If my competition phase is about one month long, should i be dropping the tempo runs to work on more intensity and allow for more recovery? Or are they too important for the 800m runner to drop completely during that time?
Please offer insight if you know the science behind the event/training.
I'm not a high-mileage 800 runner. I usually focus more on the speed side.
bump
800 meter running wrote:
If my competition phase is about one month long, should i be dropping the tempo runs to work on more intensity and allow for more recovery? Or are they too important for the 800m runner to drop completely during that time?
Please offer insight if you know the science behind the event/training.
I'm not a high-mileage 800 runner. I usually focus more on the speed side.
I think you need a training program and a coach.
Wow. That was insightful.
Thanks for the words of wisdom, but that's not what I was asking for. I have a training program, and I am my own coach.
I'm actually looking for knowledge here - I was doing threshold work leading up to my competition phase, but I've pretty much decided to drop it. I'm just wondering if that's a bad idea though.
I'd like to know how many successful 800m runners keep tempo runs (either long or short) through their last competition phase of the year (I'm sure it's worth it to keep them during indoors, but what about outdoors).
I would bet that the majority of 800 runners will at the very least drastically reduce the amount of work that do at/around "tempo" pace. If you're looking for over-distance work, consider repeats of 400-1200 at 3k-5k pace, but for the most part the idea is to focus on resting and racing, particularly if you've done the work leading up to the competition phase of your season. Hay's in the barn and all that.
I don't know the answer, but I'm wondering if there is any reason for marathoners to do 200s, 400s, and even 800s? For the opposite reasons, it seems like at no point besides the last .2 am I going to be going anywhere near those paces
fesdesd wrote:
I don't know the answer, but I'm wondering if there is any reason for marathoners to do 200s, 400s, and even 800s? For the opposite reasons, it seems like at no point besides the last .2 am I going to be going anywhere near those paces
CLASSIC.
And in reply to the first post, you do not give enough information about your current training and why your season is only 1 month long for anyone to give you an insightful answer.
800 meter running wrote:
If my competition phase is about one month long, should i be dropping the tempo runs to work on more intensity and allow for more recovery? Or are they too important for the 800m runner to drop completely during that time?
Please offer insight if you know the science behind the event/training.
I'm not a high-mileage 800 runner. I usually focus more on the speed side.
I think you need to stop running track.
By the time you're peaking don't worry about tempo runs. My peak weeks are laughable - 30 mpw, one race (800 meters), one workout (400 or 1500 paced), one 5 to 6-mile steady run, and the rest is recovery. My peaks usually go well - faster and faster race times each week, usually pr'ing.
Of course, this follows 8-9 months of hard work. You gotta earn those easy weeks at the end.
Running a light tempo workout with reps helps to keep that aspect of training fresh. It also acts as additional recovery as it isn't a taxing workout. Some thing such as 20 min tempo with 6x200m at 800m pace is a good example. In competition phase if you do some thing like this with a race and a work out such as 200m, 600m, 2x400m, 4x200m at 800m pace you will be peaking pretty hard. However if you are not recovered enough skip the tempo workout.
Pretty much what "drinker" said. Make sure to cut back race paced work in proportion to your racing (i.e. no need to banging out big sets of 200/300s hard if you are racing twice a week). Tempo runs seem to provide enough aerobic stimulus without deadening the legs- just keep them a little shorter and fresher than in earlier phases.
drinker with a running problem wrote:
Running a light tempo workout with reps helps to keep that aspect of training fresh. It also acts as additional recovery as it isn't a taxing workout. Some thing such as 20 min tempo with 6x200m at 800m pace is a good example. In competition phase if you do some thing like this with a race and a work out such as 200m, 600m, 2x400m, 4x200m at 800m pace you will be peaking pretty hard. However if you are not recovered enough skip the tempo workout.
We need more specifics: how long is your competition phase, what sort of training were you doing before this competition phase, what does the rest of your training look like, etc.
But generally speaking, I think even in the last 6 weeks of the season, some quality aerobic work beyond the easy runs is helpful. For example, the last 6 weeks of the season might include:
(i) 5 track meets
(ii) 7-10 fast-paced workouts (200-400s fast),
(iii) 3-4 workouts of longer reps (600 to 1200s) at 3k to 5k pace,
(iv) 2-3 tempo runs
(v) and the rest easy runs and strides.
Go here.
http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard.shutterfly.com/filecabinet/30/Lananna%20training.pdf
Read the section on training and peaking for 800/1500 meter runners.
I will quote the only American to ever win the 5000 meter gold:
"Can someone explain to me what "tempo" means? The word means nothing when used by itsself unless you assign an actual pace to it"
I would agree. The word "tempo" is the dumbest term in running. It means nothing and everything at the same time. Now lets assume that you means Lactate threshold to determine what "tempo" you are running. The answer would be no. LT work should be done by the time you get to racing season.
I'm only running a handful of races during indoors. I've already run a few, so maybe 2 or 3 more.
I run 50 miles a week during the "off-season" with a few 5ks thrown in here and there just for fun. I mix up my runs pretty well, and go 10+ once a week. Probably fairly typical.
Once November rolls around, I start doing hills and some longer repeats once a week, keeping around 50 per week.
By December I'm doing race-pace or faster repeats twice a week, and a long "tempo" of 8 miles or so (at a little under 6:00 pace). I also continue to do a 8-10 mile long run.
As I get closer to my racing season, which is pretty much just the month of Feb, I drop down to 5 miles (at maybe 5:20 pace).
This is where my original question comes in. I've been doing about 2 miles at 5:00 pace once a week in place of the "tempo" runs, but just not racing all that great right now. Just looking for possible simple fixes because I can't see why else I might be struggling.
I know what I'm doing is pretty typical of many 800m runners. My workouts have been good, but racing not so good.
If I were you, I'd replace the 2 mile 'tempo' runs with something like 3-5 X 800 or 1k @ 3k-5k pace with 1 min recovery. This will really target your VO2 max while still letting you run relatively fast.
As the season wears on, you could replace these with cutdowns like 1k, 800, 600, 400 with increasing recovery and faster paces every week.
Keep your 'long run' but cut it to 6-8 miles, getting faster over the last few miles. You can keep doing this throughout the season on top of your speed work.
Best of luck man