800m training

2:06 -2:07

your going to get differnt philosophies where ever you go but personally i think the best thing is to just put your time in and enjoy what your doing.

If this is your first year of track i wouldnt worry about goals so much. if you ran a 2:09 a couple of weeks ago, just try and focus and getting a PR the next time you race.

It seems like you have a real enjoyment of higher milage, you may even want to try a few 2mile races also. But dont forget the 400m, if that gets faster, everything else gets faster.

Also from a personal experince being able to compete on the 4x400 team is a lot of fun.

Thanks and when I last ran a time trial for the 800 it was more like 7 weeks ago. The 600 was last week, and the mile was this week. As for running for the actually high school team I'm not sure. My school I think is 2 a and neighbors a college that it's really apart of if that makes sense. The only guys I'd have to run with are ones that go to the college and it's private so I'd still have to ask. I really enjoy the longer stuff but also like sprinting. I've got very high expectations already and think I could actually attain 1:55 800m and 4:15 mile this year.

Would I be able to run the college meets bein a soph in hs?

you can run in open races. but generally those have certain PR benchmark time that you need to have run and if you've never ran an offical race than you wouldnt have any.

there is no harm in being on the highschool track team, even if its small you still get the experince of racing. Also the team atmosphere can be fun.

if your time trial was anywhere near all-out, as your last 200 suggests, i think a 2:10 would be optimistic

I think you could run a 2:05-2:06 if you ran even I feel it is good to get out fast the first 100m then stay controlled then save for a kick. last year I did that and ran a 2:06 and I ran 57sec in the open but I have apply to the 6 second endurance the most I did a week was 22 miles.I'm just saying if you would have been more consevative than you were you would have broken 1:30 and are probaly in 2:05-06 shape good luck this season!

I never feel as if I'm going all out in a time trial. I just try to stay relaxed running as fast as I can like that. In a race the result will always be faster for me

I felt good at 400m even though it was fast, and I for some reason I just eased up. Maybe it was a mental thing knowing it wasn't a race and I have trouble kicking at the end of anything so I try to get out quicker.

hey, first of all, definitely join your hs team if you have one, and if you don't like their training, talk tot he coaches and say i've got something good going on, let's not mess with it. Lots of coaches would be down for that, especailly if you seem like you know what you're doing. In HS, our top distance guys basically ran the distance team, because the coaches didn't know distance stuff.

Second, two years ago I time trialed a 600 in 1:38, splitting 64/34, and then 4 days later ran a 2:10.5. So you should be faster than 2:10 because your time trial is better. good luck. and definitely join a team, it's really fun.

also, work on not going so balls out your first 400. Try opening up in a 61/62 and see what happens. If you can maintain an even split you're 2:02-04. Our coach says during 8ks that if you feel good during the first mile you're going too fast. The same is true for the 800; I think being relaxed as possible or the first 300 is probably a good idea.

Thanks for the advice. That's true about feeling good and going too fast. I like to get out quick because like I said I have trouble kicking at the end. Also when I was running 5ks earlier in the year I went from 18:11 being my best all the way to 17:22 which was the last one I ran for the year and it was because I took out the first mile in 4:58. I know I slowed quite a bit but the end result was a pr so I couldn't really complain. Is running even a mental thing? I just have trouble doing it and feel like I'm going way too slow and run a bad time.

As for the hs team I'll just have to think about it. I don't like the idea of possibly winning at every meet and getting my confidence up knowing that the guys in 4a and 5a schools would be right there with me and some a lot better also and I don't get to run against them. Does that make sense?

[quote]bryxcrunner wrote:

I like to get out quick because like I said I have trouble kicking at the end. quote]

You labeled your problem perfectly.

You'll hear a lot of people tell you the 3rd 200 is the best spot to really start picking it up in an 800 race...

Try this- start moderate the first 200 (it shouldn't really feel "hard"), then make a conscious effort to increase your stride rate the 2nd 200m. Then- pick up your "effort" of the 3rd 200m and race the last 200m.

The reasoning behind a conscious increase on the 2nd 200m is that for a lot of HS kids, this 200m kills them. They might have good intentions of picking up the 3rd 200, but if their splits look like 27, 33 for a 60 second opening lap and they want to run 2:02, the have to really hammer the third 200m to get back on pace (31ish). That's tough to do...

