What is a great 1500m workout?

60x400

My thoughts exactly, theres no way I could complete that workout. Thats a lot of quality at 1500 pace.

Maybe you're over-training, try backing off your workouts some. Try 9x300 with 100j recovery at 1500.

My coach has us do workout like this all the time and says, "It should be easy..."

I can never hit all my splits and it just wears down on me. So, I am just wondering what other people have found to be effective workouts!

I'm not the fastest kid around, but I have run 3:54. Some of our workouts are

15 warm up

5x5x200m in 31s with 30 seconds rest between each rep and 2:30 between each set.

15 cool down

Another is

15warmup

4x4x300m in 46 with 50 seconds rest and 3 minutes between each set

15 cooldown

just run hills

Wow that session is a bit extreme. Maybe 3 x 800m with 1:2 work:rest (often 5 minutes). But only when really trying to peak.

If a small element of the whole workout is at Goal pace (like 4x400m), then more can be done at Date Pace (6-8x400m) if trying to keep volume up (early in competition season). Gradually this can be changed around to get 8x400m at goal pace. Otherwise 2x2x800m(1min rec/10-15min set rec)could be used as a race-specific session if you are short on races. Although I don't like the two sets, I prefer to add other elements to a single Race-specific set.

The 300's are good if that recovery is short (100m jog) - I use 10 reps (2x Race Dist), although it depends on the type of runner(800/1500 or 1500/30000 - So Speed or distance oriented, and what the length of training background and volume of training (high or low mileage). Also, sets of 5x300/4x400/3x500 can be incorporated with different intensities and recoveries.

Another random question about a x00m jog...does it matter how fast it is? Is a slow 10:00 pace okay as long as I hit my intended repeats or should I still try to do it at 8:00 pace?

Usually any combo of 200m-600m totally about 2k-2.5k at 1500m goal pace. rest 1-2 minutes. Ex 1. 6x400 with 1 min rest. Ex 2. 2x600, 2x400 2x200 1:30 rest.

Depends on fitness, runners build, paces, etc.

If its 100j then ~50 seconds, it really all depends on the purpose of the workout.

There aren't any magic workouts, but if you're already at a high level of general fitness, these two should give you a good bit of stimulus at race pace or slightly faster without being too taxing.

Workout 1:

12-20 min. warmup jog

Some light dynamic drills (if you've been doing them all pre-season) to help warm up a little more (these also help with running economy if they're done for months)

4-6 short (10-15 secs.) buildups (each one a little faster than the previous)

4 x 200 starting about 4 secs. slower than 1,500 goal pace and cutting each one down by about 2 secs. so the last one is about 2 secs. faster than goal pace, with 60-90 secs. between reps (the first 2-3 reps are still part of the warmup process, also helping to establish pace familiarity for the bulk of the workout to come, with the last rep or two starting to segue into a real effort as part of the workout proper)

3 min. break after the last rep

3 x 600 starting at current 1,500 pace and cutting each one down by 2-3 secs. so the last rep is 2-4 secs. faster than race pace, with 2:30 rest after each rep (if you're at 4:00 for 1,500, the 600s would be run in 1:38, 1:35-1:36, 1:32-1:34; you can use less rest if this is too easy, but it isn't necessary, as this isn't supposed to be killer workout or an indicator workout, just a decent stimulus at race pace or a little faster)

Follow the last 2:30 rest period with 4 x 200 cut-downs in a similar fashion to the beginning set of 200s, with the last rep blowing the pipes out a little more if you feel good

15 min. cool-down jog

Light stretching

Workout 2:

12-20 min. warmup jog

Light dynamic drills

6-8 short buildups (a couple of extra ones this time since you're not doing any 200 cut-downs before the main part of the workout)

3 sets of (3 x 400 / 1 min. walk/jog between reps) / 3 min. walk/jog between sets (do the first set at current 1,500 pace or maybe a second faster (the 4:00 guy would run 63-64), then run each successive set about one second faster than the previous set; this isn't an indicator workout either, since if it was all-out, you could probably run all 9 reps right at 1,500 pace using only equal rest-to-run periods (about a minute) without taking 3 min. between sets, but (like Workout 1) it isn't supposed to be a 100% all-out, balls-to-the-wall effort)

15 min. cool-down jog

Light stretching

Again, these aren't the hardest possible workouts. But workouts should only rarely be the kind that are harder than the races themselves (and they sure can be). You normally want to be really fit in general terms, then just touch on your race pace or goal pace enough to finish the workout strongly and recover enough to feel fresh within 2-3 days before you add another stimulus (this doesn't have to be the same stimulus; it might be a tempo effort or some short speed work or something else different than race pace, or it might be a race). In any event, you don't want race pace to feel incredibly labored as a result of overdoing a single workout or from repeating these race-pace workouts too frequently. Unless it's done in lieu of a race (in the middle of a 2-3 week period with no races), a race-pace workout should usually be pretty challenging but not so tough that you can't believe you actually finished it.

LookingForTheBest wrote:

2 mile warm up

4 by 800 at 1500 pace, 400m jog after each

1 by 300 faster than 1500 pace, 500 jog

1 by 1200 all out

2 mile cooldown

That´s a ridiculously hard workout.

Workouts like these "all the time" and your aerobic AND anaerobic system aren´t working properly. First, stop doing workouts like that and take a two week period of easy regeneration training. Easy runs, strides, one alactic sprint session and one medium sub threshold run, something like that.

Then if there´s a race coming I bet you will perform better after this 2 weeks schedule. If you are racing regularly you should not perform those very hard workouts AT ALL. Between competitions just base training, and a race every 10-14th day will keep you sharp.

Milerdude44 wrote:

I ran 3:42 last summer and that workout is crazy.

Could you share your training in different times of the year?

Drimble Wedge wrote:

Workout 1:

...

3 x 600 starting at current 1,500 pace ...

This should have said "3 x 600 starting at about 2 secs. slower than current 1,500 pace and cutting each one down by 2-3 secs. ..."

THanks everyone! I will see if these workouts do any better and talk to my coach about his workouts!

LookingForTheBest wrote:

Another random question about a x00m jog...does it matter how fast it is? Is a slow 10:00 pace okay as long as I hit my intended repeats or should I still try to do it at 8:00 pace?

There are only two things that matter. First, you recover faster and get less stiff if you keep jogging gently than if you stand still, which is the reason you are jogging - any pace will do. Second, if doing 300s then you need to be back at the start point in time for the next rep and walking won't cut it ;-)

A lot depends on how hard the rep was. You may need to stand, then walk, then jog slowly, then pick up as you recover. Most groups I know would take about 3min for a full lap jog or 45sec between 300s (that's 12:00 averaged).

4x800 at 1500 with 400 jog BY ITSELF sounds very hard.

1200 all out BY ITSELF sounds very hard.

1499m all out.

i always like this workout for 4:00 1500m runner

1600 @ 3k pace (70)

1200 @ 3 seconds slower than 1500m each lap (67)

800 @ 1500m pace (63)

400 @ 3 seconds faster than 1500m pace (60)

3 min rec throughout

Don't think of training in terms of individual workouts. Think of training in in terms of weeks, phases, programs and seasons. You could take the "best" workouts from each of the top 10 best distance runners in the world and run them, but if you can't string them together in a meaningful way with proper rest, progression then they are meaningless.

Threads about needing 1 good workout are almost worthless.