I'm a freshman in HS. (I know that is young.) What training workouts would you recommend for the distance events? I did XC and then practiced off-season (Hal Higdon 5k Program [advanced] ) for about 2 months after that. I took about 1 and a half months off. Current PR in the mile is 5:20. (I know that it slow, sorry.) What can I do in the 2 months before track season to ultimately get ready and run the best I can in the 1600 and 3200?
new xcrunna4 account?
gack wrote:
new xcrunna4 account?
What? If you mean that this was my first year of XC, then yes, it was. I love it. New account on letsrun? Sort of. A couple days old. So yes, that is new too.
(By the way, can someone tell me if when you post something you always have to type your name, email, etc... or is there an actual way to log on and stay logged on here?)
Thank you.
DAK wrote:
gack wrote:new xcrunna4 account?
What? If you mean that this was my first year of XC, then yes, it was. I love it. New account on letsrun? Sort of. A couple days old. So yes, that is new too.
(By the way, can someone tell me if when you post something you always have to type your name, email, etc... or is there an actual way to log on and stay logged on here?)
Thank you.
So to answer your question gack, yes.
Sounds like a pain. Anyways, can someone tell me, or not?
Read this:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=308471
And remember, there are no secrets, you just have put the work in!
DAK wrote:
I'm a freshman in HS. (I know that is young.) What training workouts would you recommend for the distance events? I did XC and then practiced off-season (Hal Higdon 5k Program [advanced] ) for about 2 months after that. I took about 1 and a half months off. Current PR in the mile is 5:20. (I know that it slow, sorry.) What can I do in the 2 months before track season to ultimately get ready and run the best I can in the 1600 and 3200?
I have a freshman in high school, and here's what he has done since CC season ended:
He was running ~45 MPW in season (he had been up over 50 MPW in the summer)
He took 5 days off after the last meet
He has upped that to 70 MPW. I've made him dial it back down every 3rd week, so he steps it up for two weeks and then back down by a bit for the third week before upping it again.
When did you run that mile PR? 8th grade track?
If so, how old were you then?
What was your CC PR in the fall?
All of that matters a lot. Some kids mature a ton between 8th and 9th grades and respond super well to increased training.
Can't predict times for you without knowing answers to my questions.
So, I assume no indoor track for you.
Best thing to do in order of importance:
1) Do whatever your coach says.
2) If coach is quiet on this matter, you should be concentrating on getting in mileage, especially the long run. Can't bump it up too quickly, and 2 months isn't a whole hell of a lot of time, but for the first 6 weeks, it should be almost all easy distance runs. If you can get up to a 10 miler, that would be good. Long runs on Wed. and Sat. (as an example). Last 2 weeks before official practice starts, run some shorter faster runs a couple times a week...a quick 5 miler on T and TH perhaps.
Hey dude, I'm a freshman training myself for 1600/3200/5k and I think I have been making some solid progress. 22:21 at the beginning of winter now calculators based on recent workouts put me at 20:30-20:50 for 5k. I have been focusing on tempo runs and long runs. Thats what I would recommend if you feel your endurance is what is holding you back from good times. For example, if you can run 2 flat for 800, but can't run 4:40 for the 1600, your endurance is probably the problem. If your speed is the problem focus on more hill sprints and intervals on the track. This is just info I have gathered from the various running subs on Reddit and here at LetsRun. I don't have actual facts or proof to back any of this up, but I said what has been working for me.
Flagpole wrote:
I have a freshman in high school, and here's what he has done since CC season ended:
He was running ~45 MPW in season (he had been up over 50 MPW in the summer)
He took 5 days off after the last meet
He has upped that to 70 MPW. I've made him dial it back down every 3rd week, so he steps it up for two weeks and then back down by a bit for the third week before upping it again.
When did you run that mile PR? 8th grade track?
If so, how old were you then?
What was your CC PR in the fall?
All of that matters a lot. Some kids mature a ton between 8th and 9th grades and respond super well to increased training.
