800/1600m winter training plan.

It looks ok but it is missing several elements:

2. A similar thing - strides after easy runs. After every easy run do some fast but relaxed strides. 4-6 80-100m with a minute or two between each. Just to keep in touch with speed always

3. You don't need to do the same workouts in a phasic plan like this. You have the right idea of building first then adding progressively more specific workouts but don't do the same ones every week. For example in the mid December to mid January period I want to be seeing some tempo runs, not just long repeats with shorter recovery.

4. Core work. 3-4 times a week

Other than these things it honestly isn't too bad of a plan you came up with.

Disclaimer that I am not a coach by any means, but I run at a top 25 D1 program now and i'll share with you what worked for me during high school. The schedule that worked for me during high school was a double on workout days, usually 35-40 minutes extremely easy. And workout days were Tuesday/Friday with a long run Saturday.

These are some Base Period workouts that worked for me:

Every few weeks I would not work out on Fridays and would mix in a hard effort long run on Saturday (example: 80 min run: 40 mins easy, 20 mins tempo, 20 mins easy)

Incorporate Diagonals on SOME easy days after your easy run, just do 5-8 minutes of these. If you do not know what these are, look it up.

5 or 6x1k with 75 second standing rest at "CV" pace, followed by 6x200 meter hill strides @1600 EFFORT with slow jog back down the hill.

3x10 min tempo with 1:30 standing rest in between. This is obviously a long tempo for high schoolers so it doesn't necessarily need to be true "tempo" pace.

Mile repeats @ threshold with 2 mins rest in between. (3 to 5 miles of work)

2xMile, 6x200 meter hills, 2xMile. Miles @ threshold, hills at 1600 EFFORT. Take about 90 seconds to 2 minutes between Miles and jog back down the hill easy for the hill reps.

To find out what paces to run (CV, Threshold) use the Run Fast Coach pace calculator, and hit "training paces".

Hope this helps, i'll check back to this thread from time to time so let me know if you have any other questions.

Ok big dawg.

Your new goal is to get better. Throw your time goals out the window. As long as you are getting better you are winning in both me and your mothers eyes.

Now that you have a new goal, we gotta make you a new plan.

Once a week you’re gonna do treadmill 800s, and you’re gonna like it. Start off with 6 of them, you’ll go for half a mile at 6:20-6:30 pace, then slow down to 10:00-11:00 pace and jog for 400m. Then right back up to 6:20-6:30 pace. You will do this each week, add 1 rep each time you do it, so 7 800s on week two, 8 800s on week 3…. Once you get to 10 800s, stop adding, and start running them faster. Maybe start at 6:20 pace and work your way down to 6:00 pace the last 2-3 reps. By the time you get to feb/march you’ll be able to do 10x800m @5:50 mile pace and it won’t even feel that hard. That’s 5 miles at 5:50 pace. You’re gonna be embarrassed you ever ran a 5:00-anything mile after your first race of the season.

Once a week you’ll get on the track and you are going to either do 6x150m, where you put your spikes on and sprint as hard as you can, and take a good rest between each rep where you stretch, do drills, drink some water, hit on a pole vault girl, who cares. The other workout you will do is 8x200m where you sprint but keep it relaxed. As soon as you finish the rep either speed walk or slowly jog back to the starting line and do it again. This workout will hurt and the first 2-3 times you do it you’re gonna slow down a lot as the workout goes on.

Vary these final two workouts once every other week. They are hard and will burn you out if you do them weekly in the off-season :

12x400m in sets of 4, try to go

1:20-1:20-1:20-1:20 (2 minute rest)

5 minute rest

1:15-1:15-1:15-1:15 (2 minute rest)

5 minute rest

1:15-1:15-1:15-1:15 (2 minute rest)

5 minute rest

1:10-1:10-1:10-everything you got

OR

8-10 mile run, for the first 0.2 miles of each mile pick it up hard, anywhere from mile effort to 5k effort, and then run the rest of the mile at your steady easy pace (it won’t feel easy)

Aside from these workouts, do your daily jogs no faster than 8:00 miles, if you feel like doing 2 miles do 2, if you feel like doing 8 miles do 8, but keep it between that. If you don’t think you can run 2 miles you should take a day off or go swim laps for 20 minutes.

Good luck and keep us updated!