Forums >Racing>Breaking 10 minutes for the 3200m
Hi, Its my Junior year in high school and ive only 4 races left spanned out over the course of three to four weeks. My goal to get into the college I desire is to break 9:30 senior year. I need to break 9:55 for the 3200m in order to get there but currently I am running 10:25's to 10:38's. Is it possible for me to close such a gap?
Need a lot more details...
What has your training been like? What did the races look like when you ran 10:25's to 10:38's?
And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx
Rob
Agreed, need more details about you and your training.
What's your 800m and 1600m times? Are you better at longer or shorter distances? {For example, my son has a couple guys on his team that run the 800 in 2:03, yet barely break 4:40 in the 1600, and can't break 10:00 in the 3200 (but I think this has more to do with crappy training, than their ability). }
Why do you think you need a 9:55 this year to run a 9:3x next year?
I will say that unless you've been dogging it, and a huge PR is lingering inside, dropping those last 30s are going to be tough. But, I don't want to discourage you.
Feeling the growl again
Nobody can give you an answer. It depends how much potential you have (which cannot be determined until you realize it), and the gap between the training you are doing now and the training you can do between now and when you want to reach your goal.
It is humanly possible. Whether it is for you or not, the only way to find out is to try for it. At any point in my 20s if one would have told me how fast I'd be running a year or two later, I would not have believed them. But I was doing the work and the results followed.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
I think that mile-5k distances need a lot of practice at race pace to improve. I've known folks who went from 6:00 min mile to sub 5:00 in about 6 months, and 5k from 22-23 to sub 20, and they have been running for a while, so not a new runner improvement curve, focussing on the distane, putting in the appropriate training, and weekly racing, and the right race conditions, got them there.
While the above may not be applicable to you right now given the short 3 week time frame, who knows what is possible in a year, unless you try.
To give a very generic answer ...
Unless your fitness is already there, the easiest way is probably to get yourself into a race with guys who: (a) will run in the 9:50-10:00 range, and (b) will run fairly intelligent pacing in the process. If they go out like lightning and you go with them, you'll die. And trying to essentially "time-trial" a big PR is awfully difficult.
You'd be surprised at the huge chuck of time you can lop off when you're in a RACE and you've got competitors and adrenaline to carry you.
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
My junior year I was running 11:15 to start off the season, then dropped to 10:36 by the end. My senior year (this past season), I kicked it off with a 10:26 and ended with 9:59, albeit that was in the area where you are when you made the post as I was struck down by the flu for the rest of the season. I'd say it's completely viable, and next year I wouldn't be afraid to put 9:30 out of reach. My advice would be to take advantage of your cross country season, and then during your two/three week breaks:
2 runs per week for an hour @ whatever your easy run pace is
This will maintain your aerobic enzymes and will avoid decreasing your stroke volume (pumps of blood from the heart).
Then I'd say build a 2-3 week base of speed before you start your regular base phase, which should just be easy runs. I ran with the mid-distance crew (still got in quality distance mileage) for 2-3 weeks before doing 4 weeks of just easy runs and some progressions during the winter season, and found myself with a lot more speed than I anticipated.
During the season, just stick with what your coach tells you, but try to incorporate cruise intervals later in the season, like 3x1000 @ 80s or less, followed by 400s on 200s. And then incoroporate some speed here and there to keep your muscle fibers in check.
Also, I'd say if you haven't already, start hitting some weights (deadlifts, squats, even calves), and stick to a rigorous core routine (at least 3 workouts a week) for at least 3 weeks before your track season and going into your track season.