Faster 800 Time

by Middle School Runner

How did you get an 1:54 on the 800? I'm in middle school and im running an 2:20.

- Middle School Runner

Well, considering I ran this in college when I was 21 years old and had been running for competitively for 10 years, I had a lot more training than you have experienced in middle school.

Running a 2:20 in middle school is blazing fast anyways. You could end up being a very successful runner with that kind of talent.

So you better understand my progression, I'll list my best times through the ages. You can see that although I ran a relatively fast 800 time in college, you could do this too if you stick with the sport of running.

In middle school, the only races I ran in were the physical education tests. I think I ran just over 6 minutes in the mile, but we weren't tested at the 800 meter dash.

In high school, I wasn't very fast in the 800 until my senior year of high school. I don't remember any of my times from my freshman to junior year, but my senior year I ran 2:00. I didn't run the 800 often in high school. I focused more on the 1600 and the 3200.

In college, I still focused more on races a little longer than the 800, but my senior year of track, I ran a couple of 800 meter races with my best being a 1:54.

During all of these years, I ran cross country in the fall. That fact should be very important to anyone who is serious about being a good 800 meter runner. Even though the 1/2 mile is much shorter than what you run in cross country, running xc will give you an excellent endurance base.

I hope I didn't give you too much information. The short answer for you would be keep on running! You'll get this time if you really work at it. It just might take you until you're in college.

Happy Trails - Coach Tief.

Faster 800 Time

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