Can't break 60 in a 400. Do I have any hope of running a 4:30 1600 next month?

I am thinking that you don't have much of a shot. Prove me wrong.

Back in HS I ran ~4:28 for the mile, I could break 60 for 400m practically any day of the week.

already surprising you're at 4:35 with that speed.

high school kids are admittedly aerobically underdeveloped but most of those barely sub 5 kids can run a 59 in the 400.

Are your workouts faster than when you were a 4:35 guy? There aren't many people who run a legit 60s and a 4:35. That is very good speed endurance. Is running 5s faster possible of course. But each of those seconds is getting harder and harder.

would be very surprised to see you do it.

Clearly, you spend a lot of time training if you can run sub-4:40 and be a 60-high 400m guy. Maybe you could devote some of that work ethic towards getting faster? You could run 4:15 or faster if you really tried.

I remember reading that Alberto Salazar, in his prime, couldn't break 60 sec but could run a four minute mile. He could hold what little speed he had.

That is definitely not true 🤣, it’s 100% impossible to run 4 minute mile with a 400m speed of 60. I think the slowest you can be for 4 minute mile is 52 seconds

Yeah in High School I ran 4:58 and 55. Admittedly I was more of an 800 guy but 60 and 4:30 seems crazy to me.

Maybe a tiny bit on average, but not by much.

On a related note, I ran a solo 400 TT a while back in 61.8. I got a 4:41 1600 two weeks after that.

I am not so sure. I think, for me, it would be more telling what OP can do for 200m (even if just repeats). In high school I ran 4:26 with a suspect 54high split.

In college after two surgeries (I say this because they really tanked my meager sprint speed. Could at least pull 25 in high school, never cracked 27 in college for 200) and fastest known split of 57-8 (first lap of an 800 relay), I still managed to run 3:59 1500 with very few opportunities to run it.

I guy at my HS ran 4:28 but never ran a 400 under 60. It's possible he had the ability to but never did.

You can break 4:30 with 60.3 400m speed but you will likely be a 9:30 or faster 3200m runner then also. So if you are only a 9:45 runner then I would say it is unlikely.

Sage Canaday's 400 time was 57 mid back when he was a 4:17 miler (not much of an example, It's according to him). But if a guy with a much higher mile time struggles to crack 60. I think for 4:30 it should suffice.

I think it's possible for some people who can't break 60. Perhaps you know how to run a 1600 but don't really know how to run a 400. Therefore, your slow 400 would be deceptive.

Hang in there and try to add in some drills that will help you with leg turnover. Perhaps downhill repeats?

I broke 60 for the first time my senior year. I didn’t have horrible leg speed but I never ran a 400 in practice or the 4x400 until I ran a 58 400 (standing) for the last rep of a workout. I ended up splitting 800 in 59 a few times that year.

I also had run a 4:58 mile my freshman year coming through in 64 though, so I think I’d have been sub 60 then

I ran a 28.x 200 with a flying start.

Not sure, but I knew a 15 flat 5000m runner who could never break 60 seconds for 400m.

Salazar's PR for 400 was allegedly 57, and he claimed he could break 4 but never did it (he probably could have based on his 7:43 for 3000). That could be correct but it had to be in a workout, as I'm sure Dellinger never stuck him in for a leg of the 4x400. Even in high school he was training with the GBTC and not running the 400. If he ran a 57 in a workout he could have a FAT a few seconds faster.

Back in high school I ran 4:28 for the mile but ran 53.5 for 400.

Your mile time is impressive considering your poor 400. But I would say your 400 is so poor that there is no way that it cannot be improved upon. Spend some time this spring working on your speed and get that 400 down and it will likely do wonders for your mile time.

so to sum up: yes, no, maybe