I alluded to this in my post recapping the Disney meet, but one thing our athletes need to work on is "getting out" in the open 800. The 800 is the toughest race out there, because it is an unlaned sprint. The 400 is really hard on the body and lungs, but there is no jockeying for position. The mile is brutal too, but there is plenty of real estate to sort things out and recover from any tactical mistakes. The 800 is the "worst" of both worlds. It's a short sprint race at the elite levels, but you gotta bump and fight and tangle with others for position the whole time if you are not careful.
Because of these attributes, I feel that running a clean 800 is the best way to achieve that super fast time. If you really get out fast and stay clear of traffic, that is better than having to fight through the traffic to get to the front. It allows you to run your own race, even with that little bit of speed exertion at the start.
Ben Goodman this weekend ran a perfect example of that down at CSU-Pueblo. He went through his first 100 in 13.2 seconds. He covered the next 100 in 13.4 seconds. This is a really fast 26.6 for the 200. At this point, there was no traffic in front of him. He had one other competitor that was there, but not a jumble of elbows, knees and feet. Ben had a clear track in front of him, and he took advantage of it, coming through the 400 in 57.5, and finishing in 1:55.8.
Our guys can totally do a 57.5 quarter mile, and finish strong to go under two. The key is not having to waste energy fighting for a spot. The way to not have to fight for a spot is to get your lead spot right off the bat, by going through in 13 seconds through the 100. Then keeping that high speed and perfect form up through the 200 mark. You have a little bit of a clear lane in that 100, before everyone collapses onto you, so take advantage of it!
Video of Ben's race can be found here, at co.milesplit.com. Check it out if you have a chance, it is well worth the 2:16 of run time!
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