I'm hoping to make a thread that will have some good training/workouts/advise on breaking 3:50 for 1500 meters.
For people who have: What we're your 800/3k/xc pr's, mileage and some key or favorite workouts? Maybe talk about the year leading up to that, how old you were and the actual race.
For other hopeful's this upcoming outdoor sesaon:
How was your winter training/races, other pr's and some training schedules. I'd really like to see what other people with similar goals are doing!
Let me ask you a simple little question.
Do you think you're better than Eddy Lee?...Hello? I asked you, Do you think you are better than Eddyy Lee? Huh????
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BETTER THAN EDDY LEE?!?!?!?
........I didn't think so! Get out of my face.
current PRs: 3:51, 8:28,1:54 800. Hoping to break 3:50 this season!
I didn't break 3:50, but came close while mostly focusing on the steeple: 1:57/3:50.2/8:24/(8:57 steeple)/14:57, don't know what to say about XC times as courses vary significantly.
I felt a couple of keys for good running for me were: consistently ~90 miles per week except late season; good workouts around 5k pace with less work around 1500m pace; a 2-3 mornings per week ending my morning jog with 4-8x200m at 1500m pace (or a little faster) with 100m/projected marathon type pace depending on duration and breaks, etc; very fast striders a few times per week.
You underperformed BIG TIME in either the 5000 or 800. With that mileage, 1500 time and focus on 5k pace, you should have been able to run 14:30 easily, unless you were really more like a 1:50 800 type.
Had Some Myself wrote:
I didn't break 3:50, but came close while mostly focusing on the steeple: 1:57/3:50.2/8:24/(8:57 steeple)/14:57, don't know what to say about XC times as courses vary significantly.
I felt a couple of keys for good running for me were: consistently ~90 miles per week except late season; good workouts around 5k pace with less work around 1500m pace; a 2-3 mornings per week ending my morning jog with 4-8x200m at 1500m pace (or a little faster) with 100m/projected marathon type pace depending on duration and breaks, etc; very fast striders a few times per week.
aspiring sub 3:50 wrote:
current PRs: 3:51, 8:28,1:54 800. Hoping to break 3:50 this season!
How fast do you run your easy/maintenance runs?
3:47.9
8:08 3k 14:10 5k 2:00min 800
70miles-type guy averaging. runing 3:47 was a huge deal for me, previous PR was 3:53. It was a fast race. My 800 pr is misleading as I only ran it once at age 16. I could have probably gone 1:55 -56 the year I ran 3:47. I considered myself a 5k guy.
I ran about 70 miles a week on average with a fluctuation of +/ - 20. That year I ran 3:47 I was consistently doing 20x200's or 30x 200's with short rest in between (20- 25 secs). It somehow helped.
What we're your 800/3k/xc pr's, mileage and some key or favorite workouts?
Pr's fluctuate depending on how much you focus on a certain event. Mine were 1:51 in the 8 and 14:35 in the 5k when I broke 3:50. I never ran the 3k (pr was 8:42 at that time) that year although I did do a 2 mile "tempo" in 40 degree pooring down rain (February) at 6:30 am that year in 8:52. I didn't race xc that year (didn't make the team).
My favorite workouts (although that doesn't mean they are the ones which got me to sub 3:50) that season were 8 x 400m repeats in sub 60 with 45 seconds recovery and 8 to 12 30/30's to finish off one workout a week. My weekly milage was around 65 that year - I was a pretty low milage guy compared to others. Oh, I was 19 years old. Race was an outdoor at the end of the season. During the Winter leading up I ran a lot of break-downs, 1k repeats, 2 mile tempo's and hills. Three workouts a week, doubles most days and one long run (10 to 14 miles) a week.
dfasfdsfa wrote:
You underperformed BIG TIME in either the 5000 or 800. With that mileage, 1500 time and focus on 5k pace, you should have been able to run 14:30 easily, unless you were really more like a 1:50 800 type.
I probably underperformed slightly in the 800m (maybe capable of 1:55), and quite a bit in the 5000m (maybe capable of sub 14:40), but I just didn't have a good mindset for the longer events had trouble focusing for the duration. I was just answering honestly.
2sets of 800,400,4x200. 1st set 2:12, 62, 30's. 2nd set 2:02,64,30's. I run 3:40
My advice to you is to just maintain consistency and have confidence. The training is obviously the most important aspect but it's nothing without going into a race knowing you're going to do something big. I have the same goal of sub 3:50 and I've seen big improvements indoors from just being more aggressive in races and using workouts to practice relaxed fast running (instead of torture sessions). PRs: 1:54, 4:15(mile), 8:41, 15:08.
