Help me! I can't run fast anymore.

TNE wrote:

after 5 weeks I'm down to ~8:30-9:00 per run.

starting Week 5 where their is a jump to 40mpw.

if you're on board with the low heart rate slower running stuff and consider 40mpw a "jump up", that makes sense to me. you can't go from 0 intensity+low mileage for a few weeks to 6:00/mi pace in just a day.

i don't know the hansens method but i'd guess they did not prescribe 12x400 at 5k after just easy running. if you want to do stuff like that occasionally, either start adding stride effort 100-300m 1-2x a week immediately, or just keep following the plan and wait it out. (i assume they'll add tempos and fartleks at some point and then you'll be better prepared)

Your running power dropped after not training it for a while. You need to run fast if you want to be good at running fast

Bythebay12 wrote:

Your running power dropped after not training it for a while. You need to run fast if you want to be good at running fast

Basically this. You can run butt slow on easy days all day long, but if you never run fast, you’ll adapt to just easy running. It’s a good idea to do tempos and easy, but fast, workout for this reason during base phase. Basically twice a week run fast when you feel like it, this could be a steady run or a hammer the end of a run or a fartlek where you run hard till you’re tired and go again when you feel good. You gotta have balance and just slow jogging isn’t it.

No worries. You couldn't run fast before either.

Hooma wrote:

No worries. You couldn't run fast before either.

Lmao. By fast I obviously didn't mean very fast, moreso respectable. I only ran 15 miles per week in highschool and was a decent runner (all conference, county teams, etc).

If you want to run fast you'll need to spend more time running and less time lifting. Increase your mileage and continue with the track sessions.

If you can run a 4:49 and a 17 low off 15 miles a week (2 miles a day) and you can’t figure out how to run faster than 6 minute pace for a mile at 20yo there’s just something wrong with you mentally or physically

TNE wrote:

Hooma wrote:

No worries. You couldn't run fast before either.

Lmao. By fast I obviously didn't mean very fast, moreso respectable. I only ran 15 miles per week in highschool and was a decent runner (all conference, county teams, etc).

If you were all conference and made county teams in high school, then your conference and county sucked, and I mean really sucked bad.

TNE wrote:

PRs:

200m: 27.2

400m: 60.6

800m: 2:12

1600m: 4:49

3200m: 10:34

5k: 17:14

Lmao. By fast I obviously didn't mean very fast, moreso respectable. I only ran 15 miles per week in highschool and was a decent runner (all conference, county teams, etc).

You're not making varsity with those times at any half way decent program. The fact that you ran 15 miles a week tells us you didnt run for a decent program though. Not your fault.

If your goal is to run faster I think you're doing too much lifting. I would lift at most 3x/week and perhaps even less but maybe start with 3. I would focus on running more. Easy days can be as easy as you want if you can also get in one tempo and one fartlek/interval/rep workout each week. Some sort of long run and strides a few days a week and you should be set. You have a lot of room to potentially improve a lot with more consistent running. Good luck!

I am suprized no one has mentioned it. What were the weather conditions that you did this workout in? That drop off you had may have been due to your body overheating. Althrough there are some that would argue that 400m repeats are too short for the heat to make a difference, in my personal experience if I feel hot and dehydrated before running, I know that it's going to be a bad workout, no matter the distance.

Also it's just one workout. Every has bad workouts every now and then. I would be more concerned if this was a pattern.

Sounds like you need to hit the 'tains.

Something like this:

Monday: hit the 'tains + Push

Tuesday: run on the 'tains + Pull + abs

Wednesday: legs + hip strengthening (bands)

Thursday: hit the 'tains + Push

Friday: More 'tains + Pull + abs

Saturday: run + bands

Sunday: Long 'tain session + abs

As I always say: The Vert may hurt, but the gains are worth the pain.