FOR THE ONES WHO THINK ABOUT THE LAP
The science, stories and craft of the 400 metres.
A trackside journal by coach Stewart Marshall.
THE LONG WAY ROUND.
Speed is onlyTWO BENDS. TWO STRAIGHTS. A WORLD WITHIN.
01 / INSIDE THE LAP
A way to think about the flat 400.
Explore the lap, one phase at a time.
A CONCEPTUAL GUIDE, NOT A FIXED PACING PLAN.
THE FIRST BEND
Accelerate into the race and find your rhythm. The stagger makes other athletes a poor early reference; your own race model is the useful one.
THE TRACKSIDE QUESTIONDid the opening create the race you had prepared to run?
02 / THE JOURNAL
Ideas to take to the track.
And a few to challenge on the way there.
THE LATEST NOTEUNCATEGORIZED / 10 MIN READ
As I mentioned in my last post, anticipatory grieving saw me doing a lot of hard intervals over the last year. This short post describes a really cool workout that I did, how…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED10 MIN READ
As I mentioned in my last post, anticipatory grieving saw me doing a lot of hard intervals over the last year. This short post describes a really cool workout that I did, how…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED19 MIN READ
METHODICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING BY THE ENERGY SYSTEMS There is no secret or mystery about the energy systems and their effectiveness when clearly understood. Track and field coaches must understand energy system…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED28 MIN READ
“How can a specific training exercise contribute to increasing an individual’s level of performance?”— Bosch & Klomp The basis for track and field training theory and organization is the principle of periodization. In…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED7 MIN READ
The most critical aspect of sprinting is the relationship between stride length and stride frequency. Sprinting is defined through the interaction of mechanical principles and fundamentals of speed. Speed, often statistically analyzed…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED2 MIN READ
“Look at all the VALUES of testing—DON’T JUST TEST TO TEST”— Tony Wells Questions to Ask Before Testing: Why Test? When to Test? Sprint Specific Tests: 30 Meter Fly Test: Process: How to…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED11 MIN READ
Learn about sprint performance and sprinting training including physiological and metabolic influencers to sprint performance, fatigue, and training, adaptations to sprint training and recovery of muscle during exercise. In this lecture, we’ll…
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Learn about what changes take place in the muscle, when activated during exercise, and ultimately changes in the expression and, or, activity of key proteins that affect the size and functional properties…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED9 MIN READ
Running is one of the most accessible sports for people trying to increase their physical activity levels, and has significantly increased in popularity over the years. However, unlike learning how to swim,…
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Jan 16 Strength for Sprinting – Connecting Gym Gains with Sprinting Performance Aths Aus Produced, Long Articles, Strength and Conditioning, Planning, Sprints and Hurdles, Essentials, Sprinting Essentials The moment you step in to the gym, you are already moving…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED31 MIN READ
I wanted to follow up with some thoughts from my last article, Sprint Technique, Maturation & Strength. Specifically about developing the appropriate force production for sprinters with reference to recent research and some…
Read the noteUNCATEGORIZED27 MIN READ
The Overworked Missing Piece Fatigue Index, Intensive Tempo, and why the 400m athlete so often “gets fit” and gets worse There is a strange pattern that shows up in 400-metre groups all…
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Why Speed Changes Everything in the 400 Metres At some point, every coach who works seriously with the 400 metres notices the same thing: speed does not behave politely. You can improve…
Read the note03 / THE COACHING APPROACH
Speed, training history, recovery, facilities and the competition calendar. The programme needs to fit the person running it.
Distance alone doesn’t define a session. Intensity, recovery and the quality you want to develop tell the rest of the story.
Use timings, video and the athlete’s response to ask better questions. Be clear about what you observed and what you inferred.
THE COACH BEHIND THE NOTES
400 M & 400 M HURDLES COACH
Curious about the science.
Committed to the craft.
I’m Stewart, a 400 m and 400 m hurdles coach. The Long Sprint is where I bring together the questions that keep the event interesting: how we build speed, how we organise training, and what happens when the plan meets the final bend.
I believe in strong fundamentals, individual context and knowing why a session belongs in the programme. A method earns its place through what it does for the athlete.
This journal is for coaches who keep questioning, athletes who want to understand their event, and anyone who knows that one lap can hold a very big story.
Pull up a seat at tracksideKEEP THE CONVERSATION MOVING
The next tenth starts with
a better question.