by Don Kardong
1) "Ladders," like the following workout used by Bingham High in South Jordan, Utah, combine variety and speed: 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 600, 500, 400, 300 and 200 meters, with rest intervals of about 1 1/2 times what it takes to run each distance. The ladder is followed by two all-out 200s, with 30 to 45 seconds' rest. "We work on maintaining form, getting up on the toes and driving as hard as we can, to develop confidence in being able to run fast when they feel like they're spent," says Bingham coach Jeff Arbogast.
2) Coach Walt Lange of Jesuit High in Sacramento, Calif., likes a workout of 5 x 800 meters, starting every 5 minutes (including rest) and dropping the pace about 2 seconds with each repeat. "I think if a guy can run repeat 800s, that makes him mentally pretty tough, and he's going to be competitive in a race situation." To focus more on speed, the workout can be adjusted to include fewer 800s, then finish with sets of 3 or 4 x 400 and 3 or 4 x 300.
3) Coach Bob Michalski of Xavier High in Middletown, Conn., does a workout of two sets of 6 x 400 meters, with a hard 300 meters at the end of each set. "The 300 at the end of the first six is like the midpoint of a race. We throw that in to make them go hard in the middle of the workout and then get right back on pace." The runners keep a rest interval of 90 seconds until the second set, when it drops to 80 and then 70.
4) Coach Kyle Sawyer of Dobson High in Mesa, Ariz., favors a "University of Houston 200 Drill" three times a season. This is a series of about 18 x 200 meters, with short rests between-just long enough to walk to the eighth lane and back. The first two practice sessions are run at current race pace, the third at goal pace for the season. This progression of three-two at race pace, one at goal pace-continues within the workout itself. "Every third one, they just floor it," says Sawyer. "This has been real effective for us."
5) Coach Ron Russo of Colerain High in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a big believer in consistent mileage and long intervals, but a recent addition to his team's workouts is 6 to 10 x 100 meters at the end of almost every workout. "Since we started doing that, we've seen a tremendous improvement in our kids' leg speed," says Russo. The 100s are run at nearly top speed. "These are not Œstrides.' I tell them I expect a hard pace, anywhere from 85 to 90 percent effort."-D.K.
Runner's World senior writer Don Kardong placed fourth in
the 1976 Olympic Marathon.
Source: HIGH SCHOOL RUNNER--SPRING 1998
