Why do women pace the 800m so terribly?

Why does everyone make sweeping generalizations based off of one or two examples without any real trend pointing to their conclusion. Oh wait, that's just you.

i'm not her coach, but here is what I would be thinking

It is the first race of the year, I want you to run the first 400 the same way you will for the championship races.

then hold on the best you can. It will be a learning experience for you and your body to adapt to.

In future races 55 point WON't feel foreign or as difficult, and as the body gets some races in it and continues to adapt, 27/28/29point, 30 point will be possible.

I don't think you get the same adaptation by trying to run closer to even splits. It may not have been the best way to run the fastest possible time at PRE, but it was the best way to run at PRE to run great at the end of the year.

Mood swings are to blame.

Men can run an entire 800 meters on pure hate.

Women can get about 300 meters on pure hate, then they cry and wimper for 200 meters, the next 200 meters is filled with joy and giddy happiness, and then a dramatic flip to intense seething hatred for the final 100 meters.

An expert wrote:

Mood swings are to blame.

Men can run an entire 800 meters on pure hate.

Women can get about 300 meters on pure hate, then they cry and wimper for 200 meters, the next 200 meters is filled with joy and giddy happiness, and then a dramatic flip to intense seething hatred for the final 100 meters.

LOL!!!

An expert wrote:

Mood swings are to blame.

Men can run an entire 800 meters on pure hate.

Women can get about 300 meters on pure hate, then they cry and wimper for 200 meters, the next 200 meters is filled with joy and giddy happiness, and then a dramatic flip to intense seething hatred for the final 100 meters.

Nice

(and no offense to the fairer gender but you have to admit that was funny)

Men screw it up too. It is astonishing to me how often men at the international level (or even collegiate level) go out in 49 - 50. Do they really think that they are about to bust a 1:39? Get a friggin clue!

why do people think everyone can run their best race off even splits? The WR 800 was not on even splits.. not even close

havefun wrote:

why do people think everyone can run their best race off even splits? The WR 800 was not on even splits.. not even close

Because there are no magical meters. Each and every one of the 800 meters counts just the same. There is absolutely no logic to suggest that there is some Peter Pan Pixy dust magical advantage to be gained by running the 2nd 200m in 24 and the last in 28. The same person could run them both in 25.5.

Please see Wottle, Dave.

Montano actually ASKED the rabbit to go out in 55.

She already ran the 10th fastest time ever by a US female in 2010, which was also the fastest time in the world. She missed a medal in Deagu by the smallest margin possible. I don't know if she was going for her PR or Jelimo's world lead in Alysia's first race of the season but she WENT FOR IT.

Alysia Montano is also a 400/800 type, so she is likely to run her best time by pushing the pace harder earlier.

And some distance jogger on a message board presumes to know enough to tell the 5th fastest 800 female this country has ever produced how to run a race?

Go back to you 19 minute 5K.

MS3 Runner wrote:

the equivalent of a guy running 48/55 to hit 1:45.

Guess I'll be the first to point out the bad math.

In my opinion, an ideal 800 has a second lap that's about 105% longer than the first. That would put a 1:57 runner at around 57/60 for an ideal race.

coach d wrote:

And some distance jogger on a message board presumes to know enough to tell the 5th fastest 800 female this country has ever produced how to run a race?

There are plenty of runners on this board who have run 1:57. It ain't THAT fast for men.

I see your point, but unless she's planning on running 1:54, I don't see why one would ever go out in 55, championship race or not. If she went out a second slower I guarantee that she would have run 1:56 this past weekend.

.............................. wrote:

i'm not her coach, but here is what I would be thinking

It is the first race of the year, I want you to run the first 400 the same way you will for the championship races.

then hold on the best you can. It will be a learning experience for you and your body to adapt to.

In future races 55 point WON't feel foreign or as difficult, and as the body gets some races in it and continues to adapt, 27/28/29point, 30 point will be possible.

I don't think you get the same adaptation by trying to run closer to even splits. It may not have been the best way to run the fastest possible time at PRE, but it was the best way to run at PRE to run great at the end of the year.

Their conversion rate from 400m to 800m is crap

Well there is always this wrote:Each and every one of the 800 meters counts just the same. There is absolutely no logic to suggest that there is some Peter Pan Pixy dust magical advantage to be gained by running the 2nd 200m in 24 and the last in 28.

Actually, not all meters in an 800 race are the same. The energy requirements of your body at the start of the race are quite different from when you're fatigued at the end of the race, meaning that if you run even splits, you're NOT distributing your energy/effort evenly throughout the race.

As a result, if you look back at every 800m world record set since the IAAF started keeping records, the first lap is (on average) 2.4 seconds faster than the second lap. Only two records in history have ever been set with negative splits.

Well there is always this wrote:

Because there are no magical meters. Each and every one of the 800 meters counts just the same. There is absolutely no logic to suggest that there is some Peter Pan Pixy dust magical advantage to be gained by running the 2nd 200m in 24 and the last in 28. The same person could run them both in 25.5.

Please see Wottle, Dave.

Most of you point is well take but the first 50 are kind of magical meters due to the use it or lose it properties of ATP. Up to 800 it's worth getting a good first 50 meters in but beyond that the next three 200s should be pretty even.

You don't need to be faster than someone to criticize them. Nevertheless, if they let me compete against the women this summer I'd be a lock for four gold medals. Good enough for you?I'm a fan of Montano and want to see her win gold. But one needs to be realistic with the limits of their body. She's not going to run 1:52, so intentionally going out in 55 for the first 400m seems silly to me.

ummm...try thousands wrote:

coach d wrote:

And some distance jogger on a message board presumes to know enough to tell the 5th fastest 800 female this country has ever produced how to run a race?

There are plenty of runners on this board who have run 1:57. It ain't THAT fast for men.

I have no problem with this. But I feel like most women's 800m that I watch have 5+ second positive splits. I just don't get why they keep doing it that way.

hold the phone wrote:

the first lap is (on average) 2.4 seconds faster than the second lap.

Well there is always this wrote:

havefun wrote:

why do people think everyone can run their best race off even splits? The WR 800 was not on even splits.. not even close

Because there are no magical meters. Each and every one of the 800 meters counts just the same. There is absolutely no logic to suggest that there is some Peter Pan Pixy dust magical advantage to be gained by running the 2nd 200m in 24 and the last in 28. The same person could run them both in 25.5.

Please see Wottle, Dave.

Dont be an idiot. Dave Wottle did not run his PR off of even splits, but he did win the olympics off of it. Montano did not care about the competition, she was going for time.

exactly... but really it depends on the type of runner you are i suppose. But i guarantee you most PR's are set on uneven splits. Now yes I know there are people like Wottle who have won big races from even splitting, but i've also seen rudisha set a world record after going out in about a 48.