Craziest 800 work outs

well, I guess you beat in the "worst racer in history" category...

well said (who else is on this guy on a friday night)? sorry, man, but i just can't believe it.

No, I agree with you. I wouldn't believe it either and I couldn't understand why I was not running faster when my workouts clearly "stated" otherwise. At the time, I did what I was told without question, but paid for it when it matter the most....a lot of runners fall into that trap.

Guy, who were the 1.44 guys you spoke too….Just curious?

well then my apolgies (if true). that is an insane workout, the best i have heard of

My high school buddy Patrick Ndururi has a 1.42.62 to his name…he did a couple of 1.17 while a watched in awe…A well conditioned 1.47 guy can easily do 4*600 in 1.21 easily.

He was told me some very interesting and funny stories. While training in the UK late pre season he traveled to Germany and sneaked in the track where Wilson Kipketer was working out. By the way the guy worked out solo. At the time Kip was half way done…when he say the guy he stopped whatever he was doing and left….He can’t figure it out to date why the dude left halfway his workout.

iten, some runners are like that. I do my workouts solo because I tend to start "racing" against my training partners and I don't much like training when others are "watching." :)

I hear you....Do you still run?

yeah, but rarely race now. I'm at an age where I get "satisfaction" from working out. However, I do not do those college workout any more :)

I am retired...lol...Working part time on bringing young gifted talent from Kenya to race in the States and Europe.

For example, I have a track workout tomorrow. I now train in racing flats and my workout go as follows:

1 mile warm-up in 6:00 - 6:30

800m pace in 2:08 - 2:15 (depending on how I feel)

400m jog (no more than 2 minute rest)

2-3x400m at pace in 62-66 with 200m jog in-between

3-6x200m at 28-30 with 100m jog in-between

1-2 mile cool-down...

xiphiasRunner wrote:

Zuzu, that's not true. Coe was notorious for doing 4's and 6's at faster than race pace with little rest.

Well, we have published reports of 6 x 400m in 51-52 with huge recoveries of 5 minutes (Better Training for Distance Runners, p. 376) and 6 x 800m with an average of 1:52 and a final rep of 1:49 (forget original source, perhaps T&FN magazine or a BMC newsletter) with unspecified recovery periods (one source says recoveries of 2 minutes). Presumably the first of those sessions was not all-out; rather it was likely some pace familiarity work coming about two weeks prior to the Los Angeles Olympics. If the latter session is for real, it would be similar to 4 x 600m in 1:20 or faster with 90 seconds rests. In fact, the 6 x 800m might be harder, so the 4 x 600m is certainly possible, but it would be a legendary workout which would be reported along with the 6 x 800m in 1:52. And this refers to Coe, a 1:41+ runner. For a 1:47+ runner, it borders on the unbelievable!

It's difficult to imagine anyone running 4 x 600m at 1,000m PR pace, let alone at 800m pace, with recovery periods of 90 seconds. I have known several 800m specialists with PRs of exactly 1:47, and not one could perform even 3 x 600m in 1:20 without taking about 3 minutes for recovery. Two 1:20s with 90 seconds rest would be a killer for these guys. Think about it - most 800m runners consider 4 x 400m at pace with 2-3 minutes rest to be very challenging.

I did a similiar workout but it was only 5 x 400m w/ 1:30 sec jog recovery all had to be under 55 seconds or you continued til you had 5 under the 55 seconds. I ran 53, 52, 54, 53, 51 and did 1 1/2 mile warmdown. I was walking off the track and saw my close friend Clevon Clair walking on and he asked if I would help him and I end up running another 5 x 400m and we didn't have to do any extra as they were all under 55.

VIPAM

Zuzu, well put and very true. A 4x400m at 51-52 with 2-3 minute recovery is actually a "common" workout for 800m and miler runners. However, as "unbelievable" as it "may" seem, a runner who has run a 1:15 600m PR should not have a problem running 3-4 600m in (at most) 80 seconds with 90 seconds of rest. Go hard for first 400 and pace the last 200m. The recovery actually starts at the final 200m and extends to the 90 seconds. As for the "elite" 800m runners, I was at the University of Florida for a meet one year and the day before, I saw Mark Everett (early 90's) and others running 4's and 6's. I asked what they were running them in and the 4's were in 50 flat and the 6's were no slower than 1:18 (they were doing 6,4,6,4,6,4) with 60 seconds rest in-between the 6 and 4 and 90 to 120 seconds between the 4 and 6. I could not believe what I was witnessing but it's true.

I had alot of crazy workouts but most was when I was running during summer school no offical training. Me and my teammates who stayed and went to summer school would go and do crazy workouts, some of my teammates wouldn't do the workouts with me they would just watch:

20 x 400m all under 65 seconds w/ 400m jog

1200m 3:11, 4 x 200m under 25 seconds and my "cooldown" 6 miles on the track in spikes sub 5:40 (got chewed out for that later)

the craziest was a 12 mile running around an airport with mile markers and my shin started hurting at 6 1/2 miles (6:30 pace) so I thought I'll give them something to hurt for and ran the last 5 1/2 hard (5:25-5:30 pace).

VIPAM

Vipam, I bet you felt pretty "good" after that workout. :) I know the pain you felt. And if you didn't feel any "pain," you're a better man than me. :)

xiphiasRunner

which workout are you talking about? Last workout I'm gonna post the one that few posters believe:

500m.....1:02.3 (jog recovery 3-5 minutes)

300m.....35.0

Douglas K. beat me in the 500m he ran 1:01.5 but I had the fastest 300m

VIPAM

4x400 @80% with 5 min rest 48sec, 48sec, 49sec,49sec