Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Warm up for the 1600
• Part 2 of 3: Running the 1600
• Part 3 of 3: Cool down after the race
• Tips
• Warnings

You joined an athletic club. You are a distance runner and you always beat your brother and sister in every race in the neighborhood. Your trainer suggests trying a 1600m race, which is four laps on the track and sometimes referred to as a metric mile. Do you think you can handle it? With a little strategy, you will leave your opponents behind on the 1600 and become a star!

To step

Part 1 of 3: Warm up for the 1600

1. Walk a few laps to warm up. You have to run at least 1500m to prepare your body for the real race. Another strategy you can use is to jog three miles at a moderate pace. After that you can do another kilometer of technique.
   • Keep your breathing regular and controlled during your warm up. Your arms should move forward without deviating to the left or right. Each arm must be parallel to the track.
   • Your head should be relaxed with your chin slightly down, but your eyes should be up and alert.
   • Shoulders should move back, which should push your chest forward to a slightly higher position. When you run, your chest should be raised, but not too far forward.
2. Use dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches are warm-up movements that also make your body more flexible. These can be added to your walk-in laps or you can dynamically stretch after your laps. There are many dynamic stretches you can use during your warm up, but a few to consider are:
   • Front lunges
   • Reverse lunges
   • Knee lifts, where you lift your knees as high as possible when jogging or running slowly.
   • Butt kick, where you kick your feet to your butt every time one comes behind you.
3. Isolate and build up problem areas. If you know that you have tough muscle groups that will cause problems if you don't stretch them thoroughly, then you should spend some specific time on those areas. Common problem areas are calves, thighs and buttocks.
4. Hydrate ahead of time and take approved supplements. Of course, you shouldn't take illegal performance enhancers that can be dangerous to your health. However, some runners take energy gels to give themselves a legal boost. You should also drink a little water, but you shouldn't drink more than a 0.2 liter glass.
   • Drinking too much water before your race can affect your performance and can even make you sick during or after the race.
   • Avoid eating too many carbohydrates the night before the game. Instead, you should eat reasonable portions of carbohydrates such as pasta in the days before your race.
   • Get up a little earlier than usual and take your time for a balanced breakfast a few hours before your race to keep your energy levels up.

