Running in the inside lanes

You can debate it as most tracks are public but the general reasoning behind this is to even out and keep lane wear down.

Overall, the most laps are run over lane one (and mostly 1-4) as in a 10k 5k, steeple, 800, etc. It is faster paced running typically with more push off force too so overall they try to maintain the track as long as they can.

some tracks actually have gates that go over lanes 1-whatever that swing in when meets occur or for practices etc to deter the public use of these lanes

On the track at FSU they have barriers that are like steeple hurdles at the 100m marks. You can push them inward but someone normally is out there to give you the stink eye.

Its to prevent lane ware. That is a nice track though, that hs coach shouldn't be wasting his time.

It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to resurface a track. Lane 1 already gets more use because every distance race is run in the inside lane. They don't want the added wear of having every local runner also using the inside lane. Makes sense to me. You don't want to have to resurface the thing every three years because there's a rut worn in the inside lane.

Gotcha. Just sucks having to do intervals in lane 5. I'll probably just start doing my workouts like an hour later when he is gone.

Just use the staggers and respect that they want to even the wear on the inside lanes.

SoCal Track Man wrote:

Gotcha. Just sucks having to do intervals in lane 5. I'll probably just start doing my workouts like an hour later when he is gone.

Why does it matter? In college we did most of our workouts in lane 7 on the indoor track.