This is the workout that told Jerry Schumacher that Shelby Houlihan was ready to run the American 5000m record in Heusden.

Erosion wrote:

Wouldn't it be something if you yourself actually went out and did the interview instead cutting and pasting from Runnersworld? You and your site have become complacent, fat, and lazy. Definitely NOT the journalists you claim to be.

This is fair use. You need to get a life.

You know what would be great? If she has this fitness next year and in 2020 when it actually matters. Top fitness is hard to hold onto though. Hopefully, she does.

Sand Dunes wrote:

Natural-runner wrote:

And no body is thinking she is doping? I think all the people involve with Nike are suspicious. Shelby is a great running but she just broke the U.S 5k record by improving her PB by 25 seconds. Anyway, good for her and i hope she is not doping.

I know for a fact that anybody that is coached by Jerry is dirty.

Let's hear it. How do you know this?

snow blow wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

I know for a fact that anybody that is coached by Jerry is dirty.

Let's hear it. How do you know this?

Inside source.

NOP Supertramp wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

I know for a fact that anybody that is coached by Al Sal is dirty.

Fixed that for you.

+++++1

Natural-runner wrote:

And no body is thinking she is doping? I think all the people involve with Nike are suspicious. Shelby is a great running but she just broke the U.S 5k record by improving her PB by 25 seconds. Anyway, good for her and i hope she is not doping.

Look at her progression, it's entirely plausible that she's doing it without doping:

Also read the part of this article regarding her consistent training and being injury free. Many runners could achieve great results (doping suspicious results) if they didn't get injured over 7 years.

Another coach wrote:

Am I reading correctly?

1200/400/400 x 3?

Is this just her on the track alone or does BTC have rabbits (especially for the women)?

Yep- 1200-400-400 x 3 w./ 3:00 rest, 1:00 rest, 3:00 in between sets. Often times the BTC crew will get some pace help for people on the Bowerman Track Club non-pro team in PDX. I'm guessing this workout came during their Euro stint so it was likely with other teammates (not everyone hitting the same splits) or solo. I'm also guessing this came close-ish to the record attempt. The volume seems on the lower side but I think pros probably do a better job of not racing their workouts. When I hit the track for 5k training I'm often times feeling pretty all out towards the end of a workout, hitting great splits, but then get upset at why I didn't run better a week or two later. She said she was comfortable in this workout. Probably could have gone a bit faster but chose to put it together in a race. It's about the full body of workouts in a build-up, not just the one we know about.

I don't think there was any doubt that Shelby was ready for something faster before this. Definitely 14:45-ish within the last year. It was a great run and I'm excited to see what comes next.

Females always have faster workouts than their races indicate, but not pro men. Why is that?

Instead of 5 x 1200m the fancy/complicated workout was the same thing with more opportunities to rest. After Houlihan raced 3:57.xx 1500m I knew a 1500/5000 runner like Houlihan would break US 5000 record. I wouldn't have needed her to do that fancy/complicated workout to let me know the US 5000m record was Houlihan's for the taking.

Far Out West wrote:

What if it was the typical, what can I run a 5k in post?

I recently ran this workout:

1200/400/400 x 3 sets, 3 minutes rest after the 1,200's and between sets, one minute rest after the first 400 of each set.

My times were:

3:29, 66, 65

3:27, 66, 65

3:24, 66, 65

My most recent race was a 3:57 1,500m.

Oh god, if I were an elite woman I would troll the boards with sh!t like this all the time.

SH is doping and it's going to be Alberto telling USADA about it.

Houlihan is a beast wrote:

That workout would be way too fast for me and my PB is 14:37. What does that say about me? (Note: My speed is horrible, 5k is the shortest distance I can run decent at.)

That workout would have been easy for me.

I ran 6x 1320 with moderate (not slow) 440 recoveries at faster than my 5k best time pace.

Standing around 3' recoveries would have made it quite easy.

Is there a video anywhere on the internet of Shelby's record run at Heusden?

So this workout is 1200s @5K pace, the 400s @ 3K pace?

ironside wrote:

Instead of 5 x 1200m the fancy/complicated workout was the same thing with more opportunities to rest. After Houlihan raced 3:57.xx 1500m I knew a 1500/5000 runner like Houlihan would break US 5000 record. I wouldn't have needed her to do that fancy/complicated workout to let me know the US 5000m record was Houlihan's for the taking.

Before she broke the record what in your mind made her a 1500/5000 runner?

How is that workout complicated?

Practice? We talkin about practice?

joho wrote:

Before she broke the record what in your mind made her a 1500/5000 runner?

Winning the 5000 in Sacramento last year?

What kind of runner did you think she was?

Maybe because she won an NCAA championship in the 1500 and competed at the 2016 Olympics in the 5,000 meters? Or maybe because she's won two U.S. outdoor titles in the 5,000 meters and one in the 1500 meters?

Those seem like solid clues that she's a 1500/5000 runner.