• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

How to Run the Indoor Sprints (60m 200m 400m)

You are here: Home / Coaching / How to Run the Indoor Sprints (60m 200m 400m)
67
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

December 10, 2014 by Lee Ness Leave a Comment

Last Updated on March 7, 2015 by Jimson Lee

This article is guest blogged by Lee Ness, a UKA qualified Event Group Coach for Sprints and Hurdles, the Head Coach/Sprint Coach at City of Salisbury Athletics, and Running Club and Track and Field Team Manager for Wiltshire Athletics Association.

Click here for my review on Lee Ness’ Sports Motivation Masterplan.  Buy it on Amazon USA  or  Buy it on Amazon UK.

Click here for all articles written by Lee Ness

Running Indoors

How to Run the Indoor Sprints: 60m 200m 400m

Indoor competitions over the winter are great fun. There is often a resistance from some coaches and athletes to running indoors, often due to the misconception of “peaking too early” or even the risk of injury. These aren’t really valid reasons in my opinion and as long as you prepare correctly, there are no real risks.

I treat indoor competition as great training. With the weather and conditions we have in the UK, proper speed work in the winter is always a struggle. However, 3 or 4 indoor competitions in January and February can make a world of difference.

There are a few differences to running indoors for sprinters that are significant so I’ll describe them here.

60m

I often hear that the race profile for a 60m is the same as for a 100m, just without the deceleration over the last 40m. The thing is, a lot depends on the type of sprinter you are. If you make your gains in the last 40m because you are one of the bigger sprinters with longer levers, then running a 100m race profile isn’t really going to work for you. Often, a taller sprinter of the Usain Bolt variety will not bother with 60m because of this. I like mine to compete over 60m though because there is nothing that focuses the mind on starting and acceleration for an athlete in training than knowing they are going to be competing in a 60!

See also  Tempo Running for Recovery & Regeneration

Additionally, because of the lack of speed endurance required, you can throw a bit more into the acceleration phase without fear of burning out at the back end of the race. Each athlete is different and will need to work out their tactics, but don’t assume a 100m profile.

200m

The most important thing about running a 200m indoor is being able to run a bend. It sounds obvious, but I have sat and watched an area championship event where in the qualifiers and semi-finals there has been 1 or 2 disqualifications per race for lane infringements. I even had one of my own athletes who was so focused on his acceleration that when he came up into transition phase he realised he had crossed into the lane outside him.

So many athletes can’t hold the bends at full speed. If you struggle in the inside lane of an outdoor track, you’re not going to run fast indoors. I once saw someone running so hard on the second bend without being able to run the bend properly that they ran right off the track.

[Tweet “The most important thing for running the 200m Indoors is running the curve”]

400m

The indoor 400m is the only individual sprint that has a break of lane. To that end, it is not only great fun, but it needs different tactics. In my opinion, the indoor 400m is more suited to a speed based 400m sprinter (200/400 runner) than an endurance based 400m sprinter (400/800 runner). This is because position at the break is important. People tend to think that the 400/800 type is better suited because they are used to running in a bunch, but it’s no use if you can’t control the race and you can only do that from the front. To be at the front, you need the speed to get that position at the break.

See also  First Chris Johnson, Now Jamaal Charles Wants to Run Track?

There isn’t much in the way of a straight at the end of the race to make a serious move and you always have to go around the outside if you’re coming from behind. So, once you have the position at the front, you need to make it hard for anyone to get past you. This usually means commanding the inside lane and making the passing position a long way round. Once you are in position 1, the person in position 2 not only has to make up ground to catch you and overtake you, they also need to run further, meaning they need a lot more speed. Once they come, if you can pick up your speed, you are making it exponentially harder.

Getting position 1 can be physically difficult, not just because of the sprinting. You have to be aggressive enough that you aren’t just going to get barged aside. You have to be able to hold your line against people that will be trying to dominate you. Suddenly, sprinting becomes a contact sport!

[Tweet “The Indoor 400m: Sprinting becomes a contact sport!”]

Summary

So many athletes I speak to have never run indoors and no matter what they convince themselves, or their coaches, there are no good reasons for this. It’s great fun, great training and as long as it is part of a properly structured training and competition year, it can only benefit progress.

About Lee Ness

Sports Motivation Master PlanLee Ness is a UKA qualified Event Group Coach for Sprints and Hurdles, the Head Coach/Sprint Coach at City of Salisbury Athletics and Running Club and Track and Field Team Manager for Wiltshire Athletics Association.

See also  Video of 2001 World Championships 200 meters

The book,The Sports Motivation Masterplan, is a support guide for athletes and parents, helping them with the role of mentor through their journey from young aspiring athlete, to elite performer.

Buy it on Amazon USA.

Buy it on Amazon UK.

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field Tag iconLee Ness

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}