I have had a pretty solid winter doing a lot of rep work over 300-400m, since working on a long to short program from my coach peaking around 16 weeks…i am running pretty strong 100m times and ok 200m times but i am heavily losing cadence at about 130m of a 200m run…is it due to strength, training, concentration…just looking for some guidance…i have never been a great 200m runner but am just looking for specific problems
Have you tried split runs? I find them great to help you run fast in a fatigued state. Doing these might help the last 100 of your 200 instead of doing straight 300’s or 400s.
something like 3 x (200 + 100)
Do a 200 meter run at ~95 intensity then walk about 90 seconds to two minutes and perform a 100m at 95% intensity. If you add the times together they should be close to your best 300m time.
For example:
200m in 24.2
100m in 12.2
Total: 36.4
Something to try, I find them great 
Cheers,
Chris
Chris30…thanx for the reply…how often would you do this training during the week…is it the interval which is the key to working the muscle under fatigue?
What else would you do on the night or is that it?
Depending on what your main event is and what phase you are in I would do them once a week. Volume would depend on how the rest of your training week looked and how much (if any) intense weights/plyos you perform.
ie: A sample micro could be something like
Day 1 Longer speed (split runs or intervals)
2 x (3 x 200/100)
Day 2 Recovery/core (pool, tempo, bodyweight circuits etc)
Day 3 “short” Speed/Plyos
Speedwork: 3 x 30m, 3 x 60m, 3 x 80m
Plyos: 2 x 3 x 20m alt leg bounds
3 x (deadlifts, benchpress or pushpress) (3-5 reps)
Day 4 Recovery/core (pool, tempo, bodyweight circuits etc)
Day 5 Strength End/plyos
5 x 30 second tows
4 x 30 second running arms with dumbells
4 x (pushups, situps, floppy fish)
med ball or other core work
Day 6 Recovery/core (pool, tempo, circuits etc)
Day 7 REST
Above is just a rough outline. recovery and intensity vary according to phase, athlete training age/ability and recovery modalities/sleep available.
Cheers,
Chris
is it possible that you are forcing yourself too hard on the curve? alot of people, especially high schoolers like me (don’t know what level of competition you are at) try really hard on the curve and tighten up, instead of just running, which, as dumb as it sounds, is the way to move fast.
How do you run the event? Do you run all out all the way? If I’m not mistaken I’ve previously read Charlie’s advice on 200m running and he said to accel smoothly to around 40m, then attempt to maintain speed for the remainder of the race.
This is the way I tend to run my 200’s. I accel to 40-50 then float around the bend, running with a high cadence (slightly higher than your straght). As I come of the bend cadence lowers as stride increases and relax.
you should acclerate to 40-50 metres then have an optimum stride with slightly lower cadence, trying to maintain the top speed you have achieved in the first 40-50 metres, the last 40 metres of the race the stride should shorten shorten and then have high cadence.
there is no way you will be able to use high cadence for 150metres.
with stride length naturally shortening at the last 40metres or so because of fatigue high cadence should then come into play as speed is increased with both stride length and stride frequency, and when one of these factors is decreasing the other must be increased, to maintain a constant speed.
Andy when running a bend I find the most effective way is with a shorter stride length therefore a higher frequency this is only used on the bend. As I exit the bend my stride length increases and therefore my frequency would drop ever so slightly.
In your comments below you seem to adopt a lower frequency on the bend, therefore to maintain a constant speed you would run with a longer stride?
Next time you get a chance set a semi-circle on the grass using cones then run around it using a long and then short stride length and hopefully you will see why I run with a shorter stride length.
As always, there is an optimum balance and that test merely highlights the extremes.
I would like to hear your thoughts on why you adopt a long stride on a bend.
Also do you adapt your frequency/length for straight and bends?
I understand where you are coming from.I adopt this method because on the last 50 metres of the straight your stride length will shorten because of fatigue this is why frequency must come into play here, to try and maintain top speed for as long as possible.
Also by using a stride on a bend u will find you will travel jst as far just as quickly but u will use less effort. I have measured all this.
please understand that when I say I am using a stride length I am not neglecting frequency, jst comprimising it ever so slightly.
As long as we understand where oneanother is coming from and why we do what we do. There is an optimum balance for every body shape.
no! I don’t no were you are coming from
Make up your mind would you. Ok In the final stages of the 200 your stride length will shorten and this is going to happen naturally as a factor of fatigue so to maintain speed you must incraese freq. Agreed. What I tend to do at the end of the 200 is tell myself to keep picking my feet up over an imaginery fence at bottom dead centre atempting to maintain short foot contact which I find helps with the maintainence of technique in general and improvement of frequency at that stage of the race.
wot is the problem? thats wot I have been sayin all along!
The only problem with the imaginary fence is that it can cause your leg movement to be up and down rather than a more horizontal movement.
The ‘stepping over’ drill is a great one, but should be perfected in practice in alactic conditions, to quote Charlie. I would just relax down the home stretch and keep pumping your arms!
Yes relax down the home stretch and keep pumping your arms! The fence is imaginary. ‘Picking the feet up’ is a mental cue and mainly comes in mainly when I’m running 300+ in training as I come off the bend for the last 100.
I’d say it’s likely your ability to produce good times in the 200 is a lack of tactical experience rather than any defienciency in your physical potential. Ideally, the 200 should be all out for the first 30ish meters of the race, followed by 40ish meters relaxed, then pushing hard off the bend, and as previously said, carrying over the line with as good form as is possible. Obviously, the temptation is too push harder once you feel yourself fatiguing, however this will only shorten your stride. I’d concentrate on maximising stride length once the fatigue sets in ; lift the knee’s, drive the arms and run tall. Running the 200m well is difficult; if you relax too much on the curve, you will get swallowed up coming into the straight - if you push too hard, youll blow out before you make the line. Keep racing, the best knowledge is experience.
Mmm… I wonder what joesdad has to say about this…
Sorry if I am mistaken about the specific incident, but there is a big chance for an injury in running in such a way, I believe, i.e., accelerating at the end of the bend, if this is what you mean.
yes the stepping over drill is great aslong as it is done right!
pumping your arms can control stride length and frequency towards the end of the race.
An old timer once told me when I quizzed him about the secret to a fast 200m…
“son…all you need to do is run the 1st 100 as hard and fast as you can…then run the 2nd 100 even faster!!”
sounds easy eh? 