Critique my1500/3000 meter training plan for 3 weeks

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It's got everything in it - all paces from tempo down to sprints. But tell us a bit more...

Is this the last 3 weeks before your peak race? a 3 week cycle you plan to repeat for a while before racing starts? What have you been doing before starting this - a winter of distance and cross country, or just come off indoor track and a rest?

Your mileage is way too low to ever be competive. How do u expect to be any good with this training plan????? You need to be, as my coach puts it, fully torqued at all times of the season in order to be successfull. BTW my 5k pr is 15:20.

How many miles should I be running?

I like your setup, but I believe you're "mileage" is lacking. For instance, you will have greater benefits running one 8 mile run than a 3 mile in the morning and a 5 mile run in the afternoon. It seems that you someone who hasn't done much in the way of volume before, the volume is too low here. Since you are nearing the last 3 weeks of training, there isn't too much you can do about it.

My coach, a former olympic trialist and D1 all-American, would always say that there are very little benefits to running volume below 8 miles. In other words, if you just need to "get your mileage in" 6 miles or two shorter runs isn't really going to be much different than 3 or 4 miles. Instead of running a long run of 10 miles, I would say you ought to try a couple of runs per week of 7-9 miles at once. If it were earlier in the season, I would just tell you to run more in general.

overall:

-contrary to what others say i think mileage is fine IF on workout days you are 1) doing 2-3 mile warm-ups and 3-4 mile cooldowns (sometimes pretty steady), and/or 2) if doing evening workouts you also doing 3-4 in the a.m. as a shakeout.

-i would do both. assuming you have a nice base under your belt, you'll maintain everything you built aerobically during base training with that much running.

-IMO to run well at 1500m, you need to be doing some work at 800m pace, and to a lesser extent 400m pace. will teach power & coordination, and make 1500/3K pace feel much more more comfortable.

examples:

3-5 x 300m @ 800 pace (OR 2-3 x 400m @ 800 pace)

3-4 x 200m @ 400 pace

do on a day when you are fresh. DON"T run before (other than your 2-3 mile warmup). take all the recovery you need on the reps. maybe do these on your WK2 all-out sprint day (cut the 30m reps to 5 & treat as a warm-up for one of these sessions).

WK1

-why not do the 400s at goal 1500 pace?

-repeat 1Ks @ faster than goal 3K pace? 600s or 800s for 3K pace stuff might be better. or do the 1Ks @ 5K pace.

WK2

-i like the alternating 300/600 at 1500/3K goal paces

-do some 400/800 pace work on the sprint day

WK3

-again, reps >800m at 3K pace are TOUGH. 1200s @ 3K might trash you (or you won't be able to complete the workout!) reps of 1K to 1 mile in length should definitely be a part of your plan, but do them @ 5K pace. slow down, more volume.