Sub 1:50 800m Training

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faivala wrote:
Some feedback / results of self experimenting with the interval based method... aerobic and cardiovascular capacity skyrocketed. Started with training back in october 19 after 4 years of doing nothing. I run mostly on trails or a soccer field, managed to remain "almost" 100% injury free. I am training on average 5 times a week, sometimes more if work allows for it. Lock down has not been that hard, thus was able to keep training albeit w/o pool or gym nor track.

Oct - Dec:

3x8x100m w/ jogback recovery @ 18s-19s
15x100m w/ 20s standing rest @ 18s-19s
3x5x150m w/ 35s standing rest
2x8x200m w/ jogback recovery (38s, 1m15 jog back)
3x3x300m w/ 1m standing rest, anywhere between 52s-56s depending on how was feeling.

As a rule of thumb, 50% was jog back recovery, 50% standing recovery.

2/3x weekly 6-8km continuous run at 5:15-4:50/km pace.

For workouts warm up always 3km jog, cool down 1,5km. Max km / week 40km, average 30km.

1 x week swim with 30s on / 30s off, in a 3x6 schema. Kept this until lockdown in March.

Jan - Mar:
Started with KitKats 400m trainings. For those unfamiliar with it, it includes stuff like:

4x3x150m 1st rep jog back, 2nd walk, 3rd jog as "aerobic work"
300+50-40-30 / 200-40-30-20 /100m-40-30-20 ladders for lactic capacity
300+150, 150+150 with long recoveries
3x3x300 w/ 1 min rec standing

Was hitting the 150s anywhere between 21,0s and 24,0s on grass from standing. The training is very hard and I did not even try the hill sprinting it includes, also reduced these sessions to once per week.

Added quickly SE1 work like 3x4x50m w/ 1:45-2:30 rest since had trouble hitting 13s in 100m from standing (!). Pure interval work limited to these SE1 split runs (HR always at 140 after pauses) and recovery days. Is a good way to work on speed when no indoors available and temperature bellow freezing...

Also started with speed bounding and more lifting work.

"Easy days" 2 or 3x6x100m @ 17-20s w/ 20 sec standing recovery depending on how was feeling. Never two hard days in a row. As much as possible on grass, no indoors available. Warm ups for workouts still about 2,5kg jog.

Average km / week 25

Results in 6 months, being 29yo:
BW: 82kg -› 79kg
HR rest: 55 bpm -› 46 bpm
Warm up pace (while fresh): 5:30m/km —› 4:45/km
"Pain barrier" -› 4:35m/km –› 3:50m/km
6x150 from standing on grass: 28s w/40s standing rest -› 26s w/20s standing rest
8x200 w/ 2 min rec from standing on grass: (january -› april) 33s [email protected] after rec-› 27s, [email protected] after rec
300m @ 42s: required pause went from 8 minutes to 3 minutes until next rep
3x300m w/1 min walking rec, from standing track: 53s -› 48s (did not push it hard in april, I think 47,0s is doable)
3x6x100m from standing on grass, 40s recovery: 18,0s -› 15,0
Standing 150m on track and spikes: 20,0s (january -› april)-› 18,6s
50m fly w/ 15m run in on track and spikes: (january -› may) 6,00s -› 5,4s
Squat: 3x6x90kg -› 4x120kg

Worth to mention that 8 years ago I was able to run 100m in 11.10 FAT and the 50m flys in under 5s... while my speed is down I would say by 10% as an effect of age and lazyness, my recovery times are down by 50% wrt the times when I was actively training.
Especialy during these lactic workouts I am unable to feel the lactic acid burning as I used too. I think my speed is down that much and my aerob capacity up that I am not able to hit speeds high enough... BTW I hate continuous slow running, so I think that my "pain barrier" actually could be faster than stated here with some weeks of preparation.

Also, I think that most of the speed regains are from remembering again how to coordinate my legs at speed, rather than from the training itself.

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