Ato 200m strategy

I estimate that is the intensity I ran at last week from lane 4. This week was more like 100% from lane 6, so you’d think the turn would be less of an issue. Amazing how a 2% differential can have an overall effect in a 200 (ceteris paribus)!

Some practice in all lanes should be there, especially for championships, as you don’t know what’s going to happen. I wouldn’t do the same though when the sessions need to be fast -as you say- and/or for too long/too many sessions in lanes 1 & 2, as injury risk can be greater.

Also, IMO, the 80% in lane 1 won’t serve any purpose in terms of learning to run there as a 95-100% effort requires.

So in training, the lanes should always be switched up? For example, most if not all of our runs were always cut in to the very inside lane… But I always wondered why we always did everything in lane 1… i.e. 200’s, 300’s, etc… mostly done inside…

If you are referring to my post above, I didn’t mean to do this swapping all the time, but rather that you need to have at least some experience in running in those inside lanes as well at 95-100%.

If the sessions need to be fast, or for consistency purposes between tests, for example, I would use the same lane and most probably one of 3-5.

The longer the interval distance, the less the importance of the lane, I suppose (e.g., C. Freeman in '97 WC).

300’s arent run in lanes often other thanx Lane 1 because there are no staggers unless you measure it out or unless you are in a state where the 300 hudles are run where most tracks have 300m staggers.

Wouldn’t wind direction be a big factor to consider when deciding which part of the race to run your fastest?

That’s true. At that intensity, I don’t learn anything about running from lane 1 as opposed to other lanes.

I’m going to make sure that I do some of my 90-95% runs from lane 1-8 for different sessions. Like you said, you never know which lane you’re going to draw, so best to have experience across all lanes.

Thanks for the input!

It’s more a mindset to this process than anything. In '92, Johnson - 19.79 from lane 8, Bates - ~10.5/9.9 from lane 1. Neither anticipated the draw. With the latter, he was able to overcome a soft initial 50m.

hey guys im a 13 yr old boy… i have a 200m event tomorrow in an athletics competion for my school. my 100m is about 12 secs and my 200m is about 28secs. i think thats pretty good for my age. i have been reading the tips you have giveing in the forum. ill try and use them. even tho i normaly sprint the whole 200m. ill let u know how i got on. thanks for everything guys !!

cya lewis

Glad that this thread is useful for you…

Good luck!

Well just came back from another meet where I tested my 200m strategy. Here’s a summary of my races this year:

1st race: started conservative (~98%) and finished strong in 23.29 - lane 1 - wind +0.5
2nd race: started all out and died last 50m in 23.60 - lane 4 - wind +0.7
3rd race: started conservative (~98%) and finished strong in 23.10 - lane 4 - wind +1.4

So far it seems like the best approach for me is to go ~98% from the start. Perhaps a few more speed endurance sessions will help me start a bit faster.

What exactly is different from "all-out and 98%?

All-out is giving it 100% … no holding back what so ever. You try to run the turn as fast as you can.

98% is still fast but more relaxed. When I hit the straight, I feel like I can still kick it up a notch. When I go 100%, I feel like I’m already decelarating when I hit the straight and try to hang on for dear life.

I’m guessing here, but when I ran my 23.60, I probably went through in 11.5 and faded in 12.1. I was tight the last 50m as well, even though I tried to stay relaxed. Today I probably went through in 11.7 relaxed and finished strong in 11.4. I felt so relaxed , I could actually hear my cheeks flapping. It seems like the .2 loss in the first 100m is more than made up for by the stronger finish.

Like I said though, perhaps I’m lacking speed endurance, and for now that is the best way to run for me right now.

You can look at this as holding back 0.5 second from your best 100 effort, which is a fairly old rule for running the 200. You can practice this pace with a cone placed at 100m, so you know what the proper effort feels like.

Obviously, if you’re slowing down at the end of an all-out 100, you’re going to be slowing by the 100 point of a 200 (not good) if you run that first 100 truly all-out.

my stategie is just to run as fast for the begining on and if i am in shape, i can hold it after 150m.
But maybe his centrifugals are much stronge, bc he so fast

I heard somewhere that when you are thinking that you run at 98%…you run at you max…and when you go all out you run at 95%…it’s all about relaxation…you run faster when you think that you go at 98% because you are juste relax…try to run at 98% all the race…and I think you will break all your personal best…thats the secret…lol(I heard that…I dont know…but try it!)

Well if he was a 10.7-8 runner he should have been going in the 21’s so i dont think the whole waiting all the way to get off the curb is a good idea. I pretty much do the same thing as the other guys were saying, come out hard for 50 to 60 then realy turn it on after that… it really do’s make the last 40 to 50 alot easyr, as far as not tighting up go’s. I mean i run in the high 21’s in indoor, i have not been able to figure out how to runn the stupid indoor tracks yet since im from florida and never done it b4 this year. But i think i should be able to hit 21 flat by the end of the outdoor season…Well anyways.

Whats the best lane indoor?

I prefer the outside lane because the turn isn’t as tight. I know some people who like to see their competitors, but as long as you run your race, it shouldn’t matter.

Yes the outside lanes are not as tight but like u said some people like to see the people that they are chasing down, and i allways think of it like this as long as im not in 1 or 8 than i got the speed to win the race. But heck if i can have 3,4, or 5 than im happy as a kid on christmass.