3200 meter help. need some advice.?

Question

I am going to my first high school track meet this saturday, and it'll be my first time to race against the seniors and all in track. I dont exactly know what to expect, and I'm hoping someone will drop a bit of advice to me.

I dont ever even practice the 2 mile, I practice the 3 mile. I'm more of a distance runner. I went out yesterday and tried a 2 mile to see what I could do, and I got a 12:30. I will be racing 1A and 2A schools, what should i expect? How should I pace myself? I'm unfamilliar with this distance.

Am I good enough to try and get 1-3rd place? Should I try to blow them all away from the 1st mile, and go for 1st place? Or should I try and stay in the pack and see what I have in the last laps?
Thanks a heap.

Answer 1

The 2-mile is a great event. It's all about the pace you set. Go out too fast & you'll regret it on laps 7&8. I'd recommend hanging in the mid-pack and knowing that you'll make a move to start 'reeling' in the leaders on laps 6-8. This will catch many of the mid-pack runners off-guard as they start feeling tired and it'll give you the confidence to finish strong as you pass them by. Stay focused & do your best. You have nothing to compare it to...so you have nothing to lose. Good luck!

- Mike

Answer 2

If I'm correct, 1a and 2a schools are smaller than the 3 and 4a. I went to a 4a school but Im not sure if that's how every state runs the program. That said, smaller schools usually have slower times. While 12:30 isn't super fast, it's a generally good time and you'll be surprised because running in races against others usually ups your adreniline and you're with a pack so your time should be faster. If anything, you're in a good position- you usually run 3 miles and are trying for 2. If you were a mile runner and that's it, there's a chance you'd burn out early. With having the 3 miler under your belt, you should do great- let yourself go a little faster! Don't be worried about the pace that the pack will take off at- it WILL be fast and it will scare you but stay with the pack, as it will pull off a bit and honestly it's better to stay with the pack- even at the back because once you lose the pack, you're out of luck. Staying at the back but keeping a good pace will allow you to feel it out and you can start picking it up at the 1 mile mark if you feel comfortable.

I'm sure you'll do great and seeing that it's your first race, you have plenty of time to improve and really get a feel for it. Believe in yourself and run strong- good luck!

Answer 3

I ran the 3200 a few times in indoor track, but I'm not a fast runner at all. I'll give you my advice, but you should definitley talk to your coach about it. Since you say that you are a distance runner, I'm guessing that you'd be more likely to go out too slow than too fast. Start out the first lap or too at a brisk pace, and assess the competition. If there's anyone who's way ahead by then, just let them be. If you are finding it difficult to stay there, then just do your best to keep with them, and see if anyone tires out. If it's medium/easy, then pull up to the front of the pack and slowly put distance between them and you. Also sure that you aren't stuck running to the outside of someone for the whole race, it really wears you out. Either pass them or stay right behind them and let them where themdelf out. Just make sure that you don't start out too easy, and remember that running 2 miles is a lot different than 3. Do your best, and remember that this is your first meet and that as you get used tho the 2 mile, you'll improve. Good luck!!

Answer 4

You did not say what your 3 mile times were. You should pace yourself and run even. You know that from your races. If you ran 12:30 in practice then you should be able to run about 12:00 in a race. Start out at 1:30 per lap pace and see how you feel. Do not worry about the other runners, you need to run your own race.

Answer 5

You have some great credentials to do well Jared because of your 3-miler experience and stamina. The deciding factor is whether you have done any speed work plus the excitement of the day.

REMEMBER, this is your first day on the track with the BIG DOGS, so concentrate on staying out of trouble (elbows & feet).

Set a goal for yourself and MEMORIZE the splits. If you reasonably expect or want to do 12 flat, then your splits are 90 seconds per lap. Keep that in mind, don't let it dictate your race.

PREPARATION: 2 nights before the meet, get an extra hour of sleep. The night before the race, watch "Chariots of Fire", and get normal sleep. Morning of the race, start stretching and warmup an hour before. Lots of stretching and loosening up, very light jogging very short distance. Get to the start totally warm and relaxed with the memory of "Chariots of Fire" music in your head.

Run in the pack for 3 laps and assess the pace and your abilities at that point. If it's too fast, try to hang with the pack then. If you're feeling strong, increase your pace and run smart.

Good Luck

Answer 6

Ask your coach who he/she thinks you can hang with and then run right behind that person for the entire race. If you feel they are going too fast, back off. If you think they are going too slow, pass them, but not until the second half of the race. Don't worry. At this point you just need to gain experience.

Good luck! I wish I could go back and do track again!

Oh, and the fact that you have been training for 3 miles is no problem. If you said you trained for the 800 I'd be worried, but you'll be fine.

Answer 7

I'm not sure about 1A and 2A schools for whether you can win. At my school (it is a 2A school, but we participate in 3A), you need at least a 10:10 to be top three. You sound like an experienced distance runner, so you might be going out too slow. Just try and keep up with someone on your team who is about your pace, and you should be fine.

Answer 8

if your a female.. those arent great times...not sure how great your compeition is, but if 12:30 can get you placed, you running against some bad compeition.

for girls the top girls in high school probably should run about 11 mins. .or mid 11mins.

I say if you think your running a 12:30 you might as well sit behind the person in 4th and pick up your speed on every lap.

and work your way up..

also with running it doesnt matter if yoru a freshman or senior.. its how hard someone practices and runs harder..its all about who wants it more..

Answer 9

just save your power for first 3 laps. then run at a constant speed for next three or four laps and then when you notice that only four or five laps are left go on increasing your speed. you can bring this advice into affect. i am a long race runner and think that this will work. i do the same things but for some more time

Answer 10

lightning is right, no longer definitely everyone reacts nicely to a super quantity of milage, exceedingly while you're no longer used to it. i could advise against a hundred mile weeks because it ought to actual harm you. (had a chum who unexpectedly upped milage the summer till now senior 3 hundred and sixty 5 days and all his situations have been given slower). for the 3200 you would be able to desire to paintings extra on persistence with velocity. the only right workouts i did to get below 10 grow to be to run repeat 1000m like 5x1000m all below 3 minutes each and each. which will assist you plenty. do standard long runs interior the week too, to enhance persistence and paintings exceedingly problematical for the time of xc season. using fact the super american miler steve scott (google him in case you do no longer understand the call) informed me, "the biggest to velocity in song season is a efficient pass u . s . a . season"