Workout of the Day

Ariel Beccia competes for High Performance West during the 2015 cross country season.

4 x 800m, 3 x 400m, 1.5 Mile  

Splits:  

800m — 2:47.1 / 2:47.3 / 2:45.3 / 2:43.6
400m — 80.5 / 79.3 / 77.3
1.5 Mile — 9:09.7

Recovery: 400m jog in 2:40 - 2:45 after each rep

Ariel Beccia — Nov. 4th, 2015

Context & Details

Ariel joined HPW in the summer of 2015 as the club was just taking shape. She was an All-American Division III graduate from St. Lawerence University who fancied herself more of a cross country / road racer than trackster. She owned best marks of 17:22 for 5K and 36 minutes for 10K and was an able contributing member of the HPW women's team which earned 2nd place in 2015 at the USATF Club XC Championships. 

This session came about 10 days before the USATF Oregon XC Championships. Ariel was also going to Naturopathic Medical school at the time, so balancing her running with the demands of her intense academic load heavily influenced her training. We discovered quickly that she responded very well to 5K - 3K efforts coupled with lactate threshold pace, so many of her workouts that fall emphasized those elements. 

The 800m reps were scheduled at an assertive goal 5K pace and the 400m reps at an honest 3K pace. The 1.5 mile rep was at her 15K race pace ability. 

The aim of this session was to run quickly, with moderate rest, and force her to tolerate mounting fatigue from the metabolic toxins incurred from the 5K - 3K speeds. And the 1.5 mile was an extended lactate flush of sorts (which some may call "tempo") which also offered a useful aerobic strength component. 

I wouldn't say there is anything special or exciting about this workout. Instead, it was simply a healthy dose of quality, potent work. File it in the meat and potatoes category. Frankly, the best training is often the most boring. The longer I've coached the more I value the "basics" or "fundamentals." Meaning simple, straightforward work which when performed repeatedly over a long time yields a high rate of response and improvement. Nothing fancy. Nor overly creative. But solid in constitution, and effective. Much as this session was for Ariel.

Any questions? I'm happy to answer. You can send me a Direct Message on Twitter or email me at jmarcus.hpw@gmail.com
Thx //  jm