800 meter ran 2:02 in 8th great. Now senior and high school and now run 2:01.91

Get into a competitive well paced race at your season peak.

What training did you do in 8th grade?

What training are you doing now?

How long have you been training?

Injuries?

Alan

It is clear you were physically mature in 8th grade. It happens less often with boys, but sometimes as boys get more mature through high school, they get slower or just stagnate. This is why I always say that middle school times don't predict high school times.

Unless you are now fat or not training or lifting too much so that you are too muscled, there's not much you can do. We all have our ceilings.

I hardly improved either. 2:02 is very fast for 8th. I was a little slower on both ends. I had good speed and lousy endurance. We never did enough miles or off-season work.

2:02 in 8th grade? Um, no. You ran 2:02 for 600m probably. Or 2:20 not 2:02. You're definitely confused about some numbers somewhere here.

As far as improving now, what are your 400m and mile/1600/1500 PBs? That will tell if you need to work on speed, endurance, or both.

No I am dead serious. I ran 2:02 in 8th grade. I even have a video. My 400 pr is 54 and my 1600 pr is 4:41 however I haven’t ran the 1600 since May 2019 and that was almost 2 years ago.

How has your training progressed since 8th grade? Have you improved in other events?

Move up to the 1600 for a while, go sub 4:30, then try the 800 again

Plateaus happen but just keep pushing and focus on being a competitor first, and your times will come

nichkania1 wrote:

I have literally only improved by decimals of a second. What the hell am I supposed to do to move to the next level? I tried lifting and that did minimal help. What do I do that would make the 2nd 400 more easy to run fast. What got me the 2:01 was 58 and 63. How do I make that 2nd lap quicker? Thanks

Why did you stop lifting? That's a staple of middle distance runners. You need a plan that you will stick to over a long-term period of time to improve.

FORGET your 8th grade time and worry solely about your current times and how to improve.

I understand the frustration. Heres an idea.

Have a staple weekly track workout. Mine was 2x4x200m at 400m pace, 2:30 rest in between reps and 4 between sets. It hurt but I always recovered well.

Pick YOUR workout and make sure you get a little faster every few weeks. If you don't, force it (race the workout). Then look at your other workouts and understand that one or more of them is not being run hard enough

Mr. Crankypants wrote:

2:02 in 8th grade? Um, no. You ran 2:02 for 600m probably. Or 2:20 not 2:02. You're definitely confused about some numbers somewhere here.

As far as improving now, what are your 400m and mile/1600/1500 PBs? That will tell if you need to work on speed, endurance, or both.

I second this, despite your assertions otherwise.

So, what were your 400 and 1600/mile PRs at the same time as your 8th grade 2:02? Did run any competitive 200s? Did you, have you run cross country? If you want to tell a story, then tell the damn story.

Meh. wrote:

Mr. Crankypants wrote:

2:02 in 8th grade? Um, no. You ran 2:02 for 600m probably. Or 2:20 not 2:02. You're definitely confused about some numbers somewhere here.

As far as improving now, what are your 400m and mile/1600/1500 PBs? That will tell if you need to work on speed, endurance, or both.

I second this, despite your assertions otherwise.

So, what were your 400 and 1600/mile PRs at the same time as your 8th grade 2:02? Did run any competitive 200s? Did you, have you run cross country? If you want to tell a story, then tell the damn story.

Its quite possible. I ran 2:06 years ago and was nobody special. I know several local kids who have run 2 flat-2:02 in 8th grade in recent years.

2q45235 wrote:

Meh. wrote:

I second this, despite your assertions otherwise.

So, what were your 400 and 1600/mile PRs at the same time as your 8th grade 2:02? Did run any competitive 200s? Did you, have you run cross country? If you want to tell a story, then tell the damn story.

Its quite possible. I ran 2:06 years ago and was nobody special. I know several local kids who have run 2 flat-2:02 in 8th grade in recent years.

The nice thing about middle school is it's a lot easier to say things but not have to back it up, because middle school record keeping is worse than regular record keeping...which ITSELF can become a bit of a joke.

