📌 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...