30 weeks to go from 4:50 to 4:30 what do I do?

talk to your coach, get a plan together, throw in more easy miles right now, develop aerobically, worry about harder workouts later.

I’d say you just have to run about 20 seconds faster during the mile, about 5 seconds per lap. Then you’ll be at around 4:30

You should be able to get down to 4:30 in 10 weeks.

Run 2 seconds faster every 3 weeks.

A beautiful race.

Inspire the people.

And joking aside: Try to work on threshold and efficiency at 33/34" per 200. Stuff like short hill bursts and 6 x 200 at 33/34" are good to begin with.

Definitely focus on the xc season first get that time down under 17 because that will help you get you 4:30 by the time track rolls around. With a 17:30 that should have you at 4:40's fitness I'm guessing. But speed is definitely what matters once track rolls around. Hit that weight room and do some heavy core as that could help activate some speed in you once you combine that with speed workouts and strides. Otherwise if you don't have the speed you'll end up being that sub 10 2 mile guy that can't even dip under 4:35 because they don't have the speed.

We don't know anything about your training other than weekly miles. I will offer a few suggestions:

1. Do strides every easy day at the end and as part of your warmup for harder days. At least 3 days per week better if 5. Strides are quick (not all out) runs of about 15sec 4-6x with good form (tall, chest forward, chin up, elbows back, quick turnover, minimal side to side motion). Sprint drills can help with proper form. This is a low energy cost for a high gain activity. You will be training your neuro-muscular system to be faster. You will get close to a mile a week at mile race pace without ever doing much more taxing interval training.

2. Do a long run of 90min at least every other week.

3. Do steady state (high aerobic) runs for 20-40min. Cross country races will suffice during CC season. After CC season, these will be more important to prep for spring workouts.

The mile is about 75% aerobic, so that is where most of your energy should be spent. But being able to run fast and relaxed for the first 1000-1200m is also critical so strides are a great way to get ready for that. In Feb/March, you can start doing race pace intervals, preferably with relatively short rest. Your body will be ready for the speed and will be aerobically ready for a longer workout. The intervals will train you to sustain your threshold / mile pace.

Good luck.

Too many threads like this imo. First, success shouldn't be defined by running 4:30 or not. You might run sub-4:30, in the 4:30s, or in the 4:40s. It's possible that 4:30 never happens or that it's hard to make improvements past that. It's possible that you end up running a lot faster. So many things factor into that. I don't know how you settled on the number. It's good to have goals. But talk to your coach & settle on a plan that continues your progression. Times will come with good training. Your goal should be to train consistently, run a little more mileage, run slightly better workouts, etc.

You have 30 weeks to progress your 400s from which ever pace you decide to start down to 400s @ goal or slightly faster pace. You're probably doing 800s or 1000s coming through the 400 in around 1:20. It's a pretty simple progression.

1- More miles. 40-45 mpw should be good for your maximum.

2- Tempo running, start with 3-4 miles at around 6:00-6:10 pace, and let’s try to work that down to 3-4 miles at 5:30-5:40 pace by march.

3- Speed work, while in XC season you should do 2-4 hard 150m or 200m efforts where you really focus on form and turnover after an easy run, and once XC is over you should have a dedicated day where you work on 400-800m pace. This could vary from something like 5x300m w/ 2:00 rest all the way to something like 3x50m, 3x150m w/ 4-5 minutes rest. Someone looking to run under 4:30 should feel relatively comfortable running a 200m in 28 or so.

4- Vo2Max work. This is 3k-5k paced work that’ll get you used to breathing hard and running fast. I really like to do 12x400m where you cut down to a faster pace after every 4th rep. For you, I think a good goal would be 1:20-1:17-1:14. 400m jog in between each rep and it’s a constant run. You could also do something like 6x800m w/ 2:30 standing rest looking for something like 2:40.

5- Learning race pace. My favorite introduction to a goal mile race pace is 6x400m w/ 2:30 rest or 400m jog recovery, you’ll have a good feel for what that pace is going to feel like without overdoing it, and it’ll prepare you for harder mile specific work in the spring. I do mile pace for the first 5 and then whatever I have left in the tank for 6.

Came here to say the same thing.

Time goals can be great for a specific race in the near future. For example, if a girl needs to run sub 5 to qualify for state (and that is realistic for her--meaning she's probably already under 5:10, we can do workouts targeting that pace.

Looking 30 weeks into the future, you have no way of knowing where you'll be. Trying to target 4:30 pace for anything more than 200-300m repeats with long rest wouldn't be smart. Process goals, which are what NERunner is referring to, are much more helpful.

I would add that your process goals will be more useful if you are specific as possible. For example, instead of "sleep more," you say, "go to bed by 10 so I can sleep at least 8.5 hours per night."

That was generated with ChatGPT

You're a junior in high school and relatively new to serious running. Consistent training (of almost any kind) and normal growth will get you down toward 4:30.

BUT: Almost all of your growth takes place when you sleep. If you're truly committed to making that big a time drop, you need to be committed to getting enough sleep and high quality sleep.

1. Go to bed and wake up about the same time every night, weekends included.

2. Make that going-to-bed time be about a half-hour earlier than you're used to.

3. And the last half-hour before bedtime, get away from all screens: movie, TV, computer, and phone. This is important to get a higher quality, deeper sleep.

Good luck, and please bump this thread periodically to let us know how you're doing.

Consistent running

Strength training; squats, dead lifts, lunges

Hurdle mobility drills can also be helpful in developing range of motion

Enjoy the journey

This.

The most important thing is to work with your coach, who likely knows a lot about your strengths/weaknesses and your development as an athlete.

Maybe increase mileage from your current 40 up to 45 and hold it there for this year, until tapering for late season spring track, under the direction of your coach.

Some additional thoughts-

Post XC season, I'd suggest alternating a weekly session: 20' tempo run -or- 5 x 1000m threshold repeats with 200m jog. Use your XC PR and an online running calculator to determine workout paces.

Also post XC, I'd suggest one sprint-speed session per week. Start with 5 x 80m hill sprint/accelerations for 4-6 weeks, then 5 x 60m fast on the track for 4-6 weeks, then 4 x 150m with smooth accel on the curve and max speed down the straight, for 4-6 weeks. All with 5 min full rest.

This should get you to the start of spring track with improved aerobic fitness and better basic speed, ready for mile-specific workouts as track season begins.

Example schedule:

Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri easy distance, and keep it easy. 40-45 min, slowly build up to 60 min.

Wed tempo/threshold

Sat speed session

Sun long slow distance, slower pace than easy distance days. 90 min

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Just some ideas from a never-was has-been :)

Good luck, have fun!

Everyone here talking about training but there’s much more than that.

Start getting disciplined about sleep and diet. 9 hours a night, take naps during your free hour, no phone before bed, no staying up late doing homework. Eat a real breakfast and lunch. Not stuff like pop tarts, hot dogs, and other non nutritious empty calories. Eat vegetables every dinner. Listen to your body, if you’re banged up and tired slow down a day or two.

Start doing the above, and I guarantee you’ll hit 4:30 no problem by end of outdoor.