Essential Marathon Workouts: Yasso 800s

Improve sustained speed & endurance through this workout, which is an indicator of fitness and an essential run in all my athlete's marathon builds.

Bart Yasso, often dubbed the “Mayor of Running” and former Chief Running Officer of Runner’s World magazine popularized a workout many consider a key indicator of marathon readiness. While 800-meter repeats might seem like a standard track session, when used with the intention of marathon training, they can indicate how an athlete might perform on race day.

The magic of the Yasso 800s lies in their predictive power: each 800-meter repeat is run in the minutes and seconds that correlate with your marathon goal time in hours and minutes. For instance, if you aim for a 2:57 marathon, you would target 10 repeats at 2 minutes and 57 seconds each. This pattern holds across different goal times—whether it's 3:24, 4:18, or 5:00.

As a coach, I emphasize the importance of the long-run workout. In preparing for endurance events, there are several ways to simulate the volume and fatigue you'll experience on race day. Long, challenging runs are one approach, and another is strategically placing efforts like Yasso 800s within a longer run or track session. These long workouts are not just about covering distance; they're designed to mentally and physically prepare you for race day. They make even substantial efforts like 9.5 miles on the track or a 16-mile long run feel manageable.

Let’s break down the workout:

The Warm-Up:

Begin with 1-3 miles at a comfortable, conversational pace (zone 1 or base pace). Incorporate mobility exercises or dynamic stretches to loosen up and prepare for the more strenuous efforts ahead. As your training progresses, extending your warm-up helps build overall mileage and accounts for the fact that it may take longer to feel “warmed up” as leg fatigue sets in.

The Repeats:

On a standard 400-meter track, 800 meters equals two laps. The pace should be challenging but controlled—you should be in a manageable state of discomfort. You want to reach the point where the recovery is welcome but unnecessary. If a track isn’t available, find an uninterrupted path to execute this effort safely.

The Recovery:

The recovery between repeats should equal the time it took to run the 800 meters. I recommend keeping your recovery pace around your base pace for 400 meters (one lap).

The Volume:

Build into this workout gradually. I schedule it three times in a 16-week marathon training cycle: first, with 6 repeats, then 8, and finally 10 repeats about 10-14 days before race day.

The Cooldown:

Finish with a 1-3 mile cooldown, similar to the warm-up, depending on your overall mileage for the day. Follow up with light stretching and replenish with a blend of carbs, proteins, fats, and electrolytes.

Remember, the Yasso 800s are just one piece of the marathon training puzzle. They give you a snapshot of where your fitness might be when you toe the line, but a marathon is 26.2 miles of unpredictability. The more you trust the training process and your ability to execute on race day, the more confidently you can approach those final miles.