Wednesday I was doing Repeat 800's for my half marathon training. As I achingly finished my last 800 I thought, "This is the worst thing ever." Then I thought, "I'll make our readers do it."
If you've done repeat 800's before then you have no excuses.
If you're training for a 15k or longer race then you have no excuses.
This workout is like vegetables, you make not like them but you know they're good for you.
Put on your big boy shoes and get ready to ThrowDown:
On the treadmill the 800 will be 0.5 mile and the 400 will be 0.25 mile. If you can find a track do 2 laps for the 800 and 1 lap for the 400. If you're using your Garmin, use the same .5/.25 numbers as the treadmill and just add them to where you start. For example, if I start my 800m at 1.12 miles then when I reach 1.62 miles I take my walk break.
If you're someone (Karla) who happens to love repeat 800's then add in the squat/push-up combo at the end of each round.
How fast should you go?
- Take your fastest mile time and divide it by 2. Then subtract 15 seconds. Aim to hit that for your 800's.
- 9 minute mile/2 = 4 minutes 30 seconds = under 4 min 15 second 800
- I run my 800's "as fast as I can" and aim to ALWAYS be under 8min per mile pace. If you run a 9:30 mile on a long run then that could work for you.
- You can also use a set speed on the treadmill that is about 2mph higher than your usual pace.
It's not easy, it's not fun, and we're not sorry.
What is your favorite type of speed workout?
Love and eight creepy legs,
Carissa & Kyle
