Running Science

by Owen Anderson

  A problem faced by 800-meter runners is a potential inability to hold pace over the last 200 meters of the race when the leg muscles begin to feel as responsive as wood fibers in a pressure-treated post. A way to counter this sinew-collapsing fatigue is to conduct 1,000-meter (.62 mi) intervals in which the first 800 meters are covered at 1,500-meter pace and the last 200 meters are run at goal speed. For example, if the runner’s reasonable goal for 800 meters is 2:12 (a pace of 66 seconds per 400 meters and 33 seconds per 200 meters) and the current 1,500-meter personal best is 4:26 (71 seconds per 400 meters), the strategy would be to complete the 1,000-meter interval by cruising through the first 800 meters in 2:22 (2 × 71 seconds) and then striking the last 200 in a crisp 33 seconds. It is reasonable to recover for about 4 minutes between work intervals with this kind of session and start with 1 × 1,000 meters per workout, building gradually to 3 × 1,000 meters over time.

  Nixon Kiprotich’s 800-Meter Training Regimen

  Over the course of my career as a student of running, I have been fortunate enough to visit Kenya on 12 occasions. While there, I frequently discussed 800-meter training with Nixon Kiprotich at his home in Eldoret, and he was kind enough to introduce me to some of the 800-meter workouts he and some of the other successful Kenyan 800-meter runners, including William Tanui and Billy Konchellah, used. Kiprotich is one of the best 800-meter runners of all time. The willowy (6 ft 1 in, 149-pound [1.9 m, 67.6 kg]) athlete won the IAAF/Mobil Grand Prix for 800 meters in both 1990 and 1992, snared a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona (he was beaten by a hair’s breadth at the wire by Tanui), garnered gold at both the East African and African Championships, and was rated the top 800-meter runner in the world for 1993 by Track and Field News. His 800-meter personal record is 1:43.31.

  During a typical training year, Kiprotich liked to take a two-month break during October and November, doing very little training at all during those months. Throughout December and January, he would simply jog 15 kilometers (9 mi) at 10:00 a.m. and 8 kilometers (5 mi) at 5:00 p.m., five days a week—and rest on Saturdays and Sundays. All of the running was easy, and there was no speed work at all. The weekly volume was 115 kilometers (71 mi). Incidentally, running close to 70 miles (113 km) per week is fairly typical for elite Kenyan runners. Although in the Western world Kenyans are rumored to run prodigious training distances, the truth is that many of the elite Kenyans are running about 70 miles (113 km) per week during the cross country season.

  In February and March, Kiprotich would carry out the strengthening phase of his overall program, adding hill workouts on Mondays and Saturdays; Tuesday through Friday each week would remain the same as before with easy running each day. The hill workouts were straightforward: On a challenging 200-meter hill, Kiprotich would charge up the slope at close to top speed and then jog to the bottom to recover; he would do this routine for about 20 reps (climbs) per workout. A session like this is excellent for 800-meter running because it greatly enhances muscle contractility—the ability of leg muscles to create propulsive forces each time a foot strikes the ground. Scientific research reveals that this kind of workout is also great for lactate-threshold development because each uphill charge sends blood lactate levels to extraordinarily high levels. Over time, the leg muscles get better at clearing lactate from the blood and breaking it down for energy. Research also indicates that this mode of training should make a runner more economical at 800-meter pace.

  Beginning in April, Kiprotich would begin the high-intensity training that fully prepared him for the outdoor season. Here is his actual schedule, containing the workouts that are great for 800-meter performance:

  Monday: 2 sets of 5 × 1,000 meters (.62 mi) with 2 minutes of recovery between reps and 10 minutes of rest between the two sets. The first 800 meters of each interval are run more slowly than 800-meter race pace, but the last 200 meters are covered at race velocity or faster. As mentioned earlier, this workout helps 800-meter runners develop the ability to run at race pace despite significant fatigue. Scientific research strongly suggests that it would also be a great lactate-threshold advancer.

