800m/1500m Runners Training Schedule

You've got a nice mix of distances and paces. You may get some flak about doing a fair volume of specific work now, but

a) if you're looking at peak races in May, it's not unreasonable to start this stuff now, because

b) it appears that you're on the speed side of middle-distance, which would explain why

c) your distance runs seem to be at a relatively soft pace for someone who's aiming at those goal times.

Depending on the interval/recovery you take between repetitions in your track workouts, those workouts could be contributing the kind of high-level aerobic development that other, distance-oriented, runners get from fast steady runs.

Doing circuits just once a week is more of a maintenance than a development routine, but if you've been doing them 2-3 times/wk for a while before now, once a week may be appropriate--and in any case, I realize that there's a limit to how much one can do! (If you followed the advice that you'll get from *all* of us strangers, you'd probably end up doing about 120 miles with at least five quality sessions--and four rest days!--per week.)

Remember that training is a process: an alternation of stress and recovery that results in adaptation. Make sure you get the recoveries (full nights' sleep at consistent times, balanced diet, etc.) that allow the adaptation.

With a quick re-read, this sounds a little pretentious. Sorry. Seems to me that you're on the right track. Good luck.

Sounds good to me. I have similar goals this season and am doing similar stuff. Our track sessions are the same speed, but your easy stuff is faster than mine and your volume is higher (I'm at 50 mpw).

I opened my outdoor season today at 2:02.14 for the 800. Not a bad rust buster. I'm confident I'll go sub-2, and you probably should too.

Thanks for the replys. What sort of recovery do you think i should be doing on the track sessions? At the moment its 70 seconds on the 200s with reducing recovery as the season goes on to around 40/45 seconds. As for the 400s i am yet to do the session in this training programme, i have only done the 200 session since i started the programme a week ago. So im wondering what sort of recovery i should be having on the 400m sessions?

Thanks

looks like a pretty good schedule, i'm doing pretty much the same thing and focusing on the 800 (but i have a day of 30-50m sprints for speed, and i'm not doing the AM runs). I would add another day of circuit training. As far as the intervals go, i would say just do an equal or half-distance jog in between each.

Ok, so i say i do an equal jog recovery for the 400s. So 400m jog recovery, what sort of pace should it be at? 2 mins a lap, slower, faster? With the recovery distance decreasing as the season goes on maybe, 400m, 300m then eventually half distance 200m?

Thoughts

Thanks

Mix is good.

boing

Mix the 200's/400's with the short rep day, so you're not doing 2 quality days back to back, no need for that.

Get rid of the circuit training. You want endurance go run more quality mileage. Look at my post about weights today.

Also, remember to be specific with your %intensity week to week. Don't do too much fast stuff too early, and back off every 2-3 weeks and do more threshold stuff or race.

This is modified/Americanized from a Renato post earlier this year. It's based off of a 4:27 miler.

I: SPEED1(Maximum Velocity)- alactic sprint training/max velocity training.

II: SPEED2(>115%)- All out. 100-120m moving up to 200-300m (occasionally). Total volume: no more than 1000m.

II:SPEED3 (~115-110%): 14.25-15.17/28.5-30.34/42.75-45.51/57-60.6. Lactate tolerance for last 25% of race: 120-200m moving up to 300-400m (occasionally). Total volume: no more than 1800m.

III: HIGH SPEED ENDURANCE (105%)- 15.89/31.785/47.67/ 63.57/79.45/95.34. Lactate tolerance for mid race period: 300-400m*moving to 400-600m (occasionally). Total volume: 2-3k (depending on interval length).

*(occasionally when feeling good)

IV: SPECIFIC SPEED ENDURANCE (100%)- 16.68/33.75/50/ 66.75. Lactate tolerance/race tempo: 400m moving to 600m/possibly 800m. Total Volume: No more than 3k-4800m.

V: SPECIFIC AEROBIC POWER (95-92%)- 17.56-18.13 /35.12-36.26/ 70.24-72.52/ 1:45.36-1:48.78/2:20.48-2:25/2:55.2-3:01. VO2MAX development, High end Aerobic power. 600-1k (depending on speed). Total Volume: 5k.

VI: GENERAL AEROBIC POWER (90%)- 18.54/37/55.62/74.16/3:05/3:42/4:56. Supports VO2max development, Raises anerobic threshold at high veocities. Also provides PSYHCHOLOGICAL preparation for specific work/racing. 1k-1600. Total Volume: 10k.

VII: SUPPORTING AEROBIC POWER (85%)- 19.62/39.24/78.48/2:36.96/3:16.2/5:13.92/6:32.4/9:48. “Critical Velocity”. Supports VO2MAX work+ Lactate tolerance work. 1-3k. Total Volume: 5-10k, possibly 15k.

VIII: AEROBIC ENDURANCE/LACTATE THRESHOLD (80-82%)- 80%- 20.85/41.7/83.4/2:46/3:28/5:33.6/11:07.2/16:40.8/22:14.4/ 27:48/ 33:21.6.

82%-20.35/40.7/81.4/3:23/5:25.6/6:47/10:10.75/10:51.6/16:17/16:55. Lactate Threshold and increasing Aerobic endurance/ability of mitochondria to metabolize lactate through the lactic acid shuttle. 80%: 3-5 miles, possibly 10k. 82%: 3k-3200m (maybe repeats).

Don't worry about pace on the recovery jogs at this time of year. make it slow enough that you're able to complete your reps while maintaining good form. Later in the year (maybe in 6 weeks, or so) you can start doing these with pretty short rest to get used to producing lactate and running with it in your system, but for now these reps are more about being efficient at or near race pace, so take as long as you need.

(Note: Notice how I don't say anything about lactate bufferring. Lactate isn't what needs to be bufferred against; it isn't what causes you to tie up, but a rise in lactate does correlate with increased difficulty in maintaining speed and, eventually, slowdown.)

(Almost) everything works for someone. Nothing works for everyone.

OP, you'll make your choices. My endorsement of your basic program was based on your (apparent) strong point--the speed end of middle distance, rather than the distance end. I still think that your approach, for that kind of athlete (and of course I actually know nothing about you), is sound.

What I was going to mention is: if you do 10 400's in, say, 70secs. and jog a 2:00 (which sounds about right, by the way) 400 after each repetition, that works out to 8k (roughly 5 miles) in 31:40--so you may end up duplicating some of the effects of the Friday workout. Not necessarily a negative, just something to keep an eye on.

But I like your general notion of the gradually reduced recoveries while running something at your 1500 goal pace or (for now) a bit slower. Though I was going to suggest trying a non-jog recovery between reps--maybe even (horrors!) some circuit exercises--I really think your best bet is to give your proposed routine an honest try for at least four (maybe better: six) weeks, and then assess before tweaking.

Good luck. Don't succumb to paralysis by analysis, and remember that there are many paths to the top of the mountain, but if you keep switching paths you may never get there.

(Sorry--I took Cliche 101/102 in coaching school.)