Am I a 400m or 800m runner?

if you train with the distance group and those are your 1500 1600 and 3200 times you are certainly not a miler. Unless of course you don't have the guts to hurt in a race in which case you are not an 800 meter runner or even a 400 meter runner.

It doesnt really help that I'm , unfortunately , our schools best distance runner , and that my 2 mile time is from 2 years ago, but having guts is one of my strengths , and something I take pride in, so I dont think its that.

I agree, your mile and two mile times suck compared to your 400 and 800. And 51.10 seems superior to 2:03 as well. If you really have been training distance, you can go ahead and stop right now. Your potential lies in the 800 and under realm. Looks like you might even be a 200/400 guy.

i suggest you focus on the 200, 400 and 800. the 4 and hundred times point towards a nice 200, and with 50 flat speed and some strength you can surely get to around 1:56 in the 8.

also weird that your coach seems to value your distance times over your 400.

all of your times are slow enough that you are not a specialist in any of them. just run whatever you want to run and the other events will likely improve too along the way.

You've got a very good 400m time off of middle distance training. As other's have mentioned, you're a sprinter (long and short sprints). You can dabble a bit in the 800 and in the future perhaps in college, you may want to move up in distance.

[quote]400/800M Runner wrote:

I'm heading into my senior year , and I want to focus on one event . I like the 400 more than the 800 , but I want to concentrate on the event that'll I'll do best in . Here re my PRs:

100- 11.28 (hand timed)

400- 50.87 (hand timed) 51.10 (FAT)

800- 2:00 (4x800 split, first leg) 2:03 (FAT)

1500- 4:30 (FAT)

1600- 4:50 (FAT)

3200- 11:28 (FAT)

As far as training goes, I train with the distance group during school. I would talk to my coach about this, but she swears that I am a 1600m runner, but I highly doubt that I am anything over a long sprinter (yes, I consider the 800 to be a long sprint), so I come to you guys. Any thoughts?[/quot

2/10

awhaaaa?? wrote:

... And 51.10 seems superior to 2:03 as well. If you really have been training distance, you can go ahead and stop right now.

The 400 is clearly superior to the 800. Look up Jordan Boase for inspiration.

Your a 400/800 guy. Your 100m is likely worth about 11.5-11.6 FAT which is far worse than both your 400m or 800m time. Your distance times are also slower than your 400m/800m times, but as you say those are from a while ago, what do you think you could run in those events now.

Its not clear what your distance training is like, others may be right that you might even want to try the 200m. But I still think the 400m-800m is your better events at least at this moment.

400/800M Runner wrote:

I'm heading into my senior year , and I want to focus on one event . I like the 400 more than the 800 , but I want to concentrate on the event that'll I'll do best in . Here re my PRs:

100- 11.28 (hand timed)

400- 50.87 (hand timed) 51.10 (FAT)

800- 2:00 (4x800 split, first leg) 2:03 (FAT)

1500- 4:30 (FAT)

1600- 4:50 (FAT)

3200- 11:28 (FAT)

As far as training goes, I train with the distance group during school. I would talk to my coach about this, but she swears that I am a 1600m runner, but I highly doubt that I am anything over a long sprinter (yes, I consider the 800 to be a long sprint), so I come to you guys. Any thoughts?

If you develop some speed endurance, you will run faster times.

Don't complicate it.

If you're a girl, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You can ruin just about anything and shoudl be in the DL. I assume not.

You seem to have a few different skills/capabilities, which will shift as you mature. It's better to be that way coming into your senior year.

But of course you are trying to set some marks for college opportunities. So rather than getting into a pissing match with your coach - who will have an opinion of you for any recruiter - discuss your last year with him so that he is aware of your aspirations. He may be exactly right.

Set yourself some milestones and go with the flow.

My advice -

10 point something in the 100 m is always good.

49 flat in the 400 is a good start.

1:56 for the 800.

All those should be in your reach.

4:50 is not as strong. Good athlete stuff? But maybe you're the only one at your school who can run that far, that fast?

Good luck.

Your success will be in the 800m run. 2:03 can be improved upon with good training. More speed endurance.

400/800M Runner wrote:

I'm heading into my senior year , and I want to focus on one event . I like the 400 more than the 800 , but I want to concentrate on the event that'll I'll do best in . Here re my PRs:

100- 11.28 (hand timed)

400- 50.87 (hand timed) 51.10 (FAT)

800- 2:00 (4x800 split, first leg) 2:03 (FAT)

1500- 4:30 (FAT)

1600- 4:50 (FAT)

3200- 11:28 (FAT)

As far as training goes, I train with the distance group during school. I would talk to my coach about this, but she swears that I am a 1600m runner, but I highly doubt that I am anything over a long sprinter (yes, I consider the 800 to be a long sprint), so I come to you guys. Any thoughts?

400m

Just a note, the 100m time was my first meet back from a back injury, and no training as far as blocks and form and such. I think I can drop my 100m time once I learn how to sprint.

Get away from the middle distance group and start training with the sprinters. Adding sprint speed is important before you start trying to really get your 400m time down.

your 400 is definitely your best time. that said, you could probably run a good 800 with some training. focus on the 400 now though.

Anyone saying this kid should focus on the 400m is wrong.

How much could he hope to improve?

He has the potential for a 1:56 and 4:20(1600m) in him this year. That kind of progression in a senior season and his notable gift of speed would have most college coaches wiling to offer him a walk-on spot.

Don't be fooled, there are two paths for the 51 second high school 400m runner:

1. Become the guy whose career highlight was running 51 to win Districts his senior year in high school

2. Become the guy whose career highlight was running 3:41 to win Conferences his senior year and qualify for NCAAs in college

I agree with Lenny Leonard,

I ran 50 flat in the 400 for almost 2 years with no improvement but went from 2:09 down to 1:55 in the 800 in a matter of 3-4 weeks after I moved up and started running longer runs and tempos to boost my endurance. There are very few natural sprinters and I think the genetic limitations are greater for sprinters than for distance/middle distance runners. 50 second 400 runners are a dime a dozzen in high school, but if you run 1:56 ish for the 800 you can find yourself on a college team.