I really like Tony Holler's Feed the Cats program, I don't have much to add for speed training than what you'll find in this article. When it comes to sprinting top speed rules, timing flying sprints from 10 to 30 meters is great. You can time them real accurately using an app like Technique or Coaches Eye on your phone. I like to set up a hurdle in the lane next to the one we are sprinting in at the start and finish of the zone we are timing so in the video I can see real clearly when the athlete passes the start and finish. When you can hit 10 meters per second (a flying 10 meters in 1 second, or 20 meters in 2 seconds) then you are well on your way to a sub 50 second 400.
CoachMcFly wrote:
Don't listen to all the negativity on here, I'm sure there's a way to have you reach your goals. It sounds like you're strong enough if you're an xc/800 guy. I agree with the guys saying to work on your max velocity sprinting and lifting. The best predictor of 400m times are 200m times and the best predictor of 200m times is max velocity. I would do some research on max velocity work, plyometrics, and explosive lifting for runners. here's a start from a sprint coach who's work I enjoy:
http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0115/9822/24_Pages_of_Speaker_Notes_and_____Extras_Coach_Tony_Holler_2017.pdf