Kerron Clement is a distance runner

Other world class 400-800 guys:

Rudolf Harbig

Marcello Fiasconaro

Norberto Tellez (if you consider 45-low world class 400)

I believe most elite 400m HURDLERS could run a good 5k. Straight 400m runners are a different story. The 400m hurdlers I've known have very good aerobic bases while pure 400m runners tend to want to skimp out on the longer stuff. Felix Sanchez has run 800ms from time to time and I believe his best is 1:49. Seeing as KC is a 400m hurdler as much as anything it's no surprise he's got the ability to run a decent 5k.

I know a sprinter that ran 44 in the 400 and ran 400 miles every summer in HS. If the biological effects are not desirable or needed, as some of you say, maybe the mental effects are. I feel that distance running increases toughness and also teaches runners a sense a patience in their overall development as a runner. Possibly, if there was not such a dicotomy between sprint and distnace, we would see more 800 greats. It seems like every 800 runnner is a cross guy coming down. Maybe if sprinters step-up, somebody will break 140, no distance runner can run sub 45 that I have ever heard of. No sub 45 guy can run a a 4:00 mile. Is it because they don't try, or because they just cant?

STL_Runner wrote:

Harald Schmid of East Germany

Harald Schmid is from West Germany

Doogie Howser, M.D. wrote:

There does exist proof of this. It involves intermediate muscle fibers, capillarization, and vertical integration of training, among other things.

Not all muscle cells can be categorized conveniently into "Type I" or "Type IIa" or Type IIx." Instead, there seems to be a continuum of muscle fiber types which display many intermediate properties. Training can change some, but not all, of these attributes.

Fundamentally, the limiting factor in a muscle cell's ability to produce forceful contractions is the size of its connecting neuron. There is no known technique by which you can change the size of a motor neuron. There is an invasive technique by which you can re-wire a large neuron to a "slow twitch" fiber and create a fiber with predominantly "fast twitch" properties, but this cannot be accomplished through any form of training.

Training at extremely low intensity will not lower a "fast twitch" (large) motor neuron's synaptic threshold; that muscle fiber will still be able to respond to higher-intensity training and regain the ability to contract forcefully even after months of slow running. The muscle cell will take on some characteristics of intermediate fibers with training, which will spur the need for higher-intensity work to return to top sprint speed, but "innate speed" will remain with the individual until aging factors begin to come into play.

Type II (fast twitch) fibers can take on some characteristics of Type I (slow twitch) fibers, but this seems to be accomplished more readily with high-intensity repetition running rather than with slower running or jogging. Basically, the Type II fibers are not recruited at low intensities, so it is difficult to effect maximum transformation in those fibers by just jogging. However, they can be depleted or partially depleted of substrate by running slowly for long distances, which will result in an increase of oxidative properties within the cells.

Type I fibers can also assume some qualities of Type II fibers with training, but this result is much harder to accomplish, in part because the Type I fibers are heavily involved with maintaining stability and posture; thus, they will always be recruited for these purposes even during high-intensity exercise, and they will retain most of their innate characteristics.

In young individuals, Type II fibers begin responding very quickly (often within one week) to strength training or pure speed training, so as long as the individual is not exhibiting traits of aging, it will be no problem to regain any speed or strength which may seem to have been "lost" as a result of endurance training.

Quincy Watts had some big Prs after running XC. There is a big aerobic ocmponent in the 400m, especially in the second half. Additionally, guys like Mo Greene, a 100m specialist, run 30-35mpw.

runnnnnnnnnin wrote:

yeah for someome who runs the 400m and down, xc and/or long distance running is unneccesary, did u ever see michael johnson running in your local 5k or 10k?

no but he did run distance in the fall...distances as long as a 5k. And USATF recommends doing runs of 15-45 minutes at a steady pace in the fall part of yoru training....which is 2-6 miles.

You guys are cracking me up on the 17-minute 5k thing indicating that someone has "anything" in them. Endurance, aerobic ability, whatever you want to say.

We had basketball players and wrestlers on our XC team that ran in the 17:00-range. Several of them. Some of them did not ever make varsity.

A great sprinter (44-sec level) running a 17:00 5k doesn't mean anything except that he can run a 17:00 5k.

enough of this wrote:

Come to think of it, apart from Juantorena, can anyone name a single male athlete that has been world class at both 400 and 800?

Mal Whitfield - He won the 1948 Olympic gold in the 800 and bronze at 400. Repeated as 800 Olympic champion in 1952. He also ran on the gold medal 4 x 400 in 1948 and on the silver medal team in 1952. This was the man with the best Olympic record in the 400/800 double attempt before El Caballo won his historic double golds in Montreal, where he set a WR of 1:43.50 in the 800 and a FAT low-altitude best of 44.26 in the 400. Whitfield ended with more medals in his first Olympics than Juantorena did in his career, as his relay leg secured him two golds and a bronze. Juantorena anchored the Cuban 4 x 400 in 1976, but that squad finished out of the medals.

trackhead wrote:

Quincy Watts had some big Prs after running XC. There is a big aerobic ocmponent in the 400m, especially in the second half. Additionally, guys like Mo Greene, a 100m specialist, run 30-35mpw.

I don't know details of Maurice Greene's training, but I'd be VERY surprised if that's true. 30-35 mpw? Are you seriously telling me he does 5 miles a day as part of his training regime (unless you're just adding up all the warm up laps, recovery walks, total rep distance, more recovery walks etc.. that sprinters do. Did I mention all the ridiculously long recovery walks by the way?)

Yes, John Smith has said when you add up all of his warmups, cooldowns, drills, workouts, etc. it comes to 30-35mpw.

hasn't borza run a few decent 400m's. he used to run cross too

Doogie Howser, M.D. wrote:

Trust me, in general that is not a good idea. Clement is the exception, not the rule.

Why trust you when the "exception" just set the world record?

Trust me, you don't have a clue what you are talking about. Clement demonstrates the rule. No one ever tries it so no one ever sees this result.