This Quick Workout Can Predict Your Marathon Time | Yasso 800s

[@stevedendinger5734]

I have been doing Yasso 800s for years (like 20 years). I find that they work well as a filter. If you can’t run the Yasso 800s workout at a time you will not be able to run the marathon at that predicted time. i.e. if you can’t run ten 4 minutes 800s with 4 minute rest you will not be able to run a 4 hour marathon. However being able to run the Yasso 800s workout will NOT guaranty you will be able to run your marathon at the predicted time. You have to do the marathon workouts (long runs etc.) to run your goal.

[@JimmysGarden]

I'm pushing my severely disabled son in a wheelchair in the Manchester Marathon in April. It's the first time as well, no idea what time I will do it in but 4hrs will be good . Interesting training session.

[@runningchannel]

What an incredible thing to do! Good luck to both of you! How are you feeling about your training?

[@JimmysGarden]

@@runningchannel Thank you. I'm just finished week 2 so far it's going ok. I have done 3 Parkruns pushing my son, it was harder than I was expecting, on the 3rd had to pull out because of medical issues with my son (I hope it doesn't happen during the marathon). I'll be roping in some volunteers to take the place of my son for my long runs (10miles +) as my son can't make all of the training.

[@otrebela]

Good for you mate

[@geertklooster645]

I am fighting urges right now...

[@jackholloway272]

im doing my first marathon in Manchester aswell, i will give you a cheer if i see you

[@kennethwedig6091]

I've been runninng marathons for 2 decades now and have found Yasso 800s to be exceedingly predictive and helpful. Typically I start with 4 reps about 8 weeks out and build weekly to the full 10. In conjunction with appropriate long runs this combo is golden!

[@josephinecorderosapien2611]

Sarah and I are very similar in what we can do (she's a little bit faster!) so I do always enjoy living vicariously through her... whereas when Andy talks about his min/mile time in days gone by, I can just translate all of that 1:1 into min/km :)

[@richardantrobus7186]

I tried this in the summer - 2:55 prediction from the yassos, which turned into a first time marathon of 3:04, so pretty good prediction to give me an idea of what I should aim for but I knew going sub-3 was going to need a perfect race day!

[@paxundpeace9970]

It works really well.

[@nathanbaker1727]

Congrags! It didn't work quite so well for me 🤣 I hit out these sessions at comfortably about 2:40 per 800, I ran my first marathon nearly 40 mins slower than that. Although the training could have been better, and I also knocked my confidence with the 20 mile race I did about 8 weeks or so out.

[@richardantrobus7186]

@@nathanbaker1727 sounds like you have a sub 3 in you if you can do this in 2:40!

[@baumhauspflege3466]

Interesting! For me this does not really work, even though I'm just starting my training for the next marathon I could quite easily do10x800 in 3min each. But to actually run a 3h marathon one needs to put in a lot of miles to sustain to effort at race pace and, crucially, not get injured/sick during the build up while hitting 80-100k a week

[@Bweyg]

I did the math and for Sarah I got 3:29 hours and for Mo I got 2:48 hours. So we'll see how accurate it is, but you guys got this, keep up the great work!

[@elenocorbo945]

I tried Yasso 800’s years ago and they really do work. I was happy to hear they are still being used, and I plan on adding them to my current training plan.

[@runningchannel]

That's interesting!

[@jenniferbraun2654]

I've met and did a shake out run with yasso at one of my marathons and he was the nicest people!

[@Pondemonium89]

Immediately put this workout into my watch ❤ love the sound of the long recoveries 😂😂

[@pgmadnesssmith5370]

I’ve used the Yasso 800’s for a number of years and found it fairly close but if you haven’t put in the miles it tends to be less accurate. But it was always one of my last track workouts before my race.

[@tezster0]

Under perfect race conditions, this workout might hold merit, but there are so much more variables that factor into a marathon time. Specifically, it doesn't account for fueling and "bonking" towards the end. I can do 10x800 reps under 4 minutes with moderate effort (and let's face it: an equivalent 4min rest period is VERY generous for any interval workout), while a sub 4 hour marathon for me would be a herculean task.

