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Do Curves Matter? Indoor vs. Outdoor World Records

NOTE: Some of my older guest posts on other Websites are now being shut down due to the economic climate. Thus I will present them here.
How much do the tight indoor curves affect your performance?
Even with the banked curves to counteract the centripetal forces, it does affect your stride length and stride frequency, and […]

Otis Davis, 1960 400 meter and 4×400m Olympic Champion

In my last article about the Harry Jerome, Bill Bowerman and the University of Oregon connection, I didn’t mention Otis Davis, the Rome 1960 400 meter and USA 4×400m Olympic Champion.
I am currently in Rome, so there is a special connection every time I visit the Rome Olympic Stadium, whether it’s for the Rome Golden […]

Proposal to the IAAF - Scheduling the 100 200 400 for Usain Bolt

If Usain Bolt runs the 400 meters in 2010 or 2011 as promised, and sets the WR in the process, he might consider running the 100, 200, 400 and 4×100m relay all in the same Olympics to achieve his 4 Gold medal dream.  He will achieve iconic status if he accomplishes this incredible feat.
To beat […]

400 meters - The Numbers Game

Ever notice airline magazines and USA Today have those short articles with interesting stats and numbers?
I thought to give it a try with the 400 meters. 
Here goes…
The 400 meters
5800 – Number of subscribers to SpeedEndurance.com
3635 – Age of the current world record (in days)
2010 -  ? Year of the first sub 43 by Usain […]

LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner 400m - Battle of Nike and Adidas

LaShawn Merrit and Jeremy Wariner in the 400m – The Battle of Nike and Adidas
Next to the Usain Bolt – Tyson Gay anticipated match up, the LaShawn Merritt Jeremy Wariner head-to-head match up comes next.
These two have been avoiding each other all year, and the meeting in Herculis Greece never materialized where LaShawn ran 44.73.
Head-to-head […]

400 meter Sprinting vs. 100 meter Freestyle Swim

I am currently in Rome where the 2009 FINA World Championships are held.  There’s quite a buzz in the city with the electric atmosphere of a Championship meet.
Plus, it’s over 35C or over 90F during the day with humidity.  And those temperatures are in the shade!
Between 1968 and 2004, only 7 men have run under […]

Strength and Endurance = STREND Fitness Challenge

What is the STREND Fitness Challenge?
Basically, it is when running a 5K alone just isn’t enough.
This is a 6 event decathlon that combines strength and endurance.
It’s the total repetitions of 5 exercises divided by run time in minutes (the 6th and final event), plus there is a strict recovery between events (3 minutes).
STREND Events

Bench press  […]

Michael Johnson’s 3 Point Plan to Save Athletics

There was some Interesting commentary from Superman (a.k.a. Michael Johnson) on Telegraph.co.uk last week.  Let’s take a closer look at his suggestions:

My three-point plan would be to shorten the competitions and limit the events to only those that most people, in particular young people, are interested in.
Focus on the pure competition between the athletes […]

Rome Golden Gala – Behind the Scenes

Here are some of the behind the scenes look at the 2009 Rome IAAF Golden Gala Meet
Men’s 400 meters
When you have 6 guys at 300 meters with 100 to go, anything goes.  The one who wants it the most usually wins.  Or the athlete that is better prepared.  Without the top 2 names in 400 […]

What if they had a Track Meet and Nobody Cared?

Mistakes happen.  Here are some examples:
Photo finish equipment malfunction, so you get a manual hand time (HT) for your efforts.  Your 10.8 HT suddenly becomes a 11.04 FAT equivalent.
False start fliers that don’t get called back.
Your own blocks slip and they don’t call it back, so by the time you recover, your competitors have 20 […]

100-200-400 Sprint Doubles and Triples

When Michael Johnson became the first man to win the 200-400 double at the same Olympics, a lot of people didn’t know that feat was accomplished TWICE by a female athlete.  USA’s Valerie Brisco-Hooks did it in the Eastern Boycott Olympic Games of Los Angeles in 1984.  Then Marie-Jose Perec of France did it hours […]

Running 100 Meters before your Big Race – Thoughts on Shawn Crawford

Did anyone notice Shawn Crawford’s 100-300m double at the 2009 NIKE Prefontaine meet?   He ran a 10.21 (+0.1) 100  meters followed by a rare 300 meters in 32.47 about an hour later.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shawn Crawford crossed the line in 4th place, got a silver medal from 2 disqualifications (Churandy Martina and Wallace […]

200 Meter Speed for the 400 Meters

I was going over the archives of some of my favourite world class quarter-milers, and just wanted an idea on their 100m or 200m times.
This list proves you don’t need to run sub 20.00 for a 200m to break 44, but it certainly helps!
One thing is certain, you must have decent 200m speed if […]

Rest and Taper After a Maximal Performance – Thoughts on Tyson Gay

We all know to rest and taper BEFORE the big meet.  That is just common sense.  For a good review, check out Derek’s 10 Day taper DVD.
Here are two of many guidelines I like to use for my sprinters:

10 day taper AFTER a major Personal Best or World Record.
5-7 100 meter races before […]

Weight Ratios for Power Clean, Bench Press & Squats

What are the recommended weight ratios for power clean, bench press and squats in terms of your bodyweight?  You can see my old weight training program, a discussion on how to determine 1 rep max (1 RM) and another sample weight training program from another coach.
I try not to get hung up on numbers in […]

Uphill Running Benefits for Speed and Special Endurance

I discussed overspeed training by means of a pulley or slight downhill grade.
But what about uphill running, or running with resistance such as sleds?
These two scenarios have two different functions, but I’ll discuss sleds and pulleys on a later post.
Over the Hills
Because distances on the hills are hard to measure (i.e. […]

400 Meters – Speed is the Key

Gone are the days where the 400 meters was an event for 800 meter runners who moved down in distance.
Today, I am convinced the short sprinters have an advantage over the “strength” sprinters like Lee Evans and Butch Reynolds.  I am referring to the successes of Quincy Watts and Michael Johnson.  In MJ’s case, my […]

150 Meter Fly Time to Project your 400 Meters

Can you use your 150 meter fly time in practice to determine your 400 meter performance?  A 150 fly is simply running 160 meters and timing the last 150m.
Yes and No.
First it would be scary to consider Usain Bolt’s 14.35 150 meter fly time which is probably around 13.35 subtracting 1 second for acceleration out […]

Sprint & Hurdles Program Design Overview

This article is guest blogged by Jim Hiserman, author of the book Program Design Method for Sprints & Hurdle Training.

This is a 5 part series:

Part 1 - A Total Sprint-Training Program for Maximum Strength & Power, Core Strength, and Maximum Sprint Speed.
Part 2 - A Sprint & Hurdles Program Design Overview
Part 3 - Training for […]

A Total Sprint-Training Program for Maximum Strength, Power, Sprint Speed & Core Strength

This article is guest blogged by Jim Hiserman, author of the book Program Design Method for Sprints & Hurdle Training.

This is a 5 part series:

Part 1 - A Total Sprint-Training Program for Maximum Strength & Power, Core Strength, and Maximum Sprint Speed.
Part 2 - A Sprint & Hurdles Program Design Overview
Part 3 - Training for […]

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