Sub 5:30 mile training plan - 12 weeks

Running much faster in intervals than the target paces is how to achieve the target pace when running the race. Too many try to only run a little faster than the target pace during their interval workouts.

I offer below a baseline. It is a 4-week cycle, so just repeat 3 times. You can gauge your improvement over the last cycle.
This is good for racing fast at 800m - 10k.

I raced 800m (and miles) in HS and college. I ran CC in HS, and in my late 20s I raced on the road.

WORKOUTS (4 week cycle)
Note: Day 4 and Day 6 change for each week.

Day 1. One aerobic distance run per week: in HS, we would do 1 hour and cover about 9 miles (6:40 pace).
1a. So...run for 1 hour, once a week. It is meant to be aerobic, which means you are not short of breath. We did this on Sundays. (my HS coach trained for CC under Dellinger and Bowerman during his graduate studies at Oregon).
1b.. In college, we ran 10 miles in 58-60 minutes.

Day 2. Lydiard fartlek: 5-7 miles, building up to a fast, sustained pace, then slowing down. 3-4 such builds in the workout. We would build for about 800m and sustain for approx 400m.

3. Homer fartlek: 4-6 miles, running 6:30 - 7 minute pace (or whatever suits you), then stopping for several fast sprints with very short recovery (50s or 100s). Repeat the sprint phase 2-3 times during the fartlek.

Day 4. Speed that will be sustained over distance:
4a. Power run once every 4 weeks: 4-5 miles (can eventually increase to 6-8 miles) almost as fast as you can run that distance in a race.
4b. Next week: run ladders (600m, 400m, 200m) or (500m, 300m, 100m). Run 2 repeats of the ladders, with about five minutes between intervals, and 10 minutes between sets. In other words, 3 sets of ladders, and it can be 3 of the same, or mix up the two. Run at expected mile pace for the 600, 400m, 200m; run at expected 800m pace (sub-2) for the 500m, 300m, 100m.
4c. Third week: cut down the rest in (4b) to 2 minutes between intervals, and 5 minutes between sets.
4d. Fourth week: run 3200m, such that the first 800m is at your expected mile pace, and the second 800m at two mile pace, and the third 800m is at your expected 5K pace, and the last 800m is at the expected 10K pace. Float for 15 minutes after the 3200m, then run 4 x 300m with a 100m jog, with the first one at expected 800m pace, then each one faster than the previous one.

Day 5. Weights
5a/ If you can, also do water running for 15 minutes: 5 minutes at 2-mile pace, 3 minutes slower, 3 minutes at mile pace, 1 minute slower, 1 minute at half-mile pace, and 2 minutes slower.
5b. Water running is great for aerobic and anaerobic, even if injured.

Day 6. Form work (Run with power)
6a. First week: rest..
6b. Second week: Warm up 2-3 miles, stretch, then 4-6 x 200m strides at 85% of full sprint speed, and then cool down. I prefer 200m straightaways, and the 200s don't have to be on a track.
6b1: Running is jumping (leaping), so work on taking the longest strides possible without slowing down hips, and without shortening the angular rotation of the hips during the stride.
6b2: Churning is when runners shorten the hip's angular rotation to get their feet on the ground more frequently, which is inefficient.
6b3: "Run-walking" refers to runners that rely on momentum and the rolling on the foot as the body's weight passes over the foot so as to appear to be taking small leaps, and this is very common among most distance runners (but not common among elite racers).
6c. Third week: Repeat 6b:
6d. Fourth week: rest

Day 7. Rest or race or time trial, depending on the weather and time of the year.

If you want, add in 2-3 miles per morning, for 3-5 mornings, all at a steady pace. When you race faster, the pace of the morning runs will likely increase over the months.

Thank you, but this is extremely hard for someone like me. I am only looking for speed workouts 2 times a week, and don't have access to weights or things like aqua jogging. Can you edit this plan a little bit for my fitness level? I am confident I cannot do 5-7 mile fartleks and those other insanely hard (at least for me) workouts. I was thinking of something like 1 long run on Sunday, 3 easy-paced aerobic runs (not sure what distance) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a rest day on Saturday, and track workouts on Tuesday and Thursday, as this is what I'm used to from CC.

Sure.

The long run on Sunday could be 45 minutes for a couple of months or more, until you feel comfortable to get up to an hour.

Easy pace runs during the week are marginally effective. Perhaps a medium paced runs of 3-5 miles, at least once during the week, and if only once, then probably Wednesday because it is between the track workouts.

The track workouts could be

Tuesdays: 4 week cycle
a) 4 x 400m with 400m jog between each interval, all at the 800m pace you anticipate being able to run in spring track.
b) 6 x 200m with 200m jog, done at the 800m pace
c) 600m at expected 1600m pace, 800m jog recovery, then another 600m.
d) 400m at 800m pace, jog 400m recovery; 200m at expected 400m race pace, jog 200m recovery, and 100m at 90% of sprint pace.

