How to Train to Run the 400-Meter Dash in Middle School

The 400-meter dash is a track and field event that is suitable for middle school sprinters and runners with reasonable basic speed combined with good endurance. Balancing speed and endurance is the key to success. According to 400-meter world record holder Michael Johnson, "nobody can go out and run 400 meters full-speed from the gun. So there's a strategy and it's all based on pace and energy output."

Instructions

    • 1

      Maintain or improve your basic speed. You do not sprint flat out during the 400 meters, but you must feel comfortable running 200 meters in about 25 seconds. Train with the sprint team by running fast over short distances such as 50 or 100 meters. Run the same distances up a short hill. Running uphill forces you to drive with your arms to maintain speed. Take part in 4-by-100 meter relays, choosing the third stage to practice running fast on the bend.

    • 2

      Improve endurance at speed. According to high school coach Clyde Hart, it's easier to improve the endurance of a sprinter than to increase the basic speed of a middle distance runner. Do interval training sessions where you run distances such as 200, 300 or 600 meters a set number of times with a period of recovery or jogging between each fast run. An example would be six 200-meter sprints at your goal 400 meter pace with a 200-meter walk or jog between each fast interval. Include easy runs of 20 to 40 minutes in your schedule to build basic endurance.

    • 3

      Learn pace judgment. Michael Johnson's approach was based on four Ps -- push out of the starting blocks, pace the back straight, position yourself on the second bend and pray in the final straight! Johnson's advice for the final straight is based on the fact that runners who run too fast for the first 300 meters will struggle to maintain their speed at the end of the race. Train for pace by running time trials of 300 meters at race pace, aiming to cover the distance in the target time comfortably.

    • 4

      Include occasional training sessions to improve lactic acid tolerance. The buildup of lactic acid in the muscles causes a loss of speed and distress at the end of a 400-meter race. Ask a colleague or coach to supervise a lactic acid session. Run as fast as you can for between 200 and 300 meters and keep going until the coach blows a whistle. Walk or jog until you are fully recovered. Repeat two or three times.

    • 5

      Add fun sessions. Organize a competition where teams of two take part in a continuous relay. The first runner completes 200 meters then jogs back to the start to take over when the second runner finishes the next 200 meters. Sessions like this put runners through a lot of work in a low-key, competitive environment.