Running
Teen / Youth Track 1600/3200
Teen track plan for the 1600/3200 with VO2 and race-pace work. Twelve weeks, five runs a week.
- Distance
- 3200 m
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Runs per week
- 5
- Level
- Intermediate
- Goal
- Run it faster
Who it's for
You already run a few times a week. It is built to help you run a faster 3200 m.
Volume stays moderate with plenty of variety, which suits younger runners.
How the weeks work
It runs for twelve weeks with five runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 14 weeks, or tighten it to 10 if you are already fit.
The last 7 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Intervals: repeats a little faster than race pace, with easy jogging in between.
- Blocks at your goal race pace, so it feels familiar when it counts.
- Threshold runs of 15 to 30 minutes at a comfortably hard pace. You could say a few words, not hold a conversation.
Setting your paces
Start with a 1 km time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Later benchmarks: a one-mile time trial. Use them to adjust your paces rather than to chase a number.
Making it stick
- Keep easy days slow. Most plateaus come from running them too fast.
- Put an easy day or a rest day after every hard session.
- If you miss a week, pick up where you left off instead of cramming the sessions in.
