I'm a post-collegiate runner training in a snowy area looking to run a good steeple this spring. However, I have a couple of obstacles. Namely I can't get on a track or get a hold of hurdles until the high school track near me thaws out this spring (usually around mid March). Does anyone have any tips on how to productively train for the steeple under these conditions?
steeple people wrote:
I have a couple of obstacles.
Use those...
Seriously, hurdle fences, garbage cans, branches. Do drills like there was a hurdle there. Find things hurdle height and use those. That's what I do...
As I recall Horace Ashebfelter used to use park benches.
Honeslty, if you are serious about the Steeple and want to train for it, go to Home Depot, buy a few pieces of lumber and build your own mock steeple barrier. I would presume it might cost a maximum of $20 and maybe 30 minutes pounding nails. It doesn't have to look pretty, just make sure it measures out.
A friend on mine did this with old saw horses and kept it in his garage. He would do hurdle drills in his yard all the time. He added a few inches to the saw horses using scarp wood blocks from Ace Hardware and put a 2x4 across the top. The thing broke down and stored int eh corner of his garage.
steeple people wrote:
I'm a post-collegiate runner training in a snowy area looking to run a good steeple this spring. However, I have a couple of obstacles. Namely I can't get on a track or get a hold of hurdles until the high school track near me thaws out this spring (usually around mid March).
Why is that a problem?
I think Malmo is saying that hurdle skills is one of the least important components of steepling. I would tend to agree.
I do think you should "appropriate" one of the hurdles from its snowy confines on the HS track and put it in your garage until the thaw. You could do lead-leg drills, trail-leg drills and hopping and that would get you a lot of the benefit of actually running over barriers.
You never want to practice with actual barriers anyway. Either snag a hurdle or rig up something you can use for drills. You only need to go over a water barrier a couple times before you can do it during a race. Just run.
Michael Karst the great German steeple HURDLER used to practice barriers at the end of hard workouts, so he would acclimate to hurdling when tired.
Wouldn't hurt to run several 400 meter hurdles races at all-comers meets either.
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