WOLVERINES
Track / CrossCountry Booster Club
800M RACE PLANNING
Best, most experienced 800M runners typically follow the patterns at left.
The race is a sprint! 1st 200M of the race is the fastest. Each 200M following typically slows a little, even though the effort required to run that pace gets more difficult.
Some 800M runners who are more "distance" oriented, can reduce the gap of slowing between the 1st lap and the 2nd lap, but that is more of an exception to the rule. If you have to take a chance and aren't sure, err on the side of going out fast versus being conservative.
Runners who come from more of a pure sprinting background, may get out even harder the first 200M and 400M and fade more the 2nd lap. You tend to also see this pattern with runners newer to the event or who are not yet in prime shape.
In the last 100M, it is KEY to really think about maintaining your form and aggressively driving your arms as a way to keep your feet moving. Think about having hammers in each hand and try to break rocks.
TRACK SPLITS & COMPARITIVE DATA
INFO YOU CAN USE TO SET GOALS AND PLAN RACE TACTICS FOR PR RACES
1600-3200M RACE PLANNING
The closer you can get to running even splits, the better.
Most high school runners slow far too much on the 3rd lap in the 1600M and on laps 6 & 7 in the 3200M. This is a place of emphasis to increase the effort.
In championship races, you need to be able to kick and close your last lap significantly faster than the average pace of the laps run so far. Start increasing your effort at least 300M from the finish. Last 50M hero kicks are for cowards!
As you think about goal setting, pay attention to letter standards, paces required to be in the hunt for XC podium and making the XC letter standard. Every runner should have a goal.