Pmoax wrote:
Still nobody has given me a reason with any scientific backing for long runs and their bennifits for 800m training.
1. 90-105 minutes of aerobic training is a positive contributor to that regime and building the general conditioning. I dont know the physiology but I also remembered hearing second hand that the training effect is not linear to a certain point...ie 60 minutes is not just double 30 minutes, you get a bit more effect...
2. Fiber recruitment. About 1 hour in to the run many (particularly those with higher fast twitch) will exhaust the normal cohort of fibers they use for general distance running pace. You begin to stimulate deeper and surrounding portions of the muscle to continue the work, conditioning and strengthening a broader part of the engine. This translates directly over to when you are changing the training to more specific work. Even non-specific training of those lesser-used fibers still increases your potential peek by gathering them into aiding the motion.
3. Mechanics. Again, what I experienced was when you did exhaust the muscles you used for general running pace, you also were forced to acclimate for the last 30 minutes of the longer run....for me I would need to use more hamstrings and gluts which 800m men use less...I would need to focus hard on mechanics but it helped backend better than any drills/workout since you couldnt cheat (ie your front-end mechanics were so tired they could barely catch your footstrike)...this was able to translate again to building up the power to "stride" the first 600-700m of the race.
While some would argue to you just teaching your muscles to be slow it just created another unique stress on the system and made you stronger. This is pretty anecdotal, I dont have much to source in terms of hard data, but almost every elite 800m I can think of completes a 10-16 mile run weekly religiously....