Speed work and recovery times

shels4ever

Hi there,

I've jsut started a harder and longer speed work session. Plan is to do 4 X 800, ( slight longer 830-840) . This has about 300m uphill not too steep. So its a slow enough 800 m circut.


I did this today for the first time and the session was as follows.

10 min warm up
Then the 4 X 800m hills

3:59
3:56
3:52
3:52

At the moment i've put in 3 mins recovery between each session, this is alsmost total recovery, is this too much.

I the future is it better to reduce the recovery or put in an extra session to improve.

Cheers

RoyMcC

I'd say that 3min recovery is about right and that (1) knocking a few seconds off and (2) increasing the reps is the way to progress.

helpisontheway

I was always under the presumption that speedwork had to be done on the flat?? As for recovery times would using a heart rate monitor not be more accurate as you should be fully recovered when doing speedwork on each rep regardless of time,everyone is different so set times wouldnt suit everyone the same!

shels4ever

Great thanks, i can feel it in my legs now today.. must be 12 years since i've done a session like that, this hills hurt on the last rep.

Will keep it the same for the next few week and just try to take time of,

What would you increase to maybe 6-8 by the end of the winter?

I would hope to bring the times down to around the 3:15- 3-20 mark over the next 3-4 months.

cfitz

helpisontheway wrote: »

I was always under the presumption that speedwork had to be done on the flat?? As for recovery times would using a heart rate monitor not be more accurate as you should be fully recovered when doing speedwork on each rep regardless of time,everyone is different so set times wouldnt suit everyone the same!

I think that you and shels4ever are using different meanings for the word 'speedwork'. I don't think people doing a session of 4 x 800m would usually be aiming to get full recovery between the reps. Perhaps shels4ever should have used a different word to describe the session he is doing.

shels4ever

Well maybe i was wrong to say speed work, but it is faster running, maybe endurance session would be better?

What would you suggest bring the recovery down to about 90 sec's

cfitz

shels4ever wrote: »

Well maybe i was wrong to say speed work, but it is faster running, maybe endurance session would be better?

What would you suggest bring the recovery down to about 90 sec's

No, the 3 minutes could be fine - I don't really know what recovery you should take. I was just trying to explain to helpisontheway that you probably weren't aiming to get your heart-rate right down between the reps.

shels4ever

ah grand, I think at the moment 3 mins is ok for me, as if i reduced it i wouldnt finish the session.. The last 3 mins today felt very short.

dna_leri

shels4ever wrote: »

ah grand, I think at the moment 3 mins is ok for me, as if i reduced it i wouldnt finish the session.. The last 3 mins today felt very short.

It sounds like you have got your answer already.

I asked a similar question a while ago on the following thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055308204 and got similar good advice, with the best help being this one:

Originally Posted by Racing Flat
I think it was Peter Coe who wrote that the recovery time should be the minimum time needed to allow you to complete the number of repetitions in the desired time.

shels4ever

Yep thanks , 3 mins seems to be about right for me now, any shorted i may not finish the set. Will do about 3-4 week with the 4X800 then start to up it.

shels4ever

shels4ever wrote: »

Hi there,

I've jsut started a harder and longer speed work session. Plan is to do 4 X 800, ( slight longer 830-840) . This has about 300m uphill not too steep. So its a slow enough 800 m circut.


I did this today for the first time and the session was as follows.

10 min warm up
Then the 4 X 800m hills

3:59
3:56
3:52
3:52

At the moment i've put in 3 mins recovery between each session, this is alsmost total recovery, is this too much.

I the future is it better to reduce the recovery or put in an extra session to improve.

Cheers

I though i'd give an update on my second session this week, Still finding it hard to judge my pace, as i seem to have a big differnce between a good day and bad day.

Anyway
Week 2
3:46
3:37
3:38
3:45 -- was hurting on this one..

all with 3 min recovery.

Better session then last week wouldnt say an improvment but prob jsut getting used to the pain of this type of session again..

I'd say it will be 6 week until i can set any targets .