Can run 12.4 100m + a sub 5 mile (4:48) but cannot break a 60 second lap for the life of me.

My hundred was about 1.2 faster than that and my mile slightly faster and my 400 was 51-52.

You probably timed your hundred wrong. Not possible to run 12 .4 100 and only have 29 200m.

If you went through 100m in 13 flat that's 16 for 2nd 100m it's too much of a drop off, momentum alone from 12.4 speed would get you way below 29.

A 2nd 100m in 16 is even slower than your finishing 200m in your 400m, assuming you go through 200 in over 30s.

It makes no sense. Assume your 100 time is actually closer to 13.4 and the other times make add up

Your 100 meter time is far too fast for your other times. Even for a poorly trained 200 meter runner, you should reach around 27 seconds in the 200 easy. Your 100 meter time is incorrect, and if you tried to hand time it yourself (probably when you took one step into it and then tapped your stopwatch on step before the finish line) is incorrect.

I am deadly serious, my times are always low 12 in races and a coach has recorded my 60m speed multiple times and my speed over 60m indicates around 12 flat potential. I literally cannot race the 200 or 400 and I really do not know why. All of my times are legit.

Why is my speed endurance so poor?

I have no problem powering my body to 12 sec 100m speeds providing I only run that fast for a few second, and them my legs/core just cannot generate enough power to carry that pace any longer.

Whenever I try to run 14 second 100m speed for over 20-25 seconds ... I literally just DIE.

I know 14 sec/100 pace should feel like a fast jog with 12 second speed but for some reason I just don’t feel strong enough to hold that pace for even 30 seconds, I do not understand this either and I am honest to god not lying about my times.

You're lying about your times.

22 year old running dude wrote:

Been stuck between 61.5 and 62.7 sec for 2 years now. My 60/100m are good (top end speed) and my endurance (800m to half marathon) are good.. so it isn’t a speed nor a stamina (lack of fitness) issue.

But my 200 and 400 are p!ss poor. I have PRs of 29 flat and 61.5 ALL OUT, I cannot push any harder especially on the 200 but yet I should be faster, much much faster, why is this so? When I am racing at top speed, my fast twitch fibers die out extremely fast but they feel very powerful just just a couple of seconds

Is it possible that I have a lot of type 2 fast twitch fibers plus also a lot of slow twitch but I lack type 1 fast twitch? And that’s why my 200 and 400 are dismal?

1) It is not your muscle fibers.

2) You may have a psychological disdain for anaerobic state.

3) Have you seen yourself on film sprinting 200m & 400m? Some high school and D-3 athletes have awful form sprinting 200m & 400m but look okay sprinting 100m &/or racing 800m. Your running form may be awful while in anaerobic state.

It could actually be form because I am primarily a distance runner, I mainly race the 5k. When I run 100m, I just peg it with no reguard for form to be honest.

You could be right. I have never filmed myself sprinting.

In the infamous words of letsrun, you probably can’t run “relaxed” and most likely have bad sprint mechanics. I’ve seen quite a few distance runners look like they’re fighting themselves when in sprint mode. You also can’t run a 200 “all out” like a 100. The 400 is another story.

To start with:

Accelerate and hold 90 percent of your max speed while staying relaxed in the face and hands. Keep the jaw unclenched and let the the muscles jiggle while sprinting. Don’t have your hands in karate chop position like some sprinters. Instead hold the thumb over the index finger and curl the other fingers in put don’t let them touch the palm. Pretend you’re holding a baby chick in the hand. You won’t let it escape but not squishing the baby bird.

Post a video of your 100 cuz several posters here including me callin bs on this one.

In a season where I ran nearly identical times (12.4, 4:45) I also ran 52.8 in the 400. That sort of disparity is just insane to me.

Stop running 50m instead of 60 !

For sure you are endurance based athlete and cannot run faster than 29 200 and 61 400, but your 100 m is 13.5 - 14 s at best.

