<p>Hi,</p>
<p>What was your track and field practice like? Did you all have separate workouts for short/medium/long runs?</p>
<p>I never did track before but wanna try this spring and want to prepare for it over winter. In particularly, I'm interested in 400m.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, comrades.</p>
<p>Our track team has very different workouts for the sprinters, medium distance, mile/2 milers, hurdlers, jumpers, etc. Sometimes the workouts are combined, such as easy days when they send a bunch of us off for 30-60 minute runs. I would recommend getting into as best shape as possible before track season, does your school have off-season track or xc? If not, just start running by yourself, and not worrying about the specific distance yet. You might find different things your good at. 400 m is pretty intense if you want to do well, good luck!!</p>
<p>Hey!</p>
<p>Well track and field practice was killer. We did have separate workouts for different length runs. I'm more of a distance runner (1600/3200) so some days we might do twelve 400s, or another day ten 800s, or some other day three 1600s. After practice we always do six strides as well (sprinting along the straight track and jogging along the curves).</p>
<p>Hope that helped.</p>
<p>On our team, the distance (800m, 1600m, 3200m), sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), hurdlers, jumpers, throwers, etc. were all pretty much different teams. I'm a distance runner, and only one day a year do we all do the same workout, which is an entire-team relay. Other than that, everyone does their own thing. </p>
<p>Our easy days would usually be 30ish minute runs and lifting, workout days might be a 45 minute continuous run with sprint intervals, a "ladder" (400m, 800m, 1200m, 800m, 400m) or some variation, or repeats of some set distance.</p>
<p>The 400m is considered a sprint, and you would probably run more than just that event unless your team is gigantic. You don't go to my school, but if you did I would beg you to run the 800 instead, because distance is so much more fun. At my school, the sprinters/hurdlers/field events all have a few head coaches, and distance has their own seperate coach. Distance doesn't even hang out with the rest of the track team, because most of them are just football players getting in shape for next season. Distance runners are usually faster too. My coach always complains that we should get the 4x4, because we have 3 girls who can run it faster than the fastest sprinters. A lot of the sprinting practices go like this:
Stand around a lot
Run a 200
Talk
Go get water
Talk
Stand Around
Look at your watch
Run a 200
These practices go on from 2:30pm-6:00pm. Distance is way cooler, because our practices are never more than two hours, and we actually do stuff the entire time. You also get really close to your teammates, because you're going through all the same crap as them, and you need someone to talk to during your 13-mile runs. We never ran that much for track, though. I think the most we did was 6 miles, and usually it was A LOT of pacing and A LOT of 800s.</p>
<p>at our school the only people that really practice are the distance runners...ive heard its like that at a lot of schools but 400m is considered a sprint...if your school is like mine consider running with the distance kids</p>
<p>I am kinda undecided between 1600m and 400m. My 1600m is a completely slow piece of crap 6 minutes 32 seconds. My 400m is 68 secs but I <em>never</em> trained for speed. So I don't know if it's easier to drop my 400m 15 seconds or mile by minute and a half.</p>
<p>Or maybe take a compromise and prepare for the 800m run. Anyway, it looks like I shall do a lot of intensive running this winter :)</p>
<p>The 400 is an intense race. So keep that in mind. You are basically sprinting at nearly top speed the full way, but you can't go so fast that you burn out on the last 100. I think the 200 is the funnest race...even though it is pretty much useless as their is seldom a 200 relay. The 100 meter is awesome but it is mentally very intense. If you mess up one thing you are pretty much out of the race(whereas in a 200 or a 400 you have plenty of time to recover from a poor start).</p>
<p>I agree that distance people are in general faster at the 400. Sprinters tend to be the lazier group. The 400 depends alot more on cardio which sprinters tend to do less work on. I've never done distance, but I find a shorter race much more fun because you get to see how explosive you are and how fast you can really go. You can run long distance whenever you want...but it is a rare occasion you get the excuse to go full out at top speed tearing down a track.</p>
<p>When I started track freshman year(did it because some friends convinced me). My 400 PR was 60 seconds(not the slowest on the team amazingly, but far from competitive). Never liked the 400, it makes me mad a lot because believe it or not it is very hard to improve more than 3 seconds despite how long the race is. At the beginning of the season I think I ran a 62. For our track team at the beginning of the season in meets we run the 400 and the 200, and the 4 x 4. Later the 100 meter people start to diverge from the 400 people and they do the 200, 100 and the 4 x 1. I think with your starting time + lack of conditioning though you could make a significant improvement however(5+ seconds not impossible). </p>
<p>A general sprint day for us would be maybe warmup sprints(100 meters working on form), 600, 500, 400, 300, 200. Other days maybe 5,5,4,4,3,3,2,2,1,1. Some days we would run 40-60 meter sprints(I think 15-20)before doing 8 200's. Anyway, it all added up to more or less 5 miles. Afterwards we'd usually head to the weightroom and go through a workout there. From talks with the distance people I heard such cray stuff as 10 400's. They never go in the weightroom...which is one thing I like about sprinting. Also, if you are a more stocky/big kind of guy you'd likely do better at sprints.</p>
<p>elieenosaurus: I find it funny that football guys are doing distance! At my school, football players tend to do sprints. For one thing, it builds on a skill they need in the game.</p>
<p>You can still do several events tho, right? For example: 200m, 400m, 1600m in the same season.</p>
<p>elaznguy: I didn't say that very clearly. The football players at our school do sprints or field events. I wish they did distance, because watching the throwers struggle to do a two lap jog for a warmup is kind of funny.</p>
