CoachesEducation.com

My son (16) ran Spring track (400m) last year. He peaked at 51.2 split. Prior to track he played basketball and was in good shape. Recently he ran a 400 "all out" at 58.1. He was devastated. He hardly worked out during the off season and I tried to make him realize he's out of shape and can regain a lot.

The problem is that he gets poor training at his high school. He's on the Winter track team and he lacks confidence. His first race is the 400m and he is dreading it. How should he be training with respect to amount of daily time, schedule, weights, etc. He's afraid that if he works out too much he'll burn out before Spring track.

What do you recommend?

Jorge

Since your son ran a 400 all out and was devastated with his time, he admitted to failure. We must admit to failure to be successful. He who has never failed somewhere cannot be great. Failure is the true test of greatness.

Understanding the process of becoming your very best is made up of failures. The more we stretch for our best, the more we will fail. As you begin the process of becoming your very best, you will learn that failure is simply a part of it all. The ability to make failure work for you and not against you requires one more quality: perseverance.

Whether your ultimate goal is to PR in the 400 or to win a medal in the Championship race, you must be committed in your training and racing. Be positive and take this approach:

1.
Make a commitment. Do not think about burning out. Work out five days a week.

2.
Have a plan and stick to it.

3.
Set your goals. What are your goals? Think about your goals every time you workout and every time you race. Give 100%.

4.
Accept pressure. You have a tough challenge. Every day will not be a good day. Accept the challenge. It is up to you. You must be committed to improve.

The following links are recommended plans:

http://www.coacheseducation.com/sprints ... apr_02.htm

http://www.coacheseducation.com/coachin ... pt_02.html

Coach Payan
www.CoachesEducation.com

Thank you coach. I will pass this on to my son.

-J