1500 / 1600 Meter Training Plans

The Metric Mile, 1500 meters, Mile, 1600, or 1609: The distance means different things to different people. Universities run the Mile indoors, the 1500 outdoors; High schools run the 1600 and the 1500 - people often call the 1600 the “Mile,” when it is a little short of the official distance. We’ll call it the Mile for this article - if that means 1500 or 1609 to you, no problem.

Introduction

The Mile is run in different ways throughout the year for many runners. You have a few high-speed record, or PR attempts. You also have several tactical races, which can be fascinatingly slow. You’ve got a few folks who lack speed and must push evenly throughout every attempt in order to have a shot at a podium spot.

• Tactical races are often necessary when an athlete has to qualify to advance in a 2-day meet. Athletes often prefer tactical races due to the physical toll that a mile record attempt can take on the body and training schedule. In college, athletes are running multiple races, several times per month - tactical races are common.

• Because of the necessity for tactical races, you’ll find many great milers must have a decent amount of speed: that final 400-600m of a tactical mile is run close to 800m race pace for many athletes. Occasionally, a really slow opening of the race ends up with a final lap of 52 / 59 (men and women).

The Science of the Mile

Anaerobic Energy System

The Anaerobic Energy System may be sub-divided into the following systems:

• Anaerobic Glycolytic - no oxygen, effective for less than 2 minutes. Important to long sprinters, such as 200, 400, and 800m runners. Plays a role in 100m success as well.

• Anaerobic Alactic - no oxygen, effective for about 8 seconds. Explosive sprints, such as the NFL 40-yard dash and a large portion of the 100m sprint.

Aerobic Energy System

We’ll depart from solely focusing on the mile for a moment, but you will likely see that success in most of the endurance events is closely related, largely due to the 72-99% dependence on aerobic abilities.

The Aerobic Energy System is not technically sub-divided, but understanding it can be challenging because of the strength component that has a vote in the body’s ability to perform at aerobic distances.

For many of us, our aerobic energy system can outperform our body’s muscle strength and ability to keep running. Your weakest muscle, tendon, or ligament may falter well before your aerobic energy system does in a longer race.

• Example: Don’t run for 1 year. Swim 1 hour per day to stay aerobically strong. Then, run a 20 mile hilly course at a good pace. Your legs will be decimated and sore for several days. You may be unable to walk and may end up injured. If we concluded that your aerobic system is the problem, we are wrong. You lack the strength for the activity... that just happens to be aerobic in nature.

Note: This tricky relationship between a muscle’s repeatable strength (muscle power & endurance), and the body’s aerobic capabilities, influences our (CTCs) training approach for our athletes. When I see a high mileage 5K or 10K runner who has a poor mile time (not a good racing range for that athlete), a red flag goes up in my mind.

• Faster runners - at EVERY race distance - master the combination of more strides per second and / or more meters per stride… winning is determined by that simple relationship - even in the marathon. It takes muscle strength to improve either of those variables.

• Therefore, we will attempt to deconstruct the high mileage 5K runner with a poor mile time. We must go back and address the athlete’s ability to sustain a powerful stride.

  • If that runner has been running high mileage for 4-6 years, they are rarely going to close the performance gap by adding another 5-10 miles per week to their training load… if they are struggling with the prerequisite speed and power attributes.

  • The “deconstructing” approach that we do may eventually prove to be nonsense and I’ll lose our athlete’s confidence and business. It influences our training doctrine, however, because I suspect that too many collegiate athletes bail on the shorter distances and go too far / too quickly into volume and aerobic development. It’s a matter of survival and staying on the team. If you are a competitive-minded 4:22 Mile guy / 5:01 Mile gal on a team with a few 4:08 / 4:44 people, you are going to be tempted to head (prematurely) in the direction of the 5K and 10K.

    • The best thing for your long term 10K development, in my opinion, would be for you to lose badly in the Mile for four years as you drop your time down to 4:04 and 1:50 in the 800, while gradually building up your volume. You can still be a high mileage miler (not 10K high)… just means you are dedicating / shifting an extra 3-4% of your entire mileage-range toward the faster end of the spectrum.

    • And, as Cerutty required of his Olympic distance athletes, “Lift very heavy objects over your head on a regular basis” (my recollection of his statement).

    • The next question progresses to, “What is fast enough.. for an athlete to switch to primarily10K based goals?”

      • Is your goal to run on a college team for 4 years and not necessarily reach your best? If yes, do whatever you want and there is nothing wrong with that approach.

      • If your goal is to reach your top ability by about age 25… then, consider developing the faster speed ranges early on.

