Date: 7th June 2015
Location: Colchester Athletics Track
Cost: Free
Rules: Runners race twice around a 400m track. They start from a standing-start and run in lanes. A reaction time of less than 0.1 is deemed a false start and runners will be recalled, with the responsible athlete disqualified. A runner can also be disqualified if they step out of their designated lane.
The Event:
Times:
Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 1:56.19, Mariya Savinova, Russia.
Sarah: 4:23.21
Ellie: 8:00.26
Comments:
Sarah: Just two little laps of the track, how hard could that be?! I found it so difficult to get my pace right, and probably went too slowly on the first lap and a half. Our coach gave me some good training tips to try and increase my time when we return to the 800m as part of the Heptathlon.
Ellie: I thought I would approach these 800m in a different way today. I have been reading a lot of things lately about how people talk to themselves in a derogative way and how unhealthy that is so my 800m was all about positive thinking. 800m without disrespecting myself, without putting myself down... I found it really hard. Doing exercise when surrounded by fit young things throws up a lot of hurdles for me (sorry, bad pun)... so I made myself comment on the weather, how healthy it was for me to even be brisk walking this distance and how good it would feel to finish. Before I began I had said to Sarah that I would be happy with 8 minutes and, thanks to a little spurt on the home stretch, that's what I got. Maybe I can reduce that for my next go?
Sarah: Just two little laps of the track, how hard could that be?! I found it so difficult to get my pace right, and probably went too slowly on the first lap and a half. Our coach gave me some good training tips to try and increase my time when we return to the 800m as part of the Heptathlon.
Ellie: I thought I would approach these 800m in a different way today. I have been reading a lot of things lately about how people talk to themselves in a derogative way and how unhealthy that is so my 800m was all about positive thinking. 800m without disrespecting myself, without putting myself down... I found it really hard. Doing exercise when surrounded by fit young things throws up a lot of hurdles for me (sorry, bad pun)... so I made myself comment on the weather, how healthy it was for me to even be brisk walking this distance and how good it would feel to finish. Before I began I had said to Sarah that I would be happy with 8 minutes and, thanks to a little spurt on the home stretch, that's what I got. Maybe I can reduce that for my next go?
