HELP!! 800meter Run!!?

Question

ok so i am on the girls track team and a good 400 runner and my coach told me today he wants to put me in an 800 b/c he needs another girl to take the 4X800 team downstate an tips!! please! :) i have Never ran this race and have no idea what to do or how to pace myself he wants me to get a 2:40 is that hard?? PLEAse Help!!

Answer 1

You should be fine. If you already run the 400m then running the 800m should be cake for you. In my opinion, the 400m is actually harder than the 800m b/c the 400m is a full sprint.

Go out and run your race. You are gonna have to run it a few times to get a good feel of it and figure out what works for you. What is your 400m time normally? Since the 800m is just 2 400m, then you can figure out how much slower your expected to go with 2 laps.

The 1st lap of your 800m should be fast/moderate but not super fast and then you can use your 400m speed to blow them away at the end. Or listen to the NoName guy with what he's saying. Or, another way to do it, is to rabbit the lead girl. This works but be careful of a pace too slow. It is hard to describe how to run it and how your are gonna feel until you've run it at least one time seriously.

You should be able to feel it as you are running. You need to think about it being 2 laps vs 1 lap. Ask yourself, will I be able to sprint my last 200m? I used to sprint my last 200-300m, except for the one race where I was chilling on my 1st lap and actually had to sprint a 400m to catch and beat the girl in front of me.

The biggest thing is to not worry. Do your best. Run it the 1st time and see if you like it. It was always my favorite race besides the 200m. I hated the 400m. In my opinion, you already run the hardest race on the track. After the 1st race, you will know what to do as far as pace is concerned.

2:40 isn't too hard if you are already running a decent 400m and obviously your coach thinks that you can easily get a time like that. Trust your coach. They used to do that to me all the time too and it worked out really well.

Answer 2

If a coach tells you what time to run at an unfamiliar distance
he should give you some "tips". Right? Anyhow, you ask if that's hard. You should be able to answer your own question. Since you didn't give your 400 time, there's really no way to know if you're capable of this goal. Let's say you usually run a 75 sec
400 in competition. Then, I suggest that you aim for 3 -40
sec 200's, and go all out for the final 200. If this seems like something you can handle, then that will get you to
your target. Hopefully, someone will yell out 200 splits, so you can see if you're on pace.
My opinion: 2:40 is a "very respectable" time for most high school
girls. Also, if it's a relay, practice baton handoffs in the order
that each leg will run. And, If you've never been a member of a relay team , watch hand-offs in races before yours (at similar distance). In the big meets
traffic can get heavy in the passing zone, so stay focused.
Good luck.

Answer 3

When I ran track in high school, I thought the 800 was the hardest race because it wasn't a "sprint" like the 400, nor was it a "middle/long distance" run like the 1,600....it was just stuck there in between. My main problem when I ran the 800 was that I would go out too fast in my first 400 and not leave enough for my last 400. How much time do you have to prepare for taking the spot on the 4x800 team? If you have a few weeks, work with your coach & he/she will come up with some sprint repeats to train you for the event. Good luck!

Answer 4

LOL. Hopefully when you read this, your track meet is at least 3 days away because I am going to give u a practice session and advice on the 800. Since you are a sprinter, I am assuming that you know the paces for the: 600, 400, and 200.
The practice goes like this:
1, Warm up
2, Run a 600
3, rest 1 minute
4, Run a 200
5, Jog 400
6, Run 400
7, Rest 1 minute
8, Run 400
9, Jog 400

Thats 1 repetition, go back to step 2 and repeat till whenever you feel satisfied, unless you feel satisfied with only 1 rep.

Now for your 4x800

If u are right handed than accept the baton with your left hand and when you start running, put the baton in your right.

For the first lap go out and get the best position you can because its easier to stay ahead of someone than it is to catch up with them even if they are slower than u.
The 2nd and 3rd lap are ran at a fast and painful pace, try to stay in your spot.

The final 250 m is when you go out to catch up, pass, and win.

On race day eat a banana, 1 hour before race time and plenty of water. Only drink Gatorade afterwards.

Good Luck

Answer 5

You know how the 400 hurts pretty bad? Well the 800 is worse because you are going to run nearly as fast as you do on the 400 for the first lap and then just push through the pain on the second lap. Since you run the 400, I would say run your first lap about 10-15 seconds slower than your 400 and then just try to keep up with everyone else for the 2nd lap and start speeding up with 200m to go and be at a full sprint with 100m to go.

It's hard to plan it, you just have to do it. Do it at practice one day and you'll have a much better idea on how fast to run.

Answer 6

No, running the 800 isn't about controlling your first lap. You have to put it all on the line. You must get out very hard your first 200m and go through 400m close to your best 400m time. Its going to hurt like hell the last 300m, but try to keep good form and long strides. If you try to kick, you'll be so tired that this will probably mess up your form. Go out fast your first 400m and just hold on.

Answer 7

If your best time for 400m is 1.10 minutes it won't be a big deal... Only 10 days of practice will be enough...

The first 300m you stride(staying at 3rd placing), second 200 you speed up to first leaving nearest runner 20m away from you, third 200 you maintain to store energy from the last 100m.

Answer 8

a 2 35 pace is easy

Answer 9

2 40 isnt a hard pace

Answer 10

its not that hard to run that time, just go out at a pretty fast pace because its only two laps so you should be able to handle it. your splits should probably be around 80s to get a 2:40. good luck