800m time trial in 2 weeks, what training can/should I do to maximize performance?

bump

Always found it was possible to bash myself into decent 800 shape by doing something like 2-3 x 400 basically flat out with 8-10 mins recovery between. Didnt need to do it very often, one session was usually enough to bring about a noticeable difference in performance. Of course, this would have been gradually worked up to via progression through a series of shorter recovery 200/300's etc, but if in your position I'd go for this option about 10 days out from the trial.

3 things stand out:

1. You need to get used to sustaining 800m pace beyond 300m, as you say.

2. You're doing a lot of high end steady state running which is quite tiring; in the last 2 weeks you really need to slow some of these runs right down to 7min miles, so you can put be fresh and put some of that energy into 2-3 quality sessions. Slow them, don't shorten them; the easy miles help recovery.

3. I don't see any long aerobic reps. A sensible dose of longer reps would possibly squeeze a bit more VO2-max out of you, put the icing on the cake you have built aerobically, and help you in that last 200m.

So with 2 weeks left I suggest 5-6 sessions interspersed with EASIER running...if you are certain you are fully recovered you can do a session each 2 days, but if still a little flat, do one every 3rd day and skip #6.

Session 1: speed endurance

500; 10min rest ; 400; 8min rest; 2x300, 2x200 all with 3-4 min rest. This is 'serious' so be fresh, and warm up really well.

Session 2: VO2 max

3-4x1000m at the paces Jack Daniels recommends, with longish rests. Feel free to do a few shorter reps after. DO NOT HAMMER THIS - finish each rep feeling controlled, like you could go a couple of hundred metres longer.

Sesssion 3: short speed stuff like you are doing already

Session 4: repeat speed-endurance session 1 but start at 600m. This is the one to give you the confidence on the day.

Session 5: repeat VO2 session 2. If this is your last one pre-race, finish with some sharper runs at 150-300.

Session 6: whatever makes you feel good with a race coming ;-)

Good luck...

If you need more help, put up your e-mail. I ran under 1:50 out of college over ten times.

In addition to what's been posted here, eliminate the hill workouts you have been doing from this point on. They're important, but at this point in your peaking, they have done their job. Also, eliminate weight workouts you're doing, especially on the legs for the same reason as above. You want your legs to be as fresh as possible. You won't lose anything by eliminating these workouts until after your time trial.

Don't forget to taper properly. Not too little taper, not too much.

I am curious about this whole time trial to walk on thing.

I walked on to a DI school that had three 1:47 guys that went on to get 2nd at indoor NCAA's 4X8 but I never had any kind of time trial.

I just got a physical and joined the team in practice.

I had a 2:02 PR at the time and stuck around through graduation and eventually became a 4X8 NCAA qualifier myself.

Do some schools have to weed out runners because too many are coming out for the team?

Follow this simple program:

Step 1: buy a time machine and go back 9-12 months

Step 2: train properly

The system is broken wrote:

Step 1: buy a time machine and go back 9-12 months

Step 2: train properly

His training isn't too shabby. I am presuming he ran through the summer, and didn't go from zero to the listed sessions in 4 weeks. Or are you going to tell him the correct preparation is 120mpw of slow mileage?

Thanks, I appreciate all the posts. The past few days has gone like this...

M am10.5@5:45 pace with long hill surges/ pm-4@6:30+ 10X200m @800m pace with 200m jog (~18 total, too much)

T 4@6:45 pace/3.5@6:17 pace+core+240lb single leg presses+6 sets of 5 jump squats-2 with 55lb dumbells, 2 with 35, 2 with 15(last weights workout) (7.5total)

W 4@7:00 pace/2 wu+200/300/200/300/200/300/200/400@800m effort (didn't time reps or recoveries), 1 cd

I found that 200m at 800m pace is not too bad, but 300m is a lot tougher, and 400m is way harder. I'm still sort of recovering from Monday though so maybe that's why the legs are a bit shaky. 2000m @ 800m race pace is tough when they're the 15th-17th miles on the day.

Eurodonkey-thanks for the workouts and the advice. That all makes perfect sense. For "workout #4" though, when you say repeat speed endurance session 1 but start at 600m, does that mean 600/500/400, 2X300, 2X200 or 600/400, 2X300, 2X200? (does the 600 replace the 500 or is it in addition too it?)

To toro and time machine guy-I assumed it would just be getting a physical and then practicing with the team till the spring but the coach said that there would be a time trial (probably because we have several (5+?)guys under 1:52 most years and the coach has no need for 1:58-2:02 guys-the fact that I am a senior and have ZERO credentials from high school probably doesn't help)

Because of this, I was just building a base and was not race sharp. Had I known that I would be racing so early, I would have trained differently-Eurodonkey is correct in presuming that I wasn't sitting on my ass all summer-I just wasn't planning to have to be near peak form in mid September.

bumo

you should masturbate everyday to boost your testoterone levels. srsly it wanks.. i mean works! lol

The past few days

Th 7 with last mile hard/3 easy

F 1.5 warmup, 3X5X200m@ 800m pace, 1 cooldown

S 6 miles moderate pace

Su 6 miles easy (38 min)/ 2mi wu, 5X200m (800 pace), 4X400m (3k pace, 1500 pace, 1500 pace, 800 pace), 5X200m (800 pace, last few faster), 1 cooldown

70 for the week

M 3.5 easy/2.5 easy

T 1.5 warmup; 4X300m, 500m, 4X200m, 500m, 2X300m, 1 cooldown

I am absolutely astounded by how quickly my speed endurance has progressed.