Thursdays: 4 week cycle
a) 4 x 200m with 600m jog, run at 90% of sprint pace
b) 6 x 150m with 250m jog, run at 90% of sprint pace
c) 300m, 100m, 200m with a 300m jog between each interval: all run at 90% of expected race pace for 400m.
d) 200m, jog 200m, 200m at 80% of sprint pace. Jog 3 laps, then repeat.

Thursdays will give you speed, which is necessary to compete in HS track.
Tuesdays will help extend the speed to the next distance, such as 400m for 800m, 800m for 1600m, which is also necessary to be competitive in HS track.

On Thursdays especially, work on running with power. Sprinting is jumping or leaping, so jump as far as you can with each stride without slowing down. That is why HS and college sprinters do drills with bounding, and then they sprint with their focus on long fast strides. Most runners shorten the hip rotation to put their feet on the ground as fast as possible, and that is what I call "churning."

I'm not going to speculate on the prospect of shaving off 30s in 12 weeks, outside of saying it will be quite a challenge to do so. But given your age and described current abilities, there are any number of plans out there that could fit your description. From a simplistic POV, maybe take a look at this: https://freerunningplans.com/1-mile-running-plans. It seems to fit pretty much what you're looking for and seems to cover the bases you'll need to get to your goal time, whether that be in this current 12 week cycle or subsequent ones. These are only eight week plans, but you could probably cycle through the first four weeks twice, then finish off with the remaining four weeks. The "advanced" plan is probably not so much that you could slide right into it. Here's a bit more about the author/coach of this site: https://freerunningplans.com/about-the-coach. Good luck!

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ERAB wrote:
Sure.

The long run on Sunday could be 45 minutes for a couple of months or more, until you feel comfortable to get up to an hour.

Easy pace runs during the week are marginally effective. Perhaps a medium paced runs of 3-5 miles, at least once during the week, and if only once, then probably Wednesday because it is between the track workouts.

The track workouts could be

Tuesdays: 4 week cycle
a) 4 x 400m with 400m jog between each interval, all at the 800m pace you anticipate being able to run in spring track.
b) 6 x 200m with 200m jog, done at the 800m pace
c) 600m at expected 1600m pace, 800m jog recovery, then another 600m.
d) 400m at 800m pace, jog 400m recovery; 200m at expected 400m race pace, jog 200m recovery, and 100m at 90% of sprint pace.

Thursdays: 4 week cycle
a) 4 x 200m with 600m jog, run at 90% of sprint pace
b) 6 x 150m with 250m jog, run at 90% of sprint pace
c) 300m, 100m, 200m with a 300m jog between each interval: all run at 90% of expected race pace for 400m.
d) 200m, jog 200m, 200m at 80% of sprint pace. Jog 3 laps, then repeat.

Thursdays will give you speed, which is necessary to compete in HS track.
Tuesdays will help extend the speed to the next distance, such as 400m for 800m, 800m for 1600m, which is also necessary to be competitive in HS track.

On Thursdays especially, work on running with power. Sprinting is jumping or leaping, so jump as far as you can with each stride without slowing down. That is why HS and college sprinters do drills with bounding, and then they sprint with their focus on long fast strides. Most runners shorten the hip rotation to put their feet on the ground as fast as possible, and that is what I call "churning."

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Yes, it will be enough, if you do the workouts at the recommended paces.
If you get much better in a short amount of time, revise your goals for even faster 800m and 1600m, and do the intervals at the new goals.

Rare that people get injured if they warm up and stretch, and then warm down and stretch afterward.

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ERAB wrote:
Yes, it will be enough, if you do the workouts at the recommended paces.
If you get much better in a short amount of time, revise your goals for even faster 800m and 1600m, and do the intervals at the new goals.

Rare that people get injured if they warm up and stretch, and then warm down and stretch afterward.

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One last thing I forgot to mention is that the track is about 1.5-2 miles away from my house. So should I use this as a warmup and cooldown jog before and after the track workouts? I can only get to the track by running or walking, the latter of which would take too long. Not sure if I should do this long of a warmup or cooldown. I may be able to only have to make this trip after the run, so how should I structure this warmup/cooldown jog if I was doing both or if I was just doing the cooldown? Sorry for so many questions, but you have been super helpful, @ERAB. Thank you so much for all your help!

PS - one more question (sorry!) - should I do these track workouts in my trainers or my spikes, keeping in mind that I may have to jog both warmup and cooldown holding the spikes? I also want your opinion on even if I didn't have these warmup and cooldown jogs, should I do the track workouts in spikes or trainers?

I think your workout schedule looks very good.

