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Definition
For high school athletes, the distance races are those events 800m or longer. The distances distiguish themselves from the other events in Track & Field by their reliance on aerobic fitness rather than raw speed or power. Distance runners develop gradually, often taking years to reach their potential.

A Philosophy for the Distance Events
There are no magic training milage figures that guarantee success. Coaches should train their runners for racing, not mileage or speed. Racing weapons include the abilities to sustain a fast pace from the start of the race,surging, a good sprint-finnish, and mastering such nuances as how to run in a crowd, how to stay out of boxes, how to run up and down hills, how to pass, and how to hold off a challenge. In a distance race, it is far easier to stay up than catch up.The difference between training and racing is that racing forces runners to compete against tactics! Rest and recovery are the most critical aspects of training for distance races. Distance racing is a movement skill, not just aerobic exercise. Distance runners do not peak with speed work. Distance runners need to be able to run fast, but like distance runners, not like sprinters.

Methods of Training
800m, 1600m, 3200m
As a rule, early season training should target areas of weakness and late season training should focus on exploiting your athletes' racing strengths. Regardless of the methods you use, the key to an effective training program is detailed planning, the judicious use of rest and recovery, and a gradual increase in training intensity and duration.
Steady-pace training
Steady-pace runs are done at pace which some athletes descrbe as "comfortable hard". Long, steady runs should be done at pace that can be maintained for 40-60 minutes with relative ease. A such continous run at this level (70%) has been found to be ideal for developing the cardiovascular system, improving the capillarization of muscles, and enhancing the body's efficient use of its energy sources. Long, steady runs are the "base" or "foundation" phases which allow for longer, more intense training later in the program.
Tempo-pace (threshold) training
Tempo-pace, or threshold, running is designed to train runners at their lactate threshold, the level of running intesity where lactic acid begins to accumulate rapidly in the blood. Continous running at tempo-pace usually can be maintained for 20-40 minutes. Continous threshold training is usually referred to as tempo running. The purpose of tempo runs (20-30 minutes 90%) is to train at an intensity level just short of hard-pace running. Segmented threshold training is also reffered to as tempo reps or tempo intervals.This training consists of a series of shorter runs, usually lasting 90 seconds to 8 minutes, with short recovery intervals of one minute or less in between. Distances of 600-2000m are usually used for tempo reps.
Repetition training
Repeats of 1-5 minutes of fast running have been identified by exercise physiologists as ideal repetition training for distance runners. Regardless of the distance, a good rule is for the rest time to be twice as long as the run time. Repetition training is designed to increase running efficiency by decreasing th oxygen cost of running and to help the runner become more pace and rhythm conscious. A total time of 20-25 minutes at desired race pace, not including recovery time, is a good upper limit.
Interval (high lactate) training
The interval is the recovery period between bouts of running. In an interval training session, the objective is to run specific distances repeatedly at high-lactate blood levels, so the recovery ratio is 2:1 run to recovery (in repetition training it is 1:2). Research has shown that middle distance (800m, 1600m) runners need to be tolerate high levels of lactic acid because it is a byproduct of anaerobic running. Also the high levels of lactic acid becomes an energy source in the absence of oxygen. The duration of each run in an interval session is typically 15-90 seconds (100-600m) faster than race pace. The recovery ratio should be 1 or 2:1 run to recovery. The idea is not to fully recover, but to maintain a high level of lactic acid in the blood throughout the workout.
Speed play training
"Speed play" is a combination of fast and slow running; that is, a continous running session which includes bursts of fast running followed by periods of easy running for recovery. Ideally, speed play is done over varied terrain, including hills. The length of the fast bursts and easy recovery runs is unstructured so that the athlete has genuine feeling of playing with speed.
Surging training
Surging is continous running similar in design to speed play. But while speed play alternates periods of sprinting and jogging, surging is steady-pace running punctuated with periods of faster running up to threshold pace, well below sprint speed. The purpose of surging training is to enhance the runner's ability to initiate and respond to changes in pace and to recover at steady-pace running speeds.