Middle Distance

Middle Distance: probably the worst kind of race to run in track. The middle distance races consist of really only the 800. I guess you could argue the 400 and the 1600 (mile) for middle distance but the 800 meter dash is vastly different from both races. The fun thing about the 800 meter dash is that it's the only race to be known as a sprint-stance, a sprint and distance mix. Is it more like a sprint? Is it more like a distance? It's more like 2 laps of nothing but blood, sweat, and tears in a non-stop, action packed race that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the runners are passing out across the finish line! Freshman runner Brendan Shannohan likes this race so much he yells, " I'm so jacked for this race man! I'm all loosened up too, I mean I'm so loose that I'm.. FOOTLOOSE!" Motivational stuff right there. If that doesn't make you want to run then you're crazy. Since this race is so much fun it's unfair to keep anyone from running this race. That's why when kids start out in track whether it be their first year of track or their first meet of the season, everybody ends up running the 800 at least once every year!
 While the 800 meter run is fun it is also quite the enigma. You see since it's a combination of a sprint and a distance event no one to this day, including me, know how to pace. Is it a hard first lap and a slower second lap? Or maybe it's vice versa? Whatever the case this race is anything but easy. A famous quote on the mysterious pacing problem comes from Max Stebbins stating, " Yeah I don't know man... my first 800 meters for my 1600 was faster than my actual open 800." This is exactly the case. Max's time for a single 800 came out to be 2:16 while his first 800 split for the 1600 was 2:10. Another weird thing about the 800 is that you never have a good feeling about your performance. There's been times when people feel like they absolutely shattered their old time when realistically they did worse! It also works in the opposite effect when people think they ran terribly then they come to find out they ran a personal best by several seconds.
On the serious side of things the 800 is my favorite race because I excel at it more than the 400 meter dash or the 1600 meter run. I also like it the best because on the last 150 meters of the 800 most kids are usually running low on energy and I'm usually turning on the back burner and passing a few kids right before the finish line. This usually angers everyone in the race but hey, what are ya going to do?
The real key to dealing with the 800 comes down to mental toughness. By the second lap everyone is usually cramping but the runners who block this pain out are the ones who go one to be all state, all conference, all area, etc. That's why it's important to train hard and with maximum effort. That way you don't end up like Ex-statistician, Ben M, better known as Ben with a bad Polish name. The reason Ben never excelled at this race is because his attitude toward the race was always, "Ugh I hate this race." Well when your attitude is terrible so is your time! That's why the key for this intensifying, all out, race is mind over cramps!