800/1500 meter race training plan

I would scrap the weight training. It is going to slow you down.

When you get into the race you will need COURAGE more than anything else. Your training plan should include courage-building exercises. Try a fast 10 mile run twice a week. After you get so you can run the whole 10 miles aggressively try running the first mile as fast as your legs will go (sprint) so you build up a tremendous oxygen debt. When you get into the races being able to overcome oxygen debt will pay off in gold.

Looks like a plan for a 400/800 guy. Most 800/1500 want to do more aerobic development. You are doing a lot of anaerobic work (the hills and sprints). Some quality aerobic work (1-2k intervals, tempo runs) and longer runs (1 ten instead of the 2 fives or even an 8 and 2 mile wm before weights. There are a bunch of studies suggesting much better training effects from 45min workouts versus 35). I would make of on the short sprints a hill workout (short sprints).

Personally I would scrap your plan and do the 60-80 mpw with quality aerobic work and reps and then 12 weeks before start doing the hard anaerobic stuff. But I am definitely more of a 5k/15k guy than 8/15

Half of the year do one hill session (10X60sec hill or a longer session like 6X2:30 hill)) and one strength type workout like mile repeats or tempo. Also do hill sprints, hurdle drills, core work, strides, and mileage 70-90 works best for most people. Then about 3 months of more race specific training, try doing some short hills and then trackwork (6X60sec hill, jog to track and 6X400m) once a week and some speed and strength another day (ie 20 minutes tempo + 5X300m or 4X1200m + 4X400m), maintaining supplemental work. The final quarter of the year is racing, drop mileage by 20% (more in a major race week), only do hillwork in non-race weeks, lower the amount of supplemental training, and make sure to do some long race-pace intervals every once in a while especially before your first race (such as a 1200m time trial followed by some shorter stuff or 3-4X800m). In this phase the training can be modified a bit more to suit the individual but adding more strides to your daily runs and doing a workout at race pace once a week is usually a good bet. This training schedule is focused on the 1500m half of 1500/800m but it should also prepare you to run a pretty decent 800, I'm assuming the 1500m is your main target though.

bump. thanks for all the responses so far.

If you showed this training plan to any coach or athlete outside the USA they would just scratch their head and wonder what you were doing.

Never ceases to amaze me how the americans train.

how fast are you?

How would you do it instead? Criticisim is fine as long as you say what should be done differently.

I am already a decent runner over the 8 and 15 but am looking to take my training to the next level. How do I do that without just increasing mileage?

you don't:)

If you aren't doing more mileage, you need quality aerobic work. Vo2 max intervals (800-1200 at 3k pace) and tempo workouts.

coachless 8:15 guy wrote:

How would you do it instead? Criticisim is fine as long as you say what should be done differently.

I am already a decent runner over the 8 and 15 but am looking to take my training to the next level. How do I do that without just increasing mileage?

>Criticisim is fine as long as you say what should be done differently.

I know, thats why I asked how fast you were.

1:50low and 3:51, although I think I could have gone faster for both, the 1500 in particular. I am not in the best of shape right now however as I am just getting back into it. I probably could not break 1:55 right now.

I want to focus on the 800 more though, as I think I have more potential in that, and I enjoy racing it more.

This might help a little. Obviously he was more focused on a wider range, up to 10k I think in this year, but Im not sure you could go wrong following his plan....

There was some good stuff on here from Canova regarding the 800. Maybe someone can post the link.

As far as the weight training goes I think it is important. Upper body strength will play a big roll in your finish in both of these races, but especially the 8. That being said, DO NOT bulk up, ie, don't max out when doing weights, just do some reps. You will loose smoothness and stamina if you bulk up. Also I would back off the weight training once you get in season...

What exercises would you suggest?

I have heard that many runners (geb included I think) train with light weights but many reps so as not to bulk up. However I have also heard that performing lifting with 3-5 reps max weight doesn't build mass either, just strength. Does anyone know which is true?

coachless 8:15 guy wrote:

What exercises would you suggest?

I have heard that many runners (geb included I think) train with light weights but many reps so as not to bulk up. However I have also heard that performing lifting with 3-5 reps max weight doesn't build mass either, just strength. Does anyone know which is true?

They are both true. The type of lifting that you don't want to do is lifting to failure (another way of "maxing out" like an above poster said to avoid). Light weight (50-70% of maximal weight) with high reps(15+) and maximal weight with 3-5 reps will not bulk you up. The type of lifting that will bulk you up is 80% of maximum weight with 8-12 repititions - Avoid that.

go buy "Winning Running" and "Better Training for Distance Runners" by the late Peter Coe. you'll be glad you did

The hardest thing for the mind to understand is that getting faster is done through an EXCEPTIONALLY simple formula. That is why so many people come up with such complex training plans, that are total rubbish. It's like this...Events over 1:00 in length are increasingly dependent on aerobic capacity.

Aerobic capacity takes years to fully develop. Anaerobic capacity takes weeks. Based on your schedule, you are devoting nearly all your energy to peaking out your anaerobic system and only working on your aerobic system "later in the season".

Instead of seeing yourself as an 800/1500 guy, try to expand your mind and see yourself as an 800/half marathon guy.

No need for sprints, weights, short hills, or easy runs. You do it like this...

Day 1 - 40-60 minutes at HM pace in 8-30 minute intervals.

Day 2 - again.

Day 3 - again.

Day 4 - off, complete rest, no "easy" running, no jogging, no weights, nothing but your regular day-to-day stuff that you do outside of running.

Day 5 - 40-60 minutes at HM pace in 8-30 minute intervals.

Day 6 - again

Day 7 - off

Repeat that for 3 weeks, followed by

Day 1 - off

Day 2 - Race HM

Day 3 - off

Day 4 - off

Day 5 - off

Day 6 - easy run

Day 7 - off

Then start over. It's so f'in simple it's almost disgusting and SOUNDS boring, but in fact it's running at a pace where your only thoughts are on running itself, not so slow that your mind wanders, and not so fast that you are just dying to stop.

You'll get significantly faster. Come back after doing this for two cycles and we'll give that 800 some more attention.