      • For a pro, I want to see about a 3:55 mile for men, or a 4:25 mile for women before we abandon the mile development efforts in favor of 10K specific endurance work. Look at Olympic finalists ranges. If you are the type of runner who can reach those mile times on aerobic strength alone, then cool. Just get there.

      • With our “deconstruction,” we slightly shift the intensity of the entire training program about 3-4%. That number may not sound like much, but it is a decent difference in the way a training program looks throughout the year.

From the Mile to the Marathon, the faster runners win because of an effective combination of muscle power AND aerobic capabilities.

Scientists and accomplished coaches have quantified / estimated that high achieving mile runners use the following energy system distribution to excel:

70% aerobic,

28% anaerobic glycolytic, and

2% anaerobic alactic

These are good estimates. As we reflect back on the requirements and the skillset diversity of the 800 meter run - here you will no longer see the 400 / 800m speed specialist.

• The 800m was estimated to be 50% aerobic… the Mile is estimated to be 70% aerobic - that is a major shift in the skillset required to excel.

• Don’t fall asleep on the 28% of anaerobic skill necessary for the mile as well. This unique distribution of energy systems is why you don’t see many milers doubling in other events at major championships. The tactical championship races require strong sprinting ability.

• Simply by the numbers, you could argue for a 20% shift or increase in emphasis (when compared to the 800) toward aerobic development - that is a big shift.

We no longer care too much about 200m ability (like we may with some 800m runners). We want to see ENOUGH speed to be able to stay in a tactical race.

• We really care that we develop the athlete’s ability to stay in a race aerobically for the first 1200 meters. Watch a reply of Elle Purrier’s Mile record from 2020. She did not even know she set the American Record. She remarked a few times that she was just trying to hang on to the lead pack for the first 1200-1400 meters, so she could attempt to out kick the other runners.

• Great milers are competitors. They are tired at the 1200m mark, yet find a way to fight through the pain for the final 200 - 400 meters. Read Tommy Awad’s article on our website - Ivy League record holder in the Mile.

• As you watch a few world championship mile races, record the time of the last 200m. It’s not that the athlete’s have a lot of speed; the last 200 is 25+ seconds for men. It’s more of a case of who has enough energy left to finish well with a respectable sprint - not run a fast 200. Worded another way, “He / she who is destroyed the least by the first 1200 meters has the best chance to keep a decent sprint to the end?”

The Extras: Milers are going to spend enough time in the weight room to stay healthy and fit. Several milers will have the leaner build of the 5000m and 10000m runners. These runners are going to excel when they are very lightweight. Very few milers will have a stockier build that you may see with a speed-based 800m runner.

Milers should be competent enough in the weight room, just to make sure they have exhausted every opportunity for improvement. Develop an understanding about Drills, Core Work, and Weight Training. It can take about two years of consistent work to manage all of these disciplines - I encourage coaches and younger athletes to take the time to teach / learn while in high school.

Types of Milers

Milers are going to demonstrate a decent range between the 800m and 5000m ability. You will rarely see a 800 / 1500m combo runner like World Record holder Sebastian Coe. You can often expect to see a a miler excel in the 5000m - like Hicham El Guerrouj (3:43 WR, 12:50). The top end of world-class 800m runners are often physically larger than the milers. It is difficult (not impossible) to excel in the mile with a larger frame (efficiency of aerobic running is compromised with larger runners with any excess muscle).

Long time professional miler, Jenny Simpson, demonstrates a great range of abilities: 800m - 2:00, 1500 - 3:57, Mile 4:17, 3000m 8:29, and 5000m 14:56. As a multi-time medalist on the world stage for the mile / 1500, she can also excel in the 800 and 5000. Like a handful of other runners, if she were to fully dedicate to the 800 or 5000, she may have been able to be a finalist in those events as well.

Volume Recommendations

To me, VOLUME is the amount of mileage, or time running, that is needed to make most runners highly successful in the event. There are always exceptions, but my recommendations are based on my observations of thousands of runners, not the exception. I include warm-up routines as mileage.

High School Milers: Unlike the sports diversity of 800m runners, top end high school milers often have a cross country and track background. They may have started out with soccer and basketball, but they often become full time runners by 10th grade.

• You can expect to see HS milers excelling in the 3200 and XC 5K as well. These athletes will often be averaging 48-65 miles per week, 46 weeks of the year. That means, you can expect to see some hit their highest mileage weeks in the 70-90 range.

• A small percentage will excel at the 35-55 mile per week average. These athletes are likely pursue the 800m as well.

