ALLIE
2 x (400 - 300 - 200) + 600, 4 x 400m
Rest: :90, :75, :60, 3:00R between sets / :45
Splits: 77, 57, 38 / 75, 54, 35 / 1:48 / 95s
This is a tune up workout 7 days out from a championship style 1600M at the high school level.
This workout allows you to sharpen and truly feel every pace that could come to you in a tactical race.
The 400s at the end are run at threshold effort, which helps you clear lactate at the end of a hard run session. This dampens the fatigue effect of the session, making you feel better the next day.
CONNOR
2 x (1000 - 800 - 600 - 400) @5k -> 3200m
3:02, 2:22, 1:44, 69 / 2:58, 2:23, 1:44, 65
Rest: 2:00, :90, :75, 3:00
2 x (100-200-300) @1600M
16, 32, 48 / 15, 31, 47
Rest: :40, :40, 3:00
4 x 400 Threshold
81, 77, 80, 80
Rest: :45
Connor was in the middle of a 1600M training block. You need speed, you need strength, but that can't be everything. That middle ground is doing longer intervals at 3200m - 5k rhythm.
ALLIE, BROOKE, MELIA
2 x (800 - 600 - 400)
2 x (100 - 200 - 300)
Rest: 2:00R, :90R, 3:00R / :40, :40, 3:00
Melia & Brooke
2:54, 2:10, 84 / 2:49, 2:08, 78
19, 36, 56 / 19, 35, 55
Allie
2:48, 2:05, 81 / 2:45, 2:03, 74
19, 35, 55 / 17, 36, 53
We use longer intervals, 3200 - 5k effort, to prep our athletes to mentally focus for longer periods of time. Even these reps are not at mile race pace, it's still necessary to hit rhythms slower than the pace and faster than the pace.
The 100-200-300 are purposefully at the end to truly feel what race pace will feel like when fatigued. Anyone can fake a good 1600m for 800m of the race when fresh.
ASHRAF
8 X 1000
2:47, 2:45, 2:45, 2:43
2:43, 2:43, 2:39, 2:37
Rest: 3:00
This session was 10 days out from a 5000M race.
The pace purposefully starts slower than race pace, with the majority being at race pace.
The last 2 reps are faster than race pace, to mimic the feeling you would have with 2-3 laps to go.
JACOB
3 X 1.5mi
Rest: 2:00
5:34, 5:39, 5:28 /mi
Jacob was a couple months into training and was able to handle a longer threshold at this point.
Ideally, threshold should be progressive, starting slower than target pace. Once you go too hard on a session like this, there's no coming back.
It's better to be slighly slower than your target, rather than trying to be right on target. There's a zone of benefit.
This session, Jacob was not prescribed any splits. We were focused on the effort, as long as it was moderate and the breathing was under control.
Allie, Jacob, Connor
16 x 200M
Rest: 30sec
Allie
37, 38, 37, 37, 38
37, 38, 37, 37, 38
38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 35
Jacob
36, 37, 36, 36, 35
35, 36, 35, 35, 35
35, 34, 34, 33, 33, 30
Connor
31, 32, 33, 32, 32
31, 32, 31, 32, 31
30, 30, 29, 30, 29, 27
This session is a simulation, of both the physical and mental hardships you will experience in a race.
Only do this session when you are in good shape and when you aerobically strong.
This workout is a good "builder", not a predictor. Only longer reps at 1600m pace can truly dictate what shape you're in.