Someone with some knowledge of mile training help me out!

I think you'd do well by adding some tempo runs to your fall program instead of eliminating all hard sessions--these more than 8k work or VO2 max can have the greatest benefit to your 1500 when spring rolls around; not to mention make you feel a bit better running cross now.

You can take a progressive run from your schedule and target closing the last few miles in what would be your 15k pace: for your target 1500 around 5:30-5:45 per mile--maybe a bit faster as the season progresses and longer duration at that pace so that you can handle roughly 8-10k at that pace.

I dropped my 1500 time by 8 seconds incorporating this kind of stuff in the fall.

Thanks, I was thinking that the training was looking a little too unvaried. I think I could work up to a 20 minute tempo at around 5:30-35 pace by the end of my base phase, which would put me at around mid 4:30s for the mile at the end of december, with no speed work yet. If it helps, my PR for the 1500 is 4:12, which I have basically been stagnant with since 3 years ago. Every year I come into indoors horribly out of shape and usually start of outdoors running over 4:40 for the mile. My best 400 is 53, so I have at least requisite speed to run a sub 4:15 mile I hope, but I just have never gotten in the strength stuff before the season.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

which has basically been stagnant with since 3 years ago.

Lenny Leonard wrote:

which has basically been stagnant since 3 years ago.

Just a few quick and simple modifications for the plan you wrote...

Keep some speed in there regularly. Doing strides at least three days per week during the base phase will help that. Vary them from mile pace strides of 100-150m, to 200m pace strides that are much shorter (ie, only 50m). This will at least keep your neuromuscular system conditioned to do some fast running.

I think your tempo workout can be incorporated with your Sunday "long run" as long as you keep those last 4+ miles at those faster paces. You may also want to incorporate that type of training into your base phase once per week.

Good luck!

buhbuhbump

What you're calling base phase here isn't really very useful, though I'm sure you can get yourself tired training like this, you're really just running the clock down waiting for the real work to begin. Why?

And you're right: those uber slow miles aren't worth a hill of beans unless you are planning on moving way up. I'm not even convinced the tempo plan would work well either. Might even hurt. Real tempo work can beat those last IIB fibers right out of you.

With 53 speed you should be looking for 4:15 mile, and that should be the goal whether you race indoors or not. Strides are an OK idea, but that'll leave you in only a slightly better position -- you wont necessarily be much stronger. You have to attack a little higher up the chain here, get the lead out, and look for sessions that will actually pick up your cruising speed over distance *and* give you some punch on the shorter side.

Look, you wont turn into a pumpkin if you run <530 pace in base phase. And I'd add in quality running much faster than that, for sure 66-72 pace, but probably down closer to 30 sec/200m. Have you ever tried fartlek?

The second thing here is that if you have 53 speed and just 4:12 1500 pb, and you've been stagnant, it is highly unlikely that 5k speed is anywhere close to your true VO2peak pace, just as a heads up and your coach should work harder to individualize your workouts. I'd guess you're not the typical distance guy who could barely jump high enough to grab the net on the basketball hoop. My hunch here is you'd have better luck approaching < 4 1500m if you train as though the season goal is 1:56 800m.

andy is that you?

YOURE A 10K'er!!! stick to the 10k!

Thanks, what do you think about more of a Horwill 5-pace plan like:

1 - 5K pace (repeat 1000s or so)

2 - Recovery

3 - 3K pace (6x800 or 8 x 600)

4 - recovery

5 - Mile Pace (10 x 400, 15 x 300, 4 x (2x200,1x400))

6 - recovery

7 - 800 pace (300s, 200s)

8 - recovery

9 - Fast strides (as short as 60 meters)

10 - recovery

I guess with this plan the "easy" days would serve more of a purpose. Of course, I would do all of the workouts at current fitness, so I think that even though there is a workout everyday I would actually end up feeling extra sharp than burnt out.

My coach usually has a decent amount of fartlek workouts during the Jan-Feb part of the season, and honestly I will put my training completely in his hands by then. I just need to know what to do for the 7-9 weeks before official practices start to have me primed for a 1:56/4:00 season

Horwill's stuff is barking up the right tree in many respects; though I take issue with some of it, in spirit this approach makes a much better call than what you'd posted originally, especially if you can keep yourself from overdoing things.

Typically that would mean running about ~3/5 the workout Horwill suggests on the longer rep sets and either cutting back some on the paces or taking a bit more rest on the shorter rep sets. A bit less whip cracking, and you get to finsh practice with a smile on your face. Take out the 800m pace work for now and go with 30-45' light to medium hard fartlek on trails instead, the itensity depending on your recovery. That way you can recalibrate your position, making sure never to be too far into the well, and also work on an 8 or 9 day cycle -- which will get you a few more long reps with less of the stress. Depending on what's available to you, you don't really need to run all of these quality sessions on a track either.

Making these adjustments will leave you just as far along on the fitness (probably further), more energy (overall and on recovery days), and also hold you off from peaking too early. Look for the overall effect that you are getting more from less though still punching hard, while feeling stronger and stronger on the long side and getting ever sharper for a good 4x800m leg. Do that, you'll be fine.