Interval workouts can be in trainers, but try to run the three time trials on weeks 4, 8 and 12 in spikes.
Carry spikes with you while jogging on warmup and on cool down to and from the track.
I 've done that many times, and probably every racer has, as we don't store our shoes in lockers, but run with them to the track.

Sundays can be only 45 minutes easy, until you are comfortable with 60 minutes.
This long slow run is excellent for ligaments and tendons (similar to dong low weight and high reps in weight room)

Running to the track is a great warm up, and jogging back is a great cool down.
Note: While almost everyone stretches after the warm-up, usually it is only the top athletes who realize the value of stretching after the cool down. I hope you do. Why so valued? Muscles must be stretched to work, or one ends up like the bodybuilders who can't straighten their arms from so much bicep work. Not effective for athletic movements to have muscles always "shortened" because of being "tight."

Running a time trial on Sundays of weeks 4, 8 and 12 is a good idea.
Run each time trial at 85% effort of what you think would be an "all out effort" for the time trial. For example, run 300m at 85% of what you think you could race a 300m.

Week 4 time trial: 300m, 20 minutes recovery, another 300m.
Week 8 time trial:. 400m (could also add a 200m after 30 minutes recovery)
Week 12 time trial:. 500m: run the first 400m only about 2-3 seconds slower than what you ran for a 400m on week 8 time trial.

I do not recommend any time trials longer than the 3 listed above during this 12 week cycle. The longer time trials can come after the 12 week cycle, when you will have plenty of stamina, and these time trials will give you speed.

TAPER for WEEK 13 and race on day 6: rest the 2 days before the race.
That is the only change I would make.

What does Expected Pace for 400/800m mean?
a) expected 400m pace: 68-70 by late spring track?
I am not sure yet, but probably that is 68-70 seconds, so the 200m would be 34-35 seconds if run at expected 400m pace.
If expected 400m pace is 72 seconds, then run 36 sec for the 200m when the workout says run at 400m pace.
If you can run the 200s faster, say 32-33 (or faster), that implies you could run 64-66 at some time in the spring, but it doesn't have to be exact. Maybe try to run a second faster, if in doubt, rather than a second slower, because these are intervals, and not the full race distance.

b) expected 800m pace: 2:30-2:35? Maybe faster, you will know more after 12 weeks.

c) expected 1600m pace: 5:20-5:25? Maybe faster....it is okay to run at a little faster pace, because these are intervals, and it will help make your target pace easier.

I hope this helps.

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need_help_5:29 wrote:

So based on your advice, this is what I'm thinking for the four week plan.

Weeks 1, 5, 9 are "a", weeks 2, 6, 10 are "b," weeks 3, 7, 11 are "c," and weeks 4, 8, 12 are "d."

Monday - 3-5 miles easy-paced run
Tuesday -
a - 4x400m with 400m jog in between each interval
b - 6x200m with 200m jog in between each interval
c - 600m hard, 800m jog, 600m hard!

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[b]ERAB wrote:

I would change c. to 600m hard, 1600m jog, 600m hard

or c. 600m hard, 800m jog, 600m medium

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The last plan is fine.
At this point, do what you think is best, because the adjustments are not going to affect your performance.

as to your *, and **, and ***, I don't agree, but it is okay if you change.
Either way, just nuances now.

Everything is fine now.

Give it a go...

Your issue is the 1:15 open 400 speed, that's very poor if you want to run 5:30 get down to 68-70 although technically maybe 72 would be enough getting down to 68-70 at least would help your efficiency across all events. Also are you a girl or a guy if you're a guy you should be able to get that 400 down to like 63-64 atleast

I did it in middle school off max 15 mpw. Lotta speed work. That’s all. Not optimal but did track work 4 days a week, easy 1.

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analogkid wrote:
I'm not going to speculate on the prospect of shaving off 30s in 12 weeks, outside of saying it will be quite a challenge to do so. But given your age and described current abilities, there are any number of plans out there that could fit your description. From a simplistic POV, maybe take a look at this: https://freerunningplans.com/1-mile-running-plans. It seems to fit pretty much what you're looking for and seems to cover the bases you'll need to get to your goal time, whether that be in this current 12 week cycle or subsequent ones. These are only eight week plans, but you could probably cycle through the first four weeks twice, then finish off with the remaining four weeks. The "advanced" plan is probably not so much that you could slide right into it. Here's a bit more about the author/coach of this site: https://freerunningplans.com/about-the-coach. Good luck!

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By the way, a proper warm-up before the 5k can do wonders for your time. I read somewhere yesterday that if you get some warm-up and finish with about 6 minutes of 70% VO2max, then rest 20 minutes, you'll be primed to run faster and easier at 80% VO2max. It has to do primarily with neuro-muscular recruitment that was established in the 6 minute priming effort still ready to continue that way from the very start 20 minutes later. The full 20 minutes is needed to get metabolic products back down to normal levels before the race.