Threshold Development From 2017 to 2020
Senior Year of High School (Fall 2017 - Spring 2018):
Staple Threshold workout: (2 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile) in 10:00, 10:00, 5:00. We also did another version of this workout where I would run the 2 mile efforts at a slightly slower clip (5:10’s), and then run the mile hard. I would typically run the final mile in 4:35.
Freshman Year of College (Fall 2018):
First Semester: Pure Interval Training with Short Rest, No Continuous Threshold Runs
The closest type of workout that we did to a threshold run was a timed one hour run. This was a fitness test to assess our summer of training. The instructions were to run the first 30 minutes at no faster than 5:20 pace, and then cut down. I held on for the first 40 minutes and then faded into oblivion. I collapsed on the side of the dirt loop, exhausted.
Example Workouts :
(6x) 1 mile w/ 1 minute rest on dirt trail (5:02’s) (1 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile, 2 mile) w/ 60-90 seconds rest (4:56, 9:46, 4:57, 10:29) (3x) 2 mile w/ 2-3 minute rest (9:40, 9:56, 9:53)
The 3 x 2-mile workout was extremely unproductive for my body as an 18 year old freshman collegiate athlete. Post-workout my calves were so tight that I could barely walk. I raced the PAC-12 Cross Country Championship not long after. That was one of the most difficult races of my life. Although I ran a personal best that day, I knew from an analytical perspective that I was training too hard.
In retrospect, there is quite an obvious pattern in the latter two workouts. The split trend indicates an athlete running out of control, as the average pace per rep decreases rather than quickens over the final two repetitions.
Second Semester (Spring 2019):
I ran a 4-mile LT (Lactate Threshold) run in 20:10.
I’m not going to write much about the second semester of college. I developed peroneal tendinitis in my left foot in February. This injury was a direct result of a lack of sleep and an abundance of extremely taxing interval sessions on the track. The track sessions placed immense pressure on my calves. As a result of sore calves, my form broke down. With my form broken down, something had to give, and so my left foot caved. I also contracted Poison Oak. This was not a typical case of Poison Oak by any means. My leg swelled to such a size where I could hardly walk. I did not recover in time to save my training and complete my freshman track season.
I finished the season with bests of 4:02 for 1500m and 8:51.8 for 3000m. These times were a far cry from my 3:55.2 (1600m conversion) and 8:35.8 (3200m conversion) from high school. I could no longer complete a 1200m repetition on the track in under 4 minutes. My body needed a nice long rest, and it got its way.
Sophomore Year:
First Semester (Fall 2019)
I worked very hard over the summer to regain my aerobic capacity after a month or so completely off due to peroneal tendinitis.
In my last workout before heading back to school, I ran an 8 mile tempo run at the Rose Bowl in 42:16 (5:17 average). For reference, the Rose Bowl is not a flat training loop. I would estimate a slightly faster average on a flat course. This was a true tempo effort, and my first time ever doing longer tempo runs. I was really thrilled to finally be doing tempo runs again. That would have been an all-out effort the year before.
Once I returned to school, I did not run any more tempo runs at a faster average. We had a new coach, so he was focused on the bigger picture. We ran our workouts slower, but the genius was in the consistency. No longer were our bodies going completely acidic after each session so we could handle increased tempo volume. We may have rarely run faster than 4:50 pace in practice, but because we were so consistent, we peaked at the right time and I lowered my 8k personal best from 25:18 to 24:36. This training method was quite effective for cross country.
As it is of note, in the last few weeks before our Conference Championship, I ran a 6 mile tempo run. I ran the first 4 miles controlled, and then in the last two miles I dipped into the 5:0X’s. I look at that workout as a breakthrough moment. Never before had I run that controlled and that fast in a true tempo effort.
Over Winter Break, I attempted a 4 mile LT solely off of base training. I ran 20:00, a 10 second PR for a threshold run. This was another mini break-through for me.
Second Semester (Spring 2020):
We began running 10 mile tempo runs in January of 2020, and the first one was rough. I ran 5:20’s for the first 7 miles feeling smooth, and then used whatever I had left to hang on and close the last couple of miles in 5:21’s. I ran 53:31 for my first 10 mile tempo run.
My coach then smartly implemented hills after Monday runs. I credit that small addition to my tempo-run development.
The following week I returned to the 4 mile threshold run and ran 20:02. I wasn’t thrilled with that run, but it was still early season so I didn’t mind the result. Later that week, I returned to the 10 mile tempo. I ran 53:21 at the Rose Bowl, only a 10 second workout-best, but a solid result considering the difficult surface.
The following Tuesday I experienced another mini breakthrough. I ran 3 miles, 2 miles, and 1 mile with 2 minutes of rest. I ran 15:12, 9:48, and 4:44. The important part to note here is that contrary to the way I had been running workouts my freshman year of college, I was now getting faster as the workout wore on. On Friday, I returned to the 10 mile tempo and ran my second-fastest time ever to this day. I ran 52:02 for 10 miles at the Rose Bowl, a 5:11 average. I closed the last 2 miles in 9:56, and ran 4:49 for the last mile. I could tell after this workout that I was starting to become very aerobically fit.
I’ll end that semester there as COVID hit not long after. I took a break from training for a while. I lowered my mileage from 90 to 55 and focused on speed development under the guidance of my mom, an RRCA certified running coach.
Junior Year:
Second Semester (Spring 2021)
In this training cycle I have already run the 3 mile, 2 mile, 1 mile workout in splits of 14:43, 9:36, and 4:30. During the mile, I had a friend help on the last lap and managed to close in a 62.XX. That was a solid workout. I have also already run a 6 mile Threshold run in 29:54. Finally, I have also run 16x200m in an average of 28.5. The steps may be small, but they will add up over time.
My training must get faster over the next couple of months, but I need to do so in a smart and methodical way. I have learned through overtraining and burnout that I must progress my training slowly and consistently, rather than all at once. It will take some of my statistical background, setting my ego aside, and frequent consultation with my college coach. We can get it done, and I am excited.
I’ve found that a 14-day cycle works best for me. I combine a 6 mile threshold run, a repetition workout at 3k, 5k, or mile pace, and a long continuous hill run. I also do 30-60 second hill reps, and one long run of 15-20 miles, depending on where I am in training.
My sights are set on a sub-30 minute 10K, sub-14 5k, and a sub-4 minute mile.