KK, all I’ll say is that late March in Dunedin can be like late March in Melbourne. It can be sensationally good but it can also be rather inclement. Enough said.
I have the weights on day 1 and day 4 (the short speed/max vel days) to hit CNS all at one time. I have found that it doesn’t interfere with the SE work the next day. If I felt it did with a particular athlete then I would add it to the SE day instead but I find most athletes struggle to lift very well after hard SE sessions.
The day 2 SE is what I term special endurance II (300-600m) whereas the day 5 session is special endurance I (150-300m) to hit overdistance as well as under distance (which I know KK goes by).
My approach is really built around short to long to develop accel/max velocity and long to short to develop speed endurance/lactate capacity…all ideas tried by many before me I am sure.
The big thing I have found, and a good masters project (not done by me) supported this well, is to focus on developing the max vel, that’s where I think there are big gains can be made for many athletes in the 400m. Improve their max vel so essentially they can run at high velocities in the first 200m without using up too much energy. Then when the race starts at the water-jump they can kick hard and be charging home.
My hs teams season starts monday. In the past years my 400 crew ran strong 300 paces butciuldnt finish races.
My plan is to try a shortened version of kk s template.
Wk 1
M 8x 150
T Long hills
W slow jog
TH race model
F long hills
Week 2
M300-250-200-150-100
T jog
W Tempo
TH 2x 300+150
F Jog
Week 3
M long hills
T Tempo
W Racemodel
TH jog
F 300 + 4x60; 250+3x 60; 200+2x60; 150+60
Wk 4
M 300+60 50,40,30; 200+…; 150+…
T race model
W jog
TH 300+150;150+150;100+80;80+60;60+60
Fr Long hills
Week 5
M 300+150 time trial
T tempo
W Off
Th Meet
F jog
Im excited to see what happens. 3 runners have good fitness coming in. All are seniors. One female ran 64 last year, looking to run under 60. One male ran 52, looking to break 50 and set the school record. Will update as time goes on…
I had to make changes in week 2. The athletes were pretty stiff and sore. Yesterday’s 3x4x150 workout was so much better than the first day we did it only 10 days ago.
So far happy with progress. Can’t wait to see where things go in the coming weeks.
What do you mean? I coach sprinters 100/200 and now mid distance group 400/800. There are other kids who will run 800 and 400 but who train with the distance group.
Thanks for posting these John. Congratulations bigtime for Coach Gofast and his protege Alex Jordan. They are a great team. Pity in many ways that Alex looks set to take up a scholarship at Baylor. Alex also won the NZ National 200m title in 21.3. Whether that is the level of speed coach Hart et al at Baylor can convert into super 400m performance - or dull into mediocrity with excessive long, slow volume - remains the open question.
But no question Gofast and I wish Alex the greatest success on and off the track at Baylor.
Hi ESTI
It’s hard to say without seeing him race and without more 100m segmental splits, but you are probably correct that he could get a faster 400m even based on where he’s at with his short speed (200m PB) at the moment.
There is a basic formula that you can run the first 200m in a 400m race no more than 1sec slower than your season PB for 200m. If your athlete can run 23.3 for 200m at the moment, he probably should try to go through in 24.4.
There is also a basic formula that the second 200m (back-end, come-home) in a 400m race is about 2sec slower than the first 200m. In a very well conditioned 400m racer, that can come down to around 1sec differential. But it can also blow out to as much as 3sec+ when a speed monster attacks the event without sufficient 400m conditioning or if they are just reckless in the opening 300m or so.
Anyway, if your athlete constructed his 400m opening in 24.4-ish, and if he could apply the basic 2sec differential “rule”, that would give him a model of 24.4+26.4 = 50.8 off blocks.
But there are many ways to ruin a 400m even by a supremely well conditioned 400m specialist. Taking the turns properly is key. As coach, you need to go the the infield and observe how he takes the turns. He should be sustaining Triple Extension as well as possible on every part of every bend. As a coach we focus primarily on his left (inside) leg. Look to see that angle behind the knee. You don’t want to see too much bend. They should be looking no further ahead than about 10 metres and thereby try to run the bend like it is a straight-line. That is the most efficient way of getting it done.
Also as a coach we need to get on the track and watch the athlete from behind as he eneters the turn (or exits it). Often an athlete will “drop” the left hip and sort of hunker down to accelerate the turn. We don’t want that. We need to encourage lateral stability across the hips. We don’t want any collapse on the left side (inside) lever.
Of course we also don’t want the athlete afraid of the bend, ideally we want them carrying their momentum out of the backstraight through the 200m start zone on the bend. Keep the momentum going, keep the left side tall, keep the hands/arms working (hands should reach shoulder level, but shoulders should never be “hunched”).
