Should I train with sprinters or distance?

Your mile time is better than your 800 now

It all depends on your willingness to work. If you like lounging around for a few hours doing stretches, then go with the lazy and shiftless sprinters. If you like to have a sense of accomplishment, then work with the runners.

But if you want to drop your 800m time by 10 seconds, you'd better work with the sprinters.

Lazy and Shiftless wrote:

It all depends on your willingness to work. If you like lounging around for a few hours doing stretches, then go with the lazy and shiftless sprinters. If you like to have a sense of accomplishment, then work with the runners.

run sub 4 or bust

It depends on how the distance coach trains his runners.

The 800 meter run is about 50% aerobic (some say even higher, and this is especially true if you run slower.)

So you need a high amount of aerobic work, almost everyday. I doubt that you will get that running with the sprinters. In addition you are improving in the mile. Why mess around with a good thing?

Please train with the sprinters.

One of the BIGGEST myths and misconceptions is that sprint-work does not tax the aerobic system since sprinting is anaerobic. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, sprinters VO2 max are slight lower (NOT significantly lower) than distance runners.

The "lazy and shiftless sprinters" sitting around is due to the massive hit the central nervous has to endure during a sprint session AND being out of breathe (aerobic?!).

If you do decide to train with the sprinters (and you should since you spent the fall doing distance - XC), make sure you do not just run repeat 200s or "jog" 400m intervals. You will need to mix it up and strive for maximum efficiency and effort.

Competitive (NCAA) and elite (National and Olympians) 800m runners can drop 11.XX sec. 100m without any problems. This is what you are striving for to get into the magic realm of sub 2.00 minute 800m. In a race this will "drop" down to 13.XX sec. 100m splits.

Run fast, run far - stay healthy !!!

If last year you ran a 59, a 2:15 and a 5:29 but now you have run 5:03, you are faster than 59 and 2:15 right now. Did you train sprints or distance last year? What is your 200 time?

What we need to know to determine if you should train with the sprinters or distance runners is how well XC went?

My guess is that neither your HS sprint training nor HS your distance training will really get you ready to run the 800.

If you can get a hold of: Better Training for Distance Runners by David Martin PhD. & Peter Coe (the book is no longer in print) you will read that SebCoe as a youth was doing Lydiard-type training until his father took over. Your PR's aren't fast enough for you to make demands in your track & field program. You can ASK your head coach if you can train some with both sprinters and distance guys. According to David Martin PhD. and Owen Anderson, PhD., the greatest predictor of 800 metres success is one's 400 metres PB.

Train with whichever team is better. If you win more track meets then xc races, train with sprinters. Otherwise, train with distance.

I don't think that this is really up to you.

What do the 800 runners do? Whatever it is, do it.

I got away with hybrid sprint and distance training my last year in high school because I would be asked to do both 800 and a sprint event. I think that my 800 could have been better because on the days the distance guys were doing endurance work on the road, I would be on the track. I did manage to run 5-6 miles at a time on the weekends, but mostly I was doing intervals with both groups.

You might be similar and need some extra mileage to help you bring down that time.