Do I need to increase my mileage to get a lot better?

This was extremely helpful! Question, why 10-12 strides in grass? And why skip out on intervals

If you are trying to break 4:20 I think you should also be running the 800m, maybe in every meet, at least in the small meets. Even if it is just in the 3200mR sometimes, I think the 800m run in your smaller meets is great training that doesn't tear you down as much as a 1600 or 3200 does.

So, if you are going to target 4:20, you should be targeting 2:00 as well, or faster.

Running some strides of 50m-150m is great to keep your body used to running FAST. There are lots of different recommended protocols, but I think the best is 50-50-50. at least in the months before the season to build speed.

Do 50m fairly fast, you can start from a rolling jog. About Mile speed for you, then build the next 50m to ~95% top speed and then hold it with good form and be relaxed for 50m.

Just cut the effort and coast out of that speed and gently slow to a jog. Jog until you are not at all breathing hard. It could be 50m, but will likely take you another 150-250m. This is NOT for lactate tolerance, it is neuromuscular recruitment and facilitation.

I like doing them on the grass because you spend so many miles on the track for so many other things, and the grass is easier on your legs. You can do them on a soccer field or just a wide-open field if it is smooth enough.

Trying to explain why not to do interval training is too much to type. But think of it this way: the primary purpose of base training is to build mitochondria (their density and their size) and develop capillaries to FEED said mitochondria more efficiently with BLOOD.

If you don't know what I am talking about don't worry about it. But doing consistent running of 5-10-15 miles will build this aerobic base of mitochondria best. Interval training may do it just as well on a per minute basis (I have no way of knowing), but you can't do that training every day, so at some point (3 days, 4 days or so) it becomes more effective to do aerobic continuous training to build these physical traits important to the mile and 2mile.

Science and experience has shown us that it takes about 10-16 weeks (of base training) to best develop the Aerobic Base. Then you can partake in intervals to stimulate the mitochondria to produce the MAXimum amount of ATP that these now large and dense powerhouses can produce.

It seems that we cannot raise our fitness through interval training consistently for more than about 12 weeks (again I have no idea why it cannot go on forever - but it seems once you reach top form you can't keep pushing it higher, so you just get stale instead of more fit), so for you that means intervals in March-April-May, to peak in early June ... I assume that is what you want?

Also, it seems like you are running at least two races a week, that is enough fast training each week, for the winter. An 800-1600 race in one meet is a great VO2max workout, as is a 3000m race. Your VO2max pace is about 4k race pace so the 3k indoors is a great VO2max workout.

There is a good discussion on this website by John Kellogg about VO2max workouts and Oxygen uptake workouts.

Good luck! Your senior year is a very exciting time and you have a good shot at sub-2:00, sub-4:20, and sub-8:40/9:20.

Like someone else has said, you seem to be doing fine on your own, or with your coaches help. I will be the first to say that there is no MAGIC RECIPE. More miles or strides may help but will not necessarily do the trick. If you have a coach you like, you may want to share your goals with your coach and see if he has any insight into how to get there? He may have guided several guys there before.

Also, I recommend checking out Summer of Malmo ... it applies to the Winter as well.

To be more clear on the strides:

I was meaning this...

6-12 X 150m strides (50 fast-50 build-50 hold near top)

first 50 ~ mile pace - 65 a lap

second 50 ~ build to near top speed

third 50 ~ hold sprint speed

... at the end don't put on the brakes, float to a slower speed, a jog. If you find yourself breathing hard for very long, you are doing it wrong.

I used to do more to start and lowered the number as the season got closer, and I got a better feel through indoor races how fast I was at 800-1600.

You can also do the simple: 6-20 X 100m. Start from a jog and build in the first 3s or so up to 400m speed. You are just letting your body practice good fast-running form. As opposed to the form you use to run 6:00-6:30-7:00 pace. High knees and heels coming back close to the shorts and running on your forefoot.

It is supposed to help when you really need to gather yourself in the last 200m of an 800m or the last 400m of a mile, your body will have practiced running FAST without being tired and the form and neuromuscular response will have been already rehearsed by the muscles that are used when running at 58-65 secs per 400m.

Also, after reviewing your training again and seeing that you are really in a practice situation with a coach, I would try and just do what the coach says. If you enjoy distance training, and want to push yourself harder, just do longer runs on the days that you are left to yourself.

I was in your situation as a sophomore (not at 4:20 though) and I started running twice on Saturday sometimes and running 10-12 on Sunday morning and an interval workout in the PM (this was during the season). I was copying a pro runner I admired. I had been able to train by myself the whole winter and had just done a steady 60 mpw.

I was toast for every meet, for a while, and was going through the 1600 at 4:58-5:02 (trying to break 10:00) and finishing with a 10:02, :03, :06, :08, etc. Over and over.

Once I just accepted that our training was limited, and stopped adding runs and slowed my distance runs down, I ran 9:56 and 9:54 and 9:50.

I would "dance with the girl that brought you" and stick with the training given. Keep your runs easy (probably at 6:30 pace?) unless you are asked to run hard or are doing intervals or fartlek.

Run doubles.