Join us as we continue the annual Spring tradition of running a mile time trial after following an 8 week training plan. This year will be a bit of an experiment, as we’ll be using a plan designed by ChatGPT. Ironically, this AI plan will help us to run away faster during the machine uprising.
The plan will start the week of April 7th, culminating in a mile time trial on Tuesday, June 3rd at Waxhaw Express on the Cuthbertson track. There will be three key workouts per week, with intervals on Tuesday, a tempo run on Thursday, and a long run on Saturday. All other days are up to you, and can be a mix of easy runs, cross-training, and rest. The interval workouts will be Q’d each Tuesday at Waxhaw Express, and hopefully Swift as well (check Slack). The Thursday and Saturday runs will be on your own, but I’m sure you’ll be able to find like-minded individuals at one of the many area running workouts (Pursuit / Devil’s Turn / Sparta / Fast Twitch / Chicken Run / Paper Trail).
Weeks 1-3: Building Speed & Threshold. The first three weeks will focus on developing speed, improving VO2 max, and increasing the ability to sustain faster paces over short distances.
Week 1: Apr 7-13
- Tue (intervals): 8 x 400m at 5k race pace with 90 sec rest
- Thurs (tempo): 20-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 75 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 4 x 5-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Week 2: Apr 14-20
- Tue (intervals): 10 x 400m at 3k race pace (slightly faster than last week) with 90 sec rest
- Thurs (tempo): 25-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 80 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 4 x 5-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Week 3: Apr 21-27
- Tue (intervals): 7 x 600m at slightly faster than 3k race pace with 2 min rest
- Thurs (tempo): 25-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 85 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 4 x 6-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Weeks 4-6: Building Speed Endurance. These weeks introduce longer intervals and tempo runs to improve lactate threshold and running economy. The focus is on sustaining a fast pace for longer durations, as well as sharpening anaerobic capacity for the mile.
Week 4: Apr 28-May 4
- Tue (intervals): 6 x 800m at 3k race pace with 2:30 rest
- Thurs (tempo): 30-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 90 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 4 x 6-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Week 5: May 5-11
- Tue (intervals): 4 x 1000m at 5k pace with 3 min rest
- Thurs (tempo): 30-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 90 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 5 x 5-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Week 6: May 12-18
- Tue (intervals): 4 x 1200m at 5k pace with 3 min rest
- Thurs (tempo): 35-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 90 minutes at conversational pace. Optional: include 5 x 6-min pick-ups at HM pace.
Weeks 7-8: Sharpening and Race Specificity. In these final weeks, intervals will get faster as we hone in on the 1-mile pace. We’ll introduce more short bursts of intensity at race pace.
Week 7: May 19-25
- Tue (intervals): 8 x 400m at mile race pace with 90 sec rest
- Thurs (tempo): 25-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) followed by 6 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (long run): 80 minutes at conversational pace with 4-5 strides at the end
Week 8: May 26-Jun 1
- Tue (intervals): 6 x 400m at mile race pace with 60 sec rest
- Thurs (tempo): 15-minute tempo run at “comfortably hard” pace (roughly 10k pace) to stay sharp followed by 5 x 20-sec strides
- Sat (short run): 30 minutes at conversational pace with 2-3 strides at the end
Tuesday, June 3rd: Mile Time Trial at Waxhaw Express
Additional Notes:
- Training Load: Keep an eye on your weekly volume (miles) and overall intensity, as increasing both simultaneously can lead to injury. If you feel overly fatigued or sense any potential injuries, take additional rest or back off the intensity for a day.
- Warm-Up & Cool Down: Always include a warm-up of 5-10 minutes of easy running, dynamic stretching, and strides before workouts. After intense sessions, cool down with 5-10 minutes of easy running or walking to help your recovery.
- Strides: Incorporate strides (short bursts of fast running, around 20-30 seconds) after easy runs or tempo runs to work on your form and improve speed.
- Recovery: Make sure to prioritize sleep, hydration, nutrition and mobility work throughout the program to maximize recovery/performance and minimize injury risk
- Pacing Strategy: Aim to start slightly conservative in your time trial, focusing on even splits throughout. You can push harder on the last lap if you feel strong.
-TUCK