Workout of the Day: 2K, 1 Mile, 1200m, 800m, 400m Cutdown Ladder
2K, 1 Mile, 1200m, 800m, 400m Cutdown Ladder
Intensity — 8K pace to 800m pace
Recovery — 400m walk/jog after each rep
Exertion — 10/10
Context & Details
High quality 5,000m workouts are difficult. There’s no escaping this truth. That’s because the 5,000m itself is perhaps the most difficult race on the track. The 800m and 400m hurdles are certainly in that conversation as well.
I once asked Chris Solinsky when the discomfort started for him in 5Ks during his career year in 2010 when he produced 3 sub-13 5Ks. He responded: “After 200m, every time.”
An honest 5,000m race is an exercise in controlled red lining. The race is run at most runner’s vVO2 Max threshold. With oxygen uptake capacity being maximized throughout, all the other key performance variables will also experience high demand. Resistance to fatigue, lactate-threshold velocity, aerobic and neuromuscular power output, running specific strength and economy all must be well developed.
This 2K cutdown ladder workout upgrades all these variables. It totals 6,000m of work and closely mimics the demands of a 5K race. The 2K is at 8K pace, followed by the mile at 5K speed. The 1200m is the hardest overall rep, it’s at 3K velocity. A lot of focus is required on it. The 800m is at mile speed, albeit on tiring legs and while the 400m is prescribed at 800m tempo, it will feel like an all out finishing kick.
The way this ladder is structured is the final 400m of each rep is supposed to be highly challenging. If any reps gets unbearable before the final 400m, then either the speed of the rep is too quick for the athlete that day and/or not enough recovery was taken after the pervious rep.
This session is best performed once every 2 weeks in during the early part of the competitive season. I like to see 5K runners do this session at least 3 - 4 times before tackling a fast 5K. When serious 5K racing starts, feel free to abandon this session in favor of racing — by then the runner should be well prepared to go the distance and “embrace The Suck” as Solinsky says.