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How to Break 2:00 for 800m

You are here: Home / Track & Field / 800m-Mile / How to Break 2:00 for 800m
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October 15, 2013 by Jimson Lee 5 Comments

Last Updated on August 15, 2018 by Jimson Lee

This article is guest blogged by Darrell Lewis from www.theinformedrunner.com.

He also wrote The Arthur Lydiard Method – Training from 800 meters to Marathon on this blog 3 years ago.

How to Break 2 minutes for 800 meters

A Workout to Help you Break 2:00 in the 800m

When looking at race results for the 800 meter it always seems like there are a few athletes that can break the 2:00 barrier and a few that are a long way from that. Many races have a whole slew of athletes that are right around the 2:00 to 2:04 range. If you talk to the coaches of those athletes they will often tell you that the athlete is capable of running under 2:00. For some reason they just cannot seem to get them past that barrier. The coach knows that it is often simply a matter of being a mental barrier. We rack our brains trying to come up with the correct words to encourage them past the mental barrier or the right workout to give them the confidence to push through it.

When I was competing just like many of these athletes I was troubled with that 2:00 barrier. There were countless times I would run 2:00.xx and walk away disappointed with my race. I knew that I was strong enough and fit enough to do it, but for some reason I just didn’t have the confidence needed to hold the pace through to the finish. Then my coach prescribed one workout that I think was a game changer for me. After that workout I knew without a doubt that I could run under 2:00. It gave me the confidence and my next race I finally accomplished that elusive sub 2:00.

See also  Maurice Wilson - Sprint Training the Jamaican Way (DVD)

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The Workout

The workout consists of 12 repeats at goal race pace. The overall goal of the workout is to run 12×300 at 43-45 seconds if you are looking to run sub 2:00 in the 800 for the first time. The first time they do this workout most athletes do not usually complete 12 repeats at 300 meters because once they drop off the race pace the distance changes. I have my athletes start at the 300 meter starting line and finish at the finish line. The recovery is 1:00 so they know they have to get across the infield of the track and back to the starting line during that period which helps keep the rest as active as possible.

The athlete will run a minimum of 4 repeats of 300 meters. The 4 repeats does not change regardless of their pace. If their pace slows to a 47 or slower after the 4th repeat then they will drop to running 200s at 28-30 seconds with 1:00 recovery. If they slow to anything slower than 31 or 32 seconds then they will drop to running 100 repeats in 14-15 seconds with 30 seconds recovery. The idea of this workout is to maintain race pace or faster throughout the entire workout to help the athlete learn that they can hold the pace even when fatigued both physically and mentally. Shortening the distances run really helps them do that.

The first time my teammates and I did this workout was about 4 weeks before our championship race. Most of us made it through 8 repeats of 300s and then were forced to drop down to running 200 meters for the four remaining repeats. About 10 days before our championship race we did this workout again. This time I was able to complete all 12 repeats at the 300 meter distance. My confidence soared and 10 days later I had a great race in which I ran 1:58 and had my first sub 2:00 race result.

See also  What is Speed Reserve? Part 2 - Training Methods

martinez_brenda

About the Author

Darrell has been a runner for more than 15 years and is a USATF certified coach. He writes about training and racing on his blog at www.theinformedrunner.com.

Category icon800m-Mile,  Coaching,  Track & Field,  Training Tag iconDarrell Lewis

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Markham says

    October 16, 2013 at 12:08 am

    The expression on Brenda’s and the rest of the competitor’s faces and the 12 x 300 in 42-43 with 1 minute rest have only strengthened my resolve to never go up in distance.

    *shudders*

    Flipside – my competitive nature is curious if I could complete a workout like that.

    Track problems

    Reply
  2. doug says

    October 17, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    Darrell, I am moving up from 100, 200 and a bit of 400 to 400/800 this season and my goal is also sub2. So thankyou for the workout but when would you start using it?

    Reply
    • Darrell says

      October 20, 2013 at 2:43 pm

      Doug,

      I think this workout is best used as a sharpening workout to get you ready for your goal race. We typically did the workout about 4 weeks before the goal race and then one final time about 7-10 out from our goal race. To me this workout is one that you only do maybe twice per season because it is a pretty exhausting workout.

      Reply
  3. Darrell says

    October 17, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    Doug,

    I would only do this workout twice maybe three times at the most during any season. The first time I would usually do this workout 4 to 5 weeks before your goal race. The second time was about 10-14 days before my goal race. I would look at it as a workout to help you sharpen for your goal race. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

    Reply
  4. gama says

    November 22, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    Un buen metodo de entrenamiento, creo que se debería utilizar despues de una buena base aerobia y de resistencia especifica como tal.

    Reply

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