I don't pretend to know a lot about training, and today after a phone call with my brother, he was outraged that my coach made us do 800 repeats. He said it was way too early in the summer and that we would all be burned out by state.
Could anyone give me advice on the situation.
I ran 2:57, 2:54 and 2:48...our coach said that we were going to have around 3 minutes of rest, he specifically said that he wanted us to have plenty of rest so we wouldn't strain ourselves.
Thanks guys!
Deal with it
It depends on what kind of shape you're in. If you run 2:30 pace for 800m repeats when you're in tip top shape it's no problem. I'd need more context to know if it's a bad idea. 3 800m repeats once a week at slower than race pace is fine. I think a lot of kids goof off during the summer and get too far from real running, but thats my experience.
That's 1 1/2 miles of quality running. Would your brother be pisses at you if you decided to run a 5k during the summer?
If your coach is MAKING you do things, then quit and go do something else. If you realize that YOU want to work hard and actually be good at running, then zip your lip and up your work ethic. The most important thing is believing that your coach will get you there at the end of the season. If you don't, then you are pretty much just wasting your time anyway...
BTW, it would not be uncommon for girls in my program to run 10x800 at 2:50 pace with 2 min rest. If anything you are being undertrained, complain about that.
I would say you could run 5:53 for the mile
srgirlie wrote:
I don't pretend to know a lot about training, and today after a phone call with my brother, he was outraged that my coach made us do 800 repeats. He said it was way too early in the summer and that we would all be burned out by state.
Could anyone give me advice on the situation.
I ran 2:57, 2:54 and 2:48...our coach said that we were going to have around 3 minutes of rest, he specifically said that he wanted us to have plenty of rest so we wouldn't strain ourselves.
Thanks guys!
There are many different training systems. Your brother seems to think that there is a rule that says "you must do all quality work/intervals only during the competition season". No such rule exists. Many people have succeeded with quality work during the "off" (non competition) season.
srgirlie wrote:
I don't pretend to know a lot about training, and today after a phone call with my brother, he was outraged that my coach made us do 800 repeats. He said it was way too early in the summer and that we would all be burned out by state.
Could anyone give me advice on the situation.
I ran 2:57, 2:54 and 2:48...our coach said that we were going to have around 3 minutes of rest, he specifically said that he wanted us to have plenty of rest so we wouldn't strain ourselves.
Thanks guys!
Wait! Is it your brother or is it you who is whining?
I don't know your fitness but it looks like they were at tempo pace, so that's fine. 800's can have many different purposes. What shape are you in now?
srgirlie wrote:
I don't pretend to know a lot about training, and today after a phone call with my brother, he was outraged that my coach made us do 800 repeats. He said it was way too early in the summer and that we would all be burned out by state.
Could anyone give me advice on the situation.
I ran 2:57, 2:54 and 2:48...our coach said that we were going to have around 3 minutes of rest, he specifically said that he wanted us to have plenty of rest so we wouldn't strain ourselves.
Thanks guys!
Do you honestly think there is enough information in this post for anyone to provide an informed answer? A little common sense would be nice.
Are you a 5 minute miler? A 6 minute miler? A 7 minute miler?
What season are we preparing for here?
Are there summer track meets coming up or is the next season fall cross country or is this for next year's indoor or spring track?
What events or distances are you training for?
I assume high shcool since you said "state."
Is there actually coaching going on right now for high schools?
A track workout now and then in a transition season to mix it up isn't a bad idea. Multiple track workouts a week right now in prep for XC would not seem right.
Tell your brother to mind his own business.
Thanks to the people that helped. I'm happy to put in the work, I was just worried that the training I was doing might be harmful, that's all. I ran 5:19 last year for the 1600 (for those of you who asked). My brother was a very good runner, but went to a different high school - so I was worried when he showed concern.
Like I said, I don't know much about training. I came across this site randomly during track season and thought I'd post the question. Sorry for some how offending people??? Sheesh, some of you are touch!
Thanks again to everyone that helped. Glad to know that there's nothing wrong with the current situation! Back to work!
srgirlie wrote:
I don't pretend to know a lot about training, and today after a phone call with my brother, he was outraged that my coach made us do 800 repeats. He said it was way too early in the summer and that we would all be burned out by state.
Could anyone give me advice on the situation.
I ran 2:57, 2:54 and 2:48...our coach said that we were going to have around 3 minutes of rest, he specifically said that he wanted us to have plenty of rest so we wouldn't strain ourselves.
Thanks guys!
Looks like he wants to get some VO2max work in (assuming those paces get you there). Nothing wrong with a little bit of that from time to time during the summer. A common mistake, I believe, is to eliminate intensity during "base" phase--yes, that is a traditional model, but one I think needs examining.
If you do not do some work in an "area" you will detrain that "area".
Now if you are doing those every week and aiming for XC, then I think that might be overdoing it.
If you're a 5:19 miler I can't see how running 3x800 slower than mile race pace w/ lots of recovery between reps will burn you out.
Depending on your brother's training philosophies I could see how he might not think that type of training in the off season would be ideal, but it's hardly something to be outraged over.
srgirlie wrote:
...My brother was a very good runner, but went to a different high school - so I was worried when he showed concern.
Just wondering here, what were his PRs?
So basically the OP was striding 800s at slower than mile pace--more like 3000m pace, except maybe for the last. The coach gave plenty of rest because he wanted the kids to get a little bit of turnover while avoiding any kind of major oxygen debt. Does this strike anyone else as vaguely resembling a Summer of Malmo workout?
I agree with an earlier poster who said that most people will benefit from NOT going all-slow during summer xc prep. You spent all spring developing the *skill* of smooth, relaxed, efficient movement--why not retain that skill with a small amount of faster running now and then, rather than having to "reinvent the wheel" next year?
BTW Jack Daniels says the same, and his teams have tended to do pretty well in November...
i kinda like running wrote:
If you're a 5:19 miler I can't see how running 3x800 slower than mile race pace w/ lots of recovery between reps will burn you out.
Depending on your brother's training philosophies I could see how he might not think that type of training in the off season would be ideal, but it's hardly something to be outraged over.
Agree. Agree.
Keep the intensity of summer training "low" to "medium" whatever you do (intervals, hills, tempo, long runs, etc). Don't race each other in workouts.
As long as you keep the intensity low you will not burn out even if you do intervals. Conversely you can also burn yourself out doing long runs if you run them too hard and too fast and too often.
Holy $hit, 3 800's? You should take a year off, start up again next summer.
CoachB wrote:
Agreed
sjy wrote:So basically the OP was striding 800s at slower than mile pace--more like 3000m pace, except maybe for the last. The coach gave plenty of rest because he wanted the kids to get a little bit of turnover while avoiding any kind of major oxygen debt. Does this strike anyone else as vaguely resembling a Summer of Malmo workout?
I agree with an earlier poster who said that most people will benefit from NOT going all-slow during summer xc prep. You spent all spring developing the *skill* of smooth, relaxed, efficient movement--why not retain that skill with a small amount of faster running now and then, rather than having to "reinvent the wheel" next year?
BTW Jack Daniels says the same, and his teams have tended to do pretty well in November...
volume
relative intensity
rest between reps
anything can be done at anytime as long as it is part of a logical plan
everything can be criticized in isolation