400/800 Base Building?

Lots of fartlek running(in the original meaning) and strides.

Here's my two pennies wrote:

Lots of fartlek running(in the original meaning) and strides.

Get up to 35+ miles a week of easy running, and do some fartlek, strides and short hill works (like 10 x 20-30 secs).

Don't do too much fast stuff, though. You want to practice running fast, not run yourself into the ground. And all the easy miles will make the fast stuff easier and give you that base to pile on the bigger workouts that will come in the spring.

And if you find yourself liking the miles, you can go beyond that. Lots of 800 runner put in some big miles. And a lot don't. Find your sweet spot.

please correct me if i am wrong. if you ran these times on 15 miles - well done!

from my point of view, 30-35 miles are enough. your base phase might look like this:

- warm up properly

- 3 workouts per week, on the other days easy running in the hills (30min-60min max. by feel)

- once 4-5 x 4-5mins at the lactate threshold with a minute easy running in between, later sub lt pace

- once at 5k pace (5x1000 or 6x800), later 3k pace (8-10x400)

- once anaerobic intervals at 800m pace, not too long distance but with quite long rest (like 10x200 / 2-3min jog at least)

- always strides, always concentrate on form and at least twice a week some short sprints with full rest over 30m -50m flying. prefer workout days.

I don't think it is fair for me to claim I ran these times exclusively off of 15mpw because it was coming off of a good XC season where I ran about 45-50 MPW and lots of cross training during the off season. It was really more of a matter of us not having a distance coach so the weights coach took over for track. The main point was to highlight I definitely didnt run to my potential last year haha.

How much endurance do you thing you need to be a 400m runner? Running a 17, in other words a 1:21.6 400m pace, doesn't help you run a 52 400m pace. For your goals, you need to be able to run a 24.0 200m or better, if not not sure what kind of 200m splits you think will get you to 52.

BigFan wrote:

How much endurance do you thing you need to be a 400m runner? Running a 17, in other words a 1:21.6 400m pace, doesn't help you run a 52 400m pace. For your goals, you need to be able to run a 24.0 200m or better, if not not sure what kind of 200m splits you think will get you to 52.

true but the op is talking about 400m and 800m base building, also about the hope to run a 1:59. not easy for a 2:09 guy and also a matter of some endurance quality. i think a runner capable of high 16 and low 17 during xc season is not a true 400/800 runner who masters the 800m race with superior speed and strength, he is more a 800/1500 type.

meanwhile i am sure there is no need for a long run day for athletes running 400/800 exclusively. actually this kind of running (continous and rather slow, though not long) happens on every easy day and it is perhaps enough if the hard days are purposeful and the easy runs are hilly.

it is valid to run always hybrid sessions. if someone starts the build up with a day dedicated to aerobic endurance like 4-5 x 5min/1min rest at lt pace (which should be shifted more towards 10k pace and faster very soon by the way), there should always follow some strides and sprints.

i can also imagine that it is possible to avoid running slower than 5k pace on the workout days all year long (due to the easy days), so that a 400/800 runner (three hard workout days and three easy days per week) increases the proportion of the specific pace towards the season peak on his workout days. this may end a few weeks prior the most important race with:

- three workout days, one as a hybrid interval session starting at 5k pace and perhaps working down,

- the two other workout days are race specific,

- easy days in the hills with a duration by feel, 30-60min, and always followed by strides.