Training to become a state qualifier from 16:30 to 15:30

slow to average wrote:

I am an upcoming senior in high school and have the goal to qualify for my state meet in xc. I have been averaging 60mpw this summer so far on singles. I'm thinking of introducing maybe one or two doubles a week of about 2 miles just to get some extra training in. My current PRs are 2:16 (SO) 4:5x 1600 (SO), 10:2x 3200 (JR), and a 16:3x (JR) 3 mile. Was wondering if I could drop down to the mid 15s if there's a season.

Also I was wondering if I should work on my sprint speed as it's clearly lacking, so instead of doubling I could do fly 30s or hill sprints.

Maybe you don`t have to do more than change your workouts in the weekly training and pace at easy runs. How does your normal training week look like?

- Summer of J.S -

slow to average wrote:

I am an upcoming senior in high school and have the goal to qualify for my state meet in xc. I have been averaging 60mpw this summer so far on singles. I'm thinking of introducing maybe one or two doubles a week of about 2 miles just to get some extra training in. My current PRs are 2:16 (SO) 4:5x 1600 (SO), 10:2x 3200 (JR), and a 16:3x (JR) 3 mile. Was wondering if I could drop down to the mid 15s if there's a season.

Also I was wondering if I should work on my sprint speed as it's clearly lacking, so instead of doubling I could do fly 30s or hill sprints.

Based on your PRs it seems unlikely. Just do what your coach asks you to do and see what happens. There is no magical training regime that's going to make any difference.

Gradually bump up your mileage as much as you can safely. If you have to slow down your runs, then do it. Doubles shorter than ~20 minutes aren't going to do much for you.

3 or 4 times a week do some strides, preferably on grass. Making these hill sprints is a good idea. Later on you can expand that to 4x100 or 3x200 with equal distance recovery.

Do core work every day. At the end of it you should feel the burn but be recovered in a minute. It's important for stability and form.

Your long run will be super important. Make it your hardest run of the week, both in distance and pace. 12-15 miles, speeding up at the end.

One more thing. Your goals are a stretch given your PRs but it's possible. This is senior year for you so there's no reason not to go all out. Never skip training, even the little stuff, unless your body is telling you to back out off.

Maybe you don`t have to do more than change your workouts in the weekly training and pace at easy runs. How does your normal training week look like?

- Summer of J.S -[/quote]

It's usually been something like this

M: Easy 10 usually around 7:30ish i dont worry about pace + strides

Tu: 3 WU; 5-6 tempo at 6:10ish average; 2 CD

W: Easy 10 + strides

Th: 1 WU, next 8 miles i progress from 6:40ish down to sub 6, 1cd

F: Super slow 8 + hill sprints

Sa: 13 miles at low 7s usually, very hilly

Su: OFF

Also I am on my feet for about 5-7 hours a few times a week in addition to running cuz I got a job this summer if that matters

Based on those times you are definitely aerobically fit. You need to focus on getting some speed. Remember that 15:30 is about 5 flat pace, which is faster than your 2 mile and barely slower than your mile. Gradually increase mileage a bit and focus on doing some fast strides is probably your best bet

Runnerdude69 wrote:

Based on those times you are definitely aerobically fit. You need to focus on getting some speed. Remember that 15:30 is about 5 flat pace, which is faster than your 2 mile and barely slower than your mile. Gradually increase mileage a bit and focus on doing some fast strides is probably your best bet

thanks but i’m guessing i could’ve gone 4:4x and lowered my 3200 more since i only ran like 2 races during indoor my jr year before it got canceled

Well ....The Wizard suggest another magic kind of structure in your weekly program;

M: 60 min at 7:40- 7:45 mile pace

Tu: 12-20 x 400m at 79-80 sec rec= walk easy back to 120 bpm ( or 60 % of MHR )

W: 50 min at 7:40-7:45 mile pace

Th: 70-80 min at 7:40-7:45 mile pace + 3-4 x 100 m strides ( 80 % of max sprint speed)

Fr: 60 min at 7:40- 7:45 mile pace

Sa: LT -intervals to a total of 5-8 miles at 5: 45-5:48 mile pace , rec= same as Tuesday's workout.

Su : Day off

Try this and you will see rapid improvement. Then it`s just to calibrate the paces with a few seconds faster...... Good luck!

- Summer of J.S -

Jan Stensson , Coach JS wrote:

Well ....The Wizard suggest another magic kind of structure in your weekly program;

M: 60 min at 7:40- 7:45 mile pace

Tu: 12-20 x 400m at 79-80 sec rec= walk easy back to 120 bpm ( or 60 % of MHR )

W: 50 min at 7:40-7:45 mile pace

Th: 70-80 min at 7:40-7:45 mile pace + 3-4 x 100 m strides ( 80 % of max sprint speed)

Fr: 60 min at 7:40- 7:45 mile pace

Sa: LT -intervals to a total of 5-8 miles at 5: 45-5:48 mile pace , rec= same as Tuesday's workout.

Su : Day off

Try this and you will see rapid improvement. Then it`s just to calibrate the paces with a few seconds faster...... Good luck!

- Summer of J.S -

thanks I will try doing more LT work since ive only been doing marathon pace work/tinman tempo and those progression runs were the last two miles I may hit 5:50

your 800 is very week. You need to improve your speed a lot to be able to run sub 16' 5k.

Move to wyoming

Only if you were running 30MPW in previous XC seasons.

Runnerdude69 wrote:

Based on those times you are definitely aerobically fit. You need to focus on getting some speed. Remember that 15:30 is about 5 flat pace, which is faster than your 2 mile and barely slower than your mile. Gradually increase mileage a bit and focus on doing some fast strides is probably your best bet

He did say a 3 mile though, so it is basically right on with his 3200 pace