At London, Martyn Rooney of Team GB finished 5th in the SF in a time 45.31. 6 days later, he ran a 44.1 anchor relay leg to help his team finish 4th. (He also anchored the 4x400m SF… so 4 races in 7 days)
I really feel Team GB could have, should have won a medal in the 4x400m relay as Jack Green ran 44.42 in the SF, but ran 45.9 in the Finals. Moreover, Dai Green ran 45.53 in the finals. (splits from T&FN)
If I was the coach of Team GB, I would have used Robert Tobin and Richard Buck whose season’s bests are 45.47 and 45.61 respectively. On fresh legs, with a running start, and in front of the home crowd, surely these 2 lads could run 44-mid (based on Rooney’s performance)
Right, Shirley?
Last March, Athletics Weekly posted an in depth article on his training including full week training logs from different parts of the season.
For the full article , go to How they train – Martyn Rooney.
Average Training week in Winter
» Monday
(am) Speed drills. General technique drills for sprinting, working on posture, ground contact, bounding and arm carriage, plus 20-30 minute cardiovascular run.
(pm) Team Dakin circuits: consist of general conditioning exercises – press-ups, sit-ups, ab roll-outs, ball throws.
» Tuesday
(am) Lactic tolerance session: 6x300m – broken up into 3x300m with a three-minute recovery and 10-minute recovery between sets.
(pm) Calf, quad, hamstring loading in the gym. Including an abs circuit and stretching session, plus 20-minute aqua jog.
» Wednesday
(am) Weights including half-squat, single-leg squats, push press, cleans, dead lifts, snatch, dumb bell snatch, step-ups, dumb bell bench and lat pull-downs. The repetitions and sets of these exercises change during the season, increasing and decreasing in reps, sets and recovery. In the winter 6×5-10 on each exercise, with two to four minutes’ rest. During the spring and summer, more dynamic explosive lifting, doing 3×3 on most of the exercises with up to five minutes’ recovery. Lifting up to 100kg in cleans. Squats – 150kg. Step-ups – up to 90kg.
(pm) Maintenance treatment (massage or acupuncture, just depends on how body is coping).
» Thursday
(am) Cardiovascular-type running session: 4×3 minutes with a four-minute recovery.
(pm) Rudi* drills: aimed at posture and flexibility. The aim is to improve body control while working on flexibility and range of movement (set by Fuzz Ahmed). These include ankle rolls, high-knee hugs, high-knee walking concentrating on arm technique, moving glute stretch, moving hamstring stretch, toe-walking, side skipping. Hamstring loading.
*Rudi drills are named after a coach in Birmingham whom jumps coach Fuzz Ahmed has worked with
» Friday
(am) Weights (as above) plus abs circuit and a stretching session.
(pm) Maintenance treatment.
» Saturday
(am) Team Dakin fartlek 25-45 minutes plus calf conditioning.
» Sunday
Rest.
Average week in Summer
» Sunday
Travel back from race.
» Monday
(am) Speed drills (as winter) plus 20-minute jog.
(pm) Maintenance treatment.
» Tuesday
(am) Intense session: 2x350m with 20-minute recovery if early in the season, or 4x120m with walk-back recovery if later in the season.
(pm) Abs circuit plus treatment if needed.
» Wednesday
(am) Weights (as winter but with fewer reps and higher intensity).
(pm) Abs circuit plus strides.
» Thursday
Blocks around the bend establishing race rhythm for the first 150m. Two with full recovery if going well, and more if race pace has not been established. Bend sprints are done to find a race pace and ingrain it into the body so it becomes natural in a race. Light abs workout.
» Friday
Travel to race plus light 10-20 minutes jog (most races are abroad).
» Saturday
Race.
Jimson Lee
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I agree, however I would probably use Nigel Levine in the final. Dai underperformed in the hhurdles and with all the rounds was clearly not fresh enough for a fast split. I strongly believe his inclusion cost a bronze, which was only fractions of a second infront of team GB. With a running start there are at least 3 other runners who would have run a 44.split. With no medal in the 100m relay aswell, it was quite dissapointing. I feel sorry for Christian Malcolm & Dwaine as this will no doubt be their last olympics and had they got the baton around, they already proved they could beat Canada in a good time WITH poor baton handovers.
Jimson, are the many differences between 400m training now and there was in the 1990’s? 15 – 20 years ago, all UK top 400m runners would run 44. (Roger Black, Iwan thomas, Mark Richardson, Derek Redmond, Jamie Baulch, Duane Leduajo e.t.c), now they all seem to struggle to run even a 45. ??????
I find any article on 400 training interesting. Alas there is to little info given to really get a true picture of this training program.
This looks like the training for a 1500m runner. Gains come from the specificity of training. Split 900s, 3-minute interval runs, 30-minute+ jogs, fartleks, and the like are about as far from running a 40om as you can get.
Martyn looks like a 800/1500 runner being tall and skinny.
It’s definately 400 training. There is very little in what M.R.gives us that is anything like a serious 1500m runners program. I just wish someone would some day post a whole seasons worth of training. Otherwise you are left to speculate and guess as to the value of the training. To little in this small sample to really have an opinion . C. Hart has probably put out the most detailed program. Love it or hate it you can atleast follow the progressions from day 1 until the end of season without to much guess work
Yes guess work. I think in a interview last year Martyn said that he was disappointed with his run and that he thinks it because he was doing to much speed and that speed is overatted and that he feels he needs to go back to doing more endurance. I had a quick look for the internet for it but can’t find it.
I read that article today. I think it may be in the C.Francis site. Not sure what part of the forums,maybe the archives
Mike,
youre right, it is very hard to find an entire season anywhere except CH. In the bud winter book, there are entire week / year training plans for speed end’ types and also for Lee Evans / Martin Rooney types. They are a little dated but look to include most components you need (except over distance speed end’) .
Jimson; right a book; Training programs (detailed / very detailed) including 60m, 100m, 200, 400, 800, 1500) It will sell !!!!
perhaps Rooney could have used a few pages from Clyde hart. He needed more endurance and hill work outs in his earlier phases.
Ouch…..Martyn’s training is amazing….as he has run mid 44’s from the blocks. He should call Roger Black or Kriss Akabusi for insights. Ditto Mike Whittingham….perhaps even Mike Smith and of course Macolm Arnold…..hopefully not too late.
Best wishes, Martyn……..David Jenkins
wow, David Jenkins, maybe you can answer. do you think Clyde Hart or presumably Mike Smith training methods; very different. Either way, great to see someone of your pedigree writing on this blog!!!
Do you think MR should try 400/800 like an alberto juantarena? he hasnt the speed of you or Roger Black & such like of the 80’s/90’s, so i’m not sure he will ever be a medallist from a speed perspective, but yes from the endurance/Lee evans end. saying that, even our uk sprinters have not even got your speed over 100 or 200 so far this year and you specialised the 400!
Mike, if you looking for someone who knows a full seasons 400m training it is David Jenkins.
@Doug, the quick and dirty answer is always to move an aging 400m sprinter to 800m. But most would rather quit the sport first. If I had it my way, I would recruit an aging 400m sprinter for Rugby7, especially if they are on the “big” side like Ryan Bailey.
ha, funny you should say that, I’m thinking of moving up to M40 800m myself next year, sub 2 min will be my target. As odd as its sounds I’m quite looking forward to the training; seb coe 40 X 200m…I’ll order the hospital bed now!!!