  Tuesday: 8 × 200 meters at very close to goal 800-meter race pace, with just 5 to 10 meters of easy jogging between reps. This workout is incredibly good for developing specific speed endurance—the ability to sustain desired pace for the entire 800 meters. The minimal recovery intervals make the workout almost as tough as the race itself, and Kiprotich believes that the session enhances the ability to overtake other runners over the last 100 meters of the race. The workout is a huge confidence-builder: If one can complete the whole workout at close to goal speed, one can be assured of the ability to finish the 800 at goal velocity. This session provides a stimulus for lactate-threshold advancement as well because of the fast pace and thus large lactate buildup.

  Wednesday: 4 × 600 meters (.37 mi) about two seconds per 200 meters slower than 800-meter race pace, with 2-minute recoveries. Then, 5 × 300 meters (.19 mi), with the first 100 meters at the same speed as the 600s but with the final 200 meters right at 800-meter goal pace; the intervals are followed by 2-minute recoveries again. This workout develops finishing power, or the ability to sustain 800-meter speed in spite of significant fatigue. As with the Monday and Tuesday sessions, this session is a potent stimulus for lactate-threshold augmentation.

  Thursday: 4 × 400 meters with 2-minute recoveries and each 400-meter interval completed about 2 to 3 seconds faster than goal 800-meter speed. This workout develops the ability to run 800-meter competitions more quickly.

  Friday: 4 × 500 meters (.31 mi) with the 500s right at 800-meter race pace. Two-minute recoveries are used. The workout improves economy and confidence at race velocity along with lactate-threshold speed.

  When Kiprotich was employing this schedule, he would treat Saturday and Sunday as rest and recovery days with just 40 minutes of light jogging on Saturday and no running at all on Sunday. When the racing season actually began, he would cut back to two quality workouts per week instead of five.

  Table 32.1 shows what Kiprotich’s workouts would look like for 800-meter competitors with different abilities and goals.

  Not everyone can complete five rugged 800-meter workouts per week for a couple of months as Kiprotich did in April and May of each training year. However, the workouts in table 32.1, along with the lactate-stacker and basic 400-meter sessions, are probably the best 800-meter sessions one could ever conduct. Completing two to three of these per week can constitute excellent preparation for 800-meter racing. Note, too, that the hill reps Kiprotich used in the early phase of his 800-meter preparations represent an outstanding way to build running-specific strength and prepare for the intense work needed to reach an 800-meter goal time.

  Additional Training Strategies

  Strength training adds a necessary dimension to 800-meter training, promoting the gains in neuromuscular power which are essential for 800-meter improvement. Additional forms of running training, including the use of super sets and greyhound drills, provide the pure power work which bolsters both maximal and 800-meter velocities.

  Strength Training

  Strength-training sessions are great for 800-meter runners, especially those sessions that emphasize running-specific exercises, including one-leg squats, high-bench step-ups, lunges, bicycle leg swings, runner’s poses, and one-leg heel raises (see chapter 13, 14, and 23). True, very few of the Kenyans who dominate 800-meter running have ever bothered to enter a gym. However, almost all of them have grown up in the perfect environment for 800-meter runners: places where there are lots of steep hills. As mentioned, hill running is a specific way to develop lactate dynamics and brute power in the leg muscles, power that can translate into faster 800-meter running.

  If a runner is environmentally challenged by living in a pancake-flat part of the world, there is plenty of evidence that strength training can be very helpful. For example, research carried out by Terry Kemp at Ashland University compared high school runners who simply car
ried out circuit training and others who followed circuit training with power training, including squats, lunges, hamstring curls, pull-downs, and bench presses. The latter group improved 800-meter times by about 3 seconds more than the circuit-only group, a statistically significant effect.2 (Chapter 14 discusses the benefits of strength training for runners.)

