Dibaba rumored 6x8 session!!

I did the identical session a few years ago a week before running 3.48 (paced race, perfect conditions)

I hit around 2.07 for the first one and finished in 2.02, the middle 4 reps were all 2.04 - 2.06. There is no way if would ever have been able to hit those times Dibaba did. If I had done I'd be confident of running a 3.44 or so.

I ran 3.43 and there is no way I could have done that session. 2x800 in 1.58 (5) plus some 400's after at the same speed was as much as I could do

I'll get in with a 6/10. Seems like some unsourced BS to me.

rumorsuck wrote:

I'll get in with a 6/10. Seems like some unsourced BS to me.

Where are the recoveries mentioned? It might have been progressive recoveries, 2-3-4-5-6min

You'd think that 5x800m in 2min with equal rest would be a 3:45 type session, so 6 is impressive.

Either this is bs, or Dibaba is the biggest underachiever in the history of distance running, or......something REALLY BIG is about to happen!

i can go through YEARS of training logs and very rarely approach anything like that workout, and I was known by my peers for being able to handle huge workloads.

3 mile warm-up; 8 x 880 (2:13, 2:13, 2:11, 2:10, 2:10, 2:11, 2:12, 2:09)

w/ 440 jog; 2 mile warm-down

1 mile 4:03, 5000m 13;53

3 mile warm-up; 4 x 880 (2:07, 2:05, 2:07, 2:05), 4 x 440 (62, 60, 60, 58.5); 3 mile warm-down

3000m sc 8:34

3000m sc 8:31

3000m sc 8:38, 1500 3:47

3000m sc 8:45, 3000m sc 8:30

3 miles easy; 4 x 880 (2:07.0, 2:07.6, 2:07.9, 2:07.4), 4 x 440 (62.0, 61.6,

62.0, 57.9), 3 miles easy

1 mile 4:02

PM 3 miles easy; 2 x 880 (2:09, 2:07), 6 x 440 (61, 60, 62, 61, 61, 57) 3miles easy

1500m 3:42

3 miles easy; 3 x 880 (2:06, 2:03, 2:02), 4 x 440 (60,58,60,57)

3 mile warm-down

1500m 3:46

2 mile warm-up; 880 (1:57.8), 6 x 440 (60, 59, 60, 59, 58, 57)

3 mile warm-down

3000m sc 8:35, 3000m sc 8:22

JRinaldi wrote:

Where are the recoveries mentioned? It might have been progressive recoveries, 2-3-4-5-6min

.

In the original post, directly after the splits.

I'm calling B.S. as well. I ran 3:44 and 4*800 in 2:02 with 2:00 rest would have been herculean. And I doubt she can run 1:52 in the 800, making it even more unbelievable.

I could believe 6 * 800 in 2:06 with 2:00 rest. Maybe...

agreed, if accurate this workout indicates substantially better form than 3:50. This was very close to one of Seb Coe's workouts (he may have done the 800s at 2 with a 1:52 close once).

From his July 1984 training logs:

Mon 16 July: The first of the harder tempos runs: AM after warm-up, 6x800 m @ 2:00 with 3 min recovery; cool-down of 2 laps @90 sec pace followed by easy jogging; PM 4 miles easy

Mon 23 July : Start of alternating hard and easy session, taking particular care not to carry over fatigue from the previous day; AM after warm-up, 6x800m hard @2:00 pace with 2 min recovery; cool-down of 2 laps @90-sec pace followed by easy jogging; PM 4 miles easy.

This. I follow the running logs of some pretty fast guys: Donn Cabral, Joe Stilin, Eric Finan (running2win.com). They're all well under 4:00 for the mile and 13:20s-13:30s for 5k and all of them would struggle to do this workout. Hell I've seen Caleb Ndiku workouts that were slower than that. If she actually did that workout as stated then she's gotta be in 3:45/13:45 shape at worst

I mean let's put this into perspective: there are world championships/olympics where 1:58 would have medaled, and she's hitting it as the last rep of workout. It's hard to say what the men's equivalent to 1:58 would be, but it's gotta be in the 1:44-1:45 range. Imagine a guy hitting the last rep of a 6x800 workout in 1:44-1:45.

It's impossible. 1:58 in the last rep? It's innacurate. Probably she's playing mind games with her rivals before Beijing. "If" she has any rival.

She's in sub 3:40 shape and will easily run a sub 4 minute mile without any pacers.

Dibaba gets a 10/10 for convincing a paper to report that workout!

I think she did it. But I think it was 4 x 800m with the last in 1:58. She runs with guys as well, so was likely rabbited.

Bramaterra wrote:

I think she did it. But I think it was 4 x 800m with the last in 1:58. She runs with guys as well, so was likely rabbited.

This is Letsrun, so there has to be at least some stupid posts.

malmo wrote:

3 miles easy; 3 x 880 (2:06, 2:03, 2:02), 4 x 440 (60,58,60,57)

3 mile warm-down

1500m 3:46

This workout of yours seems pretty similar to her workout. Putting the splits (44.62, 60.31, 64.52, 60.62) of her 1500m in

gives 3:46.84

I was wondering when a thread about this workout would pop up! It is a mind blowing workout ... the men's equivalent would be 6x800 in 1:48, 1:49, 1:50, 1:50, 1:50, 1:45!

If I did 6x800 and ended up racing a 1500 at that pace, I would be disappointed ... that workout is usually MUCH closer to 5000 pace. I've run 3:55 for the 1500, and I feel like that workout indicates at least 3:44 for a race (and at that speed, would probably indicate racing the workout, too!)

runthecountry wrote:

I was wondering when a thread about this workout would pop up! It is a mind blowing workout ... the men's equivalent would be 6x800 in 1:48, 1:49, 1:50, 1:50, 1:50, 1:45!

If I did 6x800 and ended up racing a 1500 at that pace, I would be disappointed ... that workout is usually MUCH closer to 5000 pace. I've run 3:55 for the 1500, and I feel like that workout indicates at least 3:44 for a race (and at that speed, would probably indicate racing the workout, too!)

I you run it really hard it will be around 3k pace.