High School 1500/1600/Mile Training Program - Advanced

Designed for a young runner with about three to four years of competitive running experience.

By Brent Ayer
As featured in the issue of Running Times Magazine

The Mile requires the perfect blend of endurance and speed. Its aerobic and anaerobic demands are almost equal.

Who should use this program?

This program is designed for a young runner with about three to four years of competitive running experience, who has passed a recent physical. The goals are to further long-term development and to achieve improvement through the introduction of advanced training techniques.
This program is only designed for those runners who have no coach, or whose coach is actively looking for help in training distance runners. If you already have a coach, listen to him or her and don't try to use this plan. Your coach knows you much better than we do!

Before you begin the program

Before you start this program, you need to put in 8-12 weeks of building an aerobic base through continuous running and developing leg turnover. Aerobic running should keep the heart rate in the range of 65-75% of maximum. If you cannot talk comfortably with your training partner, you are going too fast! Start with a 30-minute aerobic run and try to build gradually to an hour over the next two months, alternating longer and shorter (or rest) days. Circuit training and weight training for strength endurance are excellent ways to increase "core strength" during the aerobic base period. At the halfway point, introduce "strides" following three of the longer runs during the week.

Starting the program

Once you start this 12-week program, you will begin with four weeks of specific preparation with "pace workouts," "anaerobic threshold" runs and "hills and drills," then move into the pre-competition phase where you add faster pace work. You will actually be racing during this phase, but will be building to peak during the last phase of the program--the Competition phase of the last four weeks. More detailed information on these workouts, as well as definitions of terms used, appears below.

Note: All workouts other than pace workouts are expressed in Time rather than in Miles.

Final Note: The program that follows is conservative. It stresses the development of a long-term aerobic base at the expense of short-term results. We want you to run for life, and peak when you are 30!

All terms in the table below are defined and discussed in the grey section beneath the table.

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Specific Preparation Phase
Week 1	30:00*	5x1000 on 2-mile pace	30:00	25:00AnT	30:00*	45:00	1:00:00
Week 2	30:00*	6x800 on 2-mile pace	30:00	25:00AnT	30:00	45:00*	OFF
Week 3	4x1200 on 2-mile pace	30:00AnT	30:00	30:00*	30:00H/D	45:00	1:00:00
Week 4	30:00*	5x1000 on 2-mile pace	35:00	30:00AnT	30:00	RACE	OFF
Pre-Competition Phase
Week 5	30:00AnT	30:00*	2x(5x200) on 800 meter pace	30:00	30:00*	RACE	1:00:00
Week 6	30:00*	6x800 on 2-mile pace	35:00	30:00AnT	30:00	RACE	45:00
Week 7	6x400 on 1600m pace	30:00	2x(3x300) on 800 meter pace	30:00	30:00*	RACE	45:00
Week 8	35:00*	35:00AnT	30:00	8x300 on 1600 pace	30:00	RACE	45:00
Competition Phase
Week 9	30:00*	5x300 90-95% effort; near full recovery	30:00	35:00AnT	30:00	RACE	30:00
Week 10	5x300 90-95% effort; near full recovery	30:00	6x800 on 2-mile pace	30:00	30:00*	RACE	30:00
Week 11	8x300 on 1600m pace	30:00	35:00AnT	30:00	30:00*	RACE	OFF
Week 12	35:00*	30:00AnT	30:00	30:00*	30:00	RACE	OFF
Your race schedule may not conform exactly to ours. Obviously your school will set your racing schedule for the most part, so you may not be able to follow these workouts exactly. Remember, a race is HARD workout, and you need rest before and after it. If you have two or even three races a week and you need to skip some of the hard workouts, that is fine. You NEED to rest! Warm-up: All workouts should be preceded by a warm-up and followed by a warm-down of light trotting, stretching, some strengthening. Peaking: Your goal should be to peak for the last race that you will probably qualify for. For example, if you don't have much of a shot at States, you will want to peak for Regionals. Adjust the program for your goals, stresses, susceptibility to injury, etc. If you are sick and need to miss a day, that is fine. You aren't going to affect your overall fitness by missing a workout here or there. Missing two or three weeks is another story! If you miss that much, you may need to back up your training and re-build your aerobic base once again. Strides: 6-8 x 100-150 meters following aerobic run. Permit full recovery, done slightly faster than target mile race pace. AnT:* Anaerobic Threshold: Continuous Runs or Cruise Intervals. Continuous Running is done at 85% of max HR (uncomfortable to talk, but not all out). Examples of Cruise Intervals are: 5x800 w/1:00 rest or 3x1000 w/1:30 rest. Pace should be about 1:00 slower than PR 1600 pace. H/D: Hills & Drills: Drive up the Hills, jog down them or Drive the Straights & Jog the Curves on the track. On 800 Meter Pace: Run intervals at current 800 meter race pace. Recovery incomplete between repetitions, and complete between sets. On Pace: Run the first ones on current 1600 race pace, come down slightly on each succeeding one. 1:1 Recovery during Pre-Competition. Complete Recovery during Competition Phase. On 2-Mile Pace: VO2 Max (or maximum aerobic development) workout done at current 2-mile race pace, with 1:1 recovery. Walk & jog recovery. Races are hard workouts. If you race in the middle of the week, you must drop the corresponding hard workout. *All other entries not marked are easy recovery days.*

These workouts were created using Coach Ayer's personal experience, as well as Daniel's Running Formula, by Jack Daniels; Peak When It Counts, by William H. Freeman; Training for Young Distance Runners, by Larry Green and Russ Pate; and the USATF's Level II Endurance Coaches materials.

High School 1500/1600/Mile Training Program - Advanced

Designed for a young runner with about three to four years of competitive running experience.

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