Can't predict times for you without knowing answers to my questions.
So, I assume no indoor track for you.
Best thing to do in order of importance:
1) Do whatever your coach says.
2) If coach is quiet on this matter, you should be concentrating on getting in mileage, especially the long run. Can't bump it up too quickly, and 2 months isn't a whole hell of a lot of time, but for the first 6 weeks, it should be almost all easy distance runs. If you can get up to a 10 miler, that would be good. Long runs on Wed. and Sat. (as an example). Last 2 weeks before official practice starts, run some shorter faster runs a couple times a week...a quick 5 miler on T and TH perhaps.
To answer some of your questions...
I ran 15ks, a lot, after the end of CX season. All of those runs averaged about 1:07. I ran a 5:30 PR in 8th grade, and have not tested myself in an all out mile, 5:20 achieved on a quickie. My 5k PR (Though I am not proud of it, and think I could do better) is 20:08. I ran 6 miles yesterday and felt horrible. I think I got around 50 minutes. (If not more)
Steve,
What level is your son at? That is pretty strong training. For a freshman that would have left me too tired to do anything else. I was probably training at the highest level of any frosh in our state (didn't know that at the time) and was running 40-45 mpw and then took a rest week every fourth week I think (25 miles).
Ramped up to 60 mpw solid for 10 weeks before 10th grade XC, and more after that, but I grew 2 inches and gained 10 lbs (up to a strapping 125 lbs!!), but I still think 70 mpw for a frosh while being in school is a ton.
Will he run 4:30/9:40 this year?
newname wrote:
What level is your son at? That is pretty strong training. For a freshman that would have left me too tired to do anything else. I was probably training at the highest level of any frosh in our state (didn't know that at the time) and was running 40-45 mpw and then took a rest week every fourth week I think (25 miles).
Ramped up to 60 mpw solid for 10 weeks before 10th grade XC, and more after that, but I grew 2 inches and gained 10 lbs (up to a strapping 125 lbs!!), but I still think 70 mpw for a frosh while being in school is a ton.
Will he run 4:30/9:40 this year?
He is better at the longer stuff, and I didn't think he'd be running this much, but he loves it and has some really good training partners, and I've made sure he slowly upped the mileage to where it is. 70 MPW will be the max the rest of this school year. In the summer, he has plans to get up to 80 MPW, and that will be done with 2 runs a day 5 days a week, a long run on Saturday and another single run on Sunday. He has improved much from 8th grade where his 1600 PR was 5:28...but that was on minimal training, and he has matured a lot since then. He has since run a 5k at 5:16 pace.
His goals for track this spring are 4:29 and 9:45. Unless he gets injured or sick, I think those are tough but reachable goals for him. He is one of the youngest in his grade and has a lot of maturing yet to do, so a big upside still I think. I only got down to 4:30 and 9:48 as HS PRs, so he may eclipse that in his freshman year. Ultimately he will be way better than I was.
Fortunately he loves to sleep, so he gets 8-10 hours every night (10 on the weekends). He needs that when he's running so much.
DAK wrote:
Flagpole wrote:I have a freshman in high school, and here's what he has done since CC season ended:
He was running ~45 MPW in season (he had been up over 50 MPW in the summer)
He took 5 days off after the last meet
He has upped that to 70 MPW. I've made him dial it back down every 3rd week, so he steps it up for two weeks and then back down by a bit for the third week before upping it again.
When did you run that mile PR? 8th grade track?
If so, how old were you then?
What was your CC PR in the fall?
All of that matters a lot. Some kids mature a ton between 8th and 9th grades and respond super well to increased training.
Can't predict times for you without knowing answers to my questions.
So, I assume no indoor track for you.
Best thing to do in order of importance:
1) Do whatever your coach says.
