Sub 1:50 800m Training

Your current week looks very similar to what I am assigning to a 1:51 guy aiming at 1:49 this season .

Your shape looks good but the 800s need to be closer to 2:10 than 2:15.

Going forward, I suggest the following type of progression;

5x600@ 1:33 progressing to 3x600@ 1:24 in 4 weeks. rest 2min up to 5-6 min for the fast set

2 sets of 3x500@ 1:14 progressing to 2 sets of 2 @1:09

1x1200@3:06-3:09 plus 5x300 41-42 with 90 sec rest;

2-3 weeks from biggest race; 1000m 2:25,full rest, 2x500@ 1:07 with 3 min rest.

Off days can be 8-10k easy. Somewhere in there you need to do some fast relaxed striding@ 12.5-13 pace.

Good luck and post again.

another canuck wrote:

2-3 weeks from biggest race; 1000m 2:25,full rest, 2x500@ 1:07 with 3 min rest.

so for the 1km, going through the 800 at 1.55-56 (only about 5 seconds off date 800 pace) and continuing on at the same speed for another 200, in training? Then following with 2 x 500 on 3 mins rest at faster than target 800 race pace?

Tough session. The 1km is a flat out 1km time trial.

KW

The canuck is right, you have to do "some" speed and power work if you are six weeks from peak.

3 weeks from your peak (with a goal of running 1:48) run the following workout

600m in 1:19

jog 1000m

400m in 52

jog 800m

3x200m with 200 jog 28-26-24 rolling into it...

Canucks shockers are also good....a little more milish from my vantage point but they will get er done as well. Cut the tempos and long repeats 4 weeks out of main competition season.

Let us follow you if the season keeps progressing ,,,

This is what I have planned for one of my athletes in the last 3 weeks leading up to Nationals (WU/WD not included). His over all volume is still very low and we do no double days at this stage. It's a very basic program, but I feel it covers everything needed to run well.

23/3/13 Sat 40min (Med school exam 5hrs)

24/3/13 Sun 3x5min @3:00km 2min rec (grass)

25/3/13 Mon 40min

26/3/13 Tue 1000(2:55)+ 2x400+3x300 @27 pace (3min rec)

27/3/13 Wed 40min

28/3/13 Thu 3x500 @52 p 8-10min rec (controlled effort)

29/3/13 Fri Rest Day

30/3/13 Sat 12x60sec wt 60sec reps 3,6,9,12@1500p grass

31/3/13 Sun 40min

1/4/13 Mon Track 2x5x100m @11.5 90sec and 5min rec

2/4/13 Tue 30min

3/4/13 Wed Track 600 @ 51/77 relaxed effort

4/4/13 Thu Rest Day

5/4/13 Fri 15min plus strides

6/4/13 Sat Race 800m

7/4/13 Sun 30 min easy

8/4/13 Mon 4x150 @ 400 pace

9/4/13 Tue 20min plus strides

10/4/13 Wed Rest Day

11/4/13 Thu National Champs 800 Heat

12/4/13 Fri Warm up only

13/4/13 Sat National Champs 800

14/4/13 Sun Off

PS...good to see Bob, sorry Oldsub4 still responding on this thread.

Rudi,

Did you stick to the plan? How'd it go?

JR;

That is a nice looking peak program, but it begs the question, what did he do 6 weeks out, and did he (or is he) coming off a solid base period with prs in workouts or races at longer distances. Is his second event 1500, or is he a pure 800m runner.

Post his results as well, and I will post my guy's throughout the season.

OS4,

For a 1500 runner looking to hit 3:47 for 1500m, what would the corresponding "3 weeks out" workout look like?

The 6 weeks before that had more 1500m pace sessions like; 4x200+4x400+4x200 or 3x400+6x200+3x400 and 3x4x300 all with rests of 60 sec (or 100 jog) and 3-4min between sets. Normally we try to get quicker during the session, so starting at 61 pace and work down to 56 pace. Long run is 60 min every Sunday and we do 8x2min on grass most Saturday's if not racing. Pretty basic program really.

Results so far this season (in order);

1500 3:46.20 pb (9th)

800 1:48.89 (2nd) - first 800 of the season

1500 3:47.54 (5th) - poor run tactically

400 49.03 heat 48.23 semi 48.10pb final (over three days)

1:48.49 (1st) - 53.3@ 400 lead most the way

1:50.0h (1st) - 54.4@ 400...very windy and wet

Normal Week

Mon 40min plus gym

Tue Track

Wed 40min plus gym

Thu Track (grass)

Fri just gym

Sat 8x2min (grass)

Sun 60min

*pace of run @4:00-4:10km pace

Like I said, pretty basic and lots of room to add/improve on in the years to come.

Are those WO's a progression,with one WO being given each week? What about racing? In our college season we are racing once a week or once every other wk

Great stuff posting your charges stuff JR! It would be great if you could post the specifics of each track session as he does them over the last 3 weeks before nationals so we can see how he is progressing. Are there any training partners to help him with this or is he flying solo?

What are your general thoughts on the standard of 800 coaching in Australia?

