A Practical 800m Running Philosophy Part 1: Introduction, Dream and Control Your Weight
This article series was written by Peter Hoffmann. Peter Hoffmann partnered Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe as one of Great Britain’s three 800m athletes at the 1978 European Championships in Prague and was also part of the 1976 Olympic 4 x 400 metres squad at Montreal. He is the author of several books – most notably A Life In A Day In A Year-A Postcard From Meadowbank which follows a ‘year’ in the life of an athlete and includes life at the 1976 Olympic Games and the 1978 European and Commonwealth Championships as well as details about his training and racing, giving an insight in to the requirements to run 1 minute 46 seconds for 800m. Peter is available for athletics advice on 400 and 800m running.
Article Series Contents
Part 1
1) Introduction
2) Dream, Baby; Dream
3) Control Your weight
Part 2
4) Practice Running FAST!
5) Strength and Power
6) Cardiovascular System
Part 3
7) Box Clever
8) Simulate 800m Running-Regularly!
9) Bread ‘n Butter Sessions
Part 4
10) Quarter Miling
11) Three Rs-Resilience; Rest and Racing
12) Afterword: A Hypothetical 800m Training Week
1. Introduction
Hold this thought in mind as you read this small monograph – to run a world class 800m requires only around one minute and forty-five seconds of hard effort and yet many aspiring athletes are out there base some of their training by running 100 miles per week, relatively slowly.
Forty years ago back in 1978 I ran 800m in 1 minute 46 seconds, still a respectable performance today. To put that run into context, at the time, Steve Ovett had only run a second or so quicker. Indeed, at that time my ambition was to have raced Coe and Ovett down the home straight in the race of the century at the 1980 Olympic Games 800 metres final in Moscow.
Most runners look back on their careers feeling they never quite fulfilled their potential. As the old saw goes if is the saddest word in the English language. If only I had… Like many of you out there, from a distance of forty years I discern many good patterns of what we did well but also some key mistakes too which of course tear at the soul. And talking of souls, Father Gianni in the recent BBC series set in Tuscany, Second Chance Summer, expressed it rather beautifully when he said: ‘…the problem is you only learn with age and experience, so by the time you realise you have learnt a lot of things unfortunately a lot of time has passed and many chances have been lost.’
But for others – today’s and tomorrow’s young athletes it is not too late. Ben Jones, M.D. said ‘The saddest thing about dying is that all the stuff you’ve learned goes in to the ground with you. Make sure you pass it on before you croak.’ From a distance and following Ben’s advice, here’s my starter for ten – a palimpsest – 10 simple tips to run your optimum half mile by practicing the golden mean.
Unlike the book A Life In A Day In A Year which describes over 500 pages the day to day life, training and racing of a budding international half miler over 500 pages this small essay or monograph takes the opposite approach by distilling that experience and the knowledge gained into a succinct programme which cuts to the quick, outlining the key steps to follow to run a swift 800 metres.
But first, a health warning. I’m neither a coach; nor a sports scientist; nor an academic, but instead someone who has run for almost 60 years – a reflective practitioner. This is not an academic nor a scientific treatise which works back from the demands of the event, relating them to your strengths and weaknesses and accordingly tailors a training programme based on lactate tolerance or VO2 levels etc. Instead, it offers some practical, simple, common-sense tips garnered from a lifetime’s experience of running from beginner, to international, to fun runner. I’m advocating a simple approach, but one which I sincerely believe will help any half miler run their best performance.
At the outset may I make four key points; first, although I’m targeting this advice at international class athletes it’s equally applicable to aspiring youngsters wishing to run a great half mile too or indeed any master’s athlete out there – just apply the principles and alter the times.
Second, unlike say the great Arthur Lydiard I don’t advocate undertaking separate programmes throughout the seasons of the year; instead, I nail my colours to the mast and advocate one which has an ongoing circular approach with each small cycle feeding into the next one; thus the training should be broadly similar throughout the year with the only natural variances being that come the racing season, with the warmth from better weather and the motivation of racing and also the need to taper prior to certain key competitions, the quality will improve and the quantity of repetitions will be reduced.
Third, it’s not rocket science.
A good analogy is with a car.
It needs a good engine; it should have a nice efficient line to it with an excellent power to weight ratio; it should also have that torque under the bonnet when you really need it; and finally it should have enough fuel to get you through your journey from A to Z without being too fancy. This will mean undertaking the appropriate sessions that will help develop muscle mitochondria, your ability to cope with lactic acid, etc.
And fourth and last, when you are constructing your training programme it is useful to have in mind how difficult or challenging or intense certain sessions are.
I use my own grading system of (Ex) Extreme; (VH) Very Hard; (H) Hard; (A) Average; and (E) Easy.
A good rule of thumb is at the very most to never undertake more than one Extreme; Very Hard; and Hard session in a 7 or 8 day cycle.
By the way, Extreme is pretty much eye-balls out! And close to race effort.
When adopt such an approach to your training will enable you to fly over 800m.
2. Dream, Baby; Dream
In the 1920s the writer and mythologist Joseph Campbell (who also happened to be one of America’s finest half milers) wrote of following your bliss:
If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.
You need to have a dream to sustain you over the years; so, find what motivates you to get out there season in, season out, to train in all weathers and to push yourself in races when your body is screaming at you to stop.
Find your dream, then follow it; and remember Festina lente – Make haste, slowly.
3. Control Your Weight
Ensure your weight is at its ideal level.
If it’s not, you won’t fulfil your potential. Simple fact.
But that doesn’t mean being as light as possible. Too often I see good international runners who are actually too thin.
Don’t sacrifice lightness for strength. Instead, what you’re really after is the optimum power to weight ratio. So, it’s better to be two or three pounds heavier with good power than to be too light with little power. The best athletes often glide effortlessly over the track with controlled power. Think Ovett at his peak over 1500 metres at the 1977 World Cup.
Control and monitor your weight; if you need to lose anything, do so, but very, very slowly. Be patient. If you’ve gained some weight you will have done so over a period of time. To lose it, do so similarly. A pound a week is aplenty and you will hardly notice the effort; yet over 6 months that would add up to almost two stones!
Eat regular, balanced, healthy tiffins every few hours.
Whilst advocating a focus on a high fat; medium protein and carbohydrate diet avoiding sugar like the plague I wouldn’t quite follow Professor Noakes’ diet, but instead one with some carbohydrates.
Drink plenty of water.
Most people know what they should be doing. At the end of the day retire to bed in the evening knowing that when you awake the following morning you will be very slightly lighter.
Breakfasts could be either: a bowl of Greek full fat yoghurt and blueberries; or a 3 egg, cheese, mushroom and ham omelette; or cheddar cheese and grapes. For lunch a bowl of home-made vegetable soup is excellent; as is a very simple dish which takes 5 minutes in the microwave – salmon, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms with a little brown rice cooked in soya and chilli sauce. Snack on almonds and fruit. For your evening meal always include a decent carbohydrate alongside greens and your chicken or meat.
If you’re approaching a race I would advise introducing some carbohydrates at each tiffin in the few days leading up to the race; by then, you’ll hopefully be at your aimed for race weight.
Continue to Part 2: (4) Practice Running FAST!, (5) Strength and Power and (6) Cardiovascular System
