Warmup
- 10 minutes easy jogging on the infield or outer lanes
- 4 x 100m strides, building to 5K effort with full recovery walk-back
- Light dynamic stretching: leg swings, high knees, A-skips
Main Set
4 x 1600m “broken” — each 1600 is split into 1200m + 400m with a 30-second standing rest between the segments.
- 1200m at 5K effort (hard but controlled — you could hold a two-word answer if someone asked you a question)
- 30 seconds standing rest
- 400m at 3K effort (one gear harder — close to all-out but not sprinting)
- 3 minutes easy jog between each broken 1600
The 30-second break inside each rep lets you reset your form before the hard 400m finish. Use it. Shake your arms out, get tall, then go.
Cooldown
- 10 minutes easy jogging
- Gentle stretching — calves, hamstrings, hip flexors
Coach’s Notes
This session targets VO2max — the ceiling on your aerobic engine. The “broken” format makes 1600s more approachable than running them straight through, but the total quality volume is the same. The short rest in the middle isn’t enough to recover; it’s just enough to refocus.
If the last 400m of each rep feels like survival, you started the 1200 too fast. The first two reps should feel controlled. Reps three and four are where the real work happens.
Run the turns smooth and relaxed. Tightening up on the curve is where most people lose efficiency.
Scaling
Newer runners: Cut to 3 x 1200m broken into 800m + 400m. Same structure, same efforts, less volume. Take 3 to 4 minutes recovery between reps.
Advanced runners: Add a 5th rep if the paces stay consistent. If rep 4 is more than 5 seconds per 400m slower than rep 1, stay at 4 reps and run them better next time.