Workout of the Day: 4 x 500m
4 x 500m
Intensity — 800m pace
Recovery — 2 minutes walk/jog after each rep
Exertion — 9/10
Context & Details
Two key goals of good 800m training are to optimize muscular power and lactate-threshold velocity. This workout accomplishes both.
Running 800m speed significantly upgrades leg muscle contractility — the ability of leg muscles to create high propulsive impulse each time the foot strikes the ground. And because of the high intensity of the session coupled with incomplete recovery, it also enhances running economy and generates high blood-lactate levels.
Lactate-threshold speed, which is a great predictor of success not only for the 800m race but distances up to 26.2 miles, is a function of the rate at which lactate moves out of the muscle tissues into the bloodstream and the rapidity which muscles tissues and the heart remove lactate from the blood.
As explained in previous WOTD posts, lactate is a key fuel for muscles. Establishing a high lactate-threshold speed means the muscles are unwilling to let energy-rich lactate slip away into the blood and that blood clearing ability is rapid when lactate does escape the tissues.
To progress the session, first aim to improve speed of the 500m reps to enhance neuromuscular power. Once the desired speed has been stabilized, then systematically decrease the recovery period by 10” - 15” between reps to further enhance lactate-threshold velocity. Once the 800m runner progresses to 4 x 500m at, or slight faster than, true 800m pace, on less than 60” rest between each rep, they’re fully prepared to do something very special on race day.