Championship Week
For many high school and collegiate hurdlers who won’t qualify for nationals, the time to peak is now.
With that being the case, this article will focus on preparing for the “big” meet that all training has been leading toward. The general rule, is you want to go hard and fast early in the week, then ease up later in the week and focus on mental preparation. However, I like to include a “race indicator” workout two days prior to the start of competition. This workout serves almost as a race preview.
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On the day prior to competition, I like to get the group together and discuss mental preparation. By this point, there’s no more physical preparation to be done, so the mental part takes center stage. I spend a lot of time discussing all possible scenarios in regards to the weather, the wind, the habits of the starter, lane assignments, the warm-up area, etc. I’ll also talk about strategies to keep the mind quiet, to stay focused yet relaxed, to channel the nervous energy.
On the week of the big championship meet, it’s important to do workouts that are particularly designed to maximize speed and that mimic race conditions. Reps should be minimal, and recovery time between reps should be maximal as well.
If it’s at all possible, try to train at the same time of day you will be racing, and if you’re doing both hurdle events, and/or competing in other events as well, practice in the order of events of the meet. If you know what lane you’ll be in for your hurdle race(s), train in that lane if the track space is available. For example, if you’re running the 4×100 and the 110/100m hurdles, and the relay will be first, then practice the relay first. (You know I hate saying that). That way, you’ll be mentally prepared for the routine of the meet.
It’s also important to do a full pre-race warm-up every day of championship week, with the exception of the day prior to competition. Doing this will also help you get into the routine and to control nervous energy.
Below are some ideas for workout plans for championship week, assuming that Saturday is race day.
For 110/100m Hurdlers:
Monday:
8 starts over the first three hurdles, out of the blocks, in spikes, competing against a teammate, with commands being given by a coach. All hurdles after the first one should be moved in half a foot. Focus here is on mastering the first phase of the race, establishing confidence in the start. Starter should vary how long he holds athletes in set position so that the hurdler(s) can prepare for all possibilities. Another coach should time touchdowns so the hurdlers have a sense of their pace. At least three minutes rest between reps to ensure full recovery.
Tuesday:
Easy 10×100 on the grass.
Wednesday:
Three 110m sprints (or 100m for females). Place cones where hurdles would be. (All cones will be on race-distance marks). Sprints should be all-out, but to the hurdler rhythm, with the cones serving as hurdles. This workout will serve to remind the athletes to be fast in the race, to be aggressive, and to not fixate on the hurdles.
Thursday:
Three reps (max) over the first seven hurdles. Same set-up as Monday’s workout. This is the pre-race, race-indicator workout. Touchdown at hurdle seven will give a good indication of the time the athlete should be able to run in the race two days later. Usually, I’ll only do one rep of this workout if the first one is a good one and the athlete feels good about it. The last thing you want to do is risk injury at this time of year when the body is so fine-tuned and the reps are so fast. If you do more than one rep, then recovery should be 8-10 minutes.
Friday:
Rest
Saturday:
Compete
For 300/400m Hurdlers:
Monday:
2 reps at race distance, clearing the first two and last two hurdles. Out of the blocks, in spikes, with a coach giving commands. 10-minute recovery. Target time should be within one second of target race time. So if the goal in the meet is to run the 300h in 38.0, then the target time for these two reps would be 39.0.
Tuesday:
10×100 easy on the grass.
Wednesday:
One set of 200m doubles. A double consists of sprinting a 200, resting 30 seconds, then sprinting another 200. Target time for first 200 should be within one second of 200m personal best. Target time for second 200 should be within two seconds of the first one.
Thursday:
One all-out rep over the first six hurdles (300m hurdlers) or first eight hurdles (400m hurdlers). Set-up is the same as for Monday’s workout. All touchdowns should be timed. Touchdown off last hurdle serves as the race-pace indicator.
Friday:
Rest
Saturday:
Compete
For Double Hurdlers:
Monday:
Same as the Monday workout listed above for 300/400m hurdlers.
Tuesday:
Same as the Monday workout listed above for 110/100m hurdlers.
Wednesday:
Same as the Tuesday workout listed above for both 110/100m hurdlers and 300/400m hurdlers.
Thursday:
Do 2 reps (max) of the Thursday workout for 110/100m hurdlers. Take a 20-minute rest, then do the Thursday workout for 300/400m hurdlers.
Friday:
Rest
Saturday:
Compete
Of course, if injuries are an issue, back off. If you feel a twinge in the hamstring, or the groin, or the calf, or the quad, back off. The workout is over. If shin splints are kicking in, back off. This is not the time of year to be taking chances.
The day prior to competition would be a good time for an ice bath to heal some of the micro-tears in the muscles that occurred earlier in the week, when the athlete was hitting near-maximum speeds in the workouts.
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