Unconventional Summer training idea

Why not just do a fartlek every morning then? Keeps you off the track and it's unrelenting surface/turns... As long as you know the mileage on it you can estimate pace without any worries of a bad day on the track.

If your PR is 18:30, virtually any running will do will make you a little faster, but if you want to get the most out of your training, this is a terrible summer plan. Just do this:

-Build up your mileage, little by little. Spend 6 weeks reaching your target mileage, then the next 6 weeks alternate 2 weeks at the target with 1 week 20% less. Make your target mileage a good 10-20 miles per week more than what you've done in years past (don't do too much).

-Do easy miles 3-4 days per week (followed by strides), and have 3 "hard" days:

A) A long run (20-25% of your weekly mileage)

B) A tempo run (warm-up, run 3-4 miles at 30 seconds per mile slower than 5k pace or 6-8 miles at 50 seconds per mile slower than 5k pace, cool down)

C) A hill fartlek (run up all hills at 5k-10k pace, jog down the hills, steady on the flats)

Simple.

I don't think your body could handle that every day, and that far before actual competition isn't really beneficial. I'd say your best bet over the summer is just doing mileage with one tempo workout a week and maybe a 400 workout like you suggested, just to stay sharp. Every day is way too much though.

would this work? wrote:

I don't mean anything hard...

Say you were doing doubles, and you simply made your morning workout 20x400 at 5k race pace every day.

20 x 400 at 5k pace is 8,000 meters at 5,000 race pace. This is a hard workout. Doing it every day will destroy you. You want to do 5k pace every day during the summer? Try 5-10 x 100-150m at 5k pace with 100-200m rest.

At my HS (back in the day--'way back) there was a guy who did 20 quarters every single day before the team practice (which was usually pretty light).

He was a national-level HS athlete (his training was actually written up in "How They Train" or something like that).

Look, Zatopek did 400's virtually every single day of his training. But for the most part he didn't run the 400's terribly fast--often slower than his 10k pace--and his recoveries of ~200m were still at a running, not jogging, pace. More like a regimented fartlek session than anything else.

I wouldn't advise race pace everyday during the summer but if you really want to, here are the best ways to do it.

Progression runs

Start each run at an easy pace, and after a few miles start increasing the pace if you are up to it. If you are not up to it then run easy that day, not big deal. If you are feeling really good then you can crank the last few miles at half marathon effort with the last 800 meters+ at 5k pace. This is slightly less stressful on the body compared to other ways of getting in race pace volume because it is more based on feel and is a gradual acceleration-no stops and starts of repeats on the track. Make sure to cool down afterwards though with an easy mile or so. Rinse and repeat later that day, the day after or whenever you feel ready for a hard but controlled effort.

Fartleks

5 minutes on, 5 minutes off

2 minute on, 2 minute off

3 minutes on, 1 minute off

1/2/3/4/5/4/3/2/1

These prepare you for the changing pace that occurs in racing. Note that "off" does not mean standing still like a lot of people do between intervals. It means easy running.

Strides

Just tacking on 6-8 strides at mile or 5k pace after or during an easy run is a good way to get a bit of race pace in your legs. Do them on the track, or on grass, or on trails or on the roads. Barefooting is optional.

Races

Running summer road races as light workouts is a good way to get in miles at race pace as well as getting you used to racing the type of distances you will be competing over in the fall.

why don't you try something that works?

Great idea if you want to peak before the season starts;)