Intervals for Base Training

Oh and should the strides be on every slow day? Or maybe take some off? Does the long run on Saturday need strides at the end?

hi

The type of training depends on the time of year and when your goal race is. My next race is Feb 2021 and then in June. So right now, lots of long runs and 5km paced intervals. Generally you steadily speed up your training over a period, getting faster and faster as the race approaches.

As for intervals and base training, I tend do run 5km paced during base training, with 3km paced. Example 10 x 1000m @ 5km pace 1min static rest. 8 x 800 @3km pace, 2mins static rest. Depends upon the individual but about 10 weeks from the race, increase speed with shorter sessions, 400, 300 and 200m at 800m and mile pace. I am the European Champion M60, over 800m, 1500m and 10000m, defeating two world champions in the process. If you send me your e mail I will make you a bespoke training plan for your Mile and backup e mils for 6 months. If fact you can find two of the races on you tube, Paul Fletcher 800m Italy. Watch the last 120m in slow motion !

http://runningcoachonline.co.uk/

How about doing easy intervals AS base training? Look up the easy interval method by Klaas Lok (28:20 10k guy back in the 80's). Coached by Herman Verheul who used very relaxed, easy, interval training almost almost daily to great effect.

Book is available on Amazon. Food for thought if nothing else.

That's BS. 10x 1000m @5k pace w/ 1min rest, during base phase. You're trolling or crazy... Maybe both.

I was thinking the same thing, Brazilian Guy. But do you have any suggestions? And to the guys who posted above you: I was kinda hoping that I wouldn't have to purchase a running book.

Alright, first off, COOL IT on your tempo pace. Right now you have to train where you are, not where you want to be. Yeah, I could say I want to be in 14:30 5k shape and I should run my tempos at 5:10/mi, but that is currently MY 5K RACE PACE - just like you running 6:10-6:20 for tempos. So, chill. Take what pace you can run for the 5k RIGHT NOW, and add 30sec/mi to that. Run it for 20-25min (you’re young) or slow down and do more, OR break it into 3-5x1mi w/ short rests. I’d personally recommend you start by running a few times per week at 6:50/mi (for 3-7mi or whenever you feel good).

Run some 400s or 800s at your current 5k pace, don’t overcook it, you gotta have somewhere to go in-season (if that ever happens).

A lot of people say short all-out hills for explosiveness, you could do those. Or you could do 5-10x1-1:30min hills at some kind of track workout effort. Again, leave some in the tank. You’ll get some big strong tree trunk legs if you do this.

Another good workout would be to find a hill near your track, not crazy steep, do a few of the aforementioned hills, then jog over to the track and run a couple 400s. Just 3k-5k pace for now. Rest for 2min or so between. If you’re really working, rest a little longer.

One tempo workout per week, one faster (/hill+speed) workout per week, an easy long run, and two days with strides. That’s your tried and true that’ll get you somewhere good.

Do this for 10 years.

Since you took 8 weeks off, I would maybe suggest just running easy for 4-8 weeks. It doesn't sound glamorous but you need to slowly build up muscle and bone strength & your cardiovascular system.

From there I would work on breaking 18 in the 5k first before breaking 17. The way to eat an elephant is to take one bite at a time.

When you add intervals, make sure they are at current race pace, not goal race pace. Those can be dramatically different, especially with the huge gap between 18:50 and 17:00. Train within your abilities, especially during the base and build-up phases.

And as someone else said, slow down on the tempos

Be very patient with the process

Okay so, this is the last tempo that I am going goal pace. Today I accidentally ran a little over a minute of a PR in the 2 mile. I was at 12:24, and now my PR is 11:21.39.

So oops.

So you guys are saying that I should be running at my current 5k race pace +30 seconds per mile? That sounds really easy, but it will be more beneficial when I start to increase mileage to really high.

So since I did my tempo today(Tuesday, see above) I should do an easy day, then a hill day then an easy?

This is the week I am looking at right now. I already ran Monday and Tuesday so I will add those in:

Monday-3 miles easy (7:16 average pace)+4x100m strides

Tuesday-2 miles tempo (new PR oops, 11:21.39. Average 5:40 pace)

Wenesday-1 miles easy (thinking I should run about 8:00 per mile)

Thursday-5-10x1-1:30 hills (Thinking warmup should be maybe 0.5 miles or so)

Friday-1 miles easy (again, 8:00 per mile)

Saturday-4 miles long run (perhaps 7:30-7:50)

Sunday-0 miles (ran on Sunday last week)

For a grand total of 13 miles. How lucky.

So what kind of rest should be for the hills you mentioned 6WITHMY?

Thanks, this gives me more structure than before-EGF :)

Remember, a tempo is not a race. Sounds more like you ran a 2 mile race today. A simple way of looking at tempo pace is to run around half marathon pace.

Okay, I am so sorry but I have never run a half marathon before. Also, I just said that is the last tempo I am going to run at goal pace for a little while. I am going to be running at my current 5k PR +30 seconds per mile.

So my new tempo pace is going to be 6:50 pace per mile for a tempo. Not too bad I guess. I am still going to do goal pace TRIALS however. Like maybe every three weeks I will do a time trial of 1-2 miles at goal race pace. I will also touch on goal pace once per week for speed work. That way I won't be dying coming up on the goal paces.

And yes, it was a race. I was going too slow on the first mile (about 6:30 pace), so I decided I needed to crank it up to make the time. I pushed it really hard and I guess I didn't slow it down, because I could see the finish (for the route) when my watch still said 9:58. So I decided, I am this close to a PR, why not go for it.

I am still not that disappointed in myself for setting a PR, but I will definitely stop doing it. Thanks though