📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Touch mile pace year-round — even a single 200m at dream-mile pace once a week helps the body acclimate to the demands of 1600m racing over time.
• The 1600m is about rhythm and cadence — athletes need to learn to run their goal pace efficiently while minimizing effort, starting as early as summer training.
• Use speed zones (alternating float and sprint segments within 120m reps) to teach athletes how to change gears mid-race an...

📌 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...