Dealing with the Wind
One of the most aggravating things for a hurdler can be dealing with the various winds that blow, affecting rhythm, speed, and times from race to race. Depending on one’s ability level and flat speed, some hurdlers have more trouble with certain types of winds than with others. In this article, I will take a look at the three types of winds that hurdlers face – headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds – and I will discuss the issues they cause, how to adapt to each type of wind, and how to prepare for each type of wind in practice.
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Headwind:
The headwind is the type of wind that most hurdlers have the most problems with. When the wind is in your face, it slows everything down. The cadence between the hurdles is slower, the clearance time over the hurdles is slower, the run-in off the last hurdle is slower. Because the cadence between the hurdles is slower, take-off distance into each hurdle is going to be farther away than usual, which is the reason for the increased time of hurdle clearance.
The key to racing effectively into a headwind is to get a good start. And by “good” start, I mean that you drive for all 8 (or 7) steps, that you stay very forward, even in the later strides, when you are preparing to clear the barrier. Into a headwind, if you are upright too soon, you’ll be fighting to keep your speed for the rest of the race. I would suggest driving all the way through the first hurdle, maintaining an exaggerated forward angle even in the cut step. Be tall enough to clear the hurdle, but you should still feel like you are driving.
Really, you should try to stay as forward as you can throughout the entire race. The more erect you are, the more the wind can blow you back. So I would suggest maintaining an exaggerated forward lean the whole time. Such a posture will help to reduce your airtime over the hurdles.
For beginning three-steppers, or for three-steppers with marginal speed, a strong can cause you to lose your three-step at some point in the race. My advice would be to plan for that. If you struggle to maintain your three-step under favorable wind conditions, then you should prepare to change down to four-stepping once you feel like you are loping to reach three steps, which will occur earlier than normal when the headwind is blowing.
For elite hurdlers, a headwind can actually feel helpful, because there is less crowding between the hurdles. However, if an elite hurdler grows comfortable with the rhythm that a headwind causes, then he or she will run significantly slower than usual. So the elite hurdler really needs to push the pace in order to create the crowded feeling of a wind-free day.
I think it’s important for all hurdlers to accept that your time is going to be slower when running into a headwind. Don’t expect to set a personal best, and if you get to the track and feel a strong wind blowing in the direction facing you, then adjust your goal times accordingly.
A good way to practice for a headwind is to set up five hurdles, placing the first one at race distance, the next two one foot in, and the last two at race distance. The switch from hurdle three to hurdle four, and then maintaining the longer distance between four and five, will mimic the feeling of the hurdles being farther apart that a headwind will create.
Also, of course, if you are practicing on a day when there’s a headwind, go ahead and practice that way, focusing on staying forward and driving at the start, and on maintaining a forward lean. Don’t move the hurdles in more than one foot from the regular marks. If the rhythm feels slower, that’s what you want, because it’ll feel slower on race day too. Make your adjustments in practice so you’ll already be adjusted by race day.
Tailwind:
Most of us prefer a tailwind because it makes us faster between, it puts us on top of the hurdles sooner, and generally makes everything easier. The marginal three-stepper loves a tailwind because it pushes him forward. For the same reason, however, the elite hurdler dreads a strong tailwind. For the elite hurdler, the risk of getting on top of hurdles and crashing increases significantly with a tailwind. Even for the non-elite hurdler who has established a consistent cadence between the hurdles, a tailwind will quicken up that cadence and it will be difficult for the hurdler to control.
To adapt, such hurdlers should really get their speed up during warm-ups on race day, and they should get in at least one full-blast rep over the first three hurdles out of the blocks in order to get a feel for how their cadence will be affected. Quickness drills over lower heights would also help to get a feel for the tempo.
In practice, elite hurdlers should take advantage of days when there is a tailwind out on the track. Move the hurdles in two feet and really jam yourself. Again, start with lower heights so you can adapt to the quickened tempo first before trying any reps at race height.
Crosswind:
The biggest issue caused by a crosswind is the balance issue, as a crosswind will toss you to the left or the right, depending on which way it is blowing. This problem can lead to a lot of contact with opponents’ forearms and elbows.
As with a headwind, it is important to stay low off of hurdles, to avoid running too erect. There must be even more of an emphasis than usual on leaning over the lead leg during hurdle clearance, and on pushing the lead leg back down to the ground. The more time the lead leg spends in the air, the more susceptible you are to being pushed sideways by the wind. Arm action over the hurdle must also be very crisp and tight for the same reason.
Crosswinds are generally the rarest of the three types of winds that a hurdler faces. Changing the spacing in practice can’t really duplicate the feeling that will occur in a race. Therefore, the best advice I can give is to just focus on staying low, staying forward, and keeping that lead leg humming on race day. Also be aware of the need to keep pushing the hips forward in order to minimize lateral movement between and over the hurdles.
Conclusion:
Whenever you’re dealing with windy conditions, you have to adapt your rhythm and your aggression accordingly. How to adapt varies for beginners vs. elite hurdlers, and for hurdlers with marginal speed vs. hurdlers with exceptional speed. The key is to prepare yourself physically and mentally in such a way that you don’t have an “oh no” feeling when you feel the wind blowing on race day. You want to be in a position where any adverse conditions are an advantage for you because you know how to deal with them.
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