Middle Distance Track and Field

By Lance Winslow

In track and field there are sprinters who generally run the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m. there are also field events; such as; high jump, long jump, discus, pole vault, javelin and shot put. The other events in track and field are middle distance or long-distance events. Generally the middle distance races are considered the 800 m and the one-mile run.

Running the 800 m and the one-mile run take more training than many of the other events in track and field. The athlete must have superior stamina, as well as sprinting capability and be willing to take their body to the limits and endure a significant amount of pain.

Middle distance runners in track and field often say that pain is not real. The reason is because if you have pain; well I cannot feel it and therefore I do not believe it is real. Although this seems logical and rather comical it does describe part of the psyche needed to be a middle distance track superstar.

You must deny pain and you cannot let it enter your realm during the race. The only thing that must be on your mind is strategy, tactics and winning. Middle distance track and field athletes are generally in the best shape of most all athletes.

They often put in workouts for endurance, which may exceed 15 miles of running per day and interval training that would make the average person so sick to their stomach that they would bend over in pain and never want to run again. Please consider all this in 2006.