800m training plan

I dont really have a plan for you, but getting in the weight room and doing the right off season workouts is key. What kind of mileage are you at? Lets start with that

32 building to 52.

If you haven't gotten to ~ 45 mpw before, I'd be kinda wary making the jump right up to 50+. also depends on how old you are, if you're a sophomore then you'd want to be more patient than if you're a bit older and have been training longer. I'll also say that there isn't any training plan that is guaranteed to get you to sub 2, especially since your PR is 15 seconds away from that. I'd first set your sights at hitting 2:08 in an actual 800, then sub 2:04 then start worrying about 1:59.

as to the actual training, the basic frame work I believe in for training 800m runners is pretty straight forward. for the winter, every week you want to hit one session that is aimed at developing your speed, and another that is aimed to improve your aerobic ability. fill the rest of the days in with mileage of 4-6 miles and one day of 7-10 miles. do some sort of strength training, whichever you feel most comfortable with, I recommend plyos and lifting. lift on the same days as workouts if time allows, but do plyos as their own day. take a day off once a week if you need it, if not then just take one when you start feeling tired. do strides at least once a week. every 3 weeks or so replace your speed workout of the week with a workout run at roughly current 800 or mile pace. if you've got indoor track in your state, run a few races just to see where you're at but don't take too much from them.

as to the actual workouts, that will kinda depend on the weather of your state and the availability for you to sprint indoors. if you're in warm weather, or have access to some kind of indoor facility (even the halls of school work if you're allowed), then do stuff like 6x40-60m all out. rest ~ 1 minute for every 10m you run. start at 40m and progress the session to 60m later in the winter. if its not too snowy or cold, you can replace this session with 6x8-10'' hill sprints with 4-6 minutes rest. for the aerobic work, I like to rotate between a tempo session (either broken up or continuous) and some kind of vO2 workout. 5-6x800s or 1ks @ 5k pace, or even a fartlek like 10-12x 1 minute on/off. the 800 and mile paced work can be kept pretty simple. 150s, 200s, and 300s at current 800 pace +/- 1.5 seconds in medium volume (2 sets of 3-5 reps) with 2-3 minute rest OR 300s and 400s at mile pace with 60-90 seconds rest. maybe 8-10 reps. that'll get you most the way there in my book, but it is largely predicated on you having access to some kind of track or training facility through the winter. just do something that keeps you fit and won't get you hurt and you'll be golden, regardless of specifics.

Don’t go to 52 miles per week, that’s an injury waiting to happen. In the 800m, mileage is important but being able to survive the workouts and do them effectively is MUCH more important.

I’d say get to 40, and if you wanna add more, do an elliptical or bike double.

To get better at the 800m, you need to give yourself better aerobic endurance, muscular endurance, and pure muscular speed/power.

During base, I think it’s good to touch all three of those aspects once every 7-10 days.

For aerobic endurance, you are searching for that breathing hard general discomfort in the body feeling. I like to do things like 12x400m w/400m jog rest, 5-6x800m w/2:30 standing rest, or 2x2 miles w/ 800m jogging rest when training for 800m. For you, those 400s should be in 1:13-1:16, those 800s should be in 2:34-2:39, and those 2 miles could be anywhere between 11:00-12:00 depending on the type of running you did during XC.

Then we have sheer muscular endurance. This will get you breathing pretty good, but the main source of discomfort will shift to that burning in the legs sensation. Instead of worrying about taking short rest to get the best stimulus, the emphasis should be on running well on each rep for the best stimulus. Something like 6-8x150m in spikes at 95% effort or 300m repeats at goal 800m pace, 44-46 for you right now, starting with 4 and working up to 5-6 by the time the season comes. 8x200m in 28-29 seconds. Maybe once every 5 weeks or so, 3x400m where you run just about as fast as you can each rep, with as much rest as you want. My squad had 48-52 second guys averaging 52-55 for this workout, with the first rep just 1-2 seconds off our PRs, not easy, but essential for a fast 800m. You can also jumble it all together to make a ladder workout where you do something like 100m-150m-200m-250m-300m, maybe even take it up to 400m if you are brave.

For raw power/speed, 4-6 50-150m hill sprints up a moderate to steep hill, flying 30s and 50s (can be hard to explain on here, just look up a youtube video on how to do them). Plyometrics and weight lifting are also super important for development here, make sure you are doing it 2-3 times a week, even if it’s just a few sets of squats or lunges or box jumps after your workouts.

Thanks!

Thank you!