How painful does a 800-meter race feel?

last 300 is about double the pain as the last 500 in a 5k

Let me put this to you in two ways.

The 800 meter race can be easy and ridiculously painful. If you go balls to the wall and set a monster pr while your at it, of course it will be tough.

If you try to go hard but just cant due to mental problems, it will feel easy.

I went from 2:09 to Sub 2 flat thanks to a balls to the wall race. Closed last 200 in 28 i think and was just dead for the next hour and didnt even do the cool down.

I am a sophomore by the way.

Sure, if you're jogging, you could go out and run hard for an 8 second PR on the 800. That's a ridiculous spread though. Assuming most people run all-out in each race, it's very painful. Seems to last forever at the time but it's over quickly. On the scale of events I've done I would put it up there as pretty I tense. On top of that list is a 2000m erg race. Unbearable pain.

It's ridiculous but if you run it right the pain is only in the danger zone for around 30 seconds.

Brutal but I'd rather have the severe short lived pain than the lasting moderate pain of a 5k.

You go into the lat 300 with unabated hatred in your mind.

The first lap isn't so bad. But it's alarming because you realize you are running fast but still have a ways to go.

The last 250 meters is demoralizing.

It's the best race

"How painful does a 800-meter race feel?"

It feels slightly less painful than the last 800 meters of any race over 800.

It depends - are you running it on pure hate?

Obviously if you have never run one all out you won't get the true pain sensation. I would say it is combination of the latic burn of the 400 cardio fatigue of a 5K. It is only really bad the last 250, which is the point where the competiton starts.

TrackCoach wrote:

Obviously if you have never run one all out you won't get the true pain sensation. I would say it is combination of the latic burn of the 400 cardio fatigue of a 5K. It is only really bad the last 250, which is the point where the competiton starts.

It depends how good/fast you are.

I competed internationally, and I would say that most of the time the last 70 meters was the only time it hurt.

if you run it all out i believe its the most painful race,and you'll know it when you run one with everything you have. it might be the closest feeling to death without actually dying.

Long distance runners might not think it's as painful, if they have aerobic conditioning and lack the fast twitch muscles to really blaze a first lap. I'd imagine it would be most painful for a 400 meter sprinter, which could explain why so few move up.

I'll put it to you this way, I would rather run an all out marathon than run an all out 800m.

Usually if i run a good 800 race i throw up from a coughing fit and get a head cold that lasts a few days. It's the most painful race.

For me it's only the last 50 meters or so that really hurt, and that is more a feeling of rising anxiety than real pain.

The better you pace yourself the less it hurts, which is what you really need to know.

Hitmonlee wrote:

Long distance runners might not think it's as painful, if they have aerobic conditioning and lack the fast twitch muscles to really blaze a first lap. I'd imagine it would be most painful for a 400 meter sprinter, which could explain why so few move up.

This is what I was thinking.

I moved up from the 400 and found it very difficult to learn how to pace.

Having a lot of speed and little aerobic background, I could really hurt myself by going out too fast.

As I got better conditioned over the years, it hurt less while I was running faster.

Now a distance runner moving down, like the OP, would handle it differently.

The pace would be uncomfortable as it would be quicker than you ae used to going, but you would be conditioned to handle it better.

But I have heard distance runners that hate the 800 because of that early discomfort.

Maybe toro, but the fast guys still don't suffer too much in the finishing straight or get terribly out of breath. They maintain good form in the last 50 meters and that helps a lot.

The 800 has always been one of my favorite races. I think it's my best event even though I've raced far more 5ks. But as far as pain goes the 800 stands out in my mind. My best in HS was some serious pain. It seemed to hurt even more after I crossed the finish!! It seemed like I might die. And to this day I fear the 800.

I raced it again a few weeks ago after 5 years. It still hurt, but this time I just don't think I had the courage to put it on the line for the first 400. If you don't get crazy in the first half it 's not so bad. I was surprised that my time was about the same quality as when it really hurts.

How did it feel for Rhodesia at London?