  Superset Training

  One can also use the superset training philosophy to improve 800-meter performances. Super sets are simply two or more work intervals bound together with no intervening recovery—and with running speed gradually decreasing over the successive work intervals. Adopted from the strength-training community, super sets enhance a runner’s ability to sustain desired pace in the face of greatly heightened fatigue. An excellent superset workout for an 800-meter runner could proceed as follows:

  After a thorough warm-up, run 200 meters at close to all-out speed, followed by 400 meters at current 800-meter race pace with no break between the 200 and 400.

  Jog or walk easily for 5 minutes to recover, and then repeat this super set (the 200-400 combo) two more times.

  As fitness improves, a runner can make this workout more challenging by increasing the number of super sets from three to five or six. This session dramatically improves lactate-threshold velocity, maximal running speed, and the ability to sustain an intense velocity during 800-meter races.

  Greyhound Sessions

  Greyhound sessions also work perfectly for 800-meter runners. This session consists of running 8 × 100 meters or yards with short recoveries. A football or soccer field works well, and using a field avoids the problems associated with changing directions on a track and thus colliding with other runners. After a good warm-up, a runner accelerates dramatically over the first 20 yards (18.29 m) of each rep and then holds close-to-top speed for the next 80 yards (73.15 m), decelerating quickly after 100 yards or meters. The runner jogs easily or walks for no more than 10 seconds and then reverses direction and blasts off for 100 yards or meters in the opposite direction, continuing this pattern until eight 100s have been completed. Over time, the number of 100s can be increased to 16. It is important to maintain good form at all times during this workout, moving fluidly and powerfully without tightening up. The greyhound session upgrades maximal running speed, vO2max, lactate threshold, and running economy at high speed—and thus 800-meter performance.

  Conclusion

  Training for 800 meters can be properly periodized in a manner similar to longer competitions. For full preparation for 800-meter racing, an athlete should complete 3 to 6 weeks of general strength training, 3 to 6 weeks of running-specific strength training, 3 to 6 weeks of hill work, and 3 to 6 weeks of explosive training, dotting each of these four phases with between two and four relevant, high-quality running workouts per week chosen from those noted in this chapter and depending on a runner’s ability and overall capacity for training. General strength training is discussed in Chapter 13, running-specific strength training in Chapter 14, hill training in Chapter 15, and explosive training in Chapters 16 and 28.

  Chapter 33

  Training for 1,500 Meters and the Mile

  The 1,500 meters and the mile are exciting racing distances that feature high running velocities. Science nonetheless reveals that it is incorrect to single these races out as competitions in which speed is the most important factor since speed is a critical factor for all of the competitive distances discussed in this book, from 100 meters to 100K. Research indicates that the heightening of maximal running velocity is a guiding principle of mile and 1,500-meter training, as are lifting lactate-threshold running speed and vO2max, but the same is true for all other distances of 800 meters and greater.

  Research also indicates that the mile and 1,500-meter races are great workouts in their own right—two of the best training sessions that a runner can perform within an overall program. When the fitness benefits of the mile or 1,500 meters are compared with the gains accruing from other competitions, it is certain that runners get a greater bonus per minute of intense running from the mile and the 1,500 meters. Research carried out at the State University of New York at Syracuse demonstrated that running just 5 minutes at about mile race pace increased O2max approximately as much as running for about 25 minutes at 10K intensity.1 Thus, it is possible that running two one-mile competitions during a week would have a greater impact on running fitness than a single 10K race, even though the latter event would involve more than triple the total distance!

  Anecdotally, competing at a mile or 1,500 meters also makes 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon paces feel considerably easier. Typically, mile race pace is about 40 seconds per mile (1.6 km) faster than 10K tempo and about 72 seconds per mile quicker than marathon-paced running. Practicing mile race velocity makes it mentally easier to handle all longer distances; the perceived effort associated with the longer races decreases appreciably. In addition, rehearsing mile race pace will also have a much stronger positive impact on maximal running speed compared with 5K, 10K, or marathon tempos because of the high intensity of a mile effort.

