Speed-Endurance Workout for the Long Hurdler
by Steve McGill
Hurdlers who specialize in the longer hurdling event generally don’t need to hurdle as often in their weekly training schedule. There are plenty of workouts that can prepare them for the rigors of the long hurdles that don’t involve clearing hurdles at all. My usual mode of operation with long hurdlers is to have them train with the quarter-milers on most days, with the sprinters (100 & 200 meter runners) once a week, and to do specific hurdle training once a week. Sometimes, the workouts that they do with the quarter-milers can be done over hurdles. For example, if I have the quarter-milers do 6×200 as a speed workout, I’ll have the 400m hurdlers do 5×200, with all of their reps over the last five hurdles. The hurdles will be set up in an outside lane, and the hurdlers will do their reps beside the quarter-milers, who will be running without hurdles, obviously.
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But I digress a bit. This month’s workout is one of the speed-endurance workout for the long hurdlers that I’ll have them do, hurdle-free, with the quarter-milers.
The Workout:
1×600, 2×400, 2×200
The reps can be done in flats or in spikes, but either way, we want the athletes running tall on the balls of the feet the whole way. The 600 reps presents the biggest challenge because it provides the greatest temptation on the athlete’s part to drop back onto the heels and run with poor sprinting mechanics.
The reason I have the athletes go down the ladder in this workout is because I like for the 400m distance to feel “easier,” even though there’s nothing easy about it all. With the 600 coming first, the athlete feels like just a single lap is more manageable. To me, that’s important. In any event, you want the athlete to feel like race-distance is relatively easy because he or she has done enough over-distance in training so that the race distance isn’t intimidating.
Since this workout is a late-indoor / early-outdoor type of workout, the target times will be in the range of 85% of full speed. For some athletes–particularly those who are new to the sport or new to the event–the first time doing it will serve the purpose of establishing benchmarks so that I can establish more specific target times for the next time we do it.
Recovery Periods:
- 6 minutes after the 600
- 4 minutes after each of the 400’s
- 3 minutes after the first 200
The above recovery periods are a guide. I’m always willing to add more rest in order to maintain the quality of the workout. If the athletes are struggling to hit the target times that I want, I’ll add a minute or more of rest to increase the chances that they’ll continue to do so. Hitting the target times is paramount. Also, I need to see that the athletes running posture is staying like I want to see it the whole rep each rep. If I see heavy foot-strikes that aren’t on the balls of the feet, I’ll first try to coach the athlete through it, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll add more rest. Just like in hurdling, I don’t want to allow for bad habits to occur, because bad habits could become ingrained. The reason that rest periods are negotiable is because I can always bring the rest time down to where I want it the next time we do the workout, or at least move it in that direction.
Variations
This is a workout that can be taken into the competitive season, but with changes. For example, the 600 would become a 500, one of the 400’s would be taken off, and one of the 200’s would become a 150. So the workout would be: 1×500, 1×400, 1×200, 1×150. The recovery periods would increase by a minute as well.
As the coach, if you think of other possible variations based on how your athletes are responding to the workout, feel free to implement them.
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