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The 800m is a tactical event that balances both speed endurance and stamina. The event has shifted from a test of endurance to somewhat of a sprint at the highest level.
Running a good 800m time is a good indicator of your health and fitness level, and your athletic ability.
How can you improve your 800m time?
There are a couple of things that the athlete needs to focus on.
- Speed endurance
- Explosiveness and reaction time off the ground.
- Velocity
- Stamina
The easiest way for runners to improve their time is to improve their stamina and average velocity. This can be achieved by running for mileage and maintaining a running tempo that will allow the athlete to maintain their average velocity.
What kind of 800m workouts should the athlete focus on?
- 200m tempo runs & interval training
- 400m tempo runs & interval training
- 600m tempo runs & interval training
- 1200m tempo runs and interval training
- Plyometrics
- Acceleration training
- Skipping
- Hill runs
- Mountain runs (Incline cross country)
- Altitude running
Average 800m times by age
| Age | Male | Female |
| 10 | 3:30 minutes and under | 3:30 minutes and under |
| 11 | 3:10 minutes and under | 3:10 minutes and under |
| 12 | 3 minutes and under | 3 minutes and under |
| 13 | 2:45 minutes and under | 3 minutes and under |
| 14 | 2:15 minutes and under | 3 minutes and under |
| 15 | 2:05 minutes and under | 2:45 minutes and under |
| 16 | 2 minutes and under | 2:30 minutes and under |
| 17+ | 1:55 minutes and under | 2:10 minutes and under |
800m training videos
Is a 2 minute 800m good?
Yes. Most people want to break 2 minutes for the 800m. 2 minutes is world class for women. It is a great running time for men.
Other 800m training resources
800m training discussion thread
800m training approach – Reddit
Featured image credit: Photo by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash
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