Speed work for 400m relay leg?

[diablita]

I'm competing in an event in late April that includes a 1600m relay for our 4-person team.  What kind of speed work would be best for me to get faster?

I currently run 2-3 times per week including a long run on Sunday that is up to 12 miles. My fastest mile is a 7-min mile. I don't know what my 400m time is on a flat cement path like the one we'll be running, though I plan to find out. I don't have time to do more than 1 speed session per week on one of those run days.

[Richard21142]

The fastest way to develop speed is to do sprints at, perhaps, 40% effort on a slight downhill.  The goal is to do these with perfect sprint form.  Since you are going down a hill, you will get more hip flexor without the effort it would require on a flat surface.  The caveat is that the hill should be slight and the effort under control.  You could incorporate these during your runs; doing 5 to 10 with full recovery.

The length of the sprints could be varied; starting out at 50 yards and gradually increasing the distance as you start to feel comfortable.

[siamesedream]

I would think some form of cut-downs(is that the right word?) 50, 100, 200 meters.

[diablita]

I'm not familiar with the term "cut downs" siamesedream?  what is that?

and thanks Richard.  There's a perfect hill for this right outside our crossfit gym.

[siamesedream]

I'm not familiar with the term "cut downs" siamesedream?  what is that?

and thanks Richard.  There's a perfect hill for this right outside our crossfit gym.

Running shorter distances at a faster pace, training the fast twitch muscle fibers to fire more quickly and efficiently. 

[Richard21142]

  There's a perfect hill for this right outside our crossfit gym.

Remember, ease into it.  You have 2 months and you don't want sore quads to mess up your daily runs.  You will develop a "feel" after your first workout which will let you determine the distance and number.

[diablita]

Thanks guys, this is so helpful. 

[Arrojo]

Mix it up by actually running 300m and 400m repeats.    Try 3 x 400 meters, running hard, with 400 rest (slow jog) in between.  Then 3 x 300 meters, running hard, with 400 rest in between.  This will give you a feel for what a hard 400 feels like. 

Before this workout, jog a mile so that you are sweating.