The workout progression has been

9/4 12X100m 1200m total

9/6 2X5X200m 2000m total

9/8 3X(200m,300m), 200m, 400m 2000m total

9/10 3X5X200m 3000m total

9/12 5X200m, 4X400m, 5X200m 3600m total

9/14 4X300m, 500m, 4X200m, 500m, 2X300m 3600m total

And all of this running was about the same pace. The 400s in the middle of the 9/12 workout were about mile pace, and the first 500m of 9/14 was slightly slower than goal 800m pace, but other then that it was all right around 800m race pace-that last set of 200s on 9/10 hurt a lot as did the 2nd 500 on 9/14.

But it was a different feeling then the 100s and 200s of 9/4 and 9/6. 12X100m with 100m jog at 800m race pace felt like a pretty tough workout, and when I was doing the 200s on 9/6 I felt like I was tying up at 200m. On 9/8 the 300s felt way harder than the 200s. I could barely imagine running 400s at that pace. The past few workouts have been painful but I've become much more comfortable and relaxed at that pace. I think that's the main change.

I'm not sure what to do over the last few days. I might want to do a few of the V02 max reps, while still doing a few 500s and 600s near 800m race pace. I'll probably only hit 50 miles this week but that should be fine-the outdoor season is a long ways away.

bump. any thoughts?

Sorry to drop off, I've been travelling.

In answer to your earlier question, I intended for the second speed-endurance workout to replace the 500 at 800m pace with a 600, not add to it. In other words, you just try to keep going 100m further. In these sessions it's the first rep that counts, and maybe the second.

Sounds like you're feeling confident. Not sure how many days left until your big race. If you have 4-5 days left, consider doing a shorter session with longer rests, like the ones I recommended (600-400-2x300-2x200). You are still running quite lot of reps, but a good 800m pace session need not total more than 1600m. OTOH, if the race is this Saturday, time to just run easy and do strides...

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

-What have been your rep times?-time to taper/sharpen. Easy runs and quick turnover stuff @ current 200/400 pace. Just enough goal pace to get comfortable with it and keep it "dialed", like 4x200 with 200 jog. No draining efforts like 500/600s at goal pace.-I always like an all-out 400 time trial about three days before a goal 800 to sharpen.-In your trial, go out strong the first 100 BUT THEN GET INTO RHYTHM. Don't sprint the first 300. For 1:53, 55-high is an ideal first lap split.

Hopefully under 1:54 wrote:

bump. any thoughts?

toro, weren't you a sub-3:40 guy at some point? Coming off a 2:02 walk-on PR, all I can say is...DAYUM!

Last Lap wrote:

-What have been your rep times?

-time to taper/sharpen. Easy runs and quick turnover stuff @ current 200/400 pace. Just enough goal pace to get comfortable with it and keep it "dialed", like 4x200 with 200 jog. No draining efforts like 500/600s at goal pace.

-I always like an all-out 400 time trial about three days before a goal 800 to sharpen.

-In your trial, go out strong the first 100 BUT THEN GET INTO RHYTHM. Don't sprint the first 300. For 1:53, 55-high is an ideal first lap split.

Hopefully under 1:54 wrote:

bump. any thoughts?

I actually haven't timed much-I lost my watch over the summer and haven't gotten a new one. I used to be completely anal about split times and recoveries and paces-now I realize that effort is really what matters. I can tell a 28 second 200 from a 30 just by feel.

Funny story about that during the last workout. During the 4X200m part I was running them at around 800m pace-quick but under control-and when I finish the 3rd one some guy over by the side of the track says something to me, but it's windy so I don't really hear him-but I thought I heard the word "eleven".

I assume he is talking about the last hundred meters, so I said "what? there's no way that was an eleven." He laughs and responds "it was eleven, I just timed it. It was actually 11.5 down the straightaway." So he was probably timing the last 90m or so, but that is definitely a good sign.

I think the time trial is a good idea. I was talking to the guy who timed my last 90m after the workout, and he's actually a 4:23 miler. He offered to pace me through an 800m time trial which wouldn't be a bad idea-though I'd rather make it a 600m effort instead-maybe around 1:20-1:22 or so. A 400 trial would be good but I feel like I just need to keep extending the distance of how far I can push-I know I can run a hard 400. I know I can run a hard 500. Next comes a 600 with maybe a few other shorter efforts-actually the workout of 600, 400, 2X300, 2X200 sounds perfect.

Alan Webb?

So...how did it go?