> Why has the U.S. become so weak in this event? I think it's especially
> > surprising on the men's side, where our total domination of the 400m
> > suggests that we should be able to find a few guys who could move up
> > to the new-style, "long sprint" version of the 800 with success. (I
> > still wish we'd had a chance to see MJ seriously attempt it, even just
> > once.)
It would be great to see MJ attempt it. His style is more conducive to 800m
running than most of the sprint-oriented 400m runners, and I've just got to
think he would have loads left after going through in 50.0
>We have had this debate several times before on this list (the 400/800
runner vs the 800/1500 runner) and it's always >great fun, at least for
those of us who love the 800. I've always looked to Coe as the best example
of how to make an >800m runner. Take a successful 1500/3000 guy and
seriously incorporate work into that distance schedule to lower his
>400m time (in Coe's case from 50s to 46s) while maintaining your distance
ability.
I tend to agree with this viewpoint, but in fairness to the 400 types, I
question how many of them have made serious attempts at the 800m. The few
promising high school and collegiate runners whom I've seen try it tend to
go out way to fast and are quickly discouraged by how difficult the last 200
is. On the other hand, nearly every elite miler runs an 800 or 2 per year.
Also, didn't Coe's speed improvement come at a fairly young age? And wasn't
he always an 800/1500 guy with the 3000m being more of a stretch.
Finally, I suspect that distance training (not LSD, but longer intervals and
"tempo" type runs) prepares one mentally for the 800m much better than
typical sprint/400 training. Physically, there are undoubtedly loads of
400m runners who could challenge the distance-based 800m guys, even with
lower mileage. You don't learn how to handle the last 200 of an 800 by
doing 2 or 3 repeat 400's fast, despite the obvious physical correlation.
Just like many distance runners don't know how to stay relaxed at close to
their top speed, the way sprinters know how to.
- Ed Parrot
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
