Critique my winter training plan for the 800

Should you grant open access to the spreadsheet for viewers?

Thanks for letting me know it should work now

bump

Run a hard 400m effort instead of strides maybe once every other week. It’ll help with speed endurance and help set a bench mark for where your fitness is at.

This is also just personal preference for me, but I believe moderate running is of the devil for middle distance runners. 6:30 pace or whatever you consider moderate doesn’t help you run 4:00 pace and you won’t get the same recovery benefits of running slower. I’d say take your long runs easy and enjoy them, maybe close the last 400-800 hard if you want some effort. Your sessions are your best friends when training for 800-mile so make sure you are fresh for them both mentally and physically. I’m an 800 guy with 15:4x current 5k fitness and all of my easy runs are at about 7:20-7:40 pace. Seriously. Take it easy!

I am no expert on 800m training by far, but have some observations of what it can look like in Norway, based on the Ingebrigtsen model. 1500 and 800 are in my view quite different since the aerobic component of 1500 is much larger than in 800. Still the aerobic need in 800 is big.

The Ingebrigtsen model is around a lot of training around threhold reps at a lactate corresponding to what a 2h or 1h race pace would be. The paces are dictated by the rep length so if short, the pace can even approach their 3k pace. This is not tempo pace, but it is at least intensity control. They have one "1500m" or anaerobic workout a week in the base phase which is the 2x10x200m hill workout at "1500m" effort.

If one approaches 800m training from this model, the threshold rep lengths could be reduced even more, to increase the pace. Also the anaerobic workout should mimic the 800m effort or pace directly.

Obviously 800m needs more speed and power so pure speed and lifting would be needed.

So based on this:

1 workout as Easy threshold effort, like 2-4min reps with 30-60s jog rest = total of 30-45min fast running. 2h race effort (to exchange the moderate run)

1 workout as Threshold, like 60-90s with 30s jog rest = total of 25-40min fast running. 1h race pace effort (to exchange the tempo run)

1 specific workout like 10x30s with 45s jog rest @1200->1000m pace and then 10x30s with 75s jog rest @800->600 pace

1 easy day with 8-12x10-15s hill sprints

1 easy day with 5-10x100-150m speed reps

2 days of leg strength.

Well had a look and the first thing I would ask is what is youg goal time?

Your training is missing many components. I don't think you have any idea of what your doing and that is why having a coach is so important.

Here is a sample sample week of a few of my athletes who have run 1:49 and 1:50 in 2021. One of these athletes is a junior and the other a senior runner who has been running for 4 years. Always good to have context.

Monday OFF

Tuesday 5k of 200on/300 float + 4x200 at 1500m pace with 100m walk

Wednesday 40-50 minute run

Thursday 8x60m hill sprints with walk recovery + 15 min threshold (3:20k pace)

Friday easy 30 min jog

Saturday 11k progressive run (last 4k at threshold)

Sunday 18k easy

Our championships are in March 2022

Advice would be to include more hills and hill sprints. We run over a hilly 10-11k circuit every two weeks.

As we get closer to beginning of season 300m hill lactate tolerance sessions do wonders for running a fast 800m. Good luck!

Wow, you're a terrible coach. I feel bad for your athletes. I don't think you have any idea what your doing.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Knowing his athletes' results he is probably laughing uncontrollably at your post like I am! xD

I think the above poster makes good suggestions and what are your current PRs vs goal PRs? How much did you run last year? All important questions.

5679 wrote:

uh okay? wrote:

Wow, you're a terrible coach. I feel bad for your athletes. I don't think you have any idea what your doing.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Knowing his athletes' results he is probably laughing uncontrollably at your post like I am! xD

with terrible workouts like those i'm 100% certain those times are made up

No sorry mate those times are for real. If you need some help with your running let me know.

I coach a few other athletes that are pretty handy over other distances but this is an 800m thread.

If you check out U20 Athletics Australia 800m results my 1:50.05 guy is in there.

Cheers

Your plan is very basic and missing many components needed for an 800m. It’s more of a 10k base training plan if anything. I would just copy the program the poster named coachc posted. You could do that same schedule every week and see good results

coahc wrote:

No sorry mate those times are for real. If you need some help with your running let me know.

I coach a few other athletes that are pretty handy over other distances but this is an 800m thread.

If you check out U20 Athletics Australia 800m results my 1:50.05 guy is in there.

Cheers

Oh wow with indisputable proof like that what can I say? How could someone make that up? Lol troll.

Why would I want help from someone who advocates for hill sprints before a 15 minute threshold run? Such a terrible workout. Clearly you have no idea what "your" talking about.

I think Warhurst from Michigan does a similar workout

Tell Hobbs and Ferlic to pack it up

coahc - this is the off season workout right?

I am in no way a "great example" of 800m training, but I read all 72 pages of the sub 1:50 thread. I think the Gags + Centro training listed in the thread is great and scaled down it could help inspire and add to your plan

M - basic distance and 6*200 (slow-med-fast)x2

Tu - 5*800-1000 with 400m jog cutting down

W - basic distance and drills

Th - Steady 20-30 min tempo

F - basic distance and drills (mentioned before), or 5-10x a 10-20 second hill repeat swith 2-3min rest (cycle every week)

Sat - 80-90 minutes

Sun - Off, or short distance, basic distance

_______

I took the original schedule, shortened the long run and moved it a day, added an off day that you could also run a shorter run or a normal distance run, I like to do 13/14 days. Also merged the hills into Friday, which you could do on a two week cycle.

On the 5x800-1000 you should try and cut down all the reps, cut down type workouts help translate into 800m racing. The once a week 6x200 is good for keeping the fast twitch muscles simulated and maintained.

I see you have your long run on Monday so you can always merge this into your own schedule. But this is a proven elite schedule scaled down for you. I hope what ever you do, you stick to it and believe in it. Good luck.

Will Elise be having a party?

uh okay? wrote:

coahc wrote:

No sorry mate those times are for real. If you need some help with your running let me know.

I coach a few other athletes that are pretty handy over other distances but this is an 800m thread.

If you check out U20 Athletics Australia 800m results my 1:50.05 guy is in there.

Cheers

Oh wow with indisputable proof like that what can I say? How could someone make that up? Lol troll.

Why would I want help from someone who advocates for hill sprints before a 15 minute threshold run? Such a terrible workout. Clearly you have no idea what "your" talking about.

*you're

Wow, did you not see the quotation marks? I was quoting their original snarky post

coahc wrote:

Your training is missing many components. I don't think you have any idea of what your doing and that is why having a coach is so important.