TOUGHEST WORKOUT EVER(!)

er... Vipam, I dont know where you got the idea I was putting you down at all. Probably cause you are American, thats why. Anyway - are you going to tell us what times you ran when you competed. You might be surprised at where I RUN, and what MY personal bests are, and what my major championship record is. Anyway - this isnt about me - you are the one making the calls about your training and how easy the sessions are for you. So how about you fess up - otherwise some readers out there might think you are living in a dream world, where you have convinced yourself you were a former track star, where in fact - you are a washed up war vet. Hey, I doubt it - but someone could get that idea big fella. So, whattya gonna do - put-up, or shut-up???

I started running during the summer after High School. The

first semester of college I was spotted by a coach who asked me to join the team (I was doing 4 miles on the track and 100m strides). After four-five months of training I ran 1:58.low. The next year in a shorten season I ran 1:53.2. While training with teammate and Zambian Olympian

I did that 500m in 1:02.1 he ran 1:01.5 and my 300m was 35.0 and his 38.something. He went on to run in the 1992 Olympics and I quit track and started a family. I LOVED

training and running; however, I hated competitions! In only two years I went from a non-athlete to recording the following best:

200m: 21.24

400m: 47.35

800m: 1:53.20 (2nd year of competition, ran only 1 800m)

1200m: 3:09.91

There are hundred athletes in this country who quit track

for different reasons (7-5 3/4 HJumper, 20.29 200m men, 3:43.7 1500m men, 27 foot LJ). All quit track before reaching 25! So don't be surprised about some of the ACTUALLY workouts you hear, from people you never read about!

Vipam

Nice - the 200 and 400m times are pretty impressive, and Im not kissing your ass when I say that I think you were capable of much faster than one-fitty-tree, in the 800, because that session you ran is really, very impressive. Thanks Vipam.

fester

I have no doubt they are people in our country who could

have developed into GREAT runners/athletes if the stuck with it! The fact of the matter is I don't know you or what your capable of and vice-versa. In the previous thread you said, "I don't know what you run...." The statement is very true, so I would like to ask you what are your events, personal bests, and do you still run?

Vipam

Ran 400m in 60sec

Drank a cup of whole goats milk

Wait 5 minutes

Ran 400m in 60 sec

Eat a raw egg

Wait 5 minutes

Ran 400m in 63 sec

Eat an avocado stuffed with strawberry jelly

Wait 5 minutes

Ran 400m in 68 sec

Eat 10 prunes.

Wait 10 minutes

Ran 400m in 52 sec

Dude, I would rather not get into that cause its not my style - but I will tell you, Im 20 years old, I have run sub 1min48 for 800m, and I run professionally in Europe, and Im not American. Im just interested in training theories, performances etc, as you are when you are 20. Unfortunately my name is not Fester, and I have no relationship to the name Fester... cheers Vipam.

Response appreciated

I just wanted to say-good luck in your career! However

you of all people should not have found that workout that

impressive (with your 800m ability), because it really wasn't very hard! Hope you run sub 1:46 in 2003.

Vipam

Thanks V.

My goals for the next season are basically to get inside 1min47 and get well into the world top 100. Im not so worried that guys my age who I have raced are running really fast now - Reina 1min43.8, LaCasse 1min45, Wachira 1min44.1 because my coach and I believe that my setting my training accordingly now, and not pushing things, I can easily take a second off each year, without jeopardising my longevity in the sport, and especially 800m running. A lot of young guys have gone from nothing, to running world class times, and then they never have more than one season at the top - eg Webb, and its a fact that many World Junior Champions - esp in the middle distance events, never go on the win World, Olympic titles, because they were pushed very hard at a young age - hence leading to their awesome times when they were young. My goal is really the 2008 Olympics, with hopefully the 2004 as well, and so what times I am running now are important, but not so important if you know what I mean. Yes, I think I could handle that session you said - it really depends on what the rests were after the 400m repeats, and in between the 500 and 300. I have done something like 4 x 400 ranging from 49-52 before with 6 minutes rest, I trained with Motchebon one day and he ran 2 x 400 in 48.5 and 49.1 in training flats!!! So, I hope I run well next year in Europe, but Im more than happy to take things slowly. Anyway - thanks for the support V.

fester, great stuff.

im a 19 yr old 800 runner from the US with times around 1:54-55.

Just wondering how you train; You focus on quality more than quantity? Are distance runs used as recovery? How long is your longest?

Just curious. I believe for 800 that more time should be spent on the track then on the roads, with hills as well.

whassup dude. I have no problem to share anything with you that you want to know - the only problem is how to do it - it would be much better to correspond by email, but Im not so keen to give out my email addy on this site for anyone (maybe over-paranoia) but if you write to me at

jstraining03@hotmail.com

then we can talk.

