Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

Since extensive tempo work is to slow to really get the rhythm down and speed days can’t be done over more then one hurdle,  should more intensive tempo work be done with 300m/400m hurdlers over hurdles?  Are there other tricks to help learn rhythm of the race without running the actual race or is the actual race going to teach you the rythym?

Also, since an athlete will be 5-10% less intense in practice then in a meet, should you bring in the 300/400m hurdles and/or lower the hurdles like you would in 100/110HH practice?

I don’t think lowering or spacing would be quite as necessary as in the high hurdles. This is because the race is already so much more controlled and you can make up for the 5-10% training day decrement by just running shorter intervals (150-300m with intermediate hurdles). Having said that, I also think varied spacing would be advantageous not only as another way to handle the training decrement issue but also to give the athlete some experience at handling the inevitable situation where hurdles just “appear out of nowhere.“

Some possible hurdle run/exercises to develop 400 hurdle rhythm:

4-5h @ 19.0m with a 9 step rhythm

5-6h @ 13.0m w/ a 6 step rhythm

6-7h @ 11.0m w/ a 5 step rhythm (probably better used in the early season)

You can set up the specific workout you need.  A coaching friend gave me this and it really has worked well-
3h @ 35.0m w/ 20 m fly rest 45” + 5h @ 19.0m 3-4 sets
I like to double it up to get the rhythm with some fatigue so 3h +5h + 3h +5h x 3 sets

i often move the first hurdle in about 1m and the others about 1.5 - 2m