a high schooler ran 6x800 @2:24, 2:22, 2:22, 2:22, 2:20, 2:20 w/3 minutes rest

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Race expectations:

1600 - 4:30 -4:35

3200 - 9:40 - 9:50

Ghost1 wrote:

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Race expectations:

1600 - 4:30 -4:35

3200 - 9:40 - 9:50

These sound spot on. 3 minutes is a long time so you would expect some slippage from ~ 2:22s to there 3200. And on the other end, running 6 800s at 2:22 should make the 2:16-17 pace feel comfortable.

I was doing I want to say 5 x 800 at 2:26 at the beginning of my sophomore year cross country season amd I was probably only in 10:15 ish shape coming off of my freshman year.

Ghost1 wrote:

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Race expectations:

1600 - 4:30 -4:35

3200 - 9:40 - 9:50

high school kids with the strength to run a workout like that will typically run much faster than these times.

I have had 10 minute kids do this workout with ease. Some kids can go forever with 3 minutes rest.

I estimate 4:42 and 9:50.

not an official wrote:

I have had 10 minute kids do this workout with ease. Some kids can go forever with 3 minutes rest.

Fair enough, but if “10 minute kids” are doing these workouts “with ease” then I would think that they are under performing and not attaining their potential.

this is interesting. i have had several 10:00 minute type kids who struggle to go 6x8 in 2:35-2:40. It blows my mind, but I see it over and over again.

Granted, training weather is almost never good where I'm at.

high school xc coach wrote:

this is interesting. i have had several 10:00 minute type kids who struggle to go 6x8 in 2:35-2:40. It blows my mind, but I see it over and over again.

Granted, training weather is almost never good where I'm at.

Yeah, when I was at 10:00, 6x880y was around 2:35-2:40 (and my 800m unofficial best was only 2:21 at the time LOL). I could have done 2:20s with 2:00 rest when I was in about 9:00 shape.

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Whether you're slow-twitch is a big factor. I was very much a slow-twitch guy and probably would have had to be in 9:40 shape to run that workout.

That's a lot of rest. I'll give it 4:40 - 4:50 for the 1600m, assume these guys were hammering.

high school xc coach wrote:

this is interesting. i have had several 10:00 minute type kids who struggle to go 6x8 in 2:35-2:40. It blows my mind, but I see it over and over again.

Granted, training weather is almost never good where I'm at.

Lots of kids are also either lazy and/or just unwilling to grind in practice. Heck I was like that.

Depends if the kid is speedy or not.

For what it's worth I ran 50, 1:53, 4:16, 9:30, and 15:25 5k but never ran a set of 6x800 this fast. Yeah I'm sure if I ran it at race effort I could get there, but I ran my workouts in trainers with an appropriate effort level so no, I never averaged 2:21 for a set of 6x8.

So for me this would have demonstrated pr fitness and we'd be talking 4:15 mile or better since this would be great strength for me, and I'm naturally speedy.

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Back in my day I ran 4 x 800 with 400m jog (less than 2 minutes) at 2:16-2:18 and this was in trainers as I didn't have flats, I ran 9:05 for 3200. Three minutes is quite a bit of rest, the rest is longer than it takes to do the interval. He locked in slightly slower than 9:20 pace, but ran a bit over the distance. I'd think 9:20 is a good bet. Maybe approaching 9:10 if this workout wasn't particularly challenging though I bet it was since high school kids race nearly everything. This workout doesn't really tell me anything about his 1600 speed, but if someone can run 9:20 they're probably able to run around 4:20. So I think he can probably run between 4:20 and 4:25 for 1600.

I ran a very similar workout (but with 2' rest and the splits were 2-3s slower) and ran a 15:23 5k a few weeks later. I think I was probably in about 9:35 shape for what it is worth. That said I am older and was running about 60 mpw at the time and probably could have only run 4:30ish in the 1600.

high school xc coach wrote:

this is interesting. i have had several 10:00 minute type kids who struggle to go 6x8 in 2:35-2:40. It blows my mind, but I see it over and over again.

Granted, training weather is almost never good where I'm at.

This doesn't blow my mind even a little. 10 minutes in a race is with spikes, adrenaline, and probably being well rested. Put that same guy on the track for a workout in trainers 3 days after that 10:00 race, and I'm sure 10:20 pace feels no different effort-wise. So now you're asking them to run 6x800 at 2-mile race effort that day. That's just hard running.

It blows mine. 6x800 on equal recovery is pretty much hat our 3200 guys run at race pace. 2:30 for the workout is 10 minutes.

Around 9:30, give or take 10s. Pretty variable in HS bc some kids know how pace and push themselves in a race, and some can hit great workouts but aren't good racers yet. For the 1600, I'd say a bit under 4:30.

Back in my day wrote:

Bazil1600 wrote:

what can i expect him to run in the 1600m or 3200m

Back in my day I ran 4 x 800 with 400m jog (less than 2 minutes) at 2:16-2:18 and this was in trainers as I didn't have flats, I ran 9:05 for 3200. Three minutes is quite a bit of rest, the rest is longer than it takes to do the interval. He locked in slightly slower than 9:20 pace, but ran a bit over the distance. I'd think 9:20 is a good bet. Maybe approaching 9:10 if this workout wasn't particularly challenging though I bet it was since high school kids race nearly everything. This workout doesn't really tell me anything about his 1600 speed, but if someone can run 9:20 they're probably able to run around 4:20. So I think he can probably run between 4:20 and 4:25 for 1600.

all due respect, this workout is apples and oragnes. no way kid is in 9:20 shape, gramps

high school xc coach wrote:

this is interesting. i have had several 10:00 minute type kids who struggle to go 6x8 in 2:35-2:40. It blows my mind, but I see it over and over again.

Granted, training weather is almost never good where I'm at.

In 2020, after being 20+ pounds over weight. I walked all during the covid shut down and lost the weight. Then, I trained for ~ 3 months running 5 miles per day with workouts. I ran 6 x 800 in 2:39 with 3 minutes rest. I was obviously a lot faster back in the day, but I say that I don’t honk I could’ve broken 11 in a 2 mile.