[@edithgruber2125]

I did the Yasso 800s once 10 years ago for Manchester marathon 2014. I averaged 3:32 for the yassos and finished the marathon in 3:37. I wouldn't say that it's a good predictor if you don't put in the necessary training for the marathon, like long runs and overall mileage. You said so in the video, too, that it's a completely different workout, a more anaerobic workout than marathon pace. It's a good general fitness test but I wouldn't use it in marathon training as it's a hard workout, it takes time to recover from it, and it's not very well suited to my race goal. I'd rather do marathon specific workouts such as lactate shuttle tempo runs, i.e. doing 1 km at MP, 1 km at 10k pace, repeating that several times. The purpose is to run above my LTHR for a bit, build up lactate and then drop to MP to teach the body to clear it more efficiently while running at goal race pace. I don't do a lot of VO2 max workouts during marathon training.

[@sctsou1558]

I like this, will try it later! Edit: Also, I think Mo can do a 2:50 marathon, but I don't think he should aim for it now as he's already committed to another goal.

[@davebowerman9869]

My Marathon PB is 4:30 made in '21. I'm running Manchester this year and aiming at sub 4 hours. Never heard of this method so gave it a go this morning and managed 3 mins 30 seconds too so am even more hopeful now. Got real hard from start of round 8 but maintained the pace. Used the rest to walk a complete lap (400) so never stopped which helped.

[@davebowerman9869]

Update. Got a 47 minute marathon PB with a 3:41 finish!

[@jensmith3719]

I have always been intrigued by this as when i was a younger runner i could do the 3 minutes 800 okay but despite best efforts only got 3.23 tbf i was ignorant of long run paces and raced far too many with much faster marathoners 2.45-2.50, so they nailed their long runs, now i am older, slower and wiser i will give this another go,

[@timseidl488]

I included Yasso 800's and different Marathon Pace Long Run workouts throughout my training plan, and they both paint different pictures. I consistently average 2:52 for the Yasso 800 workouts, but I do not see a sub-3 hour marathon pace being sustainable for the 26.2 miles for me. My spring marathon is in two weeks. I might come back here to update if I do break 3!

[@doggocapitano]

I'm training for my very first marathon on 28th of April in Hamburg, Germany. Gonna try this out asap!

[@runningchannel]

Good luck! How are you feeling about it?

[@kathleenbolanos]

As someone not good with feeling my pace accurately, I think this could be a good workout for the treadmill.

[@guywarner8391]

Mo, 2:50 marathon? Maybe if you pace yourself! Anything's possible with the right training (standard boring answer, means nothing). Good luck both of you with your training, great workout!

[@technodork101]

I did this workout a few times when training for my first marathon. I was doing this workout averaging about 3:23 per 800m, give or take a couple seconds either way. I ended up running JUST over 3:30. For what it's worth, I spent several years focusing on 5ks and 10ks before I decided to attempt a marathon. I think that a good 10k runner can absolutely smash this workout, despite having nowhere near the required endurance to run a marathon. It's a fun workout, but I think there are more accurate workouts out there if you want to predict your marathon time.

[@MichaelStraka-zs7qp]

could you elaborate as to the workouts that you think could be more accurate in predicting your time?

[@edmoody3]

Did several of these workouts in the beginning and middle of my 20 week marathon training. The last yasso workout was at avg 3:14 and my Houston Marathon result was 3:19. So I’d say that’s a pretty close estimate.

[@wendydavan4979]

Well done guys. I am doing my first marathon this year. I am hoping for a 4.30 as my garmin watch perdicts

[@SJB-i1g]

Good luck Sarah I am sure you will get 3.30. I am also a Sarah and going for 3.30 in London hopefully we can congratulate each other at the finish line 😉😉🎉🎉

[@pete3701]

these two are definitely banging

[@user-pf1bo3wv7t]

Yes Mo you can run a 2:50 marathon 😊

[@Adriansyah1995]

Of course you can. Gonna be very excited for mo to try break 2:50 🔥🔥🔥

[@markjohnson4237]

Did this session for the first time today, thanks to The Running Channel. Nearly killed me but I did it in the right time too. Feeling confident for my April marathon PB attempt now 😁

[@runningchannel]

Amazing!! Which marathon are you going for?

[@markjohnson4237]

@@runningchannel Christchurch New Zealand April 21st.

