Track & Field

Which race do you prefer, the 200 or the 400? Why?

Olympic champion Michael Johnson reveals his preference between 200m and 400m races

Hi, Josh, which do I prefer? 200 meters or 400 meters? Great question. I actually preferred when I could run both early in my career. I started off as a 200 meter Runner and but I was world class in the 400 meters as well. My first year into in my career. I was the first person to be ranked number one in the world and the 200 M and 400 meters. But every Championship, I chose one or the other and it would pain me to then say, In the stands, watching the race that I didn't choose and to have say, for example, just having won the 200-meter World Championship in 1991. And then I'm sitting there watching someone else when the 400 meters thinking I should be in that race. I could win that or in 1993 the exact opposite that shows around 400 and I'm watching the 200 thinking I could win that. So it wasn't until 1995 that I decided. I'm going to double and then From that point on, I tried to double every time I could, and I felt best and I ran my fastest times when I was running both of you. That's so it was always hard to choose. I did sort of enjoy the 200 meters more when the competition was differing, that event versus the 400. But there came a point when I was then searching and chasing the world record in the 400 after I'd already broken the 200-meter world record. And then I was that was my favorite. So it's sort of all depended on the Circumstances, but I ran best and I was happy happy as when I when I could run both.

Josh prefers to run both the 200 and 400 meter races, as he ran his fastest times when he was running both. He enjoyed the 200 more when the competition differed in that event versus the 400, but he also enjoyed chasing and searching for the world record in the 400 after breaking the 200-meter world record.

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Which race do I prefer, the 200 or the 400 meters? Well, it's a great question, Josh. Early in my career, I actually preferred running both. I started off as a 200-meter runner but was also world-class in the 400 meters. In my first year, I was ranked number one in the world in both events.

However, in championships, I had to choose one or the other, and it was always tough to watch the race I didn't choose from the stands. For example, after winning the 200-meter World Championship in 1991, I would watch the 400 meters and think I could have won that race. The same happened in 1993 when I focused on the 400 meters and watched the 200 meters thinking I could have won that too.

In 1995, I finally decided to double and from then on, I tried to compete in both whenever possible. I felt my best and ran my fastest times when I was running both races. It was always difficult to choose, but I did enjoy the 200 meters more when the competition was different from the 400.

However, there came a point when I was chasing the world record in the 400 meters after already breaking the 200-meter world record, and at that time, the 400 became my favorite. So, it all depended on the circumstances, but I was happiest and performed best when I could run both races.

When did you realize you had some talent (strengths to support your passion)?

Unveiling the Moment: Recognizing Talent & Passion

Hi, Greg. So, when did I realize I had some talent to match my passion? I think I knew early on that, I had talent but I didn't know how far it would take me. So I was always faster than all of the other kids and every sport that I played, I was fast. So I knew that I had that talent, but once I got I think the pivotal moment for me was when I got to University got to Baylor University and really Started to train for the first time and got into a world-class training program. It's with that point that I recognized, that I had the talent to be one of the best in the world. And of course, my passion was was matched by that. So both sort of happened at the same time because prior to that when I was a school kid in high school, I knew I had some talent and I know that I enjoyed it, but I didn't have this passion to go on and become a world-class athlete or an Olympian at that point because I didn't quite fit. Frankly know that. I even, you know, that was even possible for me. So a little bit different Journey for me than, maybe athletes, who were sort of pegged as a young kid, and sort of targeted that, hey, this kid has tremendous talent and now you're in Stilton, still the new that, you know, you could be a great, you could be an Olympian that wasn't my situation.

I knew I had some talent when I was in high school, but it wasn't until I got to university and started a world-class training program that I realized I had the talent to become one of the best in the world. This combined with my passion made me realize I could pursue a career as an Olympic athlete.

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I realized I had some talent to support my passion at a relatively early stage. As a child, I noticed that I was faster than the other kids in every sport I played. This made me aware of my athletic abilities, but I wasn't sure how far it could take me.

The pivotal moment came when I entered Baylor University and started training in a world-class program. It was during this time that I recognized my talent had the potential to make me one of the best in the world. My passion for my sport was also ignited at this point. Prior to university, I knew I had some talent and enjoyed what I did, but I didn't have the same drive to become a world-class athlete or an Olympian. It wasn't until I experienced the training program at Baylor that I realized such achievements were within my reach.