• I feel a little like a con-man / snake oil salesman with these mileage numbers. The reality is that talent plays a large role in high school success. A highly talented male runner can hit the 4:15 range with lower mileage then we may expect. Some kids have to really extend out to the consistent 60-75 miles per week range to get the same results. Also, a good 800m runner can sneak into that category in high school as well - that person will be left out of the mile in college.

College Milers: These top milers likely find some success in cross country. Like the pros, the top 10 NCAA XC runners are likely very good milers as well. It becomes a question of picking what events to pursue. Ed Cheserek was a good example: He had a legitimate shot at an NCAA Championship in every event from the 1500 - 10000. Again, that next-level 5K / 10K aerobic power and ability is likely going to carry someone to success in the mile.

• You will see a wide range of volume with collegiate milers - which makes sense, since we believe the anaerobic development accounts for a respectable 28% of the performance ability.

• You will have some athletes sticking to the mid 50s / high 60s (miles per week).. as well the aerobic efficiency & aerobic power outliers who hit 100+ miles in a week during their general preparation phase.

• This discussion of collegiate training for mile success can go in several directions, likely because the athlete with superb aerobic talents, efficiency, and development can negate the anaerobic requirements normally expected in the event.

Intensity Types

To me, INTENSITY refers to the types of paces an athlete runs during their training week, the percentage of volume run at those different paces, and the amount of recovery / easy running provided. I’ll also refer to this idea as Training Density (my term).

Types of Paces: Athletes and coaches do not need to refer to these paces by any proper name, but the vast majority of competitors experiment and figure out ways to become fit by working with these speeds:

Maximum Velocity - 100m Race Pace: The athlete’s top speed, as measured around the 40-55m mark of a 100 meter sprint. We often measure it with a Flying 30 Sprint. We test and care about Maximum Velocity because it is a measurement of running explosiveness, mobility, and fitness. We use the Flying 30 several times per year (40) in short speed workouts for milers.

200m - 500m Race Paces: These paces are rarely used in racing or training for a miler. You could see something like 3x300 @ 99% effort with 15 min rest between each, near the end of the season. It may be used for a specific athlete who lacks speed. A 500m time trial may be used to test long sprint ability. This would tell us if our 30m Fly, hill sprints, and weight training are proving effective.

400m - 600m Race Paces: These paces are used early on in a hot 800 to get in front of the pack / out of traffic. Used in training in workouts such as 250m Sprint-Float-Sprint repeats. It is a difficult pace to train at because it can burn the athlete up quickly. You will also see some long sprint repeats near the end of the season. 500-400-300 for time, with a 10 minute rest, for example.

800m - 1600m Race Paces: Used in training for 200m & 400m repeats or similar work. 800m specialists may work these 1600m pace repeats in the off season with an extended rest, such as a weekly 8-12 x 200m at Mile pace, with a 2:30 rest. Some coaches prefer 400m repeats (Bowerman), and you’ll see the times are reasonably achieved in the early season, but gradually become much more aggressive as the peak race approaches.

• Read High Performance Training (Bowerman), Winning Running (Coe), Athletics (Wells Cerutty), and Better Training for Distance Runners (Martin / Coe) to broaden your understanding of strength and speed development at the Olympic level.

Strides: Strides are fast runs at short distances that many athletes do multiple times per week - usually during warm-ups or at the end of a workout. Strides are helpful to support the development of neuromuscular coordination. Strides also build leg strength over months and years. Here is how we assign and define strides.

Vo2Max Pace: Measurement / reflection of Aerobic Power. It is a range of work that most coaches dial in between an 8-15 minute race pace ability. Excellent milers are likely going to be very good in the 3K / Aerobic Power range. We have three EXCELLENT ARTICLES that explain VO2Max concepts in detail. Start with VO2Max #1, then read #2, then read #3.

Lactate Threshold: Also called Anaerobic Threshold. Also called a Tempo Run. This finicky pace represents the exact tipping point on a run where the body is just able to keep up metabolically. The pace is about 45-60 minute race pace (15K race pace, maybe). The body is slowly breaking down during the run, but is able to remove the waste products just enough to keep up the pace. We have three EXCELLENT ARTICLES that address workouts at this pace. Start with Lactate Threshold #1, then read #2, then read #3.

• Read Daniels’ Running Formula (Daniels) and Road to the Top (Vigil) to expand your understanding of aerobic development at an Olympic level.

Moderate - Harder Aerobic Runs: These paces are all slower than Lactate Threshold Pace. The paces are not difficult… until you try to sustain them for 50-120 minutes. The weekly Long Run may fall into this category. An extra 4 miles at the end of a workout may fit the description as well.

