400m; is there hope?

Yes.

When do you graduate?

It looks like you haven't been doing much in the way of mileage base on that 800 time.

My training consist of more sprinting than mileage, my training is usually repeat 600s at most but its usually repeat 400s, and on days before a meet I do a light run for 20 minutes, and 4 200s at the end.

Oh I graduate this year from high school (2014) and I want to achieve a 49.xx or even a sub-50 in the 400 and maybe a 2:00 flat in the 800 , is that reachable? And during the fall I will be doing cross country for base, and winter-spring would be speed and speed endurance work. Will all this work in my favor and is it possible in this time period?

If you are all LR talk and no action for years then you are full of it.

Abandonedbycoach wrote:

If you are all LR talk and no action for years then you are full of it.

Huh?

I wouldn't do XC. Just run some mileage on your own. I'd worry more about your base speed. Your 200 time needs to drop.

Matter not when I graduate Id say maybe this time next year which should be a month or two after I graduate (which is more time for me to train)

Dr. Know wrote:

Yes.

When do you graduate?

It looks like you haven't been doing much in the way of mileage base on that 800 time.

His 200m->400m is worse than his 400m->800m, so the answer isn't more mileage, it's general athleticism (needs more speed as clearly evident by the 200m, better endurance and/or pacing judging by the 800m).

Anyways, OP you can still improve but not knowing you as an athlete we can't say for sure what all you need to do - beyond getting faster.

Agree with Optimus. It appears that you've been stuck with a distance coach that doesn't know much about sprinting. To approach 50.00, you are going to need a 200 time around 23.5. You're not going to get this in a year by farting around with XC. You're also not going to get this by just doing 600s.

I'd have you doing weights in the fall, tempo 600s, and running hills.

During track season, more like:

Mon 3X600 or 500-400-300

Wed 320+3X200

Fri 6-8 X 150 hills FAST

Wed and Fri are right from Clyde Hart. You have to do some work on 200-300 pace, and you're not going to get that from just 600s. Also not more than a single 300-400 effort all out in a workout. The Wed 320 is what Hart calls an event workout and it is run on race pace, but the 200s are run slower, like 85-90%.

What coach d said. You need more strength and explosiveness to get that 200 down, which means you need to get in the weight room. I don't know what current thinking on good sprint training weight work is, but back in the day it meant lots of squats and lunges with a variety of upper body work during the recoveries from the leg sets.

Here's my story idk if it will help...

Freshman year:

Did cross country, suffered fracture, started track real late, 400 was a 57, 800 was maybe 2:20. My coach was trying to make me into a 800-1600 runner, I didn't want that. My workouts were long distance workouts.

Sophmore year:

Did cross country, suffered from stress fracture again, started track normally, 400 was 56, 800 was 2:10. Same coach with the same idea but he kind of gave up and gave me a little more sprint work.

Summer track:

I trained with sprint and middle distance group, 400 was stuck at 56, 800 was at 2:09, then I suffered from tremendous stress fracture worse than ever. But coach wanted me to be a 800-1500 runner as well but wasn't as hard headed.

Junior year:

Ran easy light miles with cross country team on easy days for wind and endurance to gain strength again, then Original coach started coaching girls, we received a football coach who knew nothing, but an assistance coach came and saved me , gave me a bunch of sprint work, and college 400m workouts, he couldn't train me for the 800 because he had no knowledge of it but suggested that it should drop with the 400, end of school I ran 54.6 in the 400, and 2:12 in the 800.

Now:

I do speed endurance, weights 3x a week, sprint workouts, 200s 400s and 500s-600s. 20 min runs on days before meets. 400 is at 53.2, 200 is at 24, and 800 is at 2:07, but my 100 is tremendous.

I've came from a distance backround trying to be a 400-800 runner, every year I've been hurt it has always set me back, but I haven't got hurt yet because my workouts are changing, I lacked the footspeed and not the wind, now my goal is to run atleast a 50 in the 400; and 2-flat in the 800, is it possible to achieve my goal by this time next year?

I'm 5'10 at 149-150 pounds, on the skinny and sort of cut side. My stride is good, just need the footspeed.

Your opinions?

Another question, should I just train with cross country team when they do repeat 300 & 400s, the weight room, and do some easy miles with them (basically run with them every other day)? Or don't run at all?

Sounds like your biggest problem has been the constant injuries, usually when trying to run too much in cross (though the summer injury calls that into question, but might have been a problem of trying to extend your season beyond what you were prepared for)

My suggestion - Run 3-4 days a week, do a pool or gym workout the other days. Focus on getting stronger and faster (raw speed) while SLOWLY building your mileage over the fall/winter.

your 100 is tremendous??? what does this mean

Aristocats - my 100m time slow is very slow for me to be a junior in high school,

Watchout- I domt like cross country but I only did because I thought it would help me in track for strength, wind, and endurance for my 400 and 800. But yes I understand what you are saying, most likely I will be doing hills, parachutes, 40s, ladders, and sprint work, during fall and somewhat winter. I do weights a. the gym with squats, leg presses, and quick calf raises with weights, only thing I don't do is lunges. I already work on upper body as well. I will try to add plyometrics into my workouts as well for explosiveness.

So do you also lift upper body? You're aware Micheal Johnson would bench three times a week. Learn cleans if you can. It seems like you're doing strength lifts for the legs, but no power (a sprinter does not get his power from his calves). You should add in deadlifts (mostly strength but targets the right muscles), squat jumps, burpees, more 50-150 meter reps with long active recoveries, and 8 second hill sprints.

15mph wrote:

So do you also lift upper body? You're aware Micheal Johnson would bench three times a week. Learn cleans if you can. It seems like you're doing strength lifts for the legs, but no power (a sprinter does not get his power from his calves). You should add in deadlifts (mostly strength but targets the right muscles), squat jumps, burpees, more 50-150 meter reps with long active recoveries, and 8 second hill sprints.

I do upper body as well, I just need to work on my legs more like you said.

So is a 50 out of reach for me from a pr of 53.2

No