Track -why arent i improving on my 400??

Question

ok so i ran girls track for my first time freshman year in high school and at sectionals i ran a 400 meter dash in 1:04 but now i am a junior and the last 6 meets i've ran a 1:06 ICAN SEEM TO IMPROVE :( i work 100% my butt off at practice everyday! is it possible that you are the best your first year of running? or is there something i can do to decrease my time? COnference is next week i need to improve and quick! please help :)

Answer 1

You're pushing too hard and you're concentrating too much on time and not just on running the race. The more you have it stuck in your head that you can't get any faster, the slower you'll go. Loosen up a bit, pull back a bit from going all out everyday- give your body a rest!! What will happen then is you'll get out there and be so excited about running HARD again that you'll probably be back at your PR if not faster. It's that runners high that you're missing....you get it after a good run but you can only have a good run after a few slow or not so good ones. Save up at practice and let it loose at the meet- believe that you WILL do it!!! I know you can and regardless of what people say about weight and getting older blah blah, part of running is mind over matter. If you decide you want to run your fastest, you will. Visualize the race the night before, see yourself succeeding, pushing through the first 200 and really kicking it at the 300 as you sprint to the finish- you'll get it!!!! Good luck! You'll make sectionals I'm sure!

Answer 2

I had the same problem. I ran a 51.4 and still did the next year. Yes, when its your Freshman or 10th grade year you either get faster or stay the same. I ran with a girl who ran a 59 freshman and she is a junior now. Another thing is, did you change anything. Because, I ran with sprinter from 9th to 11th grade and dropped my time from 68 to 51.4. But my Senior year I became a distance runner. Since I ran XC good and had a 2 flat in the 800m the year before. So, I was running more and lifting less. I think you need lots of rest, get more endrunce for your race so you are less tired, lift good and just keep on working your butt off. Because you'll get better. Trust me I did.

Answer 3

Female athletes tend to fall into this pattern. You typically see this and it isn't because you aren't training hard enough. Others have stated it correctly, women when they are young have less physiological issues to worry about. Because of such a drastic change, biochemically speaking, a female runner's performance will stop for a time or decrease slightly. Usually this goes from Junior year to the end of your senior year. Once you reach college and your body finally gets comfortable again you will see your times drop again. I learned this information from a very respectable member of the Track and Field community, John Underwood. John runs the Peak running camp at Lake Placid, NY every summer now and is one of the leading researchers in the running community. I say this now because it is his credentials that prove this and not my own which are listed below. I have seen this pattern personally with many of my female friends back in high school and see their improvement when they get to college. Trust me when I say that this is biological and most good female runners expericance it. Average female runners don't see it so much because the times don't have very far to drop but based on your time you listed you are not the average female runner. It could also be that you are just in a small slump and need to relax and are thinking too hard on the race. Let it come naturally to you. Other than that...just run your race. Push yourself as fast as you can and go a step further. Good luck in conference!

Answer 4

Whatever happened to running for the love of running?? OH !! that only happens after high school burnout.

1. Your practice schedule should alternate hard days and easy days. Both are very important.

2. YOu should take at least one day and just run 2,3,4 miles just at a slow easy pace without worrying about times. Smell the roses. Long runs increase your endurance and make your recovery times much faster. Over a period of time, the long runs give you the endurance to maintain your speed over the full distance.

Answer 5

i had this exact same problem but instead of pacing my self with the people in front of me i just ran how i usually would at my comfortable speed. Also dont sprint hard on the curves, save that for when you are running straight and be sure to save energy for the end, when you'll need it the most.

Answer 6

The one answer about "being a woman" is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You can be a woman and be fast, actually.
The reason? Some people just aren't as fast as others. Maybe your technique is off. Talk to your coach.

Answer 7

Unfortunately most women have this problem. When ur younger you weight less, less breast development, you don't have to worry about a period. There are a ton of chemical changes that u undergo. Ur whole body structure chages ur hips widen and ur knees are at a different angle, its not something ur doing wrong, its just being a woman

Answer 8

It is possible that you are overtraining, which is not good at all. One workout you may want to do is intervals, but make sure you get PLENTY OF SLEEP. My friend who goes to Olympic training camp 4 times a year said that after a workout you should eat (healthy) and get plenty of sleep

Answer 9

anything over a minute isnt gud..even 4 a gurl.. try sprinting da 1st curve relax bt not 2 muc on da backstrech and sprint full speed on the last 200

Answer 10

try runnin 200's... and running longer distances... after that try racing someone faster den u. work ur stride the faster u pump ur arms the faster u go