Ok, i am biting the bullet here. I have been reading the forum on the subject of training 400 and 800 runners. Well, after reading the posts on these training and trying to mod my program, i have come up with this. Please rip this up with as much criticism as possible ( i know for some of you this isn’t a problem ). I really need help with this design.
Monday - Speed
example:10* 50s or 875s or 6100s
Tuesday: Tempo or 35-40 minute run
example:200s/300s at 75%
Wednesday: Special Endurance/800 workout
example SE: 500, 400, 300
intervals can be as long as 600m
example 800: 32200m with 3 minutes between primary sets, 17/35/70 seconds between each 200 (for each respective set. First set at 800 pace. Each additional set is at 800 pace - 4 sec.
Thursday: Tempo or 35-40 minute run
Friday: Shorter SE
example: 6*200m
Saturday: 40 minute run
Sunday:rest
This is the general layout for my preparation phase to for a meet in late june. I figure that my speed is my weakest link because i do come more from a distance backout originally (4 years of XC in high school, although i ran 400/800 in track those years). So i assume that one speed day a week is probably sufficient.
RE Wednesdays:
Considering that the 800 is both an anaerobic and aerobic race, I figure that i should alternate between “coe/vigil” (listed as “800”) style workouts and special endurance on wednesday. This will allow me to work on pace maintenance as well the ability to run while lactate is burning.
RE: tempo and runs
Call me a runner’s high addict, but i really feel that my distance runs really help my endurance without overtaxing my system. However, i can see how tempo work can do the same, so i am probably going to alternate between weeks of two day of tempo and weeks with one day of tempo (probably tuesday on those weeks)
Ok, i know my reasoning is a bit convoluted, but i think that this is a start. Thanks in advance for the help guys!
I remember reading that Juantorena never ran anything on the road slower than 6:30/mi. obviosluy this can be made relative to fit your standards. plan looks good, just remember that lactate work can have as much effect on your CNS as can speed work. one type of training that i have been involoved with for the 8/4 is that you warm up with 20 min easy (see Lydiard, you need some moderate paced mileage, although not junk) then some 800m pace work, finished with 20min. your plan looks pretty solid. Don’t do one thing, thouhg, don’t be dumb and go out for a 55 min run and come back and try and run fast, it won’t work!!! just do strides!!! good luck
mike
I really can’t critique because I don’t know much about 800/400, so sorry, but I wanted to ask a related question:
On recovery days at our HS we usually do slow jogging. I know this is not at all preferable to tempo, and this is probably why the question never was answered when Clemson asked about it in the tempo design thread on the old forum, but how beneficial/detrimental do most members feel jogging is? I’m thinking that if you go slowly enough you probably won’t break down much muscle tonus and will probably get the blood flowing and get better cardiovascular fitness, but tempo also gives the extra benefit of form work and just being in the sprinting position (or something fairly close to it) more. Sound right?
OHSTF, I primarily run the 800m, but i also run the 400m. In addition, i think that maybe my 400m speed needs to be faster in order to run a better 800.
RE: fastdude, thanks for the references. I should probably read up more on Juantorena. I will have to look at Lydiard too. The 20min/800/20min workout sounds really good and i think that it will be my staple for pace work. Thanks for the help. It is nice to here from someone that my plan looks decent.
RE: 55 minute run then trying to run fast
been there, attempted to do that
It took me a bit to figure that one out
). I really need help with this design.