Stop indicating 50m into 100 !!!

My 12.4 was FAT at an all comers meet, also I have never done 50m - only 60m with a personal trainer/running coach a year ago.

To be honest, I’m really not bothered if you lot believe me or not nor am I going to go out of my way to prove or justify myself. The whole reason I posted this thread is because I too, am baffled by my times. I was kind of just hoping to get some replies from sprinters and what they do to get their 200 and 400 to not drop off so much from their top end speed. So far I have only got one legit reply which was the one reguarding my form. It seemed accurate. When I sprint I really do feel like I am fighting myself and I am engaging so much of my energy on “attempting” to run fast that I die out very fast.

I know how to sprint (for a few seconds) and I know how to run relatively fast for a relatively long time but I do NOT know for the life of me how to piece the two together to convert it into decent 200-400m and to a point, even 800m times. I royally fall apart after 120m and after that I cannot sprint anymore, all of my power dies out it turns into a fast “distance paced near-sprint” and I seem to go into endurance mode after that point.

22 year old running dude wrote:

Been stuck between 61.5 and 62.7 sec for 2 years now. My 60/100m are good (top end speed) and my endurance (800m to half marathon) are good.. so it isn’t a speed nor a stamina (lack of fitness) issue.

But my 200 and 400 are p!ss poor. I have PRs of 29 flat and 61.5 ALL OUT, I cannot push any harder especially on the 200 but yet I should be faster, much much faster, why is this so? When I am racing at top speed, my fast twitch fibers die out extremely fast but they feel very powerful just just a couple of seconds

Is it possible that I have a lot of type 2 fast twitch fibers plus also a lot of slow twitch but I lack type 1 fast twitch? And that’s why my 200 and 400 are dismal?

Great so you left out the most important factors. AND THAT IS HEIGHT AND WEIGHT.

We would need your height and weight to determine all of this.

Every single running event on the planet is a body weight dependent event.

Meaning if you're not at ideal bodyweight then it's going to be tougher.

The average Olympic mens 400 meter dash body weight is 157 pounds.

And that's something that I looked up.

So what's your height and weight?

Just trolling.

When I ran 12s 100m , my 60m was roughly 7.5

I ran 24-25 sec 200 and low 54 400m

Perhaps:

1) you have no at all specific speed endurance for 200-400m

2) you run 200m and first 100m is 12 + 17 second one ( if no brain)

3) you run 200m in trainers on the grass

4) your 60m is over 8 s and that's slow

5’6 and 126, slim/muscular build, scales at the gym say I am 9.3% body fat. I have had no specific 200/400 training before, I haven’t really even had any pure sprint training before apart from a few months of doing 3-4 x 30m or so at top speed before easy runs (this was an attempt to build my speed while running and building mileage). 12.4, 29 and 61-62 would be my starting point.

Help me guys: I can dunk on a 7 foot hoop an a 10 foot hoop, but I just can’t dunk on a 9 foot hoop, at 8 feet I just turn to lead, unless I know I’m headed to 10 feet.

Do I have a specific muscle type that doesn’t allow me to jump 8 feet? A mental block? Am I insane? Am I making up nonsense?

22 year old funning dude wrote:

5’6 and 126, slim/muscular build, scales at the gym say I am 9.3% body fat. I have had no specific 200/400 training before, I haven’t really even had any pure sprint training before apart from a few months of doing 3-4 x 30m or so at top speed before easy runs (this was an attempt to build my speed while running and building mileage). 12.4, 29 and 61-62 would be my starting point.

There's your answer. 5'6 and 126.

How the hell are you that light ?

First off it makes sense.

Your 12.4 is more like 13.0 probably. You just lack muscle tone probably. You don't have the muscle to run fast in anything less than 400.

But your overall bodyweight allows you to easily run a 4:48 due to you being so light.

Uh, 126 lbs isn't light for 5'6".