Living near Battersea Park I am lucky enough to have a 400 metre running track right on my doorstep, which allows for some awesome conditioning workouts.
I used to run the 400 meters for my school athletics team and even though this was a long time ago I can vividly remember how exhausting those races were, 400 metres really is a tough distance to sprint.
It will take a runner anywhere from 45 seconds (if you are a freak) to 80 + seconds to complete 400 metres at full tilt which results in a huge demand on your energy systems for a sustained period of time. This is what makes 400 metres such a lung-busting distance to run. High oxygen demands cause the heart and lungs to go into overdrive and the accumulation of lactic acid makes your muscles feel like lead.
The fact that it is such a tough distance to sprint makes it ideal for some really hard conditioning workouts (so long as you have the determination for it). Here is an example for you to try;
Record the times it takes you to run each of the three laps and next time you repeat the workout try to reduce the time difference between your 1st lap and your 3rd lap. When you can run 3 laps at a similar pace then up the volume to 4 laps and repeat the process. Once you have mastered that try 5 laps.
This is seriously tough stuff but if you can stick with it for long enough you will develop the heart, lungs and conditioning of a race horse!!
Good luck with your training!
I used to run the 400 meters for my school athletics team and even though this was a long time ago I can vividly remember how exhausting those races were, 400 metres really is a tough distance to sprint.
It will take a runner anywhere from 45 seconds (if you are a freak) to 80 + seconds to complete 400 metres at full tilt which results in a huge demand on your energy systems for a sustained period of time. This is what makes 400 metres such a lung-busting distance to run. High oxygen demands cause the heart and lungs to go into overdrive and the accumulation of lactic acid makes your muscles feel like lead.
The fact that it is such a tough distance to sprint makes it ideal for some really hard conditioning workouts (so long as you have the determination for it). Here is an example for you to try;
- Warm Up (Joint Mobility, Tempo Runs)
- Sprint 400 metres as fast as you can
- Rest for 60 seconds
- Sprint 400 metres as fast as you can
- Rest for 60 seconds
- Sprint 400 metres as fast as you can
- Cool Down Lap/Stretches
Record the times it takes you to run each of the three laps and next time you repeat the workout try to reduce the time difference between your 1st lap and your 3rd lap. When you can run 3 laps at a similar pace then up the volume to 4 laps and repeat the process. Once you have mastered that try 5 laps.
This is seriously tough stuff but if you can stick with it for long enough you will develop the heart, lungs and conditioning of a race horse!!
Good luck with your training!
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