Yasso 800s

Definition:  sprint 800 meters (1/2 mile), jog 400 meters (1/4mile). repeat.

"'It's so simple,' he said, 'The time it takes you to run 800-meter repeats in minutes and seconds works out to be your marathon finish time in hours and minutes.'" (My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso)  Bart Yasso discovered this 'phenomenon' by reviewing 3 years worth of his running logs.  He explains it this way "Here's how the numbers worked out: If I ran each 800 meters in 2 minutes and 40 seconds, then I was in shape to run a 2:40 marathon....Out of 15 marathons, the formula failed only once, making the 800s a good predictor for a race finish....The 800s aren't a perfect prognosticator of marathon time; adjustments need to be made for a hot day or hilly course, but that's just common sense.  For the most part, adjustments depend on how extreme the temperature and terrain are.  As a rule of thumb, runners who have done only three or four marathons should add about 10 minutes to their projected finish time, and more experienced runners should add 4 or 5 minutes.  But again, it really depends on the individual runner and his or her ability to handle steep hills.  Regardless, the Yasso 800s are a good barometer of fitness."

So, today I ran my first set of Yasso 800s.  I don't know how the numbers work out for half-marathons, not to mention the Whiskey Row hill course - talk about steep hills.  Regardless of the numbers, it's good speed training.  My training program has me running 3 Yasso 800s once a week for the first 30 days of training, then 4 for the next sixty days, and 2 Yasso 800s for the last week before the race.  I ran on a treadmill and think it would be more fun on the road.  

Today I really only ran 644 meter repeats not 800s. LOL!  I wasn't sure if I had remembered the conversion from meters to miles correctly so I had texted my husband about it.  He looked it up and the conversion he found was only accurate to the tenth and he told me it was .4 miles.  Well, it's actually .479 miles. Too funny.  Well, my first blush with Yasso 800s turns out to be short, we'll call them the Young 644s. :)  Next time I'll do it right.

It worked out I guess because I only had a short time to workout this afternoon.  When I woke up this morning I forgot that I had school tonight so I slept in past my alarm thinking I'd run after work.  I was able to work out during my lunch break and since I was only running 644 meter repeats I finished in time to do a core workout.  I only had time (and, honestly, the energy) to do half of the routine, but half is better than none! :)

Tomorrow's a cross-training day, I think I'll try "Jacob's Ladder" at the gym.  Now that's a big-time cardio and core workout!  Looking forward to it.

Happy Running!