2:45 for 800 intervals does not put you at 6 minutes for cruise intervals. It says that you are a 17:30 5k runner. 6:20 is probably your tempo pace.
2:45 for 800 intervals does not put you at 6 minutes for cruise intervals. It says that you are a 17:30 5k runner. 6:20 is probably your tempo pace.
Why do long intervals?
I remember a runner when I was in college, he had finished at another college, and had moved to train with the coach for a year. One day on the track, he ran several repeat miles (about 4:35).
We all admired his determination.
I know that my freshman year in college the guy I trained with (800m runner) went to a high school to help a local runner with a workout. The HS runner (senior) was excellent and had few competitors in HS. On a dirt track in our training shoes, we ran 2 x 1 mile in 4:40. Right at 4:40, running even 70 seconds every lap. 10 minutes between sets. At that time, we could run pretty fast for 800m and could have run a very good mile. That is about the last time I did such as workout on a track. We could have run 68-69s, but didn't 'want to. The workout was controlled.
We rarely do mile repeats. None of the sub 4 milers I know ran those type of mile workouts on the track. Milers might do mile repeats on trails that are measured, but that is much different than running around in circles on a hard track. And even if those milers do the workouts, that is not necessarily during track season, more like CC season.
If you do the mile repeats slow enough, as some posts suggested, then you can do the repeats, but why?
Do repeats of shorter intervals and get after the speed.
Let go of the need to have easy days.
I was 35, in running shoes, and joined a group (older runners and such) running 12 x 400m with 1 min rest at a track. Ran them in 72. I ran the last one in 60. Even that was a lot of reps for me to do.
Run intervals at what is expected in an 800 or 1600 race in spikes. That doesn't mean that you have to run the intervals in spikes, but its okay if you do. It means run fast, like a race would be in a few months, and not like you are now. The last couple intervals I would run even faster, and the last one was usually so fast that it was nearly a race.
This pattern of fast intervals, even if out on the trails or parks, to include much faster the last couple of intervals, was persistent. At least every other week, many times it was every week, and sometimes it was twice a week.
Easy runs do nothing but induce laziness in workouts, except maybe for sprinters. Anything slower than 7:30 pace is not worth doing....replace with a brisk walk.