CoachesEducation.com

Coach,
I enjoy your site and have a question. Do you have any suggestions for training for the 800?

Rick
rmarez2@charter.net

The following is a recommended 800 meters program:

Work from 600 meters and work down to 100 meters.

Workout 1
4x600 meters, 4 seconds slower than race pace

Workout 2
4-6x400 meters at race pace

Workout 3
12x200 meters at race pace
(build up to 16x200 meters which should take 3 weeks)

Workout 4
16x100 meters at 1 - 2 1/2 seconds slower than best effort over the distance
(build up to 20x100 meters which should take 3 weeks)

Repeat the above workouts for 4 - 6 weeks.

After 4 - 6 weeks do the following workouts from 600 meters to 100 meters:

Workout 1
3x600 meters at race pace

Workout 2
3x400 meters at 90-95% of 400m best

Workout 3
Three sets of 4 of 200 meters (start at race pace and drop 2 seconds each set)

Workout 4
10x100 meters at 90-95% of 100m best

These workouts are from the book "Road To The Top", 1995, p. 79-80, by Coach Joe I. Vigil, Ph.D.

Attached below is an 800 meter article.

George Payan
www.coacheseducation.com

Is your advice applicable to all 800 runners, or to "speed" 800 runners who might also run the 400, or to "endurance" 800 runners like me who also run the 1500?

Thanks, Mark

The workouts are for the athlete who is training for the 800 meter race as his goal race or championship race. Occasionally, this athlete will run the 400 meters and the mile but the focus is still the 800.

If the focus is 1500 meters or the mile, the workouts will differ and the athlete will occasionally run the 400 meters and the 800 meters.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

Would you recommend the above workout for high school athletes and, if so, is the sample workout for one day of work? Could you also comment on weight training for mid-distance/distance athletes.

Yes, this workout is recommended for high school athletes. The sample workouts are one day workouts. Workout 1 is one day, workout 2 is another day, workout 3 is another day, workout 4 is another day. Rotate these workouts and allow time for recovery.

Go to the Coaching button for weight training articles for middle-distance and distance athletes.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

Is this program intended for a beginner as well, or should one already be fit? And if it isn't, how should I get in shape for the 800m?

This program is also intended for a beginner.

When the athlete is not conditioned, interval workouts will prepare the athlete faster than aerobic workouts only. Be prepared for hips and legs to be sore every day. It could take one or two months to be in condition to continue doing interval training on the track.

If the season is short, there are two approaches. Interval training will produce faster results than aerobic training. Interval training is more specific to the race. If some aerobic training can be fit between interval training days, the goal is to do some long runs so the athlete is able to improve on endurance and recovery.

The other approach is all aerobic training. This is for coaches that do not want to give their athletes interval training.

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com