[@Th3R1ddl3r8t2]

Going to give this a go, just started training for Belfast Marathon

[@JamesWiddowson-li2kd]

Great video! Liked the contrasting roles each of you took. Entertaining and informative

[@Bartoooshek]

From what I have heard, it's 800 m of running then recovery is jogging with exact the same time as 800m repeat. And then times 10. It simulates marathon struggle😊

[@davidarroyo8895]

Not to hate on the vid or nothing but there are a few things that are quite misrepresented here. (1) the workout done properly would have you run easy to moderate pace in between reps. (2) the workout is faster than marathon pace, it's not a flaw. This is NOT a marathon pace workout, this IS a test. (3) the same logic applies to the aerobic vs non-aerobic workout. It is a test, a predictor not meant to prepare you aerobically for a marathon. (4) this workout might favor a person who can run a great 5K but the workout is meant to be used in the context of marathon training, it assumes that you're building your aerobic base for a marathon. (5) it would not give you an accurate estimate of a trail marathon pace because it is not designed for that, again not a flaw. Basically, if you're using a screwdriver to build a house you should not say that the screwdriver is flawed because it performs poorly in hammering nails into the wall. The screwdriver was designed to perform a certain task within a certain context, same thing with yasso and any workout

[@paradox_3000]

I look forward to the video of Mo doing a 2:50 marathon.

[@ulfeliasson5413]

Interesting. Must try this when my body allows it.

[@andrsco]

Love doing yasso’s.

[@sarahcook1195]

Mo it’s nailed on 2.50 is the new target 🎉😊

[@JasonFarrell]

Hal Higdon features these Yasso repeats in his Advanced Marathon plans, but the rest interval is a shorter 400m jog instead of mirroring whatever your 800m time was. They don't seem to be so much a PREDICTOR of your Marathon time than an easy interval session that neatly maps to your ability level (your previous Marathon time, or realistic goal time).

[@chinpoeykhoo6261]

I did Yasso 800 and managed to hit sub 4 timing however the actual race took me 423 so better take it with a grain of salt as there are too many stuffs that can happen the week before the race and especially on race day itself (nutrition, recovering & tapering, weather, mental strength etc...), I definitely wasn't in the best form due to multiple stitches on race day but I reckon the best I can do is probably 4:10 so not easy to shave another 10 mins off the race. Instead of Yasso 800 highly recommend to try long tempo session over a period of time that will help out a lot during the race day.

[@TungNguyen-mx6zd]

Without training and never ran more than 21k, i ran my first marathon with 4:20. Its not tought as i thoght before

[@chinpoeykhoo6261]

Individual health condition and fitness background can differ a lot when it comes to distance running, there are a bunch of people who can finish sub 3.30 without training so if the race didn't feel tough for you try sub 3.30 perhaps. You got it XP @@TungNguyen-mx6zd

[@markjohnson4237]

Looks interesting. I've put in one of these sessions for a few weeks time as part of my current marathon training schedule. It'll interesting to see if I'm on target for my late April marathon PB attempt or not.

[@liamroche1473]

I kind of feel it is a great workout and a weird way to try to predict a marathon time!

[@MohdYusufAbdulHamid]

I believe the way Bart Yasso was doing it, he would have 10x800 + 400m jog. The jog does add up to that fatigue, especially if one does go hard earlier reps. Also this workout is somewhat odd for marathon training sake - it is too hard to be a vo2max type workouts, typically in the range of 5x3mins. It is best to do about closer to your marathon where the time would reflect your fitness closer to the marathon rather than earlier in training. While it is also okay to take the average of time of the 10 reps, the more consistent the time, the better it predicts the marathon time.

[@paxundpeace9970]

That is Important and quite often it does fit well If you do walk you only deserve shorter rest of 200m

[@paxundpeace9970]

Slowest or average

[@LeeWilson-l1i]

Yes can you do this nearer to your marathon please? It worked for friends of mine so I am intrigued.

[@runningchannel]

We can certainly look into it! 😁

[@anelkaisgood2]

Mo for 2.50 marathon!! And run it in the same one as Andy for a h2h sprint finish! 😉😊😊

[@Jenster-fe8kn]

For some reason I thought that you were supposed to jog the recoveries? Well done to you both 👍

[@RarerDonkey]

Interesting. Will be giving this a go

[@physio4me]

That was fun! I’d like to give it a go but maybe try the shorter reps . Yes definitely like to see this again before the marathon and then a comparison on race day 😅

[@acasualviewer5861]

I'm a slow runner. Always had a lot of trouble with reps. But went down to 400m reps and felt the sense of accomplishment of being able to do 10. Now I'm doing 800s again. Hopefully they'll get too easy and I'll start doing 1000s. Being able to complete is a great motivator for what is a very difficult workout.

