Author: Steve Bennett
When planning training for 800m and 1500m athletes, a structured approach is essential. My team and I have consistently used strategies that allow athletes to build fitness progressively while incorporating mental breaks and technical improvement. This is especially true during the off-season, where athletes focus on foundational training and explore new ideas.
Our off-season follows a "two weeks hard, one week easy" cycle, integrating multi-pace training—an approach championed by Frank Horwill. This ensures that athletes work across various paces to improve all aspects of their performance.
A typical week for a national-level 800m or 1500m athlete might look like this:
Morning: Easy continuous run, 20-40 minutes.
Afternoon: Track session with drills and reps (e.g., 5-7 x 800m with 3-minute rest), hurdle hip mobility, and sandpit drills for conditioning.
Evening: Core stability exercises and recovery-focused activities.
Morning: Easy continuous run, 20-40 minutes.
Afternoon: 30-40 minutes continuous run or circuit training.
Evening: Recovery-focused exercises, such as core work.
Morning: Easy continuous run, 20-40 minutes.
Afternoon: Track session, including medicine ball drills, plyometrics, race pace tempo work, and anaerobic threshold runs.
Evening: Core stability and recovery exercises.
Midday: Harder continuous run near threshold for 20-30 minutes.
Afternoon: Gym session focused on strength or circuit training.
Evening: Recovery-focused activities.
Afternoon: Core stability exercises, plunge pool, and sauna for recovery.
Morning: Easy continuous run, 20-30 minutes.
Afternoon: Mid-track or hill session, emphasizing speed and strength through hill sprints and bounding drills, followed by flying start sprints (150-200m).
Morning: Longer continuous run, 30-75 minutes, focusing on aerobic development.
Evening: Circuit training and theraband work.
Aerobic development is critical for both 800m and 1500m runners. Building a strong aerobic base supports faster recovery, enhances endurance, and allows athletes to train at higher intensities. Athletes should dedicate most of the year to aerobic work, complementing it with speed and strength training.
For 1500m athletes, aerobic sessions often feature longer repetitions at a controlled pace to simulate race conditions. For exampl
3-4 x 1500m with 5-minute rest (progressing to nearly 4000m total).
8-12 x 400m with 1-minute rest.
Continuous runs, 30-55 minutes, building to a solid pace.
We often include variations in pace during repetitions to mimic race conditions. For instance, an athlete might alternate between slower and faster segments within a single rep. This helps improve their ability to maintain good form while adapting to pace changes—a crucial skill in the 1500m.
As the peak season approaches, the focus shifts to race-specific workouts. For 1500m athletes, this means incorporating sessions that replicate race scenarios, such as surges, pacing, and finishing speed. Key changes in this phase include:
Transitioning gym work to power-focused exercises with lower volume.
Phasing out hill training in favour of track-based speed work.
Introducing race-specific intervals, such as:
5 x 600m at 1000m race pace with 5-minute recovery.
30-second VO2 max intervals (30s fast, 30s slow) to enhance aerobic capacity.
Flying start 1000m at 1500m race pace.
10-minute active recovery.
Flying start 800m at faster than 1500m race pace.
10-minute active recovery.
Flying start 600m at near-maximal effort.
10-minute active recovery.
Flying start 400m at 800m pace.
4 x 150m sprints at 800m pace with 2-minute recovery.
These types of sessions along with racing and resting cause 1500m athletes to Peak for the season and run their fastest, often breakthrough times.
Long-term development focuses on systematically building the physical and mental resilience needed for peak performance. This involves:
Emphasis on postural stability and mobility.
Aerobic runs of 20-45 minutes, primarily on uneven surfaces.
Exposure to various training modalities to develop coordination and strength.
Introduction of pace-specific sessions:
2 x 3-4 x 400m at 1500m pace with 1-minute rest.
3-5 x 800m with progressive pacing within each rep.
Strength endurance through hill sprints and bounding drills.
Avoidance of prolonged lactic work to focus on maintaining good form.
Increased training intensity while maintaining form under stress:
5-7 x 800m at consistent pace with 3-minute recovery.
3-5 x 1000m at 3000m pace with 3-5 minutes recovery.
Progressive tempo runs, including 8-mile runs with surges.
Gradual introduction of lactic tolerance sessions, such as 3 x 3 x 200m at 800m pace with 45-second rests.
High-intensity VO2 max sessions:
3-5 x 1500m at 3000m pace with 3-8 minutes rest.
3 x 2000m at 3000m pace.
Perfecting race-pace changes and tactical surges.
Maintaining form and efficiency during high-stress, high-intensity workouts.
The progression between stages depends on the athlete's ability to maintain good form under increasing stress. For 1500m athletes, this often takes 3-6 years of systematic training. Coaches must ensure that athletes develop the necessary aerobic, strength, and tactical skills to excel in this demanding event.
By using a clear and step-by-step plan, athletes can reach their best in the 800m and 1500m races. This helps them perform at their highest level when it matters most, while also reducing the chances of burnout or injury.
Message Steve via the Oztrack Athletics Facebook page if you have any questions. I retired as a coach now and am happy to assist. I closely follow the 1500m event in major championships. I am interested in the development of athletes in Australia and around the world.
The Oztrack Facebook page is at https://facebook.com/oztrackathletics.