<p>My opinion is that you shouldn't go into the season expecting to do a certain event. You may not be great at the 400m but really stellar in something else... you mainly just need to get a feel for what your strengths are. During my sophomore year I trained like a 2 miler, i wanted to be a 2 miler. But i didn't have the endurance; i had natural speed. So i became an 800m/1600m/4x400m runner. Just keep an open mind going into the season.</p>
<p>But as for training, it seems most people have answered that, but i'll throw in my 2 cents.</p>
<p>(my weeks start on monday and end on sunday)</p>
<p>Middle-Distance Runner's Workout (General)
M - Speed Work (200/300/400m intervals) (3.2 miles before school)
T - Tempo (7 miles ~6:00-6:15 pace) (weight lifting, concentrating on core and upper body)
W - Speed Work (or Meet) (3.2 miles before school, unless meet)
Th - Tempo (weight lifting)
F - Speed Work (3.2 miles before school, unless meet next day)
S - Long Run (10-12 miles 6:20-6:50) or Meet
Su - Easy Run (7-10 miles)</p>
<p>I've never really gotten in a lot of mileage during the track season just because i focus a lot on speed work and weight training.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Running 10-12 miles 6:20-6:50/mile IS a pretty huge mileage O_O. We never ran that in cross country. </p>
<p>Did you have rest days though?</p>
<p>
[quote]
My opinion is that you shouldn't go into the season expecting to do a certain event. You may not be great at the 400m but really stellar in something else... you mainly just need to get a feel for what your strengths are. During my sophomore year I trained like a 2 miler, i wanted to be a 2 miler. But i didn't have the endurance; i had natural speed. So i became an 800m/1600m/4x400m runner. Just keep an open mind going into the season.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But how do you choose who to practice with: distance or sprint people? Is it fixed throughout the season or people chose before practice? How does this work?</p>
<p>I suggest you check out dyestat.com and their forums. </p>
<p>I am most likely going to be running the 400m in college (D1).</p>
<p>You really need to start working. When I first started I ran a terrible 61 second 400m, fast forward to now and I run in the high 40's. It has not been easy, and it requires a lot of work. </p>
<p>For those that say sprinters are lazy, you are just plain ignorant. You may think that because they don't run as far they are lazy, but when you can run that event as fast as them you can talk. I think every event takes a lot of dedication.</p>
<p>Thanks for the forums comrade :)</p>
<p>eileenosaurus: haha, so true. They complain during our team warmup run(whereas the distance people are off like a shot to the middle of nowhere). Then again, their are some pretty fast throwers. One thrower we had(O line in football) could beat a lot of our sprinters in the 100. </p>
<p>dank08: Great story! We have a guy who may break 50 this year and started around the same as you did. Funny as heck to watch him smoke guys when he anchors the 4 x 4. Where you go is probably different. But I will say it as a sprinter, that many people who just aren't that dedicated to track will tend to gravitate to sprints(at least on our team). But to be good at sprints, yes, you definetly need to be hard working.</p>
<p>It is probably easier to rely on natural talent in sprinting than in distance events. I still wouldn't say that sprinters are generally lazy. </p>
<p>Chipset, as a general rule of thumb, at least for me. If you do not feel like you're going to die after a race, then you did not go hard/fast enough.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Running 10-12 miles 6:20-6:50/mile IS a pretty huge mileage O_O. We never ran that in cross country.</p>
<p>Did you have rest days though?</p>
<p>
[Quote]
My opinion is that you shouldn't go into the season expecting to do a certain event. You may not be great at the 400m but really stellar in something else... you mainly just need to get a feel for what your strengths are. During my sophomore year I trained like a 2 miler, i wanted to be a 2 miler. But i didn't have the endurance; i had natural speed. So i became an 800m/1600m/4x400m runner. Just keep an open mind going into the season.
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<p>But how do you choose who to practice with: distance or sprint people? Is it fixed throughout the season or people chose before practice? How does this work?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't really have any rest days right now. But I should have noted that I recommend rest days for newer runners. I also should have pointed out that that schedule is more advanced than the average high school track & field athlete's schedule.</p>
<p>as for choosing an event. You should really just hop around during practices, get a feel for what's going on and what you think you are best at. You can also ask the coaches for advice for what they think you have the most potential with. and someone mentioned <a href="http://www.dyestat.com%5B/url%5D">www.dyestat.com</a>, i agree you should check out the forums there. there are a lot of good runners with great advice.</p>
<p>and for the guy who said sprinters are lazy. I have to disagree. But it doesn't matter, sprinting is more about natural ability anyways. The laziest event in track and field is definitely HIGH JUMPING.</p>
<p>I knew a great high jumper(6'8" or around there), he did not have to put in that much effort for the event considering he went to nationals and such, but he did work hard in other areas. </p>
<p>Also, everyone should have rest days, even the Olympians have rest/easy days.</p>
<p>Haha...I didn't think about the jumpers. I'm not even sure what they do but I know they sprint on the occasion.</p>
<p>I would agree about sprinting depending quite a bit on natural ability(which would include running form). I know a guy who I feel worked more consistently and harder in practice than most anyone else yet his times were always about .4-.5 lower than mine in the 100. Conversely I knew of a lazy guy or two that would always be .4-.5 faster than me. A cool thing about the 100 is that even slight changes in your form can significantly improve your time. Being able to accelerate quickly off the blocks properly instead of popping up is really important.</p>
<p>Does anyone here do pole vault? That looks like a heckalot of fun.</p>
<p>I have tried pole vaulting. It is not fun, at least not if you do it correctly. It is A LOT harder than it looks. </p>
<p>You can say natural ability is imperative for all areas in track, there are some technical events that you can get very good at if you have a personal coach or something though. Then again, who has money for that, a few, and if you become good enough I guess it could be worth it.</p>