Athletes and parents tend to ask me the same questions about track and field, so I’ve gathered the ones I hear most, drawn from my years of coaching.
First, a quick map for anyone brand new to the sport. Track and field, known simply as “athletics” in much of the world, is built around three kinds of events: running events (sprints, hurdles, relays, and middle and long distance), jumping events (long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault), and throwing events (shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer). Most high school athletes compete in a few events, and many programs also race indoors in winter before the outdoor season in spring.
Gear and Training Basics
Do running shoes really matter in track and field?
Good shoes matter, and they’re one of the few pieces of equipment worth spending a little extra on. The best way to find the right pair is a fitting at a specialty running store, where someone can watch an athlete jog and recommend something that fits their foot and feels comfortable. Comfort and fit count for more than the brand or the price tag. Buying the cheapest pair on the shelf for a beginner, or even for a novice scholastic athlete, usually isn’t a good idea. Event-specific shoes, like spikes, can come later, and your coach will know when the time is right.
That doesn’t mean you need the latest and greatest model, since those can get expensive. If price is an issue, last season’s and older models are very affordable and often work just as well.
Do distance runners really need strength training?
Absolutely. I’m glad strength and conditioning is becoming more common in cross country and distance programs. Middle and long distance runners do need to run a lot to build their aerobic capacity, and that work is commonly called “building a base.” But the body has to be strong enough to handle the wear and tear of all those miles.
A strength routine isn’t going to bulk up an athlete who logs serious weekly mileage. What it will do is help the back, hips, knees, quads, and calves hold up to the distance, so the athlete isn’t sidelined before the peak of the season. If your program doesn’t include it, talk with your coach about adding a simple routine. It’s that important.
Should throwers and jumpers run in practice?
My philosophy is that if you compete in a track or field event, you need to be athletic, and running is part of that. I’m not asking shot putters and discus throwers to match the speed of my 400m runners. But running builds cardiovascular health and speeds up recovery. So yes, throwers and especially jumpers should run, and run often.
Throws and jumps are also the most technical events in the sport, which is where one-on-one coaching can help the most. If you are looking for help with a specific event, you can find a track and field coach on CoachUp.
Staying Healthy and Making Progress
Is it okay to run through pain?
That’s a hard question, because what one athlete calls pain another would call irritating. It depends, and it comes down to how much trust has been built between the athlete and the coach.
I’ve coached athletes who told me everything their body was doing, without really looking for an answer. I’ve coached athletes who never complained, and then I found out they were out for three months because they’d been running on a torn ligament. And I’ve coached hard workers who would come to me, describe exactly what they were feeling, and we’d talk it through and make an action plan.
Please don’t try to work through pain on your own. Tell your coach how you feel, and let the two of you decide together what makes sense. Pain that is sharp, gets worse, lingers, or changes the way you run deserves a check with a doctor or athletic trainer before more training or racing. I never put a race ahead of an athlete’s health, so it takes a lot to convince me to run an athlete who’s hurting instead of pulling them.
When will my athlete see progress during the season?
It depends. Athletes who are just getting started tend to see faster gains than athletes who’ve been at it longer, because once the body understands what’s being asked of it, it adjusts until it reaches a plateau.
That’s why cross-training and varied movements matter for steady, incremental progress. It’s also worth talking with your coach about goals, so there’s an organized plan and it stays on the right track. This off-season training guide is a good place to start when planning the months between seasons.
Understanding Meets and the Rules
Why are track meets so long?
First, some background. Many people in the United States don’t realize the rest of the world calls track and field “athletics.” It’s one of the few sports where athletes can show, in a very direct way, how athletic they are compared with others. To let athletes perform at their best, common practice allows plenty of time between events. Add dozens of events and hundreds of entries, with heats and flights for each, and the schedule stretches even further.
For a quick overview of what to expect on meet day, see 5 things to know about track meets.
Who makes the rules in track and field?
High school meets follow rules set by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), college meets follow NCAA rules, and USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for the sport. USATF is tied to World Athletics, which sets the standards for international and Olympic competition. The events themselves are recognizable at every level, though details like hurdle heights and the weight of the shot, discus, and javelin change with age group and level. A middle school athlete runs the same basic events that Olympians do, and that’s pretty cool.
College Track and Field
Can athletes get track and field scholarships?
Yes, though the picture is more nuanced than most families expect. Track and field is an equivalency sport at NCAA Division I and II, which means programs split a limited pool of scholarships across many athletes, so partial awards are common. Division III schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, though athletes there can still receive academic and need-based aid, and NAIA schools and junior colleges offer athletic aid as well. Awards also tend to be harder to come by at larger programs.
When it’s time to start contacting programs