My journey was a bit different from athletes who were identified as having exceptional talent from a young age and were specifically targeted for greatness. I didn't initially believe that becoming an Olympian was possible for me. However, discovering my talent and passion at university set me on a path to pursue excellence in my sport.

What is T&F’s biggest strength and its biggest weakness for positive long term growth?

Track & Field's biggest strength and weakness: a diverse sport with marketing challenges

What is track and field's biggest strength and biggest weakness for positive long-term growth? I think with this sport-- and I love the sport, and I certainly have been very vocal and want to see it improve as a sport for the spectators, but also for the great athletes in the sport who-- for many they struggle to even carve out a professional life financially in the sport. I think its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness, and that is that there are so many various different events in the sport, so there are a lot of athletes, a lot of different types of athletes. You have your distance runners. You have your sprinters. You have your pole vaulters. You have your shot putters and your javelin throwers. It's almost like every competition is a mini Olympics, and it's very difficult to market a sport like that and appeal to a fan base, a new fan base. I mean, there are people like me and people that in the sport-- I mean, we have to be very careful and understand that the people who are diehard fans of the sport are very few. If you're trying to compete against the tennis and golfs of the world and team sports of the world, you have to follow that sort of formatting and understand that people don't typically have that sort of a wide span of interest where they're equally interested in watching someone run a 10,000 meters over 26 minutes, and also want to watch you know sprinters run 100 meters in 9 seconds, and then try to watch somebody and understand the pole vault, and also have an equal interest in the shot put. That typically doesn't happen. So that's a big problem for the sport. I think this sport has struggled to carve out a true professional identity. I think it's sometimes seen as an Olympic sport, purely an Olympic sport, because people really do pay attention to the sport every four years. In some ways, it's still an amateur sport. In some ways it's a professional sport. So I think that's a big problem in the sport-- needs to really carve out a an identity for itself and probably separate the professional side of the sport from the Olympic identity of the sport. That's easier said than done, but I would love to see it happen.

Track and field's biggest strength is the variety of events, but this can also be a weakness as it makes it difficult to market the sport and appeal to a new fan base. It is important for the sport to carve out a professional identity, separate from its Olympic identity, in order for it to grow positively in the long-term.

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Track and field's biggest strength and weakness for positive long-term growth lie in its diversity of events. The sport's biggest strength is the wide range of events, catering to different types of athletes such as distance runners, sprinters, pole vaulters, shot putters, and javelin throwers. However, this diversity also poses a challenge when it comes to marketing and attracting a fan base. Unlike sports like tennis or golf, where fans typically have a specific interest, track and field requires appealing to a wide range of events, which can be difficult to do effectively.

The sport struggles to carve out a strong professional identity and is often seen as purely an Olympic sport. While it gains attention every four years during the Olympics, it lacks consistent visibility and financial stability for athletes outside of that timeframe. This creates a challenge in establishing a sustainable professional career in the sport.

To ensure positive long-term growth, track and field needs to establish a clear professional identity separate from its association with the Olympics. This would involve creating opportunities for athletes to compete and earn a living outside of the Olympic cycle. While this is easier said than done, it would help the sport gain more recognition and stability.

Overall, track and field's biggest strength, its diverse range of events, is also its biggest weakness when it comes to marketing and attracting a dedicated fan base. The sport needs to address its professional identity and separate it from its Olympic association to ensure positive long-term growth.

How should my arms look on acceleration versus at top speed?

