Sorry for the relatively long thread…
Context below, questions afterwards
Hi everyone. I’m a sophomore distance runner and am running my first (full) year of track this year (played baseball for all except 2 indoor meets last year). I have never ran the 3200 before however I am aiming to go sub 9:50 by end of season. My PR during xc was a 16:17 3 mile and ran a 4:57 1600 time trial (definitely feel as though i had more left in me). I have been holding my winter milage at 50-55 for most of it, with 57 these past two weeks and aiming for 60 this week. Below is my milage for the past two weeks (prior to this was primarily solo tempo and easy work, usually 2 tempos or a tempo and interval workout per week and rest easy w/ 1 long):
Monday: 6 easy @ 7:50 pace
Tuesday: 4.5 base, .75 easy (7:14 avg, felt pretty bad this day)
Wed (start of track practice): 5 w/ middle 3 tempo (aka threshold in my book) @ 6:03 pace in morning, 4 + strides later
Thurs: 5 w/ middle 3 @ 6:18 -> 5:46
Fri: 4 easy @ 7:57 in morning, 6 + strides later @ 8:06
Sat: 8 easy @ 7:29
Sun: 13.1 @ 7:16
Total week 1: 57.14 mi
Mon: 12 x ~445m repeats (forced into parking lot, track snowed out) @ 80s 400m pace w/ 60s standing rest, ~5.9 total
Tues: 6 “base” @ 7:21 (legs beat up, did virtually no speed during winter so i was cooked)
Wed: 12 x 445m relays @ 76s 400m pace w/ standing rest waiting for partner (ran similar pace to me so probably 83s reps / ~75 sec 400 pace), ~5.9 total
Thurs: 4 in AM @ 7:44, 4.1 + strides in PM @ 8:15
Fri: hard 445m (73 / 65 400 pace) / .5 jog / 10 x 220 @ 39.6 -> 37 (time, not 200 pace) w/ 60s standing rest / .5 jog / 445m hard (74 / 66 400 pace), ~5.6 total
Sat: 8 easy AM @ 7:47, 3 easy @ 7:30 + .5 @ 6:05 + .5 @ 5:34 PM
Sun: 13.1 + strides @ 7:32 pace
Total: 57.14 (again)
The workouts here are M/W/F however will be T/Th/Sat moving forward.
So after all that I still have some questions to ask. Sorry!
For starters, I would like to know if this is too much, too little, or also just wrong training-wise (i.e. non-optimal workouts for a 3200m runner). I have felt that my body adapts much more strongly to longer threshold workouts such as tempos or long 1k or 1600m intervals than it does to short 400 or 200m relays at the same average heartrate but faster pace. For example, we have done a 24 x 200m relay where we go around 40-37 and jog across the football field to greet our finishing teammate (we start and end each rep at the 50m rep for slower jog rest). Are workouts like this optimal? I can’t find much info on short distance high rep workouts like this.
Additionally, I am curious about doing double workout days (maybe once per week / every 2 weeks) to potentially increase my threshold work. Considering we do lots of shorter stuff during track, is this ideal? I am completely open to double workouts however my coach doesnt seem to be so they would be behind his back lol. If so, what workouts should I do? Just tempos or intervals as well? How often?
I am also curious about premeets. During xc szn and the 2 meets during track last year, we did 3 miles the day before a meet at a very easy pace. Would it be beneficial to do, say, 5 miles in the morning? I am NOT looking to PR every meet. I have felt that over my past two xc seasons I have peaked before the postseason and so am wondering if increasing milage here until then can help ensure i peak then and not early/mid season. We usually have 2 meets per week, and though inconsistent on schedule, usually on tuesdays or saturdays or sometimes fridays with the occasional exception. Because of that, we only get workouts when we can and my coach would resort to post-race workouts during xc to make it up. Basically, what should i be doing premeet wise?
Finally, I would like to know some sources to help me further my research. This website is a great start but any books or articles would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
PS we run around 15-18 meets including conference and sectionals (IL state 3200 for 3A is 9:33, which is a little out of what I think I am capable of this season). Very long season so I am trying to also not get injured. Recovery tips also appreciated. Thanks for your help!
Also will be posting on r/ AdvancedRunning