800m Repeats: Pacing Strategies, Benefits, and Workout Structure

What pace should I run 800m repeats at?

The ideal pace for 800m repeats is highly individualized and depends on your current fitness, goal race distance, and the specific training objective for the session. Generally, it falls between your current 3k to 5k race pace, or at an effort level targeting your V̇O2max.

Understanding the Purpose of 800m Repeats

800m repeats are a cornerstone of many running programs, serving as potent stimuli for both aerobic and anaerobic systems. Their primary benefits include:

• Improving V̇O2max: This is your body's maximal capacity to consume oxygen, a key determinant of endurance performance. Running at an intensity that stresses V̇O2max forces your cardiovascular system to become more efficient.
• Enhancing Lactate Threshold (LT): While typically associated with longer intervals, 800m repeats, especially when performed at slightly slower paces, can help improve your body's ability to clear lactate, allowing you to sustain higher intensities for longer.
• Developing Running Economy: Repeatedly running at a challenging pace helps refine your form, making you a more efficient runner.
• Building Mental Toughness: The sustained effort required for 800m repeats cultivates resilience and the ability to push through discomfort.
• Pacing Practice: For specific race distances, these intervals help ingrain goal-race pace feel.

Key Factors Influencing Your 800m Repeat Pace

Determining your optimal pace isn't a one-size-fits-all equation. Consider these critical factors:

• Your Current Fitness Level: Your most recent race times (especially 1500m, 3k, or 5k) are excellent indicators of your current capabilities. Avoid setting paces based on past peak fitness if you're not currently there.
• Your Goal Race Distance:
  • Middle-Distance (800m-3k): Repeats might be at or slightly faster than goal race pace to improve speed endurance.
  • Longer Distances (5k-Marathon): Repeats are typically faster than goal race pace to improve V̇O2max and make goal race pace feel easier.
• The Specific Training Phase:
  • Base Building: Intervals might be slightly less intense, focusing on controlled effort.
  • Specific Preparation: Paces will become more precise, mimicking race demands.
  • Peak/Taper: Intensity might remain high, but volume decreases.
• Recovery Duration: The amount of rest between repeats significantly impacts the sustainable pace. Shorter rest demands a slower pace, while longer rest allows for faster efforts.

Primary Pacing Strategies for 800m Repeats

Here are the most common and effective strategies for setting your 800m repeat pace:

1. V̇O2max Pace

This is the most common objective for 800m repeats for endurance athletes. Running at V̇O2max pace helps improve your aerobic power.

• What it is: The fastest pace you can sustain while still relying predominantly on aerobic metabolism, before anaerobic systems become overwhelmed.
• How to estimate:
  • Current Race Pace: Your V̇O2max pace is often close to your current 3k race pace or slightly faster than your 5k race pace.
  • Jack Daniels' VDOT Calculator: If you have a recent race time (any distance), online calculators based on Jack Daniels' VDOT tables can provide precise V̇O2max interval paces. For example, if your 5k race pace is 6:00/mile (3:43/km), your 800m V̇O2max repeats might be around 2:45-2:55 per 800m.
• Perceived Exertion (RPE): This should feel "hard" to "very hard" (an 8 or 9 out of 10 on an RPE scale). You should be able to complete the interval, but it should feel challenging to maintain by the end.

2. Goal Race Pace Simulation

This strategy is specific to preparing for a particular race distance.

• For 5k/10k Runners: 800m repeats can be run at a pace slightly faster than your 5k goal race pace. This makes your actual 5k race pace feel more manageable. For example, if your 5k goal is 7:00/mile (4:20/km), your 800m repeats might be around 3:15-3:25 per 800m.
• For Middle-Distance Runners (800m/1500m): Repeats might be at or very close to your goal race pace to build specific speed endurance and practice race rhythm. The key here is not just speed, but the ability to maintain that speed for repeated efforts.
• For Half-Marathon/Marathon Runners: While 800m repeats are less common for direct race pace simulation, they are still valuable for V̇O2max improvement, which indirectly benefits longer distances. The pace would generally align with V̇O2max efforts (i.e., significantly faster than marathon pace).

3. Perceived Exertion (RPE)

If you don't have recent race data or a calculator, using RPE is a reliable method.

• For V̇O2max Efforts: Aim for an 8-9 out of 10 on an RPE scale. This means you can speak only a word or two at a time, and maintaining the pace feels challenging.
• For Controlled Efforts: If the workout calls for slightly less intensity (e.g., early in a training block), an RPE of 7-8 out of 10 might be appropriate, where you can speak in short sentences.

Calculating Your Target Pace

1. Use a Recent Race Time: The most accurate way. Input your recent 1500m, 3k, or 5k race time into an online running calculator (e.g., Jack Daniels' VDOT calculator, McMillan Running Calculator). These will provide suggested interval paces.
2. Estimate from Time Trials: If you haven't raced recently, a hard 1-mile or 2-mile time trial can serve as a proxy for your current fitness level, which can then be used in the calculators.
3. "Rule of Thumb": For many recreational to intermediate runners, 800m repeats for V̇O2max improvement are often run at a pace that is 15-30 seconds faster per mile than your current 5k race pace. Convert this to your 800m split.

Importance of Recovery Between Repeats

The recovery period is as crucial as the repeat pace itself.

• Duration: Typically, recovery for 800m repeats ranges from equal time to slightly less than the repeat duration. For example, if you run an 800m repeat in 3:00, your recovery might be 2:30-3:00. Longer recovery allows for faster repeats; shorter recovery increases the aerobic demand.
• Type: Most runners use standing rest, walking, or very light jogging for recovery. For higher intensity V̇O2max sessions, walking or standing is often preferred to allow for more complete recovery before the next hard effort.

Structuring Your 800m Repeat Workout

A typical 800m repeat workout follows this structure:

1. Warm-up (15-20 minutes):
   • Light jogging (10-15 minutes).
   • Dynamic stretches (leg swings, butt kicks, high knees).
   • Strides (2-4 x 100m accelerations at near-interval pace).
2. Main Set:
   • Number of Repeats: 4-8 x 800m is common, depending on your fitness and training phase.
   • Pace: As determined by your chosen strategy (V̇O2max, goal pace, RPE).
   • Recovery: As determined by your workout plan (e.g., 2:30-3:00 easy jog/walk).
3. Cool-down (10-15 minutes):
   • Light jogging.
   • Static stretching.

Monitoring and Adjusting Your Pace

• Use a GPS Watch or Track Splits: Aim for consistent pacing across all repeats. If your first repeat is significantly faster than your last, you started too fast.
• Listen to Your Body: If the prescribed pace feels unsustainable after 2-3 repeats, adjust it slightly slower. It's better to complete all repeats at a slightly slower, consistent pace than to crash and burn.
• Focus on Effort, Not Just Pace: On days with wind, heat, or fatigue, your target pace might feel harder. Prioritize the intended effort level over hitting an exact number.

Progressive Overload and Long-Term Development

As you get fitter, your 800m repeat pace will naturally improve. To continue progressing:

• Increase the Number of Repeats: Go from 4 to 5 to 6 x 800m.
• Decrease Recovery Time: Maintain the same pace but shorten the rest period.
• Increase Pace: Run the same number of repeats with the same recovery, but at a slightly faster pace.

Implement these changes gradually to avoid overtraining and injury.

Conclusion

Pacing 800m repeats effectively is an art and a science. By understanding your current fitness, your training goals, and the principles of V̇O2max and race pace simulation, you can tailor your efforts for maximal benefit. Always prioritize consistency, listen to your body, and remember that the goal is not just to run fast, but to run smart to become a stronger, more resilient runner.