800m predictions

Bump

I'd say you have the speed to run sub2, running a 58 first lap will probably feel reasonably relaxed for you, for me breaking 2 for the first time, it was the speed endurance getting around the last 300m. You maybe need to lose a second or two from the second session (4 x 400s) and third session (8 x 300s) listed. On the other hand the right race outdoors (weather and tactics depending) might be a second or two quicker too.

Another good session is sets of 4 x 200m off 30 secs - I think I used to do 2 or 3 sets, and by the 3rd or 4th rep you're working up a lot of lactic and getting that feeling of finishing the race.

Best of luck

1.500(8)-400(7)-300(5)-200(3)-100

Does that mean you did 8 x 500 in 75, 7 x 400 in 58, and 5 x 300 in 45? Because if so, you should run about 1:55

Right now you are close. 2:01

the workout that you can work on is the 4X 400. I would want to see the last two cut down. 59, 57 Use the 5 min recovery to keep loose. first two run them relaxed and they should feel easy. The last two your legs feel a bit heavy. Those are the ones to attack with quick starts and power to your goal time.

Good luck

EShopeful wrote:

I am a 15 year old boy (16next month) and am hoping to run sub 2 in the next month, and then ultimately 158 by June to go to English schools.

My current PB is 203 (indoor) but I did even splits and felt by national indoors (2 weeks later) I was in 201 shape.

Recently I've done the following quality sessions:

1.500(8)-400(7)-300(5)-200(3)-100 in

75,58,45,29,14

2. 4x400 5 min rec in 60,61,62,62

3. 8x300 1 min rec in 48,48,47,47,47,47,48,45 on grass

4. 6x200 5 min rec all in 27

I've also come off a good cross country season averaging 5k races in 5:45 per mile pace.

So what do you think I can run for 800 at the moment? I think I need a bit more speed...

All of those workouts confirm that you are not in sub 2 shape at this moment. I would say 2:01/2 right now. But, if you keep working hard there is no reason you can't go sub 2 by the end of the season. Good luck!

The brackets are the recovery in mins.

I'll try the 200 workout and the 4x400 one again by my race in 2 weeks time

Your 200 workout has far too much rest. Try doing them with 1 minute or even 30 seconds rest. The 200's as you have them are just helping your speed, 5 minutes is excessive recovery for an 800m runner looking to build the necessary pain threshold to deal with effectively 4x200's at pace with 0 seconds recovery. That being said, I think the 2:02-Sub @2:00 jump is certainly doable, and with the right training and a good race, I can see it on the cards in the next few months :)

The aim for those 200s was to increase speed

Are these workouts done solo or with a group?

Why are you doing the specific intensity that you are running. i.e. why are you running 27's, etc.? The intensity (Date Pace/goal pace) should be based on what you have run (DP) progressing to what you want to run (GP).

If you really want to know - do a simulation of 500 m(35-40sec recovery) 300m, aiming for 1.15/45 for a 2 minute 800m.

I agree with the above poster, that you also need some shorter recovery sessions (4 x 200m with 30sec recovery)). This helps with lactate buffering, as opposed to the lactate tolerance (longer recoveries) sessions which you are doing, other than the 8x 300m (1min recovery) - which are at 1500m GP?

caryy on wayward son wrote:

Are these workouts done solo or with a group?

Why are you doing the specific intensity that you are running. i.e. why are you running 27's, etc.? The intensity (Date Pace/goal pace) should be based on what you have run (DP) progressing to what you want to run (GP).

If you really want to know - do a simulation of 500 m(35-40sec recovery) 300m, aiming for 1.15/45 for a 2 minute 800m.

I agree with the above poster, that you also need some shorter recovery sessions (4 x 200m with 30sec recovery)). This helps with lactate buffering, as opposed to the lactate tolerance (longer recoveries) sessions which you are doing, other than the 8x 300m (1min recovery) - which are at 1500m GP?

I agree with the lactate buffering stuff, but the 200s were purely all out - speed work.. They just happened to all be at 27 (ranging from 27.1 - 27.9) which I think shows ive got good speed endurance but not great pure speed.

I run all my reps at my goal targets depending on the length of the sessions, eg if I'm doing 4x400 I'll try and aim for all 60 as that's what I want to run. If I'm doing 10x400 I'll do them at 67-68 as that's what I want to run for 1500. Some sessions I run in the middle of these paces just for good measure

The sessions are run on my own

Bumpidybump

Not sure, about 2.00

Thanks

"I agree with the lactate buffering stuff, but the 200s were purely all out - speed work."

Your have the age-old problem of seeing 200m intervals as 'speed work'. This is incorrect-they are speed-endurance work. You will not run a faster 200m, and therefore a faster 800, with this approach.

You need to work the speed side from the ground up. First, get a competent sprint coach and develop general athleticism, acceleration, and max velocity (no more than 7/8 seconds of intense work with full recovery). This is your 'speed base'.

Then extend that out with longer reps with full recovery. Eg 200m pace reps are like 4x150m all-out with up to 10min rest. This morphs into Special Endurance 1, say 4x250m all-out with up to 12min rest, and SE2 like 2x50sec very hard with 20min rest.

At the same time as you build the 'speed base' you acquire a multi-level 'endurance base' starting from easy running, through shorter, faster 'effort runs', to your long intervals at 5/3k pace. Some believe that 10k pace ('cruise') high-end aerobic intervals are useful to do year long. Even Snell considered this the one change he would make now.

Having got an endurance base, and simultaneously, got as fast as you can (the 'pure speed' you refer to), and having extending that pace out as far as you can in single bursts with the full-rest reps, you can do whatever sort of partial-rest 8 and 15 pace reps you like to build up the ability to withstand acidosis. Of course racing itself is the most specific of all. Your BMC did a study that showed five 8 or five 1500 races were necessary before a peak performance.

Good advice as usual from LisG.

That 4 x 400 session is a great specific one. Try them on 4 min rests, working down to 3. At 4 mins rest, they should be at your 800 race pace.

if you did them with 4-5 mins rest and averaged 61, then I think that's your 800 race pace right now.

And you definitely need to work on your pure speed. Get a proper sprint coach as LIG said. If you want speed, train speed. Remember, the faster you are, the more comfortable the first lap will feel at a particular pace.

As a general statement - in base work both ends, then work your way into the middle.

ok ill take that into account. I have been doing 50m sprints at the ends of sessions all winter and have certainly noticed an increase in my ability to kick and generaly speed - I did this session last year and did them all n 29. I guess I just need to do more of this stuff at the end of sessions and start increasing it to 80m then 100 etc... thanks

Last night I did 2 sets of 500,400,300,200 with 2 min between reps and 4 min between sets in trainers and at a pace that I felt I could have picked up quite a bit. My times were:

79.4,64.1,48.9,31.4

80.0,65.1,48.8,30.5

Views?

Your 400's and 500's are definitely on par for that type of work-out, and the time you want for your 800m. It would be better to see 46's at least for your 300's and 29's for your 200's, at least two low 30's.