[@peter19911]

On the workout you typically jog for the recovey rest, never seen someone stop for the recovery period

[@godanswers]

Yes, Mo, you absolutely can do a 2:50 marathon! Then Andy will have to do another to try and beat you😅

[@UntrainingUltrarunner]

Similar thing to predict a 100 mile flat race. Use parkrun flat out time. Minutes and secs into hours and mins.

[@outdoors2476]

What kind of volume (Sarah) are you currently pushing and what will peak look like? I imagine as you get closer to peak week this workout will feel even easier. Also, 3:30 mara = 8.5mph.....which is pretty sweet. good luck.

[@tcochrane3]

Mo and Andy should do same Marathon with goal running/racing with friend will get you a faster time

[@jassaljs]

Yes Mo you can definitely kill this at 2:30🦾

[@IsaacGibsonDunt1]

Mo, you definitely can run a sub 2:50 marathon 💪

[@julietmorrice3205]

Do you have any suggestions for how to adapt these types of workouts if you don’t have access to a track or anywhere that has 800m of flat, road-crossing-free paths? Hills and traffic make consistency difficult!

[@MarioatSA]

One thing the guys here at Running Channel I think get wrong often in their videos, unfortunately, is their short warmups... a 10 minute jog for this kind of workout would most likely result in injury for most people. I've seen this pattern on most of their videos. Nevertheless, thanks for the content I was curious about Yasso 800s.

[@kevinsilva9693]

can you do this for a half marathon? how does that workout look?

[@ryan8488]

Yeah Mo can do a 2:50 marathon!

[@Runtasharun]

Would be really interested in somethingblike this for a half marathon? I have a half marathon goal for this year but unsure where to begin with training or seeing if I can achieve my goal

[@agenthoini]

Well i dont know how much adequate marathon training this prediction assumes but as is itd be terribly off for me. Id probably do these fairly comfortably around 3:50 which would be a 1:55 half (assuming my half speed is my marathon speed so really its predicting an even quicker half) but im nowhere near going sub 2 for the half, let alone do it twice back to back :D

[@pedrammohamadipour5267]

I've seen that strength training can benefit me in terms of getting less cramps and tiredness in my legs as well as helping me have a better pace. but the thing im struggling with is when to perform them to not interfere with my running performance on the next run. Or how many days of rest i should have for recovery after that for my next run

[@acasualviewer5861]

I did it recently. Was pretty hard but my slowest lap was 4:23 so I guess that's my current marathon time. Now I'm doing it weekly but gone down to 5 reps (+1 per week) since I don't want to overdo it. The first one was very hard. But doable. But as a 50+ year old I need time to recover.

[@stuart1346]

might work for some but it’s miles out for me I’ve done under 2.50 for this and I’m aiming for 3.15 later this year so not that close. Always been much quicker at shorter distances.

[@andrewmclachlan2393]

What about trying this on the treadmill?? Would that still work??

[@mjowsey]

The recovery time does seem excessive, especially on a cold day. Maybe halve the recovery time for the first few times?

[@DeenSheriffdeen]

What pace do you run it for a HM? Is there a calculation for that or does this supports only for FM?

[@nathanbungay6346]

Hi, can you explain the 5,4,3,2,1 intervals from week 3 of 16 from your Marathon training plan. Do you rest in between each part? Thank you.

[@runningchannel]

We are revising our plans at the moment, so will get back to you soon!

[@ehetlaios]

I don't think it's very accurate,i was 800m runner and i could ran easily 10x800 at 2:45 but there's no way i could ran a 2:45 marathon those days(20-25 years ago),last year i ran a 10x800 session for my half marathon preparation at 4:55-5:15/K pace with 60s rest and i ran 2 hours HM but i'm not sure if i could finish a marathon.A good idea you can take from Jack Daniel's chart about your times at 5-10-HM-M.A good prediction workout for marathon is 3x5K at your goal race pace with 30'' rest

[@robertsue7586]

I thought the recovery was a jog recovery in the YASSO workout...not walk....

[@mimi_micha8815]

Doing my first ever Marathon this year in September, I am familiar with Half Marathon and know my pacing. How do I know my pacing for a marathon? Garmin says, I can do 3:30h but I have no idea how to run that pace for that long. 😂

[@iggalan]

In my experience I can always run slightly faster than what my Garmin predicts. But a Marathon is a fearsome beast 👹 so my recommendation is to pace it conservatively so you can remain strong in the last 10 Km and finish with a smile 😀 . Your long runs should help you to evaluate your “comfortable” pace at which you could complete the full distance. Then it’s a matter of getting a good compromise.

