sub 3:50 1500m

Do hill sessions! They do miracles!!! Also, use weights for leg strength as well, i,e. squats, deadlift, leg press, hamstring curl and leg extensions, also, do regular calf raises. Don't overdo this and don't aim for bigger muslces, rather enduring (>15 reps) and explosive/maximal. 3:50 for the 1500 is fast, so building race-specific muscles is smart.

dial it up, you're probably a 4:15 1500m runner. So your input is useless. And if you're gonna say you broke 3:50 go ahead and prove it. Additionally, on the .000001% chance you did break 3:50, you're input is useless anyway on the basis of not providing an explanation

I'm still concerned about getting bigger muscles from doing some of those exercises especially dead lifts, squats and calf raises. I have relatively large calves and thighs already and don't want to even slightly increase the size of them. Additionally I'm more looking for continued and increased aerobic development rather than speed development. Despite my slow 800 pr, I feel I have the speed to go 3:49, just not the endurance. But thank you for your reply and I will look into doing some of those exercises...particularly hamstring curls during the base phase.

dukerdog wrote:

What is DATE PACE?

Your current fitness level based on your most recent race results.

11/10: 40 minutes EZ

First run after 16 days off with no running. Ran onto the track and did the last 2 miles around 13:20ish. Felt pretty good for taking all that time off. We'll see how I feel tomorrow though.

Coming from a 3:48 1500m runner.

Each week:

1 long run at steady pace (7:00min/mile with maybe some faster miles towards the end)

1 workout with extensive tempos such as mile repeats.

1 workout with shorter stuff, preferable hill repeats.

The other days: easy days, including a few 2-a-days if that works for you. You can take a day off if you want.

Lifting: 2 times a week including olympic lifts. Only do the lifts that you can do with proper form.

Core: you can do core when you lift and maybe on some of your easy days.

If you don't feel comfortable excluding tempo runs, you can incorporate them in your shorter stuff workout. Something like a 15min tempo and 8x45sec hill repeats. I don't like tempos because it takes me 2-3 days to recover from 4 miles at 5:20-5:30 pace, while I only need one easy day to recover from 6x1K at 3:05-3:10 pace (2min jog recovery). This way I am also running closer to race pace

I run best on low mileage, but my schedule has the same foundation. I don't do any long runs and only run 30-40min on my easy days, and only run 5-6x a week resulting in 25-40mpw. This probably doesn't work for most people, so that's why I added the other stuff

11/11: 40 minutes EZ

Ended up running the last mile on the track. Wanted to run 6:00 pace on my last lap to see what it felt like but ended up running 82. Felt way better than expected, with only minimal leg soreness from yesterday's run.

11/12: 40 minutes EZ on the roads. My legs didn't handle the hills too well, but all in all it has been an encouraging first 3 days back.

11/13: 56 minutes EZ (probably right around 8 miles)

11/14: 30 minutes EZ (picked it up to about 6:00 pace for a mile at one point, never went slower than 6:40 or 6:45ish)

11/15: OFF

11/16: 56:00 on trails. Rolled my ankle badly

Total Weekly Mileage: 37 miles

WEEK 2:

11/17: OFF

11/18: OFF

11/19: 26 minutes light jog

11/20: 30 minutes light jog

11/21: 35 minutes easy

11/22: 40 minutes (went too fast)

11/23: OFF (planned off day)

Total Weekly Mileage: 18 miles

WEEK 3:

11/24: 30:00 easy (ankle felt terrible)

11/25: OFF

11/26: OFF

11/27: OFF

11/28: OFF

11/29: 30 minutes easy

11/30: 30 minutes easy

Total Weekly Mileage: 12 miles

WEEK 4:

12/1: 30 minutes easy

12/2: 42 minutes easy

12/3: 38:30 easy

12/4: 30:30 easy

12/5: OFF

12/6: 39:30 easy

12/7: 43:00 easy

Total Weekly Mileage: 31 miles

WEEK 5:

12/8 42:00

12/9 41:30

12/10 43:30

12/11 OFF

12/12 57:20

12/13 41:40

12/14 1:19:10

Weekly Mileage = 42

WEEK 6:

12/15 7.08 @7:20

12/16 7.08 @6:56

12/17 6.10 @7:48 (soggy grass/rough terrain) very easy

12/18 9.25 first 4.625miles @7:04 pace, second 4.625miles @5:53 pace

first tempo type run of the year. Felt pretty good, very hilly course, with a 0.64mile hill w/110ft elevation change and another 70ft elevation increase over the last mile of the tempo.

12/19 9.31 @7:08

what are your prs?

12/20: off day

12/21: 13 mile long run @7:05 pace w/3mile "surge" 6:08,5:39,5:39

Weekly Mileage = 51.8

Week 7:

12/22: 6.06 @6:45 pace

12/23: 10 miles (hilly, solid pace but not sure what) 4 20 seconds strides to get the legs turning again.

12/24: 7.08 miles @7:08 pace

12/25: 4mi wu/cd, 4 mile (hard) tempo 22:16 (5:34 pace)

I was stuck aqua jogging my sophmore year, and with 4-5 hours of that each week and three solid lifting days, I ran 3:53 (which was at the time like a 4 second PR) off of 10ish running miles a week. I normally lift two sessions a week, with a push day and a pull day, probably 4 exercises each session, done at 4-6 reps each for 2-3 sets.

Your normal run pace and your tempo pace are a bit faster than mine, with your mileage being a bit lower. This is probably due to the difference in our running styles, and I'm certainly not going to over-analyze it. Consistency is really the key to improvement, so I'm sure you'll do fine this season.

But seriously, your legs get sore after lifting because you aren't used to it. The more you do it, the less Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness you'll have after. In the same way that you now run so much that you aren't sore from normal efforts.

Sample routine:

Warm-up: 5-10 minutes

Cleans: 2 sets of 4 heavy, around 4 or 5RM, scaling down for safety. (Reset position and grip inbetween lifts if necessary. Probably wouldn't do these if they hadn't been taught to me)

Box Jumps: 2 sets of 4 jumps, challenging height or 2 sets of 10 jumps medium height

Squat or Deadlift: 2 or 3 sets of 4-6RM-ish (add variation with front squats or the trap/hex bar for deadlifts or RDLs when you feel like it)

Accessory lifts: Pretty much do what makes you happy

There's some good literature on why lifting has translation into more efficient aerobic muscle work, and a little bit of power never hurt anyone trying to kick to the finish. Keep your mileage up and your calories at a reasonable level and you won't gain muscle mass on a program in this range.

Thanks for the response. While I had not initially planned on doing much/any leg work, my coach is having us do a lot of leg stuff this spring for our mid distance guys so I will be incorporating at least some of this stuff.

12/26: 7.08miles @7:15 pace

felt a bit tired from yesterday

I would concentrate on 2 track sessions a week and 2/3 hard tempos per week with lots of quick strides after.

you're suggesting to hard 4-5 times per week? Obviously a tempo isn't all out but it isn't easy either

I jump on the boat

i want to run middle distance i come from longer distance running i have been injured for a year and a bit well combination of injury and different hobbies.

I have a question to low mileager or the 3:48 1500 meter runner what was the pace on your easy runs can you give a week in base?

Elmore 345

have you done this approach to run sub 3:50?

What where your tempo's like?