Part 2 of 3: Running the 1600

1. Start strong and get to the indoor lane quickly. The inner two lanes are the best positions because they give an advantage in the turns. After the starting gun has sounded you have to walk a little faster than normal for the first 10 to 20 meters. Once you can get to the inner two lanes without bothering anyone, do so.
   • Lane one, the inner lane, is the lane with the most advantage. You should stay in job one if you can.
   • If your race uses a curved start line, get to the inner lanes as fast as you can.
2. Avoid getting trapped. Runners can become "trapped" when they are surrounded by others and cannot break free without changing their rhythm. Getting boxed in early can result in your proper pace being hindered by other runners. There is also a risk that other runners will intentionally force you into a less advantageous position for later in the race.
3. Slow your pace on the first lap. Right after the start, you and the other runners will run a little faster than normal. This is due to adrenaline and is completely normal, but you should be careful not to overexert yourself. Doing so can make it difficult later in the game as you run out of energy.
   • While you don't want to get into the adrenaline rush too much and burn yourself out on the first lap, you also need to make sure the field doesn't run too far ahead of you.
   • Your first 400m, whatever your first lap, should be no more than four or five seconds faster than your target split.
   • Your split time is your total time at any point during the race. In a race over a mile, your split times could be 1:05, 2:10, 3:15 and 4:20 after each lap. Split times measure your time at certain measuring points as if they were the end of your race.
   • Remember to stay in one job as far as possible.
4. Walk your second round with ease and focus on your posture. You should enter your second lap relaxed after your fast first lap. In the second lap, you want to easily get to your race pace and prepare for the rest of the race, the tougher half of the 1600m. Keep your technique tight and breathe regularly and measured.
5. Plan your speed per lap. If your goal is a 4:20 minute mile, it can help you adjust your speed for each corner. Your first lap (which consists of two turns) was probably a bit fast, around the pace of a mile in 4:00 minutes, or a 1:00 minute split. On the second lap you should slow down a bit, but by the time you enter your third turn you should be at the pace of 4:10. At your fourth turn you want to be back at the pace of 4:00 per mile.
   • Your second lap should be clearly slower than your first, but not so slow that the field moves away from you.
6. Do intermediate sprints with other runners if it hurts you. You want to be able to see it when runners start sprinting, but you shouldn't be too afraid to do an intermediate sprint yourself. Excluding other runners at this point can give you a better position for the end of the race. Keep your sprint short to conserve energy and prevent your body from entering the anaerobic zone.
   • Limit your intermediate sprints at this point to a maximum distance of 20 m. With anything that takes longer, you run the risk of an anaerobic reaction from your body. You want to save your anaerobic effort for later in the game.
7. Prepare yourself mentally for the third round. The third lap is the most mentally challenging of your 1600m race. That's because you can't increase your pace just yet, but your body is already hurting because you're already halfway through the game. At this point you should start catching up on other runners. Save your energy, but close gaps and pass people if you can do that without much effort.
   • Control your breathing. You will be breathing heavily at this point, but you should not be panting uncontrollably.
   • The third round is often the slowest. Try to keep your pace above your race pace for no more than two to three seconds.
   • Your split for the third lap should be 1:08, which is the slowest possible way to keep you in the race to finish your mile at a respectable 4:20 pace.
8. Accelerate steadily for the final lap of 400 meters. At this point, a good tactic is to target a runner in front of you. Start your acceleration as soon as you start the final lap. You have to continue the first 100 meters. Keep your elbows at 90 degrees and move your arms parallel to the track.
   • When the lead runner crosses the line and starts the last lap, a chime will sound.
   • Your head position should be straight with your chin slightly down and your eyes up and focused.
   • Keep your shoulders back to keep your posture strong and your chest tall. You want to be light on your feet and keep your knees up.
9. Increase your pace slightly every 100 meters on your last lap. Visualize the boost at every 100 meter point to get the best out of yourself. At the 1400 meter point you should feel a rush of adrenaline; use this to your advantage to boost your speed to the highest in the last 200 meters.
   • You have to run at top speed on the last 10 meters. Keep your technique tight and good; carelessness often occurs due to fatigue.
   • Your last lap should be almost as fast, sometimes even faster, than the first lap.

Part 3 of 3: Cool down after the race

1. Catch your breath again. Now that you've finished your race and pushed it to the limit, your heart rate should be high and your breathing heavy. You need some time to unwind. Give yourself a few minutes and take a walk to calm your body.
2. Stay upright and in good posture. Bending over is a common reaction after a race to the hole, but it can cause nausea and vomiting. In addition, lying down or sitting can cause lactic acid to build up in your muscles, causing more muscle pain later on.
3. Jog to cool down. Now that you feel a little less exhausted, jog at least one lap, although a few laps will give the best results. Your cool down should be comparable to your warm up.
   • Both your warm up and cool down are meant to slowly prepare you for physical activity or to relax your muscles afterwards. This helps prevent damage sometimes caused by abrupt and extreme changes in activity.
4. Drink to replenish your fluids. Some people sweat more than others, but after you warm up, run, and cool down, you've probably been sweating constantly for at least 20 minutes. That's a significant amount of moisture you need to replace. Once you feel good again, drink some warm water to rehydrate.
   • Warm water is a bit gentler on your system and you won't get uncomfortable stomach cramps. Those feelings in your stomach can lead to nausea or vomiting if you're not paying attention.
   • Your body will also have lost electrolytes, which are important minerals your body needs to function. The most important electrolytes to replace are sodium (salt) and potassium.
   • Salt replacement tablets are a good source for serious runners, but plain salt can also be dissolved in water, eaten salty snacks, or eaten raw salt to restore your body's sodium levels.
   • Potassium can be supplemented by eating certain potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, avocados and beans.
5. Stretch moderately. Your body has become quite flexible during your warm up, race and cool down. That means you are more at risk of overstretching. To prevent this, you have to stretch relaxed during your cooling down.

Tips

• Use wind to your advantage. If you have tailwind, increase your pace and use the tailwind to run faster.
• You have less wind resistance if you run close behind another runner. Save energy by staying behind the leaders and passing them on the final lap.
• Exercise and preparation will develop and maintain your stamina.
• On a curved start, you should start slightly faster than your 800m pace to the end of the first corner so you don't get locked in.

Warnings

• When you get to the first track, make sure you don't run into other runners. Your body is probably exhausted at that point and more prone to collision.