Mastering Arm Movement: Key Differences in Acceleration vs. Top Speed

How should my arms look on acceleration versus top speed? It's a great question because it's not the same on acceleration. So first of all, obviously, you already understand with the question that the arms drive the legs. So arms are very, very important in sprinting. So on acceleration, even out of the blocks, it's very different. You're going to have a much bigger expanse of the arms when you're coming from a static position out of the blocks trying to drive yourself forward. So imagine you're trying to generate enough power to actually pull yourself from a static position into motion. So that takes a lot, and so you're-- the bigger your arms at that point, the more you-- power you're going to be able to generate with your legs. Once you get up into your maximum speed or maximum velocity, then you're not as big with your arms when you're in an upright position. The most important thing are when you're at top speed or at max velocity is making sure that left-side right-side synergy is absolutely identical, not crossing your body, making sure that the arms are just going straight up and down. And you want about a 90-degree angle. It varies from athletes to athlete, but somewhere around there. You don't want to have a straight arm because then you're not generating enough power. So you want to imagine as if you if you're standing and you've got a gun in a holster on each side or in a pocket, and you're pulling it out, like the quick draw back in the westerns, that sort of thing. That's the sort of motion that you want to mimic. So the arm, that hand, just comes right by your pocket and almost sweeps the side of your hip each time, and it just goes right past the hip and then comes right back up. So that's a general rule of thumb. But arms are very, very important. And you want to make sure-- again, the most important thing is synergy at max velocity. And at any point, whether it's acceleration, or whether it's max velocity, or maximum speed, full speed, you don't want your body-- your arms crossing your body.

On acceleration, you need to have bigger arm movements in order to generate more power. When you reach top speed, your arms should move in a sweeping motion with the hands coming right by your pockets and almost sweeping the side of your hip each time. This will help create left-right synergy and prevent your arms from crossing your body.

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When it comes to the position of your arms during acceleration versus top speed, there are some key differences to consider. Firstly, it's important to understand that the arms play a crucial role in driving the legs during sprinting.

During acceleration, such as when coming out of the blocks, your arms will have a larger range of motion. This is because you need to generate enough power to propel yourself forward from a static position. The bigger the arm movement, the more power you can generate to drive your legs.

Once you reach top speed or maximum velocity, the arm movement changes. In an upright position, the most important thing is to ensure that the left and right arms work in synergy and move identically. Avoid crossing your body with your arms. Instead, focus on a straight up-and-down motion. Aim for approximately a 90-degree angle with your arms, although this can vary between athletes. Avoid fully straightening your arms, as this may limit power generation.

To visualize the arm motion, imagine you have a gun holstered on each side or in your pocket. Mimic the quick draw motion from old western movies, where you swiftly pull the gun out. Your hand should pass by your hip, almost sweeping the side, and then come back up. This motion helps maintain proper arm positioning.

Remember, arms are vital in sprinting, and maintaining synergy and avoiding arm crossing is crucial at top speed or any point during acceleration.

What’s the longest distance you’ve ever raced, and how long was your longest training run while preparing for it? Why?

World-record sprinter reveals training secrets for 400m race

What's the longest distance I've ever raced? And how long was the preparation in training for that run? So as a 200/400-meter sprinter, my longest distance was 400 meters. And starting off as a 200-meter sprinter, and rarely running the 400 other than being a member of the 4 X 400 meter relay, the 400 meters was not my first event. I was a 100/200-meter sprinter, then just pure 200. And it wasn't until later that I added the 400. And as a 200/400-meter combination sprinter, and typically, where the 200-meter sprinters are just 100/200 sprinters, the 400 was a bit of a stretch for me from an endurance standpoint. Although I won gold medals in it, and broke the world record, competing against other 400-meter runners, they had a strength and endurance advantage on me. Where I had the advantage was with my speed and my ability to maintain and carry that speed for a majority of that 400 meters. So if you imagine where the speed can come into to play, is the first 200 meters doesn't take nearly as much out of me because I'm able to run it faster than my competitors, that I can be a little bit more relaxed through that first 200 meters. And then on the back end, when they're starting to get their endurance, I can match them because I've conserved on the front end of the race. So with the speed advantage, I worked a lot in practice, and in training, on speed endurance, and also on endurance itself. So that was what we really focused on in my 400-meter training, so that I could-- I sort of trained to my weakness in that way. So the furthest I would go in training would be 600 meters, or 500 meters, but repeats of those. So two times, 500 meters, or two times, 600 meters, or [? a 6,4,2 ?] step down. But the biggest training advantage, I think I had in preparation for the 400, was focusing on a three times, or a four times 350 meters, so just short of the distance. But the rest factor was very, very short. And that was the key.

