What can I do to decrease my 400 time?

Question

Im a high school sophmore, and my 400 time 67. im pretty sure ive done better, but I usually participate in the 4 by 4 relay, so that time is the only one i have on file. How do I decrease my 400 time. I dont really do distance on track, and the only other sprinting event I run is the 200. I did cross country freshman year, but I recently quit this year, and I am not really a "distance" person. I just have cross country like endurance. Based on my events, what do you think I should do to get a better time; im really trying to get on varsity this year, and some of the old varsity sprinters got 63-68 on their 2007 starter 400 time.

Answer 1

Wow 67 is very good for a sophomore.
Well here is the thing you need to remember: When you train, run hard and dont hold back too much. When you do sprint repeats, do them fast (not too fast so you die before the work out is done). If you run very fast, then your muscles adjust over time. And if you keep it up, you will get faster and stronger. So thats the speed portion.
You have coached of your own, i assume, so i wont get into too much detail with my own workouts since you probably have to follow theirs first. ill just give you ideas of things you can do.


100m repeats- These can be good for speed and endurance-if you do enough. I've seen lazy athletes get better in the 400 by just doing 10 of these at full speed per day (dont do that. These guys I'm talking about dont really go that fast.)
100m repeats at close to full speed, will help you build speed and will force your body to learn to recover right away and deal with fatigue.


The endurance portion:
Do 200m repeats faster than 34 this way, you get your body used to the pace at which you have to go for a 400. Doing alot of them will build endurance and speed at the same time. ( i would suggest doing
400m repeats- Do these at 75-77 pace. These are not meant to build too much speed, but more to get you conditioned for the 400.
Once in a while, try and do a few at 73s pace to balance speed and endurance.


One balanced 400m workout-
4x100m, 6x200m, 2x400m, 4x 200m, 6x100m.
This mixes it up a bit. It throws in endurance with speed at a good balance. Run each repeat at 85% and rest about 30 seconds between each repeat. After each set, jog 2 laps to recover. Dont drink alot of water. Try not to drink any during a workout.

Other than the running factor, you should do alot of plyometrics. High knees, butt kickers, quick steps, box jumps, power skips. These are all good for building leg strength and quick power.

Strides- do 100m strides at 80%. When you do these, dont worry about going fast, concentrate on moving your arms and legs properly and having good form.

Lunges are good for making you faster. Dont just do a bunch of lunges with out running though. Try and do some lunges before, after or during a workout to add stress to the legs. It might make the workout harder, but it will help you in the long run- the 400m.

If you train right, do what you need to do and follow a good workout routine, i bet you could run 63.something in yout 400 and maybe cut off 2 seconds from your 200m time.
Good luck! if you need any help with anything, contact me, or ask.

Answer 2

I don't know what your training plan looks like now, but my simple solution for you is to make sure you do 10x100s on the track no more than twice a week.

Run the straights very fast, controlled, good form, & hard. Rest, jog, recover in the turns. Start and end with a half-mile jog.

Good Luck

Answer 3

do 800 repeats. alternate between race pace and relaxed. I would start off with 4 repeats. Your race pace time should be about 2:40-2:50, and your relaxed should be 2:58-3:05 at the slowest. Good luck to you!

Answer 4

instead of practicing by running 400 m practice running 600 or 800