March 22, 2014
Count me among those who are very happy to see the outdoor season arrive. My school had its first outdoor meet this past week (actually its second, but most of our best runners weren’t there because they were at high school nationals), and it went very well.
As a hurdle coach, I find the indoor season to be the source of much personal frustration and confusion. One of the hurdle events (300h) doesn’t even exist indoors, and the other hurdle race (100h/110h) is chopped in half.
Constantly, throughout the indoor season, I find myself trying to find the balance between preparing for outdoors and preparing to compete indoors. For hurdlers who run both hurdling events, I have to make sure they maintain the speed-endurance needed to succeed in the long hurdles while at the same time keeping them sharp for their indoor races.
And then there’s the tricky situation of training for the 100/110m hurdles vs. training for the 55/60m hurdles. The indoor race is all about the start, whereas in the outdoor race hurdle endurance and the ability to maintain one’s form become equally important.
I prefer to train for outdoors during the indoor season. But this year I had a female hurdler who qualified for nationals, so I found myself going against my own principles in order to prepare her for this huge meet. In February I like to put the necessary base work in to prepare for the long haul of the outdoor season. But for this particular athlete it was all about speed work and the start. Because she’s a senior, talented, and a hard worker, I’m counting on her being able to build her speed-endurance back up in time for the outdoor state meet and national championships.
To me, outdoor track is track. Now I can do what I do: mold these athletes into hurdlers who have confidence in their ability to negotiate a full flight of barriers with no fear. Soon enough the days will be longer, the sun will be shining brightly into the late evening, giving me more one-on-one time with athletes after workouts.
If you’re a fan of indoor track, I ain’t mad at ya. But for me, outdoors is where it’s at.