2) If coach is quiet on this matter, you should be concentrating on getting in mileage, especially the long run. Can't bump it up too quickly, and 2 months isn't a whole hell of a lot of time, but for the first 6 weeks, it should be almost all easy distance runs. If you can get up to a 10 miler, that would be good. Long runs on Wed. and Sat. (as an example). Last 2 weeks before official practice starts, run some shorter faster runs a couple times a week...a quick 5 miler on T and TH perhaps.
To answer some of your questions...
I ran 15ks, a lot, after the end of CX season. All of those runs averaged about 1:07. I ran a 5:30 PR in 8th grade, and have not tested myself in an all out mile, 5:20 achieved on a quickie. My 5k PR (Though I am not proud of it, and think I could do better) is 20:08. I ran 6 miles yesterday and felt horrible. I think I got around 50 minutes. (If not more)
With that mile PR and that 5k PR, that tells me that some longer runs will really help you with the longer stuff.
Just as stepping stones, anyone with a 5:20 PR should be eying 4:59, and if you can do that, then 10:30 or so should be the 3200 goal. In CC next year, you should get WAY under 20:08.
Alright, so according to what you guys said, I cam about with this plan....
Monday: 6 miles (Steady, fast-ish pace)
Tuesday: 1k repeats (5)
Wednesday: 50 minute tempo
Thursday: 4 miles (Easy day)
Friday: 6 mile (speed play)
Saturday: 15k (Long run)
For a grand total of about 34 mpw.
I think I will increase this gradually.
Sounds good? (What can I do to make it better)
Where's your core training? Any weights schedule? Not saying you have to lift everyday, but like every 3 days maybe squeeze weights or core in after your run. Trust me, I never lifted my soph year and ran 58/2:12/4:56/18:15. Junior year I ran all the time, lifted, core, etc, and now I am at 53/2:03/4:40/17:36.
DAK wrote:
Alright, so according to what you guys said, I cam about with this plan....
Monday: 6 miles (Steady, fast-ish pace)
Tuesday: 1k repeats (5)
Wednesday: 50 minute tempo
Thursday: 4 miles (Easy day)
Friday: 6 mile (speed play)
Saturday: 15k (Long run)
For a grand total of about 34 mpw.
I think I will increase this gradually.
Sounds good? (What can I do to make it better)
Get rid of it.
What you need to do is to get out the door and run every day you feel like it, and a few that you don't. Run 30-60 minutes, most of it easy. One day a week, find an out and back course that takes about 40 minutes. Go out 21 minutes, turn around and come back faster.
Another day each week, find a short moderately steep hill that takes about 30 seconds to go up hard. Start with, say 5 reps, and work up to 10. Jog or walk down, taking all the recovery you need to pop the hill hard with good form each time.
If you can do this for six weeks, you will be ready to train hard in March.
Offseason bargains wrote:
DAK wrote:Alright, so according to what you guys said, I cam about with this plan....
Monday: 6 miles (Steady, fast-ish pace)
Tuesday: 1k repeats (5)
Wednesday: 50 minute tempo
Thursday: 4 miles (Easy day)
Friday: 6 mile (speed play)
Saturday: 15k (Long run)
For a grand total of about 34 mpw.
I think I will increase this gradually.
Sounds good? (What can I do to make it better)
Get rid of it.
What you need to do is to get out the door and run every day you feel like it, and a few that you don't. Run 30-60 minutes, most of it easy. One day a week, find an out and back course that takes about 40 minutes. Go out 21 minutes, turn around and come back faster.
Another day each week, find a short moderately steep hill that takes about 30 seconds to go up hard. Start with, say 5 reps, and work up to 10. Jog or walk down, taking all the recovery you need to pop the hill hard with good form each time.
If you can do this for six weeks, you will be ready to train hard in March.
This is good advice. You took time off and now need to build that base. It's all about that base, 'bout that base. I would even say just do distance runs the first 6 weeks and then add the above-mentioned hill stuff the last 2 weeks of the 2-month period. You build that base for many reasons, not the least of which is so that you are strong enough to handle the speed and maybe hills that come later.