What are some of the toughest workouts that you somehow finished?

4x(800, 400, 200, 200) @ mile, a little slower than 1200, 1200, 800

was NOT the hardest, it was somehow pretty smooth

hardest was 4x300 @ 600 with 4:00 rest

I distinctly remember my first college workout. I went from a low volume high school program and entered a high volume program. First day:

~30 minute progression into

10 minutes tempo

Stop, drills and strides

10x400m with 60 seconds jog rest

15 minutes cool down

For someone who had almost never ran over six miles even on an easy or long day, a 13 mile hard workout just about ruined me. I was terrified.

However, wound up dropping the mile from 4:24 to 4:02 over four years, so it was worth it.

1 mile out & 1 mile back, twice, over multiple sand dunes each way (lowest point to highest point of each dune), zero recovery between any of it (always running or at least trying to even if it didn’t look like running). At times, one step up, slide three steps back. Angle of repose for dry sand is about 35 degrees. Equal test of physical ability and will.

The hardest physically was probably 3x300m with 10min rest, with the goal of getting the best average time. I puked after that one. I think I ran 39, 38, 39.

The toughest mentally was probably 3x5k at half-marathon pace years later, when I was trying to jumpstart my half-fitness right after track-season for a half-marathon a month later. I really wanted to quit during the second one, realizing it was a much tougher workout than I expected. When I decided on the workout it looked doable, but I quickly realized I didn't have the built-up fitness for it. Took 3min rest between. Didn't puke but was mentally exhausted.

A few honorable mentions:

3x10x200m @ 1500m pace with 45sec rest and 4min rest between sets. This was both mentally and physically taxing but it really helped me dial in that 1500 pace.

5x600m with 3min rest from 3k pace to almost 800 pace. Tough workout but a real confidence booster and peaking workout.

40x45 sec on, 15 sec off. The classic Marius Bakken workout, but coach took it a step further with 40 reps. Mostly physically exhausting.

Guadeloupe Mountain, W Texas. Recommend acclimatizing, but you can climb it without doing so.

16miles on Blue Ridge Parkway. Fartlek run with college team (top 7). Hammered the damn thing. Passed out after, slept 13hrs straight, pissed blood twice the next day.

A 10mile tempo along New Riv in like -10 windchill. My God it

60 quarters. I learned something about myself that day....

The hardest I remember was a college workout of 3 x 300 where each had to be at least 1 second faster than the previous. My plan was to run them in about 39-38-37 or so, but the problem was I misjudged my pace and hit the first one in 36!! The next one in 35 was really tough, and the final one in 34 took full-on race day pumpitude to get focused enough to pull it off but I did it. A bunch of my teammates realized what I was trying to do and were cheering all the way around the track, haha! Definitely did NOT know I could pull a 34 out of the hat after two previous 300s at such a fast pace but it gave me a boatload of confidence to carry through the rest of that season!

4x4x400. Hardest workout ive ever done. A minute in btwn reps and 4 minutes in btwn sets. Somehow hit the paces

Was scheduled to do 20x400 in ~65 seconds. After completing the 20 my coach surprised me with another 20. After that 20 despite being physically spent he made me do 20 more for a total of 60!

This is done around a grass field in the woods.

Pretty Difficult: 10x 1 mile off :70 seconds recovery, 5:00 down to 4:28, 4:40 average

Hardest: 12x600 in 1:33 off :60 seconds recovery

Wow. That is a monster workout. What were your PRs at the time? I'd imagine that is something a sub 13:40/sub 28-min 10km type of guy would do. For me one of the Hardest workouts we did at Hansons was 2 x 4-miles with a 1-mile easy jog between. I was training with Luke Humphrey and Tim Young for a 1:04:xx half at New Orleans (Tim and I had just run 1:05:xx at Disney a few weeks prior)....we all ended up running 1:04:32 or better (I was the slowest fo the group) for the race...which was like 4 weeks after this workout. We "coasted" through the first 4-miles in 19:50 or so....but then on the recovery mile Keith surprised us by saying "for the next 4-miles lets see what you got....go for it! I only ran about 19:30 or so for the second 4-miles (my teammates ran low 19s.) But I remember Keith yelling at me to run a sub 4:50 last mile and feeling quite tired and in a lot of pain!

Ouchhh wrote:

Pretty Difficult: 10x 1 mile off :70 seconds recovery, 5:00 down to 4:28, 4:40 average

Hardest: 12x600 in 1:33 off :60 seconds recovery

16 miles in the Houston summer - temp about 75 with 90% humidity. Ran during the morning and was a very hard workout. Finished at 9:15. 10:00 Tae kwon do - did maybe 1400 kicks after already being exhausted. I slept fine that night.

S. Canaday wrote:

Wow. That is a monster workout. What were your PRs at the time?

I'd imagine that is something a sub 13:40/sub 28-min 10km type of guy would do.

Ouchhh wrote:

Pretty Difficult: 10x 1 mile off :70 seconds recovery, 5:00 down to 4:28, 4:40 average

Hardest: 12x600 in 1:33 off :60 seconds recovery

Yep: 13:40, 28:26 at the time

6 x 1000 in 3:00 flat with a 400 jog

8 x 600 in 1:42 with a 200 jog.

I never broke 16 minutes for 5K.

This.

I was always a hard workout guy when I was a young runner.

In my prime:

4 X 2 miles on the track 9:45 9:30 9:24 9:16

30 Mile training run negative splits 6:27 down to 5:00, 4:27 last mile

4 x 880 in 1:56 may have been the hardest ever.

And once after a College Relay Meet where I did not compete, I was asked to run a ten miler on the track for a workout with an excellent runner. We traded the lead for each mile until the last mile running just barely sub 5 minutes. LG ran 49:48 and I faded at the end in 50:04. It was hot and brutal and my pride was devastated (when I caved right at the end). LOL

and as an old fart 30 miles on the treadmill 1.5 upgrade in 4:08 hours

5*1200 meters @Slightly faster than 5k pace with 400 meter jog in between. You literally feel like passing out after the 5th interval.

3*3 miles@Threshold pace with 1 min complete rest between sets. It gave me so much confidence during a half marathon that I was able to speed up and pass people at will towards the end.

BootyLock wrote:

The hardest I remember was a college workout of 3 x 300 where each had to be at least 1 second faster than the previous. My plan was to run them in about 39-38-37 or so, but the problem was I misjudged my pace and hit the first one in 36!! The next one in 35 was really tough, and the final one in 34 took full-on race day pumpitude to get focused enough to pull it off but I did it. A bunch of my teammates realized what I was trying to do and were cheering all the way around the track, haha! Definitely did NOT know I could pull a 34 out of the hat after two previous 300s at such a fast pace but it gave me a boatload of confidence to carry through the rest of that season!

Who are you?

How fast did you run when you ran 36-35-34 for 300s? Under 1:45?