3000m Workouts

2k @ 5:03 mile pace

400 jog

1200 @ 5:03 pace

400 jog

1k @ 4:59 pace

200 jog

600- first 400 @ goal 3k pace, last 200 picked up

__________

Also 6-8 mile progression runs and 20-25 minute tempos are helpful.

When I broke 10 for the 3200 in high school, my favorites were:

1. 6x800 at 3200 pace which was 2:30. 2 Minute Recovery

2. 2x(6,8,10) at 3200 pace which was 1:52/2:30/3:07. For recovery, I did equal time - 30 seconds. So for 600, I took about 1:20 rest.

3. Though in might not help you to reach that time, to prepare for surging in a race I did: 4x(1000,400) with 200m jog in between each rep--1000s at 5k pace, 400s at mile pace, good 3k/5k pace surging workout

6X1000 on date pace (not goal pace), 2 minute rest.

VERY standard workout for higher level 1500-5000 athletes.

what do you mean by "date pace"?

Probably current 3000m pace

oh alright, thanks.

Date Pace is an old Bowerman concept to separate present capability from goal pace. A workout like 6X1000 (which El Guerrouj and many top Africans have done) with 2-2:30 rest is something you will not likely finish if done faster than your present capability.

I ran just a little faster than that in high school and ran 800m intervals early in the year. I think my last workout before I hit my PR was 6 or 8 X 400m. Nothing fancy but that's all it took. Also, racing the 3200m all year in itself seemed to help make me faster.

I don't think that 6 X 1K is appropriate for a high schooler. It might be for elites, but not for someone who is trying to run 9:30 for the 3K. It seems too far. I think 3 X 1K or 4 X 800m would do the trick, especially if you can run them fast. I would expect the 800m and 1K intervals to be slower than current race pace and 400m intervals to be faster. I wouldn't want you to get discouraged if you weren't hitting race pace at those longer interval distances. Jack Daniels VDOT training paces could help you pick the speed at which to run the workouts, but I bet you just will have a feel for it.

You need a couple real fast workout too.

Like 20x100 meters faster than strides but not quiet sprints

10 x 200 same type of thing

Different workouts:

16 by 400 in 72 seconds with 100m jog in 30-45 seconds.

6 by 800 in 2:26-28 with 200m jog in 1 minutes.

5 by 1000 in 3:05 with 400m jog in 2 minutes.

Race prep workouts:

3 sets of 4 x 400 in 72 seconds with 200 jog in 45 seconds. Jog 400m between sets or standing rest of 1:30.

2 times 1 mile in 4:55-5:00 with 1 mile jog

the cancer guy wrote:

Different workouts:

16 by 400 in 72 seconds with 100m jog in 30-45 seconds.

6 by 800 in 2:26-28 with 200m jog in 1 minutes.

5 by 1000 in 3:05 with 400m jog in 2 minutes.

Race prep workouts:

3 sets of 4 x 400 in 72 seconds with 200 jog in 45 seconds. Jog 400m between sets or standing rest of 1:30.

2 times 1 mile in 4:55-5:00 with 1 mile jog

I would say those workouts look more appropriate for someone trying to go sub 9:30 for 3200m rather than 3000m.

I would say that the first two responses to the OP were the most appropriate.

CoachB wrote:

the cancer guy wrote:

Different workouts:

16 by 400 in 72 seconds with 100m jog in 30-45 seconds.

6 by 800 in 2:26-28 with 200m jog in 1 minutes.

5 by 1000 in 3:05 with 400m jog in 2 minutes.

Race prep workouts:

3 sets of 4 x 400 in 72 seconds with 200 jog in 45 seconds. Jog 400m between sets or standing rest of 1:30.

2 times 1 mile in 4:55-5:00 with 1 mile jog

I would say those workouts look more appropriate for someone trying to go sub 9:30 for 3200m rather than 3000m.

I would say that the first two responses to the OP were the most appropriate.

Perhaps. I am assuming the runner has better speed than endurance and can run slightly faster under-distance intervals than overdistance. Running 2km at near race pace, followed by several more long intervals seems a stretch for me without any kind of context.

zbo wrote:

2k @ 5:03 mile pace

400 jog

1200 @ 5:03 pace

400 jog

1k @ 4:59 pace

200 jog

600- first 400 @ goal 3k pace, last 200 picked up

__________

Also 6-8 mile progression runs and 20-25 minute tempos are helpful.

20-25 minute tempo? maybe a little longer than that

the cancer guy wrote:

Different workouts:

16 by 400 in 72 seconds with 100m jog in 30-45 seconds.

6 by 800 in 2:26-28 with 200m jog in 1 minutes.

5 by 1000 in 3:05 with 400m jog in 2 minutes.

Race prep workouts:

3 sets of 4 x 400 in 72 seconds with 200 jog in 45 seconds. Jog 400m between sets or standing rest of 1:30.

2 times 1 mile in 4:55-5:00 with 1 mile jog

The second workout is 12 laps at 4:54 pace (73-74 per lap), with only 5:00 jogging rest interspersed, when 9:30 (his goal) is 7.5 laps at 5:04 (76 per lap).

When I was in 9:30-shape for 3200m I was running 8 x 800m @ 2:26 with a 2:30 rest during XC. It was a tough workout that I could only finish with some reps at 2:24-2:23. Had I kept the rest at 1:00-jogging I would have had to keep the reps at 2:30. This would have been 6400m (16 laps ~4 mi) at 75-pace with only 7:00 of jogging as rest. I could barely have run 4 miles at 5:00-pace in a race at this time (prob more like 5:04). this guy would be about 40 seconds back at 10:10 in a 3200m. It seems like this would be over-reaching.

Also, the "race prep" 400 workout is much easier than the one above it. Maybe that was intended, but it is counterintuitive to run a similar workout but cut it shorter and have more rest and the same pace? We usually did something like 8 or 10 x 400m with 90 secs rest and FAST in the late season. 12 x 400m with :60 rest and about mile pace in the early season. So it was like 12 x 400 (:60 rest) at 68 and 8 x 400 (:90 rest) at 66 later.

There is endless variation in 400m rep workouts though.

One I particularly liked was 4 x (800,400,400) with 400/200/200 jogs. The idea was to run the 800 at date pace for 3200 and the 400s just 3 secs faster. So I started that time frame at 9:44 (73-date pace) and ran 2:26/70/70 and finished at 2:22/68/68. I gave this one to coach as an alternative to 16 x 400 and 8 x 800m. It took a lot of discipline to not race the 400s and to even split the 800s.

Anyway, Kellogg has a great explanation of VO2max training on the site. It says from do 2-4 miles of 2-4 minute reps and run them at your ~4k race pace (I think). This would be very close to his 3k pace of 9:30 - 76. So 600s, 800s, 1k and 1200s would be good.

This guy is likely targeting indoor track or outdoor and so will have ample chance to race frequently (unless you are in college?) and find out whether you are close to that 9:30 shape. I always overshot my goals and therefore over-reached in interval training mostly. Started out freshman year wanting to run 4:40/10:00 and hitting 4:50/10:20. Sophomore yr I wanted 4:30/9:40 and got 4:35/9:50. Junior yr I finally caught up to it at 4:23/9:25.