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6 Mar

1600 Meter Training Advice & Workouts (Will modify for other events too!)

Posted by ratracer in Blogroll.

The question has arisen via the COMMENT board concerning 1600 meter training.

Generally you can take these strategies to heart & apply them to virtually ANY race (CC distances and any long road race).

  • MY ADVICE:
    • Lap One – go a few seconds slower than usual. – e.g. If you typically pace out a 1:10 first lap, drop it back to 1:12-13

Lap ONE Essential Tactics: (Modify according to how you feel on a particular race day.)

  • Avoid pack running if possible. 99% of the time these guys will wear down weaker runners by going out fast the first lap, which will DESTROY you on lap three (3) – “Gee, coach. Why is my third lap always slower than my others?
  • Be careful… stay back a little. Try to run near the outside of lane 1 or the inside part of lane 2 for this lap so you can PASS if you get stuck behind people who are getting worn down.
  • Should you get “boxed in”, don’t panic. Push through these goons or hold on until you reach the nearest turn.
  • Those who do get “boxed in” should use the turn to jump into lane 2-3 and put in a sprint past your competition – get back into lane 1 ASAP.
  • NO MATTER THE SITUATION – REMAIN CALM! This is a challenge, I know.
    • Second lap – Start to make up the difference from the first lap. – e.g. Lap 1 was 1:12. Your 2nd lap should be around 1:10 or better for a total time around 2:22 or faster.
    • Third lap – Traditionally the miler’s worst lap – Your primary focus here is to hold pace & pass the competition; TRUST YOURSELF YOU AREN’T TIRED ON THIS LAP AT ALL – You’ve run a 2:22 half-mile, now you need to put on a burst – pick up the pace to around 1:08 THIRD LAP SHOULD BE EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN LAP ONE
    • Final lap – Since you already put a sprint in on lap three (3), all you need is one more burst. LAST ONE, FAST ONE… The final lap time should be around 1:08 or better.
    • KICK THE LAST 250-300 meters. You’re on a roll, might as well put the fear in the other guys. Take a deep breath & GO!
    • On the last 50-100 meters you need to remember to RUN BEYOND THE FINISH LINE!
  • Many runners typically slow down the last 10 meters of their race. This is faulty thinking & poor tactics. You can beat people here!
  • ALWAYS RUN 10 METERS BEYOND THE FINISH LINE! This ensures you have sprinted and earned the fastest time you could do that day.

Now you’ll understand when I tell you to run beyond, pick a spot 10 meters in front of you, keep your head up, swing your arms, focus on breathing, striding out a 100 meter stretch/turn, and putting in a kick.

Fatigue is a physical symptom of the mind. You aren’t as weak or tired as your brain tells you.

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For those who intend to run the 1600 this season. I found this workout, which we will probably use (make yourself a copy of it in your journals), and modify accordingly for the 800 & 3200 runners.

Hell, this is going to be MY speed workouts as well! I have been on training long runs with an average pace of 7:00-7:30 per mile (6+ miles) and I need to pick up the pace per mile by one minute so I’m back to 6:00-6:30 per mile. I may have told some of you… I’m training right beside you to achieve my long-term goal(s).

Basically this was what I intended on doing with you all anyway; everything works out in the end. hehe!

This is the 1600-meter program for the first half of the season:
When you run at race pace, it is from your 1600-meter time.

Workout 1
800 meters, at race pace, 6 repetitions

Workout 2
400 meters, at race pace, 10 repetitions

Workout 3
200 meters, at race pace, 16 repetitions

This is the 1600-meter program for the second half of the season:
When you run at faster than race pace, it is from your 1600-meter time.

Workout 1
800 meters, 2 – 4 seconds faster than race pace, 4 repetitions

Workout 2
400 meters, 90-95% of your pr 400-meter time, 5 repetitions

Workout 3
200 meters, 2 seconds faster than race pace, 12 repetitions

Another viewpoint. Can use this article as a reference for milers.

For those who want a challenge/revitalization of their long runs (suggest primarily using these in the off-season/early season training)

Resources:

Workout copied from: Coaches Education.com

Additional Information – I still need to review and sort through.

http://www.coacheseducation.com/endur/Coaching800-1600/index.html

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080213173434AAyr9RB

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6029

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_training

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