(27,33,31,31) 2:02 is a lot tougher than a (30,31,31,30) 2:02... trying to get back on pace for the first set of splits is very tough when you're already tired. The second set takes advantage of the rhythm you're already in...still going to be tough, but more do-able.

Someone has to win and there is nothing wrong with building confidence - you might get asked to help out on events which are not you stongest as well which will do you good. Get in there & see what it like.

By the way my 1st post detailed some 800m training but as other have said don't start hammering the speed too early. Which month is you first 800m or other race

Hill reps are still important as you will get something you don't get off doing steady runs over a hilly area. Because hills build leg stength they can really help you speed

There is a mental element to racing & especially training -but the reason you are slowing after a fast start is most likely physical. I was always setting off too fast, but in my better races I set off more steadily knowing I was fit enought to catch other later.

bryxcrunner wrote:

Thanks and when I last ran a time trial for the 800 it was more like 7 weeks ago. The 600 was last week, and the mile was this week. As for running for the actually high school team I'm not sure. My school I think is 2 a and neighbors a college that it's really apart of if that makes sense. The only guys I'd have to run with are ones that go to the college and it's private so I'd still have to ask. I really enjoy the longer stuff but also like sprinting. I've got very high expectations already and think I could actually attain 1:55 800m and 4:15 mile this year.

Would I be able to run the college meets bein a soph in hs?

A HS soph with no formal training that has already run 4:40 for a mile time trial is every coach's wet dream. If you are running those times off the training you have listed, your future in running is bright indeed.

To answer your question, yes, you could get into open meets with a 1:55 and 4:15. However, it is very unlikely that you will run those times this year. Those times, as a sophomore, would put you in the top tiny fraction of 1% of all runners who have ever competed at the high school level. Based on what you have posted, I believe that you could run around 1:58-1:59 and 4:22-4:28 this season (which would still be fantastic for a first year runner).

The important thing to bear in mind, since it sounds like you want to continue running for a long time, is to let your training progression be gradual. Read the thread that Renato has been posting on about building your aerobic house. He is very specific about making gradual progress in the training volume, not just jumping right into super high mileage or intensity. If you want to have a long, successful career, don't kill yourself in training now. Better to run 4:30 this year and stay fresh than kill yourself in training to run 4:20. You will eventually get a lot faster.

Those practice times seem way off. If the goal is to run just sub 2:00, how is the kid supposed to run 6x400 in 60-62 secs!

those look like practice times that a 1:50 to 1:53 guy should be running.

if this kid is going to run 6x400 with 60secs rest, he should probably be shooting for 70s or so.

You said you've only been training 5 months and you're a HS sophomore? Don't try to do anything too quickly in terms of trying to run elite times as a sophomore. You're got to let your body adapt to the higher workload before you can expect to see the mammoth gains you're hoping for. There's nothing wrong with the lofty goals as long as you're prepared to accept the setbacks with the breakthroughs. And just as one last side note, I would recommend not trying to PR in every high school race because you will definitely burn out faster. Train to go sub-2, but if you can win easily with a 2:10, do it. You need to save your best performances for regional and state meets where you'll have a chance to run a great time while being competitive. Plus, if you don't run times you are capable of, you will be in a better chance to win because none of the other runners will consider you a true threat.

Good Luck!

Bry,

You should really take heed to what the previous 2 messages say. As for your idea of thinking long term by peaking once in Februrary and then in May....your only limiting your potential for May. It's difficult when your brain, and society, tell you to get fast NOW, but your body adapts more slowly than the change outside influences want.

If you go hammer yourself on the track doing what many would consider sharpening for a 4:05-4:10 miler, you will see a rapid improvement followed by a gradual decline or injury after about 2 months (very short-term training).

Keep running higher volume with short intense bouts with FULL RECOVERY if you want to gain greater improvement in the long term.

Work on your basic skills of sprinting speed and aerobic endurance!

Maybe I'm just good at workouts but I can do 10-12 400s averaging 66-67s with 60sec. rec. Wouldn't 70 for only 6 be too slow?

I'm hearing a lot about trying not to get injured and that may be true for most people that run but I haven't had a problem with it. I've already had weeks of 70 + miles. The longest run I've completed also was in September and a 16miler in flats. My feet felt sore for the rest of the day and that was it. I ran 7 the next day. I'm finding that my body can actually take a lot without really affecting me injury wise. I haven't been injuried so far