Im currently in base for track in highschool, im running 70mpw, on top of Monday 6x100m strides and Tuesday which is a 4 mile tempo at 5:50 pace, (it's really slow right now because im running on snow, so usually my tempo pace is around 5:20 to 5:30.) Thursday is 6-8xhill sprints, Friday interval workout, occasional 1000m, 400m, 200m or 800m repeats every now and then to mix up. (not to taxing yet because it's still base) lastly my longrun which averages 6:50 for 15 miles and feels like im cruising so not too taxing.
I did a time trial 4 weeks ago and got 4:40
My goal is to hit a 4:20 by the end of the season, i have not started the grueling workouts yet because it's still base but my question is am i training as hard as i should be right now if i really want to drop 20 seconds off the mile?
Am i training hard enough in base for a sub 4:20 mile?
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"No human is limited." - Eliud Kipchoge
That said, I don't think you can do 4:20. But you can squeak in a sub 4:30! Good luck. -
Socialanxietyrunner wrote:
Im currently in base for track in highschool, im running 70mpw, on top of Monday 6x100m strides and Tuesday which is a 4 mile tempo at 5:50 pace, (it's really slow right now because im running on snow, so usually my tempo pace is around 5:20 to 5:30.) Thursday is 6-8xhill sprints, Friday interval workout, occasional 1000m, 400m, 200m or 800m repeats every now and then to mix up. (not to taxing yet because it's still base) lastly my longrun which averages 6:50 for 15 miles and feels like im cruising so not too taxing.
I did a time trial 4 weeks ago and got 4:40
My goal is to hit a 4:20 by the end of the season, i have not started the grueling workouts yet because it's still base but my question is am i training as hard as i should be right now if i really want to drop 20 seconds off the mile?
This isn't the way it works. If it were, then you should train double-hard and break 4:00.
The way it works is that you train as much as you can do consistently within your current capability, then race and see what you can do.
It sounds like you're doing fine, and you'll probably break 4:20. -
I’d say go for it! Just remember that harder isn’t always better in running. I’m currently in 4:20-4:25 shape running 50 mpw, but if I decided to run 100 mpw with harder workouts, I’d end up being slower not faster. Make sure you aren’t overdoing it, and you should be able to get there!
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Wow this is really exciting!
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4:20 for a high school boy is not fast. It’s just not fast.
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Maybe where you live it's not, but where I live people think you are a gold medal champion if you run a 5 minute mile.
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It's all relative. Be yourself. This is your life.
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you are working way more than hard enough. whether or not you have the ability is another question. hard to say. what kind of PRs do you have. what is your age. was the 4:40 solo?
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We had 16 guys on our team go sub 5 last year indoor. Guessing a few more would have done it outdoor.
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Proud and American wrote:
We had 16 guys on our team go sub 5 last year indoor. Guessing a few more would have done it outdoor.
realize that there are high schools that have 200 total kids, or even less from grade 9-12. and there are high schools with 3000+ kids. depending on the size and demographics of your school, that could be a tremendous or just average number. -
Newbury Park standards wrote:
4:20 for a high school boy is not fast. It’s just not fast.
Bill Rodgers and Noah Droddy mile PB is 4:17. So who knows. -
Your base already is above and beyond what's necessary to run a 4:20 mile.
What matters is your speed. -
You are training hard enough to run a good mile in the spring. If that is a 4:20 or a 4:30 nobody can tell you. I would almost say you are doing too much work but a lot depends on what that interval work is like.
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Im 12th so almost graduating highschool, my fastest 5000m recorded was 15:39 last xc season, last year my fastest mile recorded was the exact same time, i never improved not even by 1 second. Now this was done 4 weeks ago and i was getting back in shape but still. Doesn't 15:39 seem like i have potential for a 4:20 or no?
I do feel like I could've hit in the 4:20s last xc season if I did a mile time trial.
One of my races i cruised the 1st mile in the low 4:40s so it gained my confidence thinking i could no doubt hit a 4:20.
But i guess there is a massive gap between 4:40 and 4:20. -
Maybe last year i couldve have got a better time but corona screwed some things up.
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Figure out a better place to do the tempos. You won’t get the same benefit from 5:50 pace on snow as you will from 5:20 pace without snow, even if the perceived effort is equal. If you have to split it up into cruise intervals, you can do that too (aim for 5:10-5:15 pace for cruise intervals and 5:15-5:20 pace for a continuous tempo).
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Socialanxietyrunner wrote:
Im 12th so almost graduating highschool, my fastest 5000m recorded was 15:39 last xc season, last year my fastest mile recorded was the exact same time, i never improved not even by 1 second. Now this was done 4 weeks ago and i was getting back in shape but still. Doesn't 15:39 seem like i have potential for a 4:20 or no?
I do feel like I could've hit in the 4:20s last xc season if I did a mile time trial.
One of my races i cruised the 1st mile in the low 4:40s so it gained my confidence thinking i could no doubt hit a 4:20.
But i guess there is a massive gap between 4:40 and 4:20.
i think you are definitely fast enough to run a 4:20. you will just need a couple good opportunities to run that fast. if you are perfectly trained, you can run it in your first try, but most high schoolers aren't, so you need a few fast races before you get there. -
You’re absolutely training hard enough. Perhaps even too hard, depending on your previous experience.
For reference, I had a boy run 4:40 flat in our season opener last year, (late February 2020). He was more like 45-50 mpw with 2 quality sessions. 1 was a hard 50-70 min run. Usually at 6:20 ish pace. The other was a mixture of stuff like 800s at date pace for 2 miles and 200-300 at goal pace for the mile. Total volume on these sessions was usually less than 5k.
The 4:40 was a total shock, I hadn’t considered that kid to be super talented. -
Newbury Park standards wrote:
4:20 for a high school boy is not fast. It’s just not fast.
Yes, it is fast. In the Sacramento area, a 4:20 miler will always make it to the Section final and will often finish in the top 5. A typical 4:20 miler can also run 2 miles in 9:20 or faster. Local distance powerhouse, Jesuit HS, has had years where they didn't have one.
Did you run a 4:20 mile in HS and how many of your teammates ran that fast?
