800 Meter Dash Training

Training for the 800-meter dash involves disciplines focusing on speed, strength and endurance. The 800-meter dash distance is equivalent to a nearly a half-mile in which the runner uses speed, power and strategy to run two laps all-out. Somewhere between conservative striding and a full sprint on the final lap, the 800 is one of the most challenging of all track and field events.

  1. History of Training Methodology

    • Traditional methods of training for the 800 meters focused on distance training to develop running skills. Modern sports science revealed physiological differences in muscle fiber characteristics between distance runners and sprinters, providing scientific proof that distance runners and sprinters should not train the same way.

      Modern training methods understand that muscle fiber characteristics define the runner's abilities for distance running or sprinting. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are better suited to longer distances, whereas fast-twitch muscle fibers enable the explosiveness required for sprinting.

    Significance of Training

    • The 800-meter dash requires the synergy of aerobic and anaerobic training to boost metabolic processes. This process maximizes the runner's ability to circulate blood and deliver more oxygen to the muscles. Aerobic power affects speed, whereas anaerobic power affects the power to run hard for 800 meters.

    Types of Training

    • Regular training is more intensive and focuses on all aspects of sprint training with workouts that are intended to increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity. During regular training, you run various distances at various speeds, work on stride dynamics and incorporate circuit and weight training, all in a five- to six-day training regimen.

      Competitive training lightens the load a bit to prevent injury but still pushes you to maximize your aerobic and anaerobic limits to increase speed. Speed workouts include faster repetitions, shorter distances and durations while also incorporating weight training and numerous other disciplines.

    Importance of Technique and Pace

    • Pace training for the 800-meter dash is an important aspect for developing endurance and running technique. A pacing regimen includes jogging distances ranging from one mile or more to a cross-country run for time. Technique focuses on stride efficiency and running aggressive corners, and pacing increases the runner's awareness of position and enables the runner to strategize at speed to affect her lane position.

    Intervals

    • Intervals for the 800 meters are a form of running where you run at varying speeds ranging from sprinting to a sustained race pace, and varying distances from 200 meters to 1,000 meters. Interval training is used to increase speed and stamina by promoting VO2max (maximum aerobic capacity), running economy and lactate threshold (level of exertion where muscles produce lactic acid).

    Considerations

    • The 800-meter runner possesses characteristics uniquely suited to the 800 meters more than any other distance. More than just running fast, you must have the ability to run economically, tolerate training, have muscle fiber characteristics (both slow- and fast-twitch) and the ability to recover. This level of training also requires a high degree of lifestyle discipline with areas such as sleep habits and nutrition.