4 x 600m, 4 x 400m
4 x 600m, 4 x 400m
Designed for 800m runners
Intensity
600m reps at 3,000m pace
400m reps at 800m pace
Recovery
200m walk/jog in 2 - 3 minutes between all reps
Exertion
8/10
Periodization
Foundation Period, Stabilization Block
Context & Details
One of the best predictive physiological variables of running success is Velocity at Lactate Threshold (vLT). This variable is a function of the rate at which lactate moves out of the muscles into the blood during running and of the rapidity with which the muscles and the heart remove lactate from the blood.
Lactate can be friend or foe. It is a key fuel for the muscles. It provides rich stores of ATP, the high-energy compound which triggers muscle contractions. However, it can also produce a mild toxin (an acid, in the form of positive hydrogen ions) and slow runners down when the production and consumption of lactate become imbalanced.
Establishing a high lactate threshold speed means that muscles are unwilling to let energy-rich lactate slip away into the blood and they are efficient at clearing lactate from the blood once it arrives there.
Additionally, a study out of the University of Otago in New Zealand, which evaluated 17 good-quality middle distance runners, found 400m time to be another accurate predictor of 800m success. Four hundred meter time is a measure of muscle contractility, muscle explosiveness, and overall neuromuscular function — three factors that are extremely important for running performance.
The takeaway for the 800m runner is to invest in training that will upgrade these qualities. This can be accomplished in either simple (“simple” meaning one) or complex (complex meaning more than one) sessions.
An example of a simple session to upgrade 400m speed would be repeat 200s at 400m pace or faster with full recovery.
A simple session for vLT upgrades for the 800m runner could be repeat 400s at 5K-10K speeds with only 100m jog recovery.
Here longer reps (90” - 60”) at 3K and 800m pace are chosen, making this a Lactic Capacity building session that includes mild Lactic Power signaling.
As a reminder, Lactic Power is a measure of how much force a runner can generate while Lactic Capacity determines how long a runner can sustain generating that force. For 800m runners, one of the goals of the Foundational Period is to increase Lactic Capacity so in the Specific Period more volume of productive work can be done to elevate and stabilize Lactic Power.
Today’s workout is an example of a complex session.
In a complex session, the goal is to stimulate 2 or more compatible fitness qualities concurrently. In this session, those qualities are stamina and muscular strength.
The 800m runner’s stamina is upgraded by enduring roughly 6 minutes of 3,000m work and 4 minutes of 800m work. The rest intervals are 2 - 3 minutes between each rep so the muscular strength, or power, to sustain those high force paces are not severely compromised.
Another resulting stimulus from this workout construction is that 800m specific vLT is upgraded since running 3K and 800m paces elicit a high degree of lactate production. In the later reps, lactate level will become increasingly elevated due to the higher intensity speeds of the reps resulting in 2 - 3 minutes of walking being no longer adequate time for full lactate clearance from the bloodstream to occur. With only partial lactate clearance occurring to the start the final reps, the runner will receive a mild dose of lactate tolerance exposure, which while uncomfortable, should be manageable and not result in excessive slow down as they’ll only need to negative the final 10 - 15 seconds of the later reps.
In the Specific Period, upgrading Lactate, or Acidosis, Tolerance training will one of the main training priorities. So in the Foundation Period, it is appropriate to create mild exposures to familiarize the runner to the sensation of this type of work so it is not a complete “shock to the system” when it becomes a focal point of training.
The progression towards this workout begins in the Introduction Block with a first session totaling only 2 minutes of 3K work and 1 minute of 400m work as 4 x 200m @ 3K, 4 x 100m @ 800m all with 2’ - 3’ walk recovery.
In the Intensification block the workout advances to 4 minutes of 3K work and 2 minutes of 400m work as 4 x 400m @ 3K, 4 x 200m @ 800m all with 2’ - 3’ walk recovery.
Next, in the Extension Block, the workout is revised weekly for 3 - 4 weeks, progressively advancing both the minutes of work and length of reps to the levels presented.
And finally, in the Stabilization Block, the volume of work and rep length is not advanced but instead repeated to reinforce the desired adaptations so the 800m is fully prepared for the forthcoming more difficult Specific Period of training where Acidosis Tolerance and Lactic Power work become the priority.
Continue Learning
Join the Scholar Program for $29 to learn more about successful 800m Training and get unlimited access to courses and training programs on middle-distance running.
Good books on 800m training
Nick Symmonds' 2012 Training Log eBook via RunGum website
Winning Running by Seb Coe
Running Science by Own Anderson
Modern Training and Physiology for Middle and Long-Distance Runners by John Davis