How to not hate the 3200?

Focus on your competitors, and don't think about the number of laps.

Don't be lazy I guess? It's only 10 minutes. Marathon lasts hours and the tour de France lasts a month

Can you ask your coach to play Taylor Swift over the speakers? Not the new one, which is kind of a snooze fest, but a couple of songs from Reputation or 1989? I did this with Enter Sandman when I was in HS. Coach started it on lap 5 and I screamed at the crowd as I approached the bell lap. Everyone was going nuts.

The only way I could really get into the 3200 and later the 5000 on the track was just to concentrate on hitting my laps on pace, then just tossing everything into the fire over the last 800-600m.

Before that I started thinking of it that way I would get too caught up in the race, and I would get pulled out too quickly and then suffer like hell over the last mile or so. Once I embraced my per lap approach I stayed on pace and many of the others came back to me over the last few laps.

The worst thing about the 3200 to me was that you started out racing it in frigid temps, but by the time the REAL important races rolled around you were racing in 80+ degree temps. That is just terrible even for something as short as 2M. Just felt like I was running laps in a frying pan.

I used to think the 3200 was bad until I went to college and had to run the 5k and 8k, then the 3k became one of my favorite distances to race. Also being undertrained or lacking endurance always makes those laps feel longer, you'll get used to it as you run it more

That being said, your times seem pretty balanced across the board, you honestly have decent speed. I'm not convinced I could have run 61 or 2:17 when I was in 5:04 shape. Are you sure you're a 3200 girl and not a 1600 / 800 runner?

Go out slower. You shouldn't be hating life on the 3rd lap. Try making that the 6th lap, then it's time to roll.

I was kinda thinking the same. I’d be inclined to focus on the 800/1600 and comeback to the 3200 when you really want to.

So much of running well is mental and running well pretty much requires developing a fair amount of mental discipline. In the 2 mile or 3200 dealing with that range you hate, the one from maybe the end of the third lap to the sixth or seventh one is a very big part of how successful your race will be. It's very tough, you've pushed yourself for what seems like a long way, the newness of that particular race has worn off, and you still have more distance to cover than what you've already run.

There's not much in the line of tricks or techniques for dealing with this, but one thing I know people have done that's helped with that part of the race is to think only about hanging on for the next lap rather than thinking of the five laps you have left. Another thing you might try is to get your coach to set up a 5,000 meter time trial. Run it seriously. Running a twelve and a half lap race should make an eight lap one seem like less of a deal.

My read is that you are pretty well developed up through the distances, what I would call a complete runner, which is why you can excel in cross country.

Based upon your PRs using a basic rule of thumb that isn't exact science, your 400 tells me you should be capable of 2:14, your 800 tells me you should be capable of 4:54, your 1600 tells me you should be capable of 10:48. So you are ever so slightly worse as the distance increases.

I would guess that you are a little bit underdeveloped aerobically. Do you do better with workouts like repeat 400s and struggle more with 800s/1000s or repeat miles? This is an indicator.

I was solid at 3200m only if I was doing 50mpw. Once I dropped under 40, my 3200 went bad. Might be just a little bit more volume in training is needed.

Another thing is to get better at the longer intervals if that is your issue. A workout that really helped me drop a big chunk out of the 3000m was:

5 x 600m with 200m jog rest. I averaged about 4 seconds per lap faster than my 3000m pace and the jog was pretty brisk, I think the rest average was about 53-55 seconds. I did this workout 3 times during the season and chopped 15 seconds off my 3000m after being stuck for several years without a PR.

Also, the 3200m is vastly more uncomfortable if you open up too fast. When I was in the best shape of my life, my teammate was an ace 3200m runner (top 20 in US high school). I could beat him in the mile. Then wonder why my 3200m sucked when I was opening up the first lap at mile pace. Assuming that you could run 10:48 for 3200m, you should be running 81 second laps. If you're a 2:17 800m runner, you should be really comfortable running through 800m in 2:42. It shouldn't start to feel like a grind until the 5th or 6th lap.

Lastly, if it is hot or windy, it will affect your 3200m a lot.

think of it like a 5000 without the hard part

on a slightly more serious suggestion I found that doing tempos on the track or even just longer workouts (not necessarily at race pace) helps me get used to 'endless' laps; e.g. 9x1K at Threshold gets me used to just going round and round in circles, so when it comes race time for any event, it doesnt feel quite as long

I'm a guy who ran similar times to you, so I was a mid-packer. I would always go out steady and leave myself people to "hunt" as the race progressed. Everyone always went out too fast. Even if I ran 10-15 second positive splits, there were lots of people to chase. That makes it easier--you can focused on hounding people down, rather than just how many laps of suffering are left.

That will be harder for you as a top-tier female, as you will be out in front. Maybe make a mental challenge of trying to hit perfectly even splits every 400 as an additional challenge? You'll maximize your time that way. Alternatively, try to get into faster races where you have more people to chase down.

Very common feeling. I tell my runners the obvious...3200 is WAY less than 5k and no hills or grass! You would think that's all you need to say. But 8 circles is tough. You are fast enough that i assume you win 90% of the time minimum. Soak it in at the front enjoy your time in the spotlight. The 32 seems to like you.

"Based upon your PRs using a basic rule of thumb that isn't exact science, your 400 tells me you should be capable of 2:14, your 800 tells me you should be capable of 4:54, your 1600 tells me you should be capable of 10:48. So you are ever so slightly worse as the distance increases."

I have found that rule to be very optimistic in 9th-12th grade girls. Very optimistic. depending on their set of skills.

Another thought that came to mind after my first post is that you shoule understand that pretty much everyone in that race feels like you're feeling at that point in the race. It's good to know that if just for perspective. But it's also possible for you to use that part in the race to tremendous tactical advantage if you're trying to beat people who are near you then.

That would be a great time to throw in a surge, maybe 200-300 yards. Because most of the people you're racing are like you and struggling, seeing someone racing them actually go FASTER when they're at best hoping to not slow too badly, will be like a punch in the gut. Your reaction to this idea may well be that you too are struggling and can't possibly go any faster. It obviously will feel harder than the speed you've been running so it will be hard. But it is possible. Try it and see and once you've done the surge you'll be able to drop back into your previous pace.

I really like the 1600 and 800, but am in a super competitive conference and state division - several sub 5 minute 1600M girls. The 3200 is less competitive - I guess b/c no one else like running it either 🤷‍♀️.

I will try this. Thank you!

My favorite part of cross country is the hills! Thanks for the advice.

Can confirm. I PRed w/ a 5:04 full mile and a PR of 2:22 800 within 4 weeks.