I can't run a 400 for my life

1.Yes

2.Yes

Do a lot of 200 on the track, lots of short hill efforts.

3- at what distance does 400m ability no longer become a factor? 5k? 10k? marathon?

Well 400 ability is ALWAYS a factor but less so as distance goes up. If you look at a 1000 person marathon field ranging from 2:10-5:10 there will probably be a very clear positive correlation between 400m time and marathon time. 400m speed is worth investing in because it will improve your potential at the longer distances.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/frankhorwill.htm

I am a 29:40 10km'er and 2:18 marathoner and I cannot run fast for anything less than 5000 meters. I cannot run under 60 for 400 unless I am at my very fittest, and then I can do about 57-58.

When I was a schoolboy, I would always get picked LAST to be on the kickball or touch-football teams because my short-distance speed was so poor.

Young lady, what I suggest to you is to work on your physical and mental endurance by long distance training. You are very young, so I suggest that you also achieve this via long distance bicycle riding. The summer is approaching and so this is a perfect opportunity for you.

It is certainly possible to run repectable times with poor 400m speed.

You are probably around these times Jason?

2:18=79/400m

65:30 for half? (75/400m)

29:40=71.8/400m

14:10 for 5000m? (68/400m)

4:15 for the mile? (64/400m)

2:00 for the 800m?

57 for the 400m

Endurance is defined as maintaining a high % of your maximum for a long period of time. Endurance is important. If what you say if true Mayeroff, you have better endurance then Haile Gebrselassie. He runs a 49.9 all out 400m (according to his manager Jos Hermans) and you have 57 speed. Your marathon pace is 79/400m and his is 71.25/400m

Your 400m pace/marathon pace is .72

Haile's is .70

So in fact your endurance is better, he is just able to run faster due to better raw speed.

One thing people should point out is that you don't have to devote a ton of time to become a lot faster at 400 for a distance person.

Do daily striders at a hard effort. Do hill bounding, spinging, skipping, and sprints. If you do plyos a couple times a week it will also help.

MAYEROFF wrote:

Young lady, what I suggest to you is to work on your physical and mental endurance by long distance training.

can you expand on the mental endurance bit? Apart from good mileage per week, how can I improve my mental endurance? I find I can beat my fellow runners over a 15 x 400m session, by about 5 secs per 400 rep. But I\'m only say 45 secs ahead over 10km. How do I know whether I have no endurance ability and just mediocre speed, or whether it\'s still to come. I\'ve been running about 3 years now but I\'m 33. Looking at the link to Horwills calculator above, based on 400m speed I\'m about 2 mins too slow in my 10km. My mileage is okay, not great, it\'s about 70km to 100km a week. I do feel though that Horwills calc does assume some amazing endurance on the part of the runner, it does seem to be the very best a runner a could be based on 400 speed.

Your slowness is genetic, there is nothing you can do about it, and you will not get significantly faster as a result of doing drills, lifting weights, or anything else. In order to bring your 400m time down a few seconds you would have to shift your training in such a way that your distance times would ultimately suffer rather than improve. So rather than banging your head against the wall trying to accomplish the impossible, you should focus on endurance and plan to move up in college.

I've actually run my fastest 400s off of half-marathon training. I've never run one during marathon training but it might be even faster.

I think a lot of people confuse efficiency and speed. Endurance training can improve your efficiency, and that can bring you to a decent 400 time. In most cases, it'll be a 400 time that's more than sufficient for your distance goals.

Your sprint speed is limited by genetics to a degree, but I disagree that it can't be improved and that it's not important to improve it.

A couple of times a week do some squats, lunges, plyos, bounding drills -- then do stride-outs after your distance runs. Just don't overdo it.

You'll improve 400 speed and your kick as well as decrease the risk of injury.

You'll get faster and stronger as you get older. Except for incorporating the obvious stuff, I wouldn't worry about it.