200's on the minute - how fast? how many?

Depends. You can make them do them in 30 w/ 30 seconds rest or in 40 w/ 20 seconds rest. For a 4:25 guy you could do 32/28. It all depends on what you want to accomplish.

but coachnv surely you know that all workouts are based on

one keystone VO2 Max speed.So if you're trying to improve

endurance the 200s you make them run off very short trot recovs at 105 VMA,when you move up to VMA long (400/500)

you reduce intensity to VMA orVMA-3% or so and keep the trot recovs fairly short. When you're on race spped (or higher work) fast work /long recovs.Do none of you ever measure

Maximum Aerobic Velocity (you know make them run round the track behind a bike with the rider having a cassette player which tells him when he should be at certain markers) until they can't hold the pace any more.

le runner wrote:

but coachnv surely you know that all workouts are based on

one keystone VO2 Max speed.So if you're trying to improve

endurance the 200s you make them run off very short trot recovs at 105 VMA,when you move up to VMA long (400/500)

you reduce intensity to VMA orVMA-3% or so and keep the trot recovs fairly short. When you're on race spped (or higher work) fast work /long recovs.Do none of you ever measure Maximum Aerobic Velocity (you know make them run round the track behind a bike with the rider having a cassette player which tells him when he should be at certain markers) until they can't hold the pace any more.

I bet this post would have been really interesting if it were semi-coherent. Actually, I guess it's still interesting, but it's not particularly informative.

le runner wrote:

but coachnv surely you know that all workouts are based on

one keystone VO2 Max speed.So if you're trying to improve

endurance the 200s you make them run off very short trot recovs at 105 VMA,when you move up to VMA long (400/500)

you reduce intensity to VMA orVMA-3% or so and keep the trot recovs fairly short. When you're on race spped (or higher work) fast work /long recovs.Do none of you ever measure

Maximum Aerobic Velocity (you know make them run round the track behind a bike with the rider having a cassette player which tells him when he should be at certain markers) until they can't hold the pace any more.

En anglais, s'il vous plaît.

I typically like to do 80x200 in 1:00 w/ no rest.

We used to do 40/20's (40sec on, 20sec recovery jog) as a staple fartlek during XC season. Of course, this was on the grass and not measured.

It depends on what you want to get out of the workout.

I've used 3 sets of 10, with a 400 jog between sets.

Surprise! wrote:

I typically like to do 80x200 in 1:00 w/ no rest.

That's kind of slow. Maybe some speedwork would help.

well what is it you don't understand lads and lasses?

This is technical running jargon but it is in English,except that i've a substitute keyboard which sticks a bit.

V02 Max=Maximum Oxygen uptake, beyond this AEROBIC level

you pass into OXygen debt or Anaerobic level.

The speed (or velocity) which you can maintain at VO2 maximum is known as VMA (Maximum Aerobic Velocity (or speed) in theory you can maintain this speed for roughly

3K if you're a high trained adult runner. For lesser beings

probably about 2K.

The 800 meters is estimated to be 67 % Aerobic Running and

33% Anaerobic running

The 1500 meters is about 50/50

So then what you need to do to improve your race times at

800/1500/3K (and bove) is improve your VMA. To do this you

must work at that precise speed, just above it or just below it on planned interval sessions at a calculated speed.

150-250 meters short VMA work

300-500 meters medium VMA work

500-1000 meters long VMA work.

On the short 105% VMA

On the medium 100 % VMA

On the long 95-97ù VMA

but always with only short recoverys 30 secs,45-50secs-1 to 2 minutes depending on the length of the intervals.

If your running big big workouts it's usual to split it into SETS with double recovery between the sets.

To find the VMA you have to run some kind of test.

The classic COOPER test involves running round a measured

track for 12 minutes,taking the distance covered and multiplying it by 5 to get the VMA in kilometers per hour or miles per hour. This test is considered by many as far far to exhausting so some use the HALF-COOPER which is the same but on 6 minutes (multiply by 10) This however

vastly overestmates the VMA of highly trained athletes.

The BEST KNOWN VMA test was invented by the Canadian Bru

(well i think he was a Canadian) It involves the coach

(or other person )riding round a track where plastic cones

are placed at 25 meter interval at gradually increasing speeds (he starts at 6 k/h) He has a cassette player

and headphones.A set of beeps on the cassette tape tells

him when EXACTLY he should be at level with each cone.

The speed increases every 30 seconds, the athletes just have to follow the bike.When they can no longer follow and are detached from the group for 2 successive cones and

observer notes the time at which they drop off.From

this proceedure the VMA can be ACCURATELY measured.

This test is usually run in the fall and again in spring.

Having this data the coach can make a detailed plan for

each of his athletes, reps,times,recoverys and their progression to their target times. YOU KNOW WHERE YOU

ARE,YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, the training plan is

your road map to your target.

Later as the competitions which have been fixed as targets

approach you start specific speed work Race pace work-outs with full recovery between them.

If your target is a 2 minute 800, you may run 4x60 sec

400 meters with 4 minute recoverys, there your learning to

handle the pace and be easy with it in competition.

Other than that you have longer slow paced runs at varying

intensitys but always based on VMA (70%,80% )

It mightbe of intereted that 93% VMA gives a very good

approximation of 10K time. So if that's you target

a workour of 4x2000 at 93% VMA is what you need.

oh sod this keyboard, i'm off to the shop to buy a new one, kids have probably dropped jam or cornflakes or a chocolate milk-shake over it again.

Try running 2 sets of 10X200 at a pace that is 3 seconds (per 200) SLOWER than CURRENT mile race pace. Start one every minute, which would give a 4:40 miler (35sec per 200 pace) 22 seconds rest between the 38-sec 200s. Using a 1-minute send off doesn't work as well when dealing with those who don't run at least 6:00 miles as the 48-sec 200s give you only 12 sec rest. In this case try 20-30 second rests for regardless of the mile race pace. If 2 sets of ten (with a lap jog between sets) is too easy, go for 20X200 without breaking into two sets of 10. Naturally you can go to more (or less) to sut the needs of various runners, but with the relatively short rests, the pace would be slower than mile race pace to accomplish the stress you are trying to impose