“I have adapted the paces for this workout, too,” says Thom Hunt, a former American 10K record-holder who now coaches at Cuyamaca College in San Diego.

The second time, she nailed it…and nearly matched Pre’s record, carrying it - at her pace, not his - to 4 miles. The first time, she had trouble finding the recovery pace and tended to hit it too fast. I recently had a 4:48 female miler try it, targeting 37.5 seconds for the fast 200s and 50 seconds for the recoveries. This workout suddenly doesn’t sound so impossible. So, he was running these at well slower than marathon pace. That’s fast, but if Pre had ever run a marathon, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have been somewhere around 5:00 pace. Similarly, his “off” 200s, weren’t at a pace that was inherently uncomfortable to him, but instead at 5:20/1600m or about 5:22 per mile. Transform that to, say for example, a 6:00 miler, and they become a little slower than 45s. So, his fast 200s were actually a little slower than his mile speed. But you have to put the workout in the context of Pre’s speed, not yours. Stories like these tend to make most runners write off this workout as impossible for mere mortals. (Photo: Getty Images) Not Just For Elites (Seriously) He reportedly sustained this for 4.5 miles.

When doing this workout, 70s track star Steve Prefontaine alternated 200s at 30 seconds, then at 40 seconds, either for a set distance, such as three miles, or until he could no longer hold pace. Pre reportedly sustained this for 4.5 miles, a record that stood for years.

But Pre’s name is the one that will be forever associated with it.Īs run by Pre, it was simple, wicked, and fast: alternating 200s at 30 seconds, then at 40 seconds, either for a set distance, such as three miles, or until he could no longer hold pace. It was developed by his coach Bill Bowerman and became part of the “Oregon System” used by a generation of superstars. Want to try one of the most famous workouts of all time? Look no further than “Pre’s 200s,” one of the tools Steve Prefontaine used to train himself into running immortality.

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