Training for the 800m and Training for the 1500m – Is It the Same?

Steve Hollings

Apart from the 100m – 200m “double”, only the 800m – 1500m “double” appears in the folklore of running. It is always assumed that a good 800m runner will always be of a similar standard when s/he competes as a 1500m runner. Historically there have been very few male or female athletes who have accomplished the task of being an 800m – 1500m winner at the same major championship.

Male: Olympic Games 1896 Athens Edwin Flack (USA) 2:11.0 / 4:33.0 1904 St Louis James Lightbody (USA) 1:56.0 / 4:05.4 1908 London Mal Sheppard (USA) 1:52.8 / 4:03.4 1920 Antwerp Albert Hill (GBR) 1:53.4 / 4:07.8 1964 Tokyo Peter Snell (NZL) 1:45.1 / 3:38.1

World Championships 2005 Helsinki Rashid Ramzi (BRN) 1:44.24 / 3:37.88

Women: Olympic Games 1976 Montreal Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 1:59.94 / 4:05.48 1996 Atlanta Svetlana Mastakova (URS) 1:57.73 / 4:00.83 2004 Athens Kelly Holmes (GBR) 1:56.38 / 3:57.90

World Championships No – one!

Even in the halcyon days of middle distance running in the 1970’s and1980’s none of the great runners of that period, Walker, Coe, Ovett, Cram, were able to achieve the feat of winning both events at a major world event. So is it a myth that there is such a thing as the 800m – 1500m runner, or to achieve success, do you need to specialise in one or the other? There have been many middle distance runners who have trained to a common programme that would hopefully give them success in both events. But is this appropriate? Is there a danger with this approach of falling between the two chairs? Or should there be specialised training for either the 800m or for the 1500m? First it is necessary to look at the characteristics of each event.

Distance and Energy Requirements

Distance Distance Ratio Energy Requirement Aerobic Anaerobic 800m 53% of 1500m 33% 67% 1500m 187% of 800m 55% 45%

Running Speed

1500m speed 800m 1500m as % of 800m speed At World Record 7.91ms-1 7.28 ms-1 92% Pace (1:41.11) (3:26.00) 150th ranked 7.43ms-1 6.81ms-1 athlete in World in 92% (1:47.53) (3:40.10) 2007 769 points on 6.67ms-1 6.06ms-1 IAAF Scoring 91% (2:00.00) (4:07.47) Tables (2008 ed) ms-1 = metres per second

So in summary the differences between the two events are that the 1500m is not quite twice as long (187%) as the 800m. However it takes over twice as long (204% at WR pace) to run the 1500m than it does to run the 800m. The average speed of running the 1500m is, however, just 92% of the running speed in the 800m. The energy requirements are predominantly from the aerobic system in the 1500m and predominantly from the anaerobic system in the 800m. These two events are therefore as different as chalk from cheese? Given the wide disparity between the events both from a distance / speed perspective and from a physiological / metabolic view, one has to ask “is training for the 800m and training for the 1500m therefore the same?”

Looking at the Bio-motor abilities of each of the two events it can be seen that the training demands required for each of the events is only slightly different.

Table of Biomotor abilities:

Biomotor Ability 800m 1500m General Endurance XXX XXXX Speed XXXXX XXXX Speed - Endurance XXXXX XXXX Strength XXX XX Strength - Endurance XXX XXX Speed - Strength XXXX XXX Mobility XXXXX XXXXX Technique XXXXX XXXXX Tactics XXXXX XXXXX

XXXXX VERY IMPORTANT XXXX IMPORTANT XXX NECESSARY XX LESS IMPORTANT

In summary it can be seen that the 1500m is more demanding on the General Endurance biomotor ability than is the 800m, while conversely the 800m is more demanding on Speed, Speed Endurance, Strength and Speed Strength than the 1500m, whist each has a similar demand on the biomotor abilities of Strength Endurance, Mobility, Technique and Tactics.

We now look at each of these Biomotor abilities and see where the training will be different for the 800m and the 1500m events.

General Endurance

This is the single biomotor ability that is more important to the 1500m runner than it is to the 800m runner. It is known that the 1500m runner requires a higher VCR (Critical Velocity = Highest Average Speed an athlete can run continuously in a run test of >30mins) than that of an 800m runner. In order to get this, it is advisable that the 1500m runner spend more time in the General Preparation Phase running longer distances at a lesser intensity than the 800m runner. I.e the volume of the aerobic running should be higher for the 1500m runner than for the 800m runner. In specific terms the 800m runner should be running about 20% of his weekly running distance at approx 90 – 97% of VCR whereas the 1500m runner would perhaps be running only 10% of his weekly running distance at this velocity. Conversely, the 1500m runner would spend about 60% of his weekly running distance running at approximately 80 – 90% VCR whereas the 800m runner would spend a lesser percent, say 50% running at this velocity. The rule of thumb would therefore be 800m runner runs shorter distance (5 – 10km) at a higher intensity whereas the 1500m runner would run 8 – 16km at a lesser intensity. However all combinations including some Long Slow Distance and Fartlek as well as a judicious mix of recovery runs is required by both the 800m runner and the 1500m runner particularly in the General Preparation Phase.

Speed

The biomotor ability “speed” uses the ATP – CP (anaerobic alactic) energy source predominantly. As the 800m race uses the anaerobic system as its predominant energy source, it follows that the 800m runner should spend more time developing and focussing on the speed biomotor ability than the 1500m runner. Speed in a 800m race is needed to: Increase “speed” at the end of the race – whatever the pace ; Follow a sustained pace ; Alter the tempo of a race; To follow any variation in pace, and Maintain race pace under fatigue. Previous articles in this series have demonstrated the means and methods in improving speed. The 800m runner should therefore spend perhaps two training sessions each microcycle working on this biomotor ability, whereas the 1500m runner may spend only one session each microcycle on this biomotor ability.

Speed Endurance

Speed Endurance is another biomotor ability that is more important to the 800m runner than it is to the 1500m runner. The predominant energy system used by the biomotor ability speed endurance is the anaerobic lactic system. Again the 800m runner is dependent on this energy source being predominant throughout the event. As a general guide, speed endurance training usually takes the format of intensive interval running of a format similar to: Repetitions of 100m – 300m (at race pace velocity) up to a maximum of 2400m (3’ – 6’ recovery). Obviously the critical variation here for the 800m runner or the 1500m runner is the race pace velocity these repetitions are run at. Again the number of sessions of speed endurance running undertaken in any microcycle should be more for the 800m runner than it is for the 1500m runner. This may be three such sessions in a ten-day microcycle for the 800m runner and just two sessions in a ten-day microcycle for the 1500m runner.

Strength and Speed Strength

Each of these biomotor abilities is more important for the 800m runner than it is for the 1500m runner. The means and methods for improving each of these biomotor abilities is essentially the same for the 800m runner and for the 1500m runner. However the 800m runner would have to spend more sessions working to optimise the required amount of strength and speed strength than would the 1500m runner.

Conclusion

It can be seen from the above that each of the 800m and the 1500m has the same biomotor abilities necessary for success. However, the relative importance of each of these biomotor abilities is different between these two events. If a runner ascribes the wrong amount of importance of a particular biomotor ability to his chosen event, then he will not have the desired success. So in answer to the question “is training for the 800m and training for the 1500m the same?” the answer would be:

Training for the 800m and 1500m is very similar. The differences are in emphasis rather than in the content. However, this would apply more appropriately at the developing athlete and the “average” runner. At the elite level the answer would be to train specifically for either the 800m or the 1500m but not both!