Bump
Anyone else ran sub 3:50 lately or in the past wanting to share his training here
(and yes i read the sub 1:50 800 thread)
1.51 / 3.44 / 8.22 (Ran sub 3.50 15 times and sub 4 99(!) times).
For me the formula was moderate mileage (60-70 pw) over the winter with plenty of circuit / weight training. I think the strength work was really important and is often underated. Rarely ran over an hour, but plenty of fast 20-25 minute runs and sessions of 3x8 mins or 2-3 x 10 mins. Also used to do 15-20x200 at 32/3 once a fortnight throughout the winter. Off no more than this 'base' work I could run 3.50 indoors. The other thing I found very usefull during the winter was to have VERY easy periods regularly - I liked to work on a 13 day cycle followed by a day off and then 3-4 days of just jogging 30 mins a day before starting again. Always felt like a new athlete when restarting after the easy period.
Coming into season my standard session was 5-6X400+200 with a 100 jog in 60s between reps. When I first ran 3.50 I would do these in 61/2 and 28/9 and my 'best' was 5 sets in 58 and 27 a week before running 3.44. I found I usually needed just one or two sessions of fast long reps early season to race well - my very final session prior to going under 3.50 we did 2x1000 in 2.30 with 8 minutes rest. Once the season was started we very rarely did hard session, 4x400 in 60 with a couple of minutes rest was the norm. At the time I was doing this work I was training with some athletes much faster than myself and they did nothing more. The only differences between myself and them in training was that they would kill me on longer reps in the spring.
3:37:86
100-110 miles
little speedwork
8x400 58-60 seconds with 2 minute rest
10x150 on feel
3:49... no real speedwork...60 ish mpw. 800 - 1:53 and 8:30 3k.
hmmm. tempos? how fast was the mileage?
I've run 3:48 in the 1500. Prior to breaking 3:50 my PR was 3:52 and I had run that a few times. My 800 pr now is 1:52 at the time it was 1:53. I'd run 8:40 for 3k (as a 2nd event double). And for 5k I ran 14:53.
I ran about 55-65 mile weeks during the winter and spring before cutting back towards the end of outdoor track.
One of the workouts I remember well was 12x400 with 400 jog and I averaged between 63 low and 62 high for the entire workout. That was early outdoor track.
I have run 3:48 also have pr's of 1:54.6 in the 800m, 8:39 3k, 15:03 5k
Firstly, to all the posters who are saying what they did to get WAY under 3:50, you're not helping the OP. I think it's best to share what it took to first dip under 3:50.Season I broke 3:50:800 - 1:531500 - 3:483000 - 8:27The previous season I was:800 - 1:571500 - 3:533000 - 8:43Firstly, the 8:27 3k was run an hour or so after a 4:09 mile in January, so that might be misleading. Secondly, the 1:53 800 was my only fresh 800 run on a day with 25 mpw wind with gusts to 35, so those times might be misleading. Let's say 1:52/3:48/8:20I'll keep it simple.-6/days week-65-70mpw (doubles 1-3 times per week)Each week I did:-One progression tempo (5 miles, each mile 15s faster than the previous)-One track interval (Mostly 1600s, 800s, and 400s. 5k pace for the 1600s, 3k pace for the 800s, and in between 1500 and 3k pace for the 400s). I gave myself 60s rest for every lap of an interval. (Although sometimes I'd keep the 1600s to 2:30 rest).The only thing I did for speedwork was barefoot strides at the end of each run, with a few "all out." My speed wasn't "terrible," but I did have to start my kick a bit earlier than the other runners. I closed sub 60 for every 1500m I ran that season, but I think that had more to do with strength than speed.Good luck!
bigger base wrote:
I'm hoping to make a thread that will have some good training/workouts/advise on breaking 3:50 for 1500 meters.
For people who have: What we're your 800/3k/xc pr's, mileage and some key or favorite workouts? Maybe talk about the year leading up to that, how old you were and the actual race.
For other hopeful's this upcoming outdoor sesaon:
How was your winter training/races, other pr's and some training schedules. I'd really like to see what other people with similar goals are doing!
I should add that the one day I took off per week was something I allotted myself to use in case I felt particularly sluggish during the week. That way I focused more on listening to my body than obeying a strict schedule.