Most of if happens in the 200 and 400 races as well as hurdles. Often, when a kid gets run down at the end of a 200 or 400, I hear coaches, parents or athletes say, it's lack of conditioning, and they need to work on that. Typically, that gets translated as aerobic or interval work. Don't get me wrong here, conditioning (work capacity) is important, but it isn't for the reason lots of kids, parents and coaches think. You need it mostly to be able to do more high quality work in practice and to help your body recover more quickly. And most of that is best done in the off season or preseason.
When someone "dies" at the end of a 200 or 400, there's the knee jerk reaction to what's needed without understanding the key elements involved in optimizing sprint performance. Working hard is good, but it needs to be on the right things at the right times.
The whats and whens are readily available from coaches' education programs of track and field organizations across the planet. They aren't new and aren't secrets.
While conditioning is part of the equation in 400 training, getting run down in a 400 or 200 are more likely attached to the three concepts below:
Energy
If the anaerobic energy system is not adequately developed, athletes often decelerate rapidly at the end of their race. This is frequently the cause in the 400 and sometimes in the 200 (never the 100). In a nutshell, when coaches do too much aerobic and interval work and not enough acceleration, top-end speed, specific endurance, strength or power work, sprinters fail to develop the qualities required to be successful in the sprint events. Most sprinters, even 400 sprinters, don't need more high-volume, low-intensity intervals. They need more work at or faster than race pace to develop the energy system needed to run fast longer. That includes longer sprints and intervals at times but near race speed to help execute a race plan that properly distributes speed and effort for 400 meters.
Coordination
After operating at top speeds for more than a few seconds, your motor control systems start to fail and efficient movement patterns fall apart. You often see this at the end of shorter sprint events and sooner in the 400. Coordination development is done in many ways -- hurdle mobility, plyometrics, sprinting, strength work, stride drills, med ball, etc. Doing all of those actions precisely (well coordinated) helps develop that biomotor skill that will help deliver and maintain speed.
Momentum
This really means having a good drive phase. Once the gun goes off, poor sprinters react in a panic, just getting out of blocks as quickly as possible, using whatever technique feels most natural. Unfortunately, what feels natural often is garbage. So they throw the head up, move the lead arm about 4 inches, bend at the waist, step out of the blocks and start turning over as rapidly as possible, often stumbling. When that happens, they "shift gears" too quickly, getting out fast but never reaching top speed because they failed to build momentum, and that leads to premature deceleration, which is why they get run down at the end. Acceleration is always an important part of good sprint training. Sometimes, you have to give up a quicker start for a faster race. Fast sprinting requires the ability to express large amounts of strength and power throughout a race, and the most strength and power is needed at the start.
The whats and whens are readily available from coaches' education programs of track and field organizations across the planet. They aren't new and aren't secrets.
While conditioning is part of the equation in 400 training, getting run down in a 400 or 200 are more likely attached to the three concepts below:
Energy
If the anaerobic energy system is not adequately developed, athletes often decelerate rapidly at the end of their race. This is frequently the cause in the 400 and sometimes in the 200 (never the 100). In a nutshell, when coaches do too much aerobic and interval work and not enough acceleration, top-end speed, specific endurance, strength or power work, sprinters fail to develop the qualities required to be successful in the sprint events. Most sprinters, even 400 sprinters, don't need more high-volume, low-intensity intervals. They need more work at or faster than race pace to develop the energy system needed to run fast longer. That includes longer sprints and intervals at times but near race speed to help execute a race plan that properly distributes speed and effort for 400 meters.
Coordination
After operating at top speeds for more than a few seconds, your motor control systems start to fail and efficient movement patterns fall apart. You often see this at the end of shorter sprint events and sooner in the 400. Coordination development is done in many ways -- hurdle mobility, plyometrics, sprinting, strength work, stride drills, med ball, etc. Doing all of those actions precisely (well coordinated) helps develop that biomotor skill that will help deliver and maintain speed.
Momentum
This really means having a good drive phase. Once the gun goes off, poor sprinters react in a panic, just getting out of blocks as quickly as possible, using whatever technique feels most natural. Unfortunately, what feels natural often is garbage. So they throw the head up, move the lead arm about 4 inches, bend at the waist, step out of the blocks and start turning over as rapidly as possible, often stumbling. When that happens, they "shift gears" too quickly, getting out fast but never reaching top speed because they failed to build momentum, and that leads to premature deceleration, which is why they get run down at the end. Acceleration is always an important part of good sprint training. Sometimes, you have to give up a quicker start for a faster race. Fast sprinting requires the ability to express large amounts of strength and power throughout a race, and the most strength and power is needed at the start.
Along with conditioning, there are some other factors worth mention, such as strength, nutrition, hydration, rest and others, which all contribute to performance that help avoid getting "run down." However, energy, coordination and momentum are the main factors needed to reach top speed and maintain it for a good finish -- and a good race. You need enough reps in practice at appropriate velocities and intensities to allow these skills to be performed well in competition.
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