XC Training System
How To Run The 800m

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The 800m is a positive split race — the best performances at every level come from running the first lap faster than the second, with a 2–3 second differential being ideal.
  • Break the race into three segments: run the first 200m aggressively, stay relaxed from 200m to 500m, then “compete” in the final 300m.
  • Practice running race pace — just like coaches in other sports have athletes practice game situations at game speed, your...
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800m Training: Pre-race Day

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Three goals: Neuromuscularly ready, mentally ready, no carry-over fatigue
  • Start with Jeff BoelĂ©'s dynamic warm-up (13 min, all three planes of motion)
  • 5-10 min easy run → skipping/sprint drills → spike up
  •  Key workout: 3 x 150m In-n-Outs (50m build, 50m fast at 92-96%, 50m run out)
  • Then 2 x 200m at race pace: First from standing start, second with 20m run-in
  • Cues: "Up tall" and "fast and relaxed" — never give more tha...
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How the 800m is different from XC - John O'Malley Weighs In

📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The 800m demands a completely different mentality than the 5k — it’s only 12% of the duration, requiring athletes to embrace intensity from the gun rather than “wading in.”
  • A positive split (first lap 2–3 seconds faster than the second) is optimal for the 800m — don’t overcorrect by going out slower, because positioning and free energy early in the race matter.
  • Early-season 800m splits will show a larger gap between laps; the...
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If You Want To Do Things You've Never Done Before...

Here’s a phrase I love to use with athletes: 

If you want to do things you’ve never done before, you’ve got to do things you’ve never done before. 

You asked your kids to do things like a new warm-up or new post-run work to run PRs in May.  

Now that it’s May you are going to ask them to do things they’ve never done before: 

  • Go out at a faster pace 
  • Sit back longer and trust they can make a hard move earlier in the race 
  • Run a differe...
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