I'll post more after Nationals, which is only two weeks away. In terms of times for each session, we don't really worry too much about the exact time for each rep and just have the watch set to beep every 100m. As long as you are hitting the beeps, I'm not too concerned with the exact time. If you run 52.1 or 52.2 means nothing in the big scheme of things (when I was running, I got too focused on what my average was for the session and over trained and under performed as a result).

The race results listed above have been over the last 6 weeks. Basically a race a week, with the 400 run at our state champs over Fri/Sat/Sun. He does have company for most of his sessions (including me when I can keep up), but does most the leading. We work in with other groups all the way up to the comp phase where the training is more tailored to what he needs. I think we have a lot of great coaches here in Australia and I've always been the type of person that can never learn enough from anyone who wants to talk about MD training (hence I read this thread).

great stuff JR. Looks like perfect build up with 400 and 1500 prs. Good luck.

The workouts I suggested were a general rather than specific outline. The 600s could be run once a week for sure, and the 500s too, if one can do 2 solid workouts a week. If one is racing (and doubling?) every week, then that is obviously the hardest effort of the week and might affect how much you can train.

I really like the 1200 once or twice over 6 weeks, and it is my personal preference to run the hard 1k as opposed to super speed in prep for the biggest race of the year,but this is where each coach and athlete must find what works best for them.

JR ...great regime, lmk how the boy does!

For 3:47 1500m man. Best predictor I've heard of is 3x800 with 5 min rest ...race pace plus 4 sec, race pace, race pace less 4 sec. So I would do 2:05, 2:01, 1:57.....if you can do that workout, you can run 3:47. If you can't, you probably aren't ready for that pace yet

vigil from Adams state is another great coach you can buy his book online

Did you do the speed drills with spikes? At what effort?

OK, I said I'd come back with an update after Nationals and here it is.

We made a few small changes to the program in the weeks leading up (just moved a few sessions around to allow for an extra recovery day plus tried to work in with some other runners so he'd have some company during the workouts). Nationals went well and he came away with a win and his first National title in a very slow tactical 1:50.25 (55.7) win over Jeff Riseley (who is coming back from injury and was racing for the first time since the Olympics, so very underdone).

We planned 8 weeks out to having a dip at running 1:46 in the heats and he went for it, but only ran 1:47.72 (season's best). Not the result we were looking for, but still the fastest time he has run from the front, so it was a pleasing result none the less. He pulled up very well for the final and even after finding himself in a box with 100 to go, got out and stormed home for the win.

Race Vid:

http://www.runnerstribe.com/coverage/250671-Australian-National-Championships/video/705008-Mens-800m-Aus-Champs

Next step is to have a week off and then get a 7 weeks mini base in before looking for some faster races in Europe.

18/3/13 Mon 40min

19/3/13 Tue 150/200 + 3x300m @400 pace

20/3/13 Wed 20min

21/3/13 Thu Milers Club 800 1:50.0 1st

22/3/13 Fri Rest

23/3/13 Sat 40min (Med school exam 5hrs)

24/3/13 Sun 3x5min @3:06km pace on grass

25/3/13 Mon 40min

26/3/13 Tue 1000 2x400 3x300 3'rec

27/3/13 Wed 30min

28/3/13 Thu 3x500 10min rec @64/65 very windy. Looked great

29/3/13 Fri Rest

30/3/13 Sat 12x60sec with 60sec rec (resp3,6,9,12@15pace) on grass

31/3/13 Sun 40min

1/4/13 Mon 30min

2/4/13 Tue Track 500 65 (relaxed) + 4x200 25 all with 3minrec

3/4/13 Wed 30min

4/4/13 Thu 3 laps strides @13 (jog bends stride straights) + 2x200 25.5 practicing cut in off the stagger

5/4/13 Fri Rest

6/4/13 Sat Melb 800m 1st 1:47.87 (52.0) won by nearly a second (switched off between 130 and 80m to go)

7/4/13 Sun 30 min

8/4/13 Mon 2x300 + 3x200 4min rec (change of pace) start at 1500 pace, with a 50m acceleration at quicker than 800 pace ramdomly within rep.

9/4/13 Tue 20 min easy

10/4/13 Wed Rest

11/4/13 Thu National Champs 800 Heat 1st 1:47.72 (52.5)

12/4/13 Fri Rest Day

13/4/13 Sat National Champs 800 Final 1st 1:50.25 (55.7)

14/4/13 Sun Off

I'm more of a strength than a speed 800 runner, and I built my mileage and had a strong base but had a really had a poor season. Do you see anything I should do different in the training I was doing during my outdoor season?

A typical week of training for me looks like:

Sun: 12 mile long run

Mon: 3 mile warm up, 6x70m strides, 3 mile cool down

Tue: Intervals: 500, 1min rest, 300, 6min rest, 400.

Wed: 6-7mile easy

Thu: Intervals: 400, 200 jog, 300, 200 jog, 200, 200 jog

Fri: Pre race: 2 mile warm up, 3x200 at 28, 2 mile cool down

Sat: Race

Also posted this here:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4563936&page=3#ixzz2SH7OPTDp

Bump