What is the 800m?

Half-a-mile, 2 Laps around the track, the mid-distance sprint. Whatever you call it, it hurts! The 800m is basically an almost all out sprint for 2 laps around a 400m track. It is considered one of the toughest races to do. It combines both the characteristics of a sprinter and a distance runner. The runner must run at their peak speed and maintain it for 2 laps. This is no easy task and if you have never felt the hell that is Lactic Acid, you will with this race distance.

What kind of athlete should run the 800m?

Not everyone is destined to run the 800m. The right running has an appropriate amount of speed and endurance. The mens World Record is 1 minute and 40 seconds. That’s running a 50 second 400m, twice, back-to-back. Now that’s fast! So the best athletes to run this distance are something of a hybrid athlete. They must train as both a sprinter and a distance runner to achieve greatness.

What kind of workouts improve 800m time?

When creating workouts for the 800m type runner, you need to work on both aspects of the race. 1) The Speed and 2) The Endurance.

The Speed

To really do well at the 800m distance, you should be a decent 400m runner as well. Meaning, we should probably do some 400m speed training such as really fast repetitions of 150m up to maybe 300m-400m. Really working on how fast you can actually run will help make the pace of the 800m a little bit more bearable.

Workouts

6-8 x 200m at 400m pace with 4-5 minutes of rest

4-6 x 300m (max 400m) at 400m pace with 5-6 minutes of rest

The Endurance

Additionally, you will want to have the endurance needed to finish the race and to have something left the tank to do so. To do this, we must train more like our Miler friends and even take notes from the 5k. Working on some VO2max efforts and Threshold Workouts will give you the endurance you need to last in the 800m.

Workouts

  • VO2max
    • 12 x 400m @ 3k Race Pace with 1:00 Rest
    • 5 x 1k @ 5k Race Pace with 2:30 Rest
  • Threshold
    • 20 – 30 Minutes at Threshold Pace
    • 3 – 6 x 1 Mile Repeats at Threshold Pace with 1:00 Jog Rest

When to incorporate 800m type workouts in the season?

These types of workouts are very demanding. It is advised that you have some solid base work before attempting these. I would recommend having 4-6 weeks of just building up mileage then spend another 4 – 6 weeks of short repetition work and some fartleks to gain general strength and fitness to ensure your body can take on the load of this kind of training. Consider these workouts to be done during the 2nd half of your training season.

How do you race the 800m?

Everyone races the 800m differently. You have your front pack and lead runners, mid-pack and back-of-the-pack runners. Experimenting with different race tactics will allow you to figure out which best suits your style of racing and abilities.

For someone who is more of an endurance based athlete might want to be towards the front due to their lack of explosive speed; push the pace and hold on. Then you have your speedsters who can sit in the middle of the pack or towards the end to conserve energy so that when the time comes they can explode to the front, out kicking the competition.

Goal is to finish with something left in the tank. Don’t waste energy moving around too much or making unnecessary surges. Take it 200m at a time; Out quick the first 200m, settle in the next 200m, make necessary moves and surges in the 3rd then give it hell the last 200m!

Summary

The 800m is not for the faint of heart. It will cause you great discomfort and will challenge your mental tightness. Train for both the speed aspect as well as the endurance aspect of the race to ensure you are fully equipped. Try different styles of racing to find what works best for you. And of course, have fun! The 800m is a fantastic event and is one of my favorites to watch.

Happy Training Everyone!