Aerobic Threshold Run: This is a slower / easy pace where the heart rate settles around 140-145 BPM. It is a basic aerobic development run that an athlete could do for “days” aerobically, if only the muscles could function that long and the glucose and fatty energy sources remained effective. This run proves beneficial for most athletes to raise aerobic system / endurance attributes. The runs should be a minimum of about 45 minutes, but an occasional run up to 90 minutes is beneficial for the 800m runner.

• Read Highly Intelligent Training (Livingstone), No Bugles, No Drums (Snell), or Running to the Top (Lydiard) to expand your understanding of aerobic development at an Olympic level.

Weekly Schedule

An athlete has a schedule that helps them to add in, and spread out, the different intensities each week - including weight room, strides, drills, and core work. We often use a 14 day schedule. Here is what a sample schedule may look like.

Measurement of Effort

We can measure intensity by the pace of the run, heartbeats per minute, lactic acid present in the blood, or rated / relative perceived effort. The methods are not exact and not applicable to all runners. This is likely why some runners excel when they change training programs or coaches.

• Pace (Race Paces) Intensity: Discussed above.

• Heartbeats per Minute (BPM): Explore the concepts here.

• “Lactic Acid” Present in Blood (not a completely accurate term): Explore the concepts here.

• Rated Perceived Exertion (Some call it Relative Perceived Exertion): Explore the concepts here.

Approach to Training

Training Seasons: I am assuming 2 x 6 months training periods per year. I am okay if one block gets shortened to 16 weeks. This approach does not work for colleges, where milers often compete in XC League Championships in late October, Indoor League Championships in late February, and then for Outdoor Leagues in early May.

On the Pro / Semi-Pro side, we have athletes competing in different countries, Indoor and Outdoor. We can settle into a 6-month training block, which helps with a predictable annual build-up or increase in volume.

This is merely a sample schedule that may help an uncoached runner, or a new coach, to consider types of workouts at different points of the season.

Here is the macro view of a 6-month (or 26 weeks) training period

Supplements & Nutrition:  Understand the USADA / WADA requirements – study all parts of the website if you are an inspiring pro.  There is a helpful information on the website that addresses nutrition as well.   I recommend the book, Racing Weight (Fitzgerald) as a starting point – good book about body composition and nutrition.    

Weeks 1-2: Athlete off. May only run 2-3 times per week with some cross training. Visit family and friends, vacation, etc..

Weeks 3-9: 7 weeks of general fitness and mileage. Prepare the body and nervous system for the challenging work in later weeks.

• High mileage and very few acid-building activities. You are growing your heart, capillaries, and improving mitochondria performance.

• 2 EASY speed sessions per week (out of 12-13 sessions per week). These are lower volume and / or higher rest sessions. The athlete should not leave the session miserable. RPE of 5-7. You are not looking for massive acid build-up during this part of the season.

• Max Velocity Work: This may look like 6 x 30m fly, 2 x 50m fly, 1 x 60m fly. Very close to full speed. Full recovery between each. I tell milers, “1 step shy of full speed - 98.5%.” A sprinter may have to deal with the increase risk of a hamstring injury - nature of the work of having to perform at full speeds. I don’t want to lose a miler because we tore a hamstring. Make sure you do a thorough sprinter’s warm-up to help detect injuries.

• Another “speed” session may be 12 x 400 w/ 2:00 rest. Pace may be 8 seconds PER LAP slower than mile race pace during these weeks, but will progressively get faster as the competitive season approaches. This may not be done in early weeks if the athlete needs a break. Either way, it is not meant to be mentally or physically taxing. Some athletes can remain stress free with a 1:30 rest or less. Just keep the acid and mental stress down.

• Another speed session could involve short hills, 8-10 second hills, at high speed (not max, 98.5%) with a good walking rest.

• Weekly Anaerobic Threshold run of 20 minutes minimum. Our athletes are closer to 5 x 2000m repeats with a 50-second rest. We start the season at 20K race pace, and gradually get closer to 15K race pace. We bounce around on this workout, depending on altitude. 5 x 2000 at 15K race pace at altitude can be a real kick in the pants if you are trying to keep the intensity down.

• Give a little attention to some VO2 pace work. Low volume. RPE 5. 4 x 800 at 5K race pace for example. 1:1 rest.

• Long Run (Press the last half): I prefer a moderately challenging long run with a secondary long run that is easy (Sunday and Wednesday, for example). We also have very EASY days. I just don’t prefer that the long run is that easy. Our first 5K is always slower than the goal pace for the run. We don’t want athletes getting stuck / miserable 12 miles from home on a bad day.