[@wafelsen]

Yasso does say use the average of your 10 repeats, so even if you are not spot on the same every time, you have a prediction. But I did love the “we are starting at 200 meters, don’t come at us”. I used to often do my track intervals starting at the 100 meter line. It is the same distance wherever you start.

[@davebowerman9869]

Never heard of this method and am curious at giving it an attempt. I'm targeting post 4 hours so I'm required to complete two track laps in 2 mins which I think is doable but sounds very hard to repeat another 9 times tbh.

[@hannahcollardgray4448]

Are you training together? I love all these ideas for my own marathon training.

[@runningchannel]

Not at the moment, but they do train together sometimes 😁

[@Burps___]

Can I do 10x 400 meters to estimate my half marathon time? Thank you

[@michaelkinsella1559]

Go Mo. 2.49 and 59sec

[@dansnipe4835]

Definitely can do a 2.50

[@seanflynn4901]

Are you supposed to jog recovery or standing recovery?

[@Independenceday95]

Sounds like you can either walk or jog during recovery.

[@thomasblankenhorn5911]

You ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger there! Would you mind giving us an update? In other words, have the two of you raced a marathon in the seven months since your video? And if so, what time did you end up finishing in?

[@runningchannel]

Neither of them have run a marathon since, but we'll keep you updated

[@singletrack9087]

Is there a similar workout that would predict half marathon time?

[@runningchannel]

No sorry

[@kylekermgard]

Looks like summer there

[@tadejdanev5030]

so 2 laps....what's your speed? 5min/km? :)

[@winklertribe5268]

Could taking an average of the 10 work?

[@runningchannel]

Yes but would be less accurate potentially

[@Cozwantsthatpie]

I would love to see Mo try to attack Andy’s marathon time

[@iberiksoderblom]

The old Yasso has been getting a surge lately from different running channels. It's not the Yasso that predicts your marathon time, you use the Yasso as one of your training-tools and for some a better way to understand adding some speed to a session. The Z2 long runs cannot be omitted. I've seen several push for a... 3.05 or 3.20 in a Yasso and succeding in doing that, but not being able to do a marathon in 3.05 or 3.20.

[@acasualviewer5861]

I think long runs are still important.

[@Weegie2]

The in-between recoveries in the yasso 800 are far too long for marathon training. I'd suggest running a 400 recovery at the same time as your 800 rep for a far better indicator of marathon fitness.

[@kathrynflannery2889]

Mo, didn't you do a 2.59 marathon? 2.50? You'll do it!

[@scriptosaurusrex]

It's a good workout, but definitely not an accurate test. I can (could) do more and/or faster yasso reps than the corresponding marathon time. Comfortably.

[@dominikschrott7412]

Is 10×800m really really quick?

[@runningchannel]

It depends on your level 😁

[@dominikschrott7412]

@@runningchannel what ever level together with all the recovery bouts and proper warm up and cool down you end easily with a total of 10-12 miles. That's not what I call just go out for a quick run...

[@BGNewsReporter]

@@dominikschrott7412 10 x 800m is 8km, recovery can be basically standing and even counting w/u and cool down would barely be 11-12 km for most people. Definitely not 10-12 miles. Not super "quick" I agree, but I guess the laps are.

[@TheRunningAccountant]

100% you can run a 2.50 marathon Mo!

[@hairyairey]

Sarah's face in the thumbnail isn't selling it to me 😂

[@runningchannel]

😂

[@stolts34]

LOL. I would be doing my 800 in 6:30 minutes.

[@tadejdanev5030]

uf MO 3:40 way too fast for me....4:20 i could do it. for 10 minutes :D

[@MrJhockley]

I think i'm too conditioned for intervals, no way i can run my Yasso time.

[@cubebeast6479]

Your rest time should be the same amount as your run time or even less.

[@hardipchima7828]

This workout doesn’t have a great accuracy in its prediction in reality.

[@KenStile]

Mo can hit a 2:50 but Andy can prolly hit a 2:39.

[@IAMNationX]

this is such a stupid predictor

[@Th3R1ddl3r8t2]

Going to give this a go, just started training for Belfast Marathon

[@runningchannel]

Amazing! Good luck 😁