Notes
800 at Augustana. I looked it up and it had been 6 years since I ran an open 800 and 5 years since an 800 split. I wanted to race this weekend but didn't want to travel to Naperville or La Crosse so when I saw this meet I figured I would hop in something. I would have preferred a 5k or 1500, but the fields didn't look very good for those events and with a 1:59 guy in the 800 I figured it was time to give it a try since I've been considering trying one out for a while now.
My biggest takeaway from the race is that 800s suck. I knew I needed to get out fast but also have no speedwork under my belt. So I jumped behind the 1:59 guy and felt like we were getting out plenty fast. I was able to see my 200 split was ~28 and felt good about that pace. It felt fast but I knew I needed to be there. I stayed right behind the leader for the next 300m. I'm not sure of the 400m split. An Augustana coach said we were around 56 after the race but I felt like I heard 58 during the race. With 300 to go I started to move for the lead but I was only able to get up even with the leader before the corner. So I tucked back on his hip a little during the corner to wait for the homestretch. The problem was that I was starting to hurt...a lot. I was able to get even with the leader coming off the turn but then nothing was changing. The two of us were both clearly hurting and were doing everything we could to stay with the other. We ran about as even as possible for 75m before I gave my last push for a little lead and beat him by a couple tenths. I'm sure I couldn't have run this time without him so I felt good about choosing the 800. The last 200m may have been as painful as any race I have run in the last 5 years though.
After the race I realized looking back that the other guy was breathing really hard down the homestretch, while I wasn't having as much trouble breathing as I was just unable to make my legs go faster. I'm sure that comes down to separate training plans and my focus on aerobic work. I also couldn't believe how much my biceps hurt, I assume from trying to swing my arms harder for any inch I could get at the end of the race. After the race I realized I ran the race with my watch on. With that extra long warmup I somehow forgot to take it off. I wish I would have used it if I was going to wear it in the race.
Overall I'm really happy with the time. It is my first time ever running sub-2 in an open 800 and getting under 1:59 was a bonus. I do feel like I should be able to run faster though, given my mile and 1500 times, but I think it would require some official speed training. Running 61-63 second quarters seems like something I can do comfortably but going the little bit faster to 60 or under seems to put me into a world of hurt. Getting a win and a PR made it worth the pain though.
Note: Official results (including TFRRS) have my time as 1:48.95. What are the chances Steve will put that time on the Alumni honor roll?