As a 200/400-meter sprinter, my longest distance was 400 meters. To prepare for this, I worked on speed endurance and endurance in my training, and focused on doing sets of 350 meters with very short rest periods to maximize the effects of the training.

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The longest distance I've ever raced was 400 meters as a 200/400-meter sprinter. Initially, I focused on the 100/200-meter events and only later added the 400 meters, primarily as part of the 4x400-meter relay. As a combination sprinter, the 400 meters posed an endurance challenge for me compared to dedicated 400-meter runners. However, I utilized my speed advantage to maintain and carry my speed throughout the race.

In training, I worked on speed endurance and overall endurance to address my weakness in the 400 meters. The longest training runs I would do were around 500-600 meters, often in repeat sets. For example, I would do two sets of 500 meters or 600 meters, or a step-down sequence like 6, 4, 2. However, the key training advantage for me was focusing on shorter distances, such as three or four sets of 350 meters, with very short rest periods.

By training to my weakness and emphasizing speed endurance, I was able to excel in the 400 meters despite not having the same level of endurance as dedicated 400-meter runners.

What’s your process for setting goals and creating actionable plans to achieve them?

Key takeaway: Committing to the necessary actions is crucial for achieving goals.

What's your process for setting goals and how do you set actionable plans to achieve them? I think the second part of that question is most important, setting actionable plans to achieve goals because many people sort of stop with just setting the goal which in that way is just a hope, it's not an actual goal. The most important part of setting a goal is making sure that you believe first and foremost that the goal is actually achievable. Second, it's understanding what sacrifice is. What's it going to take from you to actually achieve that goal and then committing to that as opposed to-- it's easy for me to commit to a goal of hey, this year I want to win a gold medal. That's easy. But now what's it going to take for me to win the gold medal? So the year that I committed to trying to make history and win the 200 meters and 400 meters at the Olympic games, my coach said OK, in order for us to do that if we're going to run both events at the Olympic games, four round of the 400 meters, four rounds of the 200 meters. This is what it's going to take from a training standpoint. This is what we're going to have to do over the next two years in order to get there. And those were the things that I had to commit to. And it wasn't easy. Those were things that you know as he kind of ran down the list which I already knew these are the things you're going to have to do. This is what practice is going to look like. This is how much more difficult. This is how much more volume is going to be in order than what it's previously been when I was only running one event. I, had to think about those things and then go, OK, yeah I'm willing to do those things. I'm committed to doing those things to achieve the goal. So that's how you set goals. It's committing to the things that are required to achieve the goal rather than just committing to the goal itself.

To set actionable plans to achieve goals, one must first believe that it is achievable, understand what sacrifice it will take, and commit to those sacrifices.

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When it comes to setting goals and creating actionable plans to achieve them, the most important aspect is developing those actionable plans. Many people stop at just setting the goal, which is merely a hope rather than a concrete objective.

To effectively set goals, it is crucial to first believe that the goal is achievable. Next, understand the sacrifices that will be required to reach that goal and commit to them. It's easy to commit to a goal like winning a gold medal, but the key lies in determining what it will take to achieve that goal.

For example, when I aimed to make history by winning the 200 meters and 400 meters at the Olympic Games, my coach outlined the training required for running both events. He explained the four rounds of the 400 meters and four rounds of the 200 meters, and the extensive training regimen we would need to follow over the next two years. I had to commit to those specific training requirements, which were not easy. I had to consider the increased difficulty, volume, and intensity of practice compared to when I was only running one event. It was essential to think about these factors and wholeheartedly commit to them in order to achieve the goal.

Setting goals involves committing to the necessary actions and sacrifices required to reach them, rather than solely focusing on the goal itself.

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Michael Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and in the 1990s he dominated the 200m and 400m, going undefeated in the latter for seven years. Born in Dallas in 1967, he studied at Baylor University and was spotted by coach Clyde Hart. After gaining a degree, he committed to full-time athletics and in 1991 won the 200m world title. Sadly, food poisoning denied him individual success at the Barcelona Olympics, but he helped the US 4x400m relay team to gold. From 1993, Johnson went undefeated in the 400m for 58 races and in 1996 achieved the 200m-400m double at the Atlanta Olympics, setting world records in both. He retired in 2001 having won 8 world and 4 Olympic gold medals.