2 max volume for me in a single workout.

Hardest workout I remember was the last Saturday of spring break in high school - 3 x (2 x 800 + 4 x 400 + 8 x 200) around mile to 5k pace, the last "big workout" before our season of racing 2-3 times a week. 9 miles of intervals within a 1/2 mile stretch of neighborhood road near my house, even though previously I had only ever run 9 miles in one run. When I got back to school on Monday I found out I was the only one on the team who actually did the workout.

3 miles of 35,45 workout. Ran a 200 in 35 then a 200 in 45 and then repeated that for 3 miles.

6x 300 in 44 secs 2 minute recovery.

Woke up one morning and went for a 15 mile run. Got home, grabbed my mat, changed my shoes and went to a 75 minute power flow yoga class then went on a 30 mile bike ride.