here are the 100m splits for an 18 year old 400m sprinter from his first race (11.8-11.3-12.4-15) of the season. there was a 20mph wind into his face during the last 100m. his 200m pr was 23.0 last year and his 400 pr was 52.0 last year. he spent 3 months in the frappier acceleration program this winter and has been hammering the 6x200 kit kat workout (26.0 come home pace) for three weeks.
I wouldnt make any major changes at this time bc this was only his first meet.
so his time was 50.5 a new PB by 1.5 sec?
yes - he pr’ed in the 200 and 400 in the same race! i am a little concerned because he is historically fragile and he was really wiped out after the race. he really worked hard this winter but the challenge is to get him to peak in 6 weeks.
I think it’s kinda hard to say considering the wind conditions, yes he pr’d but is it really an accurate description of what his best 400m would look like?
Yowza!
So he set a 200 PR on his way to a 400 PR? That’s pretty good. What I like best is the way he handled the third 100, which means he seems to have a good sense for how to distribute his effort.
That said, unless he goes 22.0 in the 200, he went out too fast. But if 22.0 is his new level, then those 26 second reps will turn out to have been a little slow. A 22.0 HS guy should be looking to come home in 25.5.
It seems to me, and I’m sure your thinking this too from previous posts, that the next step is Special Endurance split runs, either Kit Kat’s 200+200 reps or something else. Something I’ve tried this year, needing to accommodate both boys and girls and kids with undeveloped pace judgment is to have them run for 45 seconds, take 2 mins, and then finish with a flying, full 120.
He should be wiped out because he just se t two PR’s and his body is not use to going that fast so his muscles are torn down, nothing to worry about just keep icing him down after workouts and all that good stuff and he’ll be alright.
Wait for another meet in calmer conditions those splits mean next to nothing considering the 20mph tailwind down the back stretch and 20mph headwind on the home stretch.
Overall great race though, just cant tell anything from the splits however.
yeah - his 26 second reps in the 6x200 workout were probably too easy for him. amen on the next step - but i am not sure which plit runs we will do. last year we went 6x200 for three weeks and then we ran two meets in a week (just used the meets for special endurance) and then came back with 1x325m walk 30" and 3x50m walk 30" recovery. we timed each 100m segment and tried to hit the race plan goals. i have to go now but thanks for the feedback fellas.
we did the 2x(200+200) workout today but my 50.5 kid did not participate. His IT band and calves are still tight from saturday’s race. running inefficiently (23-27) can be really hard on one’s body. this kid is fragile as well - so it is a double whammy for him.
update …
22.1 (10mph tailwind and hand held time)
50.9 (24.3 first 200 into wind)
i think 22.5 would be a fair adjustment for his 200 - so he should shoot for 23.5 for his first 200 of his 400? if that is the case - then 23.5-26 should be possible? on a perfect day (weather, competetition, etc.). the kid looks very strong and his confidence is soaring. we are three and five weeks away from our biggest meets. thanks for any help you can provide.
looks like he’s porgressing well, just keep him helathy and be smart with his races and allow him to come along at the right time of season i.e. the big races you speak of. Keep his confidence high, it will make all the difference for a kid that is finally seeing improvements in his “game”.
point taken. staying healthy and confident are two keys to his continued success.