But absolutely, I'm sure you've got handfuls of 2:01 800m "local" 8th graders. I've also got some 4.2 40 yard dash kids I'd like to show you, as well...

Meh. wrote:

The nice thing about middle school is it's a lot easier to say things but not have to back it up, because middle school record keeping is worse than regular record keeping...which ITSELF can become a bit of a joke.

But absolutely, I'm sure you've got handfuls of 2:01 800m "local" 8th graders. I've also got some 4.2 40 yard dash kids I'd like to show you, as well...

Well, in 5 minutes of looking here are 2 locals (I live in the DC area) and these aren't even among the 3 that I first thought of. Nevermind the 1:5X guys that beat them... And I also didn't say "handfuls".

Event 68 Boys 800 Meter Run 14 years old

==========================================================================

National: N 1:51.23 8/3/2016 Brandon Miller, O Fallon, MO

Name Year Team Finals Alternate

==========================================================================

Finals

1 Miles Brown 03 Southfield, MI 1:58.68

2 Cade Flatt 03 Benton, KY 1:59.94

3 Ryan Moore 03 Randallstown, MD 2:01.75

4 Luke Tewalt 03 Washington, DC 2:02.69

9/10

2q452... wrote:

Meh. wrote:

The nice thing about middle school is it's a lot easier to say things but not have to back it up, because middle school record keeping is worse than regular record keeping...which ITSELF can become a bit of a joke.

But absolutely, I'm sure you've got handfuls of 2:01 800m "local" 8th graders. I've also got some 4.2 40 yard dash kids I'd like to show you, as well...

Well, in 5 minutes of looking here are 2 locals (I live in the DC area) and these aren't even among the 3 that I first thought of. Nevermind the 1:5X guys that beat them... And I also didn't say "handfuls".

Event 68 Boys 800 Meter Run 14 years old

==========================================================================

National: N 1:51.23 8/3/2016 Brandon Miller, O Fallon, MO

Name Year Team Finals Alternate

==========================================================================

Finals

1 Miles Brown 03 Southfield, MI 1:58.68

2 Cade Flatt 03 Benton, KY 1:59.94

3 Ryan Moore 03 Randallstown, MD 2:01.75

4 Luke Tewalt 03 Washington, DC 2:02.69

Hmmm. I guess you're right then. When I was 14 I ran a 2:03.5 and my coaches never had me even ATTEMPT to run at such a big meet. So I guess it IS pretty common, maybe I wasnt even good enough for it?

Personally, I basically quit running 800s after 14. I'm glad they never sent me to such a meet, it was hard enough as it was to convince them to stop having me run it.

Well, thanks for responding. Its a rare day on LRC when someone responds with an honest 'I guess I was mistaken'.

Seriously, I coach and have kids myself that run so I've seen a lot of 800s in the last decade. Sub 2:05 is still quite unusual before HS, but it definitely happens and a few get near or under 2, and then the Brandon Millers of the world..

The other guys I know were roughly

~2:00 ---> 1:54 ish

Low 2 ---> 1:55 ish

2:01--->1:56 and he is still in HS

So none became 1:50 guys or anything.

You may have made the right choice.

I was 14 as a freshman in HS, sadly. I have a mid summer bday, so it's always had a weird effect on where I fit with most other athletes/grades. I went 2:09 in 8th as a 13 yo.

There was a kid who was the same class as me who ran 1:48 as a senior in high school. I didn't know of him until I had finally made the switch to sprints later on in HS. Supposedly he was running 52s in the 400 in 8th grade back when I was running 54s in 8th and thought I was hot ish. But I'm not sure I ever heard what/if he was running 800s in when he was in 8th grade. I guess he must have been capable of the low 2:02/2:01 zone, as I went 2:09 when I was running 54 and I went 2:03ish when I was doing 52s over 400 at 14.

I think he might have been more of a sprinter when HE was in middle school/8th. Lucky him.

Sounds like my 10th grade to 12th grade progression.

I’d guess I basically had most of track speed maturity by 10th grade. Then I trained the same foe three years and sped up about 1 second each year.

I’m convinced that if I’d known them what I know now, I’d have been about 5 seconds faster. Most of that know how would have been about how to run higher mileage without getting hurt.