atletabanana wrote:
yeah i just recently completed reading this whole thread (took a long time!) and noticed the absence of this kind of workout from the discussion. I've seen it a lot of places though, I have the sense that it's pretty common.
Not really sure what it's supposed to work on specifically... the hardest thing about it for me was the short recovery. My times dropped soon after, but I was doing a few other things at the time like longer reps so I can't attribute it to this.
Just wondered if OS4 had any thoughts on it, or reasons it wasn't in his training as he's described it so far. And if he approves, would it serve best as a race-pace tune-up, or some kind of precomp season segue into the sharpening phase or what?
10-30 times 200m with very short rest (less than 60 seconds) seem to be a common workout amongst very successful runners (Coe, Cruz, Spivey, Warriner--i know 400m--, all attest). I think this is a great workout but it is very difficult to do and requires a great deal of instruction by the coach. I had trouble when I was younger doing this.
Usually when 800m guys run 200s, they want to go fast, and take more rest...2-3minutes and you replenish your CP systems which give you a big boost for the first 120-150m before you start moving over to anaerobic. In college I would run 8-10 200s with too much rest in 26-27 ish, and feeling good I thought this was really positive -- I realize now the workout was complete garbage. If you are going to use your CP system, take even MORE rest and run the 200s alot faster or cutting down to replicate the first 200m of the 800m. If you are going to run 26-27s, run with 30-60 seconds rest to replicate the SECOND 200m of the race. However, 26s on your anaerobic system only (no CP boost) are only for 1:42 guys! (24,26,26,27 splits)
This is a very challenging workout in two ways. First is that anaerobic is the least comfortable energy system--it really twists your guts as your body is telling you "i am being poisoned with lactic acid". If you do the 200 repeat workout correctly you are not having a recovery feeling and you are feeling aweful the entire time. The mental challenge is difficult and I believe the reality is that it is a rare person that can really tackle this type of workout more than 2 times in a season (only to be done at sharpening phase in my book).
Second is that you have to run in a zone so that you dont go so far into oxygen debt that you can't function -- this was my problem. I would feel comfortable for the first 3 at 26, but they were too fast and then I would start blowing up and would lob in a demoralizing 32 at some point. In Coe's book they talk about a session (he admits later, one of his best), where he did 30 or so 200s with 45 seconds rest in 27. This is when his 800m average pace was 25.4...this tells you something about working this zone and the reason why this workout is so difficult and requires good coaching to gauge the times. If you have a 1:50 800m athlete (27.5 average pace for each 200m) They should probably be going no faster than 29-30 for each 200m, and probably averaging 31s. The athlete must be disciplined enough to stay in that zone at the start of the workout so that when it starts building up on you the athlete is able to continue and finish the workout, really callousing his system by inflicting a huge stimulus to their anaerobic system. Tough to convince someone in the heat of a season who is hungry to run sub 1:50 that they are going to do a bunch of 200s in 31..
Spivey describes 4*5*200m where you start in the middle of the homestretch, run half around the track, then cut across as your recovery. 400 job between sets -- this is more of a mortals version which mabye is better for those who are younger or running 147-152.