There is an interesting set of athletes that tend to excel at the 400-meter AND 800-meter events. These 400/800 athletes are not pure sprinters, nor are they pure distance runners. These athletes have a unique combination of skills that will challenge any coach to create a successful training program. Here are four goals I believe…
All posts by Ron Grigg
4 Goals of 800 Meter Training
The 800-meter is a unique event. According to a study done by the University of Western Australia, there is a 60% aerobic energy system contribution to top male athletes and 70% aerobic energy contribution for top female athletes running at 800-meters. It is important to note that the slower the athlete is, the more aerobic…
How to Train Sprinters Who Run Cross Country
“SHOULD SPRINTERS RUN CROSS COUNTRY?” Many coaches ask, “Should sprinters run cross country?” You will hear some power/speed gurus quickly say unequivocally “NO!” because it will have a negative effect on an athletes speed qualities. I think the question requires some deeper investigation… ANTI EARLY SPECIALIZATION I am happy to see that public awareness…
Categorizing Training Paces For 400/800 Runners
How do we decide what to train and when to train it? That is part science and part art. Let’s establish a menu of paces for available to us while planning training for 400/800 runners . Coaches of different disciplines and different influences use a variety of terms that often mean the same or similar things. …
The Truth About Coaching 400/600/800 Athletes
Download: The 7 Laws of 400/600/800 Meter Coaching Success The 400/600/800 meter events have definite speed requirements, yet they also have high to predominant aerobic contributions. The athletes who excel at 400/600/800 meters do not possess a high percentage of type 2b fast twitch fibers as would be found in pure sprinter. They also…
4 Goals of 400m Training
The 400-meter event is no different, in general definition, from any other sprint event. There is an acceleration to a level of maximal race velocity which concludes with the attempt to maintain the highest possible level of that maximal race velocity for the duration of the event. When training for any sprint event, velocities and…