  Science suggests that practicing for the mile enhances the ability of the nervous system to coordinate the leg muscles during faster running. The nerves learn to relax the muscles at just the right time to permit longer strides—and also contract them at the precise moment needed to produce maximal power. Mile-pace running also helps runners learn how to use elastic energy stored in their muscles during the gait cycle; this saves energy and permits greater propulsive force to be applied to the ground with each step. Running at mile and 1,500-meter speeds enhances neuromuscular coordination at high velocities, improving economy and generating higher race speeds.

  There is also an unparalleled purity to 1,500 meter or mile racing. Competing in these races offers runners a chance to employ the great Herb Elliott’s simple, simon-pure racing philosophy: “The only tactics I admire are do-or-die.” In these competitions, there is no worry about parceling out energy or sipping sport drinks at just the right time. The entire mental focus is beautifully simple: to run as fast as possible for 1,500 or 1,609 meters.

  Training for and running the mile is also great for dynamic flexibility, the ability to achieve greater range of motion at key joints. Because stride lengths for the mile and 1,500 meters are significantly longer than those used during the marathon, the hip joint in particular must pass through a greater range of motion during the gait cycle. In effect, running the mile opens up the hips, causing each leg to swing backward to a greater extent as the glutes and hamstrings work more powerfully. Biomechanists have identified greater average range of motion at the hip as being one of the keys to developing greater speed. The hip-opening effect is transferred directly to longer-distance running, enabling runners to achieve more powerful push-offs and higher speeds when racing distances longer than the mile and 1,500 meters.

  400-Meter Time—Great Predictor of Mile Time

  Scientific research reveals that 400-meter time is a great predictor of mile and 1,500-meter performances.2 This fits with the overall thesis that improving maximal running speed is critical for middle- and long-distance running success. It also suggests that the use of explosive strength training, along with the employment of running workouts that make use of a runner’s best 100-, 200-, and 400-meter velocities, would spike 1,500-meter and mile race abilities.

  Mile and 1,500-Meter Training Regimens From Past Greats

  Examining the history of mile and 1,500-meter training is useful to modern runners and coaches because it helps provide an understanding of why mile or 1,500 meter performances have improved so dramatically over the years. Further, it forces us to re-examine our overall philosophy of mile training and also offers some great traditional workouts that still work very well in a current runner’s overall training plan.

  Walter George

  Mile training has an especially interesting history.3 One of the first great British milers, Walter George, worked in a chemist’s shop each day from 7:00 a.m. until
9:00 p.m. and thus had limited time available for training. Rarely able to run outdoors, George developed a system of indoor training in which he ran in place with high knee lifts and a springing action. Despite carrying out most of his workouts in a small room at the chemist’s establishment and racing on tracks that resembled plowed fields, George required just 3 minutes and 10 seconds to surge to an impressive victory over archrival Lon Myers in a three-quarter-mile grudge match that was witnessed by 60,000 screaming fans in 1882.

  Apparently, the stationary running did not optimize postrace recovery since George lapsed into unconsciousness for 20 minutes following the race; Myers ran a respectable 3:13 and remained even longer in the comatose state—almost 2 hours, according to credible reports. George’s best effort came in 1885 when he sizzled through a mile in 4:10.2, a time which was not bettered anywhere in the world for almost 50 years.

  Paavo Nurmi

  Paavo Nurmi, the incredible Finnish runner of the 1920s, took a slightly different approach to the establishment of a world mark: He trained outdoors, combining both high-volume and high-intensity training. Nurmi was an incredibly strong runner: As a young, impoverished errand boy in Turku, he had pulled heavily loaded carts up and down steep hills. He prepared for his 1,500-meter world record, established in 1924, with a training schedule that each morning included a 12-kilometer (7.46 mi) walk, four or five hard sprints on the track, a high-intensity 400- to 1,000-meter (.62 mi) run for time and then a 3K to 4K run (1.86-2.49 mi) with a very fast last lap.