Crazy improvement???

send me $300 via paypal and i'll help you run 1:53

Forgot to add that I'm 5-10 and 115. I've been starting to do push-ups and core as well.

Don't waste you're time, basically you have no chance

has any elite made a crazy jump in the 800 in high school?

A 2:20 800 will NOT allow you to get on the Penn State Track team. You would need to drop, um, :25-:30 to be looked at by Penn State.

I do like your motivation. Those morning runs are a great start! Google search Summer of Malmo to help you build that base with high-end aerobic running & speedwork. This can help lay the foundation for specific middle distance work.

But, honestly, I would look into club running at Penn State. This could be a lot of fun without the pressure of running on the track team.

Finally, if you want an 800 program, grab a Jack Daniels' book for a template to train...AFTER you develop a strong base.

Good luck.

I'm faster than you

A kid on my team went 2:18 to 2:01 in one year, then the next season he ran 1:55 at states.

Bump!

Well your endurance isn't bad, based on your 5k time, but a huge factor is the 800 is speed. Knowing your all out 200m time on a track with spikes is pretty useful. But if those times on the road were all out you definitely will need to work on speed. If a 30 second 200m is you working as hard as you can, then running sub 2 in the 800m would be just about impossible. But with a 25 second 200m, it would definitely be possible, you would just need to work hard to improve your sprint endurance.

How do you improve sprint endurance?

I assume you're running cross country? If not, you want to try as hard as you can to get into it. Also, for the 800 mileage shouldn't really be your main focus (Hinting towards the morning runs you mentioned), you should focus on speed, strength, muscle memory, and such. But, mileage is still important, don't get me wrong. First, focus on this cross country season, I can assure you that if you don't get injured then you'll see improvements from the strength you gain during cross country. Next, I'd say during track if you're wanting to sell out then 1 or 2 morning runs of 4-5 miles a week would definitely help. If you could get your time down to around 2:03-2:05 this year, you'll have a legitimate shot at running in college, even though it may not be your freshman year. Just focus on cross country, and if you keep this thread up to date, I can help you out and I'm sure you'll get some other who are interested in helping out too. Good luck this season, keep me updated.

Thank you so much Tanner! I will keep this thread updated with my training log, and results during the xc season.

How is your rage level when it comes race time?

I don't want to discourage you. I've seen a few HS athletes go from 2:1X as a Soph to sub-2 as a Senior. But that's typically 2:13 +/- to 1:58 +/-. Not 2:20 to 1:53.

You have to understand that Penn State is one of the best MD schools in the country. So, my guess is that you'd have to be sub-1:55 to even get a chance. Maybe lower. Like sub-1:53.

OP,

Our HS sent a 1:56 guy to Penn state a few years back. He ran with the Penn state XC and track clubs. Many of the biggest schools have clubs and many of the clubs are serious enough that they actually have a club nationals.

At the 2:20 and 18:50 level, no one knows what you can do at all. That means no one here can tell you how to train best. You have to start with simple rules like the Summer of Malmo.

http://www.bunnhill.com/BobHodge/rtp3.htm

You have to run once or twice every day. You need to practice running every different speed. You need to do the little things like hydrate, sleep and make sure your diet isn't missing any important nutrients. You need to do some cross training to balance the repetitive motions of running. You can't race your workouts and you have to have recovery days.

You should thing longer term. As a runner gets a little older and stronger he can handle the workloads necessary to bring your times down, but it's not going to necessarily happen quickly. I don't know why Penn State is your goal, but there are many college's that have excellent coaches at all levels DI, DII and DIII who could help you find your true potential.

As a HS sophomore I ran 2:20; Junior - 2:07, and senior - 1:59. The drop in times came from running XC every fall to get stronger from hills and distance running, and from working on speed during indoor/outdoor track. I also worked on strength and power with weights my senior year.

Obviously a 1:59 (or my 16:47 5k PR during XC) wasn't going to get me onto a D-I team so I joined my nearby D-III college program who happened to have a very good coach. By the end of my four years there I was a two-time D-III AA with a 8k PR of 24:08, and a two time national track qualifier with an 800-m PR of 1:51.

You can be a very good runner too, but you can't rush yourself. You have to just train consistently, keep a positive attitude and an open mind.

Ok everybody, this is just a step in getting more base for the 800 come indoor and outdoor. Anyways, today we did a 2 mile warmup, 3 mile cutdown, an 4 x 30 second strides to top it off. It felt easy, but splits were 6:55, 6:45, 6:15. I was holding off a little, and on the 30 second sprints o was passing the 400 oriented guys on our team. Overall, that speed at the end was a big confidence booster, and I'll get back to everyone with my next workout tomorrow.

Today was a 6 mile easy run. We did hill sprints at the end of practice and I was about 30 feet in front of the closest guy. Then, I did an easy 200 meter stride on the track in 32. It honestly felt really refreshing, and it was a very very manageable speed. I felt like I could run that pace for at least 600m. Just thought I would update the thread. Thanks for reading!

Good luck!! I had a good friend who went from 2:15 his soph year to 1:55 his senior year and just missed qualifying for states by a hundreth of a second. He's the most dedicated guy I know and literally ate, breathed, and slept track for three years. He's now at a good D1 program in the northeast.