  • I would prefer a challenging 16-19 miler, for example. Then, we have two very easy days on our weekly schedule. We time a monthly 30K for most of the year for the athletes that can handle it - high effort, but definitely not max effort.

• Significant cross-training and weights: high volumes of sets and reps and lower weights. Add some bodyweight exercises at the end of workouts, about 3 times per week. These will be done for all 26 weeks.

• Quality weekly sessions dedicated to Drills and technique. Become familiar with the importance of neuromuscular coordination development and plan it into your program all year. These routines focus on mechanics and mobility.

Weeks 8-21: Moderate and heavy VO2 pace (5K and 3K) type work

• Continue with much of the previous work and progress toward the more challenging speed sessions. If you started your 400s in early season as 12 x 400 @ 8 seconds under mile pace per lap, you should be slowly dialing that pace closer to mile race pace and bringing the rest down slowly as well. Some athletes may excel with 16 reps, others may be fine with 8. The 400m workouts should not be too hard until about Week 19 (8 weeks before peak). At that point, they need to be challenging you, both with speed and limited rest.

• Max Velocity Days continue

• This is the aerobic development window where heavier VO2 pace work is going to be most valuable. This VO2 work will drop off over the last 6 weeks of the season, but it should be a focus now.

  • Start at 5K pace and gradually get down to 3K pace work by Week 19. 8 x 800s, 6 x 1000s, or 10 x 600s (occasionally or at altitude), are examples with 1:1 rest. We are usually about 10-15 seconds under 1:1 rest.

  • By Week 21, these workouts should be pretty demanding. By Week 18, we also negative split the last 3 reps. If your goals is a 2:20 800, for example, we’ll run a 1:13 and then a 67. It’s a subtle reminder to dig deep and run well when your race starts to fall apart. The final rep may be 70 for the first lap and then all out for the last lap for a 2:14.

• Hill sessions can get longer and slower during this period. 400-1000 meter hills at 93% effort. Medium rest, for example. The athlete should be winded aerobically, but not destroyed. The legs should have the muscles to handle the work - tired, but not destroyed.

• Weight training is intense and important during this phase. Lower volume of sets and reps and high weights. Allow recovery time from weight training.

• Add a few over-distance races. 3000m, 5000m around Week 15. These are low mental stress races for the athlete. No expectations - just work hard.

• Make sure easy days are EASY!

Weeks 17-19: Pre-meets, time trials, introduction to heavy anaerobic speed work.

• You will begin do do some stuff like 3 x 600 very fast, maybe 2 x 1000. With 10-15 minute breaks.

• Some nastier hill sessions: 6 x 400 at 95%, for example.

• Keep up the VO2 and Tempo work.

• Dabble with some 800m race pace work. You are entering your 9-weeks to peak window.

• Begin to master your pace without destroying yourself - technical proficiency.

• Make sure easy days are EASY!

• Weeks 10-17 are likely some of the highest volumes of the season. The endurance phenom will likely hold the high mileage closer to Week 17. The person with stronger 800m abilities may elect to max their volume out closer to Week 10. After this period, volumes are going down slightly and intensities are continuing to rise.

Weeks 20-26: 7 Weeks of Championship / Tour type meets. Trying to advance or qualify.

• Heavy anaerobic workouts and racing.

• Now you are gradually backing down from the VO2 work - the volume of the workout will drop by 25-50%.

• Tempo work will stay onboard until about 10 days before peak race.

• Back off trying to develop your weakness at this point. It’s time to sharpen your strengths and prepare for the pain of racing.

• You are getting after workouts like the Metric Mile Test for Sprinters: 5 x 300 on the track with 15 minute recovery, add all your times together for your Sprinter’s Mile Time.

• 600m PR attempt in Week 23 may be good.

• 3 x 500 @ 800m race pace, with 8 minute rest, would be a very tough workout.

• 1 x 600m at 800m race pace, then add on some 200s.

• Research Special Endurance workouts and come up with a plan. Basically, you are getting some tough long sprint workouts, which may include some nasty 400m repeat sessions. We must build the ability to run the last 400 of the race well, even when exhausted.

• Plenty of rest. Starting in Week 21-22, weight room work will shift towards maintenance and not growth. Save the energy for the hard track workouts.

• Make sure easy days are EASY and hard days are HARD. You can get about 3 HARD days per week, including race days.

• On race day, add some more medium-quality 200s, 300s, and 400s after your race.

  The Volume (discussed in the middle of this web page) and the Intensities (discussed on the bottom half) are merely EXAMPLES to help uncoached athletes or new coaches to consider training and workout ideas. We make adjustments weekly and our primary goal is to make sure the athlete is confident mentally to race. That confidence comes through challenging workouts and prep races.