treeline wrote:
Thanks for this. Yeah, let me be more specific about what we are doing right now for my top runners who want to go 16:30/40 by Footlocker:
M-Race w/ 20 min cool down
T-60-80 min easy recovery
W-5x1000 on trail loop at low VO2 pace w/ 3 min jog recov
Th-5-7x 80 m hill sprints w/ full recov
F-35 min tempo w/ strides or flying 30s
S-stregthening/lifting or rest
Sun-30 min easy + 5xstrides
M-Race
I'll tell you what I think.
I think you're asking the wrong question. You are asking how to add more, but not asking how to progress/develop what you're already doing. I may misunderstand you, but in the "what we are doing right now", you make it sound like the schedule and workouts are pretty static. If you .want to adapt, you need to change the stimulus.
Repeating a stimulus will not give you the same adaptation each time. Your runners will adapt to the 5x 1000m session, and need a new stimulus to further adapt.
Instead of adding more, progress more. Your goal is to make the workouts more specific to 5k pace in November. So Do a 35' tempo one week, then a 15'-10'-10' with 3' rest going a little faster. Then do 7x5'-1' fartlek, and then 6xMile off 1'. Then 5x Mile with 2'-3' rest, and finally 4x Mile at 5k pace. Each Workout builds to the next, and each workout is a new stimulus. Same thing with the 1000s. How will you progress the adaptation? You could run them faster each week, but experience and science shows that prioritization is better. If you're going from the top-down later in the week, consider bottom up earlier: A 30 minute run with 6x 40"- 20" sprints. Then 6x 1'-1' sprints. Then 10x400 with 1'. Then Then 800's with 90", and then run the specific 5k workout of 5-6x1000m right before you're trying to run your best 5k race.
All the while, maintain what you've already built. Keep the long run to maintain general aerobic strength, keep the hill sprints to maintain general speed.
Then ask yourself if you need something the day of a race. You might, but look at how your schedule is progressing to find out what you need to maintain and what systems you need to "check-up" on. You may find that they're loosing speed quickly. Then do sprints. Or if their loosing aerobic strength, then do a long run.
Last bit. Don't be afraid to trash your plans. I'm a teacher. When I realize there is a better way, I do it the better way, regardless of what work and lessons I've already planned out.