Is this a good workout? It wasn't too difficult, the only reason I couldn't go faster was because the muscles in my lower legs were kind of tight. I feel like I didn't have to work hard aerobically and the speed didn't feel like much more than a jog, but my coach said I put in some good work?
It definitely wasn't a bad workout if you felt tired after it at all. I mean, I'm only a 4:45 guy and I've done 2:30 @ 6*800 with 2 minutes, but I'm also a 10:0X min 3200m guy, so it might have been too easy for you, but its hard to tell what exactly what the purpose of the workout is. If you are underdeveloped aerobically, its probably a good cruise interval type thing, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it because the worst thing you can do is question your coach, unless he is actually terrible. But this doesn't seem like that situation so I wouldn't worry about it.
Yeah, I'm only a 10:22 3200m man. 17:20 5k. My coach isn't great, I trained on my own all winter. I guess the reason I'm asking is because I'm slightly concerned that I haven't improved as it wasn't a walk in the park like I feel like 2:40 800s should have been.
Don't sweat it, 2:30 @ 6*800 is a tough workout for me, probably too hard if anything. Running as fast as you can in a workout isn't the point, the point is to run fast in a race. If you have been putting the work in, there is nothing else you can do about it, except show up on race day and run your best.
I understand its frustrating at times too, sometimes you plateau and there's nothing you can do about. I ran in the high 10:20s last year in the 3200m, worked my butt off all summer, and never broke 17:00, even though I was running 60-70 miles a week and felt better than ever. (Not recommended unless you have built up to it) But now I just had a big break through in indoor and dropped about 20 seconds off my 3200 indoors.
Keep working at it, we've all been there, and your time will come if you keep working at it. And you could also be worrying for nothing. We all have bad workouts and its nothing to be ashamed of. Good Luck!
Because the muscles in your lower legs were tight, I'm presuming you didn't do a whole lot of faster stuff through the winter.
This workout gets you moving at a decent striding speed, while building some "higher-aerobic" conditioning. I can't judge its total volume well, because I don't know how much overall volume you've been doing in the preceding weeks, but it seems like a reasonable session.
Your coach may have been looking at "how" and not just "how fast"--s/he would hope that your times were consistent from one 800 to the next (or they got *slightly* faster), and that you were running with controlled mid-distance form.
Check yourself tomorrow and the next day and see whether you got any lingering soreness, etc.; also understand that your coach might have wanted a moderated effort today, with tougher stuff due in the near future.
Please keep us posted on your recovery from this workout and your overall progression. Thanks.
I used to run 6x800 @ 2:38 with a bit more rest when I was in 4:50 shape. It felt pretty hard, and I suspect I would have gotten more out of it if I had been running within myself more.
Your 2:40s with 90 second recovery looks like a good threshold workout for a 4:35 guy in February.
No more like 4:45 or slower
Go by your effort, times are very secondary. Are you satisfied with your overall effort? If the answer is "no" then make a better effort next time. That is how you progress. The times will come when they come, as long as you stay healthy and motivated.
BTW what is your 800? With such a dramatic slowdown from your mile to your 3200 (even by typical high school standards), you might actually have decent 800 in you.
A good workout for sure.....trust your coach. Now if you finished off the session with 4x150 accelerations that would be ideal.....from a coach that has a clue. Good luck.
Not every workout has to feel hard. A good workout is not always one where you feel exhausted afterwards.
It's a good strength building workout. It's not designed for speed but for speed. That's a good early season workout that will pay dividends in the late spring when it counts. Plus if you've been running all winter since XC season you'll probably see big improvements this year. My hunch is you won't be a 4:35 miler for long but looking at something significantly faster.
thats a good workout. something that a 4;35 guy should be able to do without racing the workout
important question is if the rest was active or just walking around
Seems like a good early season VO2 workout. I would expect the pace for this type of workout will get faster as you get fitter, and you may do some longer intervals (1000s and 12000s) and total just a little more volume (up to 6k or maybe 4 miles of intervals) as you get into outdoor season.
What were the conditions? If it was a nice day out this might have been an easy workout but if it was cold - say less than 20 degrees - that might be showing some grit.
Also, spikes or trainers?
Don't stress too much about the time, right now. It's still early season. Use it to build and progress from there.
I think it's a good indicator this early on, that you were relatively comfortable while doing such a workout.