I am a 400-600 (sometimes 800) meter runner for my high school team in Massachusetts. With a large amount of time, effort, and money, what should I do to get better at my events over the summer and fall?
I am a 400-600 (sometimes 800) meter runner for my high school team in Massachusetts. With a large amount of time, effort, and money, what should I do to get better at my events over the summer and fall?
Don't listen to anyone telling you to do big mileage.
Base
- Once or twice a week shot sprints, accleration, short hills, push-pull etc
- Once a week cruise intervals - build to 5-6 x 1km on about a 90 sec recovery, at nominal 7-10km pace. This is your main aerobic session
- Once a week 6 x 2 mins at about nominal 2km pace, build to 7 or 8, 2 min recovery
- Once a week longer hills/diagonals
- quality strength training
- An easyish 20-25 min run a week
Moving into season
- Keep the cruise intervals and 6-8 x 2/2 - you need these to run an 800, but they lose importance if you decide to focus more on 400
- Once a week 200 training (instead of short sprints)
- once a week specific 400 training
- Once a week 800 training (instead of hills/diagonals)
- Keep the strength training
1-2 days off running (might do strength on one of the rest days)
Thank you very much that actually looks great
Money wise I'd invest in:
BCAAS for intra workout
Creatine HCL 2 grams both pre and post workout
Whey protein post workout
Glutamine 5-10 grams a day
ZMA before bed
And optionally CLA 4g/day and 1500mg L-cartinine pre workout
- 3x certified personal trainer
Can you elaborate on the "quality strength training"?
a pure 800 chick wrote:
Can you elaborate on the "quality strength training"?
Yes, good question.
I mean doing strength work that helps your running and often doesn't really add much mass or bulk.
I'm no expert, but it includes:
- hamstring bridges and Russian hammies
- cleans and snatches
- one legged squats
- jump squats
- other glute work, hip flexor work etc
- some body weight stuff, box jumps etc
- an ab circuit
But you have to make sure you're doing it with the right technique (eg knee not in front of toes on squats) and try to find someone who knows what is the right stuff. I part coach my son who is a 400-800 type though moving a bit more to 200-400, but I don't supervise his strength work. I leave that to someone who really knows what he's doing.
I could maybe get a program, but you need to be doing it right. It's as important as the work. Just as running correctly is as important as doing the work.
magicka wrote:
Thank you very much that actually looks great
I've done a lot of reserarch, talked to a few knowledgable people, and tried trial and error to come to that. One size does not fit all, but the program works aerobic (enough to run for 2 minutes), speed and accleration, form and easy running at race pace without overdoing the strain on the body, it has intense work but not too much, strength in the right areas.
As to your week, I'd structure it like this. Try not to work the same energy systems hard on consecutive days. Eg acceleration/intense CNS one day, submax speed endurance the next.
Base
Mon - off or easy run
Tues - short sprints, accleration, short hills (5-6 seconds), push-pull, plyos
Wed - longer hills/diagonals
Thurs - cruise intervals then strength
Fri - off or easy run
Sat - short sprints or more intense (say 150m close to flat out) hills, or sprints then the hills.
Sun - 6 x 2 mins then strength in the pm
Moving into season
Mon - off or easy run
Tues - 200 training
Wed - 800 training
Thurs - cruise intervals then strength
Fri - off or easy run
Sat - 400 training
Sun - 6 x 2 mins or 15 x 1/1 then strength in the pm
800 training you can do 2 x 6 x 200s on 30sec/6 min rests one week, 300s the next, then 4 x 400 on 3 mins, then start again week 4 trying to make them marginally faster.
400 session - submax types are 2 x 6 x 100 round the track on 20-30 sec recovery, or 5 x 200 at 2nd 200 speed on 2 min jog back recoveries. More max types you want to build up to 3 x 300 at 400 race pace, on 12+ min recoveries. Maybe 300-260-230-200 one week, 300-280-260 the next, then 300-300-300 the 3rd. Or stagger it in with the 800 sessions, or week 3 will be tough.
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