Speedendurance.com

Posted: 20 Sep 2010 10:00 AM PDT

This article is guest blogged by Ian Warner, co-founder of CoverGround.ca

The Real Reasons Why the 100m Is the Most Difficult Race

The 100 meters is the most difficult race in track and field. Do you think this can be so? What about the race one lap around that track? Or to make matters worse, the same 400-meter race only now with ten obstacles in your way. How could those events not be harder than running in a straight line? If it all came down to the physical aspects, than those events probably would be. But everyone knows there is so much more to track and field, or any sport, than physical challenges.

Running Out Of Time

The 100 meters is infamous for the statement, "I just needed 2 more meters". It's a race that has no room for error and requires next to perfection. Every aspect of the race needs to be executed correctly because frankly, you do not have much time to make up for any mistakes. In the 200m, 400m, or 400m hurdles, these events are all difficult but they allow you one thing the 100m is not very lenient on, that is time. The hundred is a fight for tenths of a second on a more regular basis than every other distance.

No Stagger

There is obviously no stagger to begin the 100m – no telling yourself to catch the runner in front of you, no telling yourself to run for your life when in lane 8 so you don't get caught – everyone starts at the same straight line, staring down the same track. You hear him breathe, you can hear him pray and you can hear him psyche himself up.

To make matters worse, from the first steps out of the blocks you can tell if you are winning or losing. This is a factor that can quickly send many athletes into a panic mode. She will begin to try way too hard to catch up, thus blowing the rest of her race. The mental beatings can be rough just from lining up right beside your competition.

High Intensity

To be fast for the 100m you have to train fast. Though it seems unfair when the 400m runners are doing 4×300m repeats, the short sprinters are running 4×40m repeats as fast as they can. The problem here is you do not see too many athletes blow a hamstring running four 300's, while it happens all the time sprinting full speed training for 100m. The workouts may not be as hard as 400-meter training, but the amount of stress you put on your hamstrings cannot be compared.

Many times when an athlete looks at the hardest event he will just look at which one is physically harder. What about the mental aspects do those not play a major role? Great sprinting in the 100m comes from focus, confidence, and concentration. Track is a sport where you can have all the talent in the world but if your mind is not all there, talent can mean nothing.

About the Author

Ian Warner is the co-founder of CoverGround.ca, a Blog that helps you train from the ground up. Ian finished 7th at the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championships. The other co-founder is his brother Justyn and was featured in a previous article When Athletes Blog their Secrets.