Vipam,

the times you mentioned are still outrageous and awestruck me.

you did 500m in 62 sec. wait, that means you ran the first 400m in 48-50 sec and managed to continue another 100m in 12 sec.

and amazingly, 5 mins later, u did 300m in 35 sec, thats a whopping 11.5 sec/100m! and u ran it continuosly. That's an El-G workout gor g'sake!

you even shouldnt be a long distance runner.

even if you'were a sprinter you would still make the cut to the trials or US team(as u are an american).

ps: i dont lie or bullshit and hate to and hate the ppl who do. even if i can still tolerate a few lies including the imposters, but your workout timing is too outrageous. even El-G, if he's reading this, he would LOL alot if u didnt ever make the grandprix team.

and why the heck i care so much if you did lie or did not lie? bcos it's too outrageously an awful lie.

should submit this to 'believe or not!'.

Sevatonic

Man/Woman you must real be slow, those workouts are not

hard and by no means the hardest myself and teammates completed! The statement that was an El G workout is

very laughable as I have seen workouts of 8:10 steeplers

and 3:31 1500m men and they are INCREDIBLE. Any college

runner with AT LEAST 47 sec 400m speed, decent endurance,

and quick recovery (anaerobic) would handle those workouts

easy. You got to be a distance individual or non-runner

to think Hicham would run such easy workouts! I can't believe you think those workouts are so impressive!!!

Vipam

Oh by the way did you read about the two others who said

they could complete my workouts on this thread (I don't think they were Hicham and Benard either).

I think you might want to check you mathematics;

In the 500m I went thru the 400m in 49 and finished in 13 (which is slowind down, not speeding up)

As for as the 300m in 35 secs= 100m of 11.66 not 11.5 (which is predestain). Sevatonic I suggest you go train

around world-class guys: 400m-44.54, 400H- sub 47.25,

800m- 1:46.1, steeple- 8:05 & 8:10 and you wouldn't think

very much of my workouts! This is the end of the debate

for me; however, I wish you well in your running!

Vipam

For our X-C team, hardest workout is called "Cutdown Kilos". We do this one once each fall. It's done on a 900m grass loop around the soccer & baseball fields. As opposed to other workouts where one person may be better/worse, no matter what your ability, this is the hardest workout of the fall because your workout is based on your own current race pace.

Everybody runs the first 2, goal is to run them at 97%-102% of your kilometer pace of your last race, so if you ran 28:00 for 8k the goal for reps #1-2 is around 3:30. Rest interval is 90-120 seconds, just long enough for everyone to jog back to the start. The 3rd rep is where the workout really starts. Goal time of #3 is to drop 3-6 seconds off #2. Goal for each successive kilo is to take 2-4 seconds off. Workout ends when you run one slower than the previous kilo. Nobody, absolutely nobody, wants to be the first one to drop off the workout. But it's hard to hold your pace back enough on #5-7 so that you don't end up with a goal that's a huge amount under the pace you've been racing at.

Last year the best anyone did was 10 reps. He was our #4 runner, a high 28:00 8k guy, did his cutdowns from 3:25 to 3:06. Really showed everyone something about guts and pacing that day.

3 by 200

23.7

25.4

23.5

The only rest was a quick diagonal jog across the track to the start line.

four minutes rest

23.3

22.9

23.1

The only rest was a quick diagonal jog across the track to the start line.

60-60 drill.

Repeat 400 in sub 60 with 60 seconds rest until you couldn't break 60. I ran my last one in 61.x and felt like I was honesltly going to pass out. I can safely say i've never hurt that badly before or again in my life.

Right after me and a few others laid on the track for about 20 minutes without moving. A few sprinters would come along once in a while and say "hey, are you guys ok?". All we could manage were grunts.

Senior year of HS I did 24x800m. Averaged 2:33.7 on 3min rest. Personally, I get the most out of fartlek runs. If you get a bunch of runners together and have the coach tell each of them (without telling the others) to run hard at a certain time for (1min,2min,etc.) its a lot like racing. You dont know exactly how fast your going so its all based on effort. I remember reading about Steve Jones and some of his fartlek workouts(5x5min, 12x2min,20x1min)...hard!

hey - that reminds of some bullshit about training that was flying around a group of NZ middle distance runners not so long ago. This guy who consistently runs around 1min51 for 800m and 3min50 for 1500, was reported to have done 20x400 in 60 with 60. Sorry, but we couldnt believe that one. Two of the guys who said it was crap are managed by K.I.M international, and said that only Komen out of all the Kenyans a few years ago could complete this session.

yeh man, i'm the same way. i got some speed at the 100 with pretty decent times, but once i get past a 200 meter race up to a 3k, it is very, very ugly, then in the 5k, 8k, and 10k i am in my niche. seems wierd. i've known people that can handle lactic acid and oxygen debt very well but at the same time have no leg speed and are horrible at mid distance, but yet are studs at 10k and half marathons. but ya know what, running is a sport where ya just gotta try everything, and once ya find out what ya like and what you are best at, you try to train for those, or at least train to your strengths and at times put some things that you arent all that great into it. one thing ive learned is in order to really get you 5k and 10k times down is to focus part of your training on getting your 1500 down, cuase once your fast twitch and lactate threshold get their and you already have a base, your peak will be great.