Hello Mattew:
During 20 years I have been running 800m and 1500m races.Referring to 800m what I often see is that the key to improve performance is the ability to arrive at 600m as "oxigenated"as possible,I mean with the fewer level of blood lactate in your leg muscle cells.
From my standpoint this can be achieved with workouts near vVO2max.
You have to teach your tissues to metabolize lactate.
Series from 400m to 800m with small recoveries are a good way to get it.
On the other hand,speed works are the key for running economy and will let you save effort during the first lap.Obviously it decides who will be the winner between the runners that arrives to last 100m assuming that they have the same aerobic fitness.
I think that aerobic condition plays an important role,and usually you see on track events that 1500m runners defeats 400m runners on 800m trials.
Besides energy sytems,consider that you must prepare 400m runner heart to provide a better systolic volume to oxigenate muscle cells twice the time it lasts a 400m race.Again aerobic is the key.
Sorry if I have commited english mistakes,
Yours,

Thanks for the response.

I agree that for the 800m runner, aerobic capacity is best improved by vVO2Max sessions, and that steady mileage is not the best use of the limited training time available. Obviously, the further the distance raced, the more aerobic work (and therefore steady miles) becomes important. Speed is obviously important for all distances, but I feel this is neglected a little amongst many British 800m runners.

I believe, however, that 400m runners could also benefit significantly from occasional vVO2Max work, although most would be unable to manage 2 min or 3 min reps. The 30sec reps that I've read about in PP in the past have proven to be very successful for those athletes not used to longer work. Given a background in this kind of training in addition to the normal anaerobic capacity and technique work, I think that a 400m runner would be in a much better position to challenge a 1500m runner over 2 laps.

While never competing above state level, I consider myself a 400/800 meter runner. I am an Australian who trained under a professional coach, running both handicap, and full track distance. I began the 800 as training for my 400, and while never having the raw speed, all the sprinters were aware of my finish - or my ability to hold my moderate speed for the duration. Unlike many sprinters, I never held back to come home faster, just was able to run consistant. My bests are 11.9 100m, 24 200m, 49.9 400. But like the sprinters, I was almost overran in the 800m, with a PB of 1:56. I had one almost good season, but then moved to the US for 3 years and was unable to compete - alas I may be almost too old. But my raw speed in the 800m was a fear factor for those 1500m runners.
So to get away from the original topic slightly, I think the mental edge of being a southpaw - can be huge. One race I won, I was out in front - really hurting, but nobody challenged, as they knew I was the sprinter and thought they couldn't match me over 100m. Little did they know that I was changing plans for that race and was all spent and just held on.
The 400, 800 meter runners loved the nights training with the sprinters. Those were the nights you were barely sweating - we got a walk recovery between 100m reps! Pretty much our training was that of a 800/1500 runner with shortened mileage and more speed work.
Everyone made such a fuss of Michael Johnson winning the 200/400, but the 400/800 has been done a time or two. How many sprinters back up and run the 400 relay? Johnson is an awesome athlete, but for a great runner as him, there is still just a sprint - but the beauty of crossing between energy systems for 45seconds, and then a minute 50 - now that is something special!
Train hard!
dean mulcaster

Matthew, in fact if you think about it there has been a shift TOWARDS the 400m/800m athlete in recent years and away from 800m/1500m. These cultural changes have happened at intervals for moth of the last century. In the 1920's and 1930's, Douglas lowe, Ben Eastman and Ted Meredith, all time greats, were 400/800 types. Perhaps one of the nifest ever 400/800m runners was Rudolf Harbig who died in WW2. After the war, double Olympic 800m Champion Mal Whitfield was also a bronze medallist over 400m in 1948. He was pressed hard by another 400m/800m great, Arthur Wint of Jamaica. In the interim, the great 800m runners were largely on the 800/1500m mould such as Peter Snell etc. In the 1970's Alberto Juantorena of Cuba (400/800 double in Montreal) was supposed to be the way forward until Sebastian Coe re-established the milers' dominance. In the mid-late 1990's the 400m type once again came to the fore. the best 800m runners in the world today do not possess much of a pedigree over 1500m. What has happened though is the the 800m is increasingly becoming a stand-alone event, in the same way the the 400m used to nestle between sprints and middle-distances.

Listening to Clyde Hart (Michael Johnson's coach) talk recently, you realise that his best 400m runners do far MORE aerobic conditioning than their European counterparts.