CONFIDENCE ISN’T THE ONLY SECRET TO THE LONGHORNS’ SUCCESS IN THE 4X400-METER RELAY THIS YEAR.
FOUR HUNDRED meters. A quarter of a mile. 1312.34 feet. The metrics used to measure a single lap around the outdoor track may vary, but a sprinter’s perspective on the distance remains the same.
The 400-meter dash is nothing more, nothing less, than grueling.
The longest of the sprinting events, the 400 taxes the body. Runners need heart — and guts — to push through to the finish line after racing at top speeds around the entire track.
Sprinters can’t hold back at any point in the race. They need to approach the first 200-meters as a standalone event — fast out of the blocks with an aim to catch the competitor in the next lane. They need to maintain their form as the burn creeps into their legs as they approach the second curve. And they need to push through that pain and kick out the final 100-meters.
“The 400 is a mental race. The last straightaway is the hardest part — when you’re coming home,” sophomore Allison Peter says. “The pain kicks in and all you can do is fight.”
For Peter and the rest of the women’s quarter mile team, fighting through to the finish line is never a question. Grueling or not, the Longhorns have expectations to uphold.
The 400-meter dash serves as the foundation of the Texas women’s track and field program…[s2If current_user_is(s2member_level2)] Under head coach Beverly Kearney, the Longhorns hold seven NCAA Championship titles in the open 400 and 15 titles in the 4×400-meter relay.
Nearing the end of the 2012 outdoor season, the women look to bring home the 16th national title in the 4×400-meter relay. After running the fastest time in the NCAA this year — 3:29.79 — the Longhorns are a favorite to win the crown. Kearney continues to tinker with the leg order, as well as the athletes, but even with the ongoing changes, the runners share a one track mind.
“The win at Texas Relays jump-started our outdoor season and gave us the confidence we needed,” sophomore Briana Nelson says. “We won the relay for the first time since 2005.”
“And we’re going to drop that time before the Big 12 Championship,” Peter adds.
Peter and Nelson maintain positions as the third and fourth legs on the relay team. The two sat down with Horns Illustrated to talk about the secrets to the Longhorns’ success this season and how they approach the hardest race across all of the sprinting events.
How does your perspective change when you compete as a team versus individually?
AP: When preparing for an individual race, you focus on yourself. When you’re part of a relay, you worry about everyone else. If one person doesn’t have it together, the team will suffer. When you run individually, the pressure is all on you and it’s up to you to perform. In a relay, your performance affects three other people.
BN: Agreed. We all know we have to go out there and do our part. We go into competition united. We warm up together, stay together and pump each other up. Ultimately, our finish depends on all four runners performing their best that day. Our goal is to get everyone in a good position so when they receive the baton, they can do the best they can.
Does switching out runners affect the relay’s dynamic?
BN: We have a large quarter mile group that trains together. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, regardless of whether or not an athlete runs the relay. When we’re put on the spot, and Coach Bev puts together a team, I still know what I need to do. We practice all types of baton handoffs. We’ve practiced this way from the beginning so we’re prepared if someone new joins the relay. We’re never shocked or frazzled — we accept the change and prepare to run.
How often does Coach Bev make these changes?
AP: She’s only changing the first leg. Other than that position, everyone else’s leg is secure.
BN: Coach Bev’s decision also depends on how everyone feels during warm-up. If someone isn’t feeling too hot during warm-ups or feels injured, the whole order of the relay could change. Sometimes she’ll let us know a few hours beforehand, or a few days. Her decision depends on the circumstances and how everything falls together.
Briana, what’s the hardest part of the 400-meters for you?
BN: Getting out. I tend to relax on the first 200. And the finish — the finish is the most gruesome finish of any race. You just sprinted 300-meters and now you face another 100. An athlete needs guts to finish the race, but they also needs guts to full-out sprint the first 200 knowing how that last 100 is going to feel. People reserve and save for the finish. But you have to find a happy medium where you can go out hard and finish hard.
Tell me about the team’s success this season.
BN: People stepped up. Alison ran some really good splits this season. I split 51 seconds a few times and I believe it has helped the team. Coach Bev tells us we’re one of the best — if not the best — 4×400 relays in the country. And for the first time, we believe her. Now that Alison and I are sophomores, we’re coming into our own. We’re getting a hold of this college track thing.
AP: We all have the confidence that Briana will bring it home when she runs anchor. Coach Bev is impressed with our times this season — especially at Texas Relays — but she knows we can run faster.
Alison, do you prefer outdoor over indoor?
AP: Outdoor. Last year was the first time I saw an indoor track. With the 400, in indoor, you run two laps. Depending on the person, running two laps could take a psychological toll.
How do you foresee the outdoor season ending?
BN: We’re going for the national title — without a doubt. We opened the season with a time of 3:29 and everyone wasn’t even running their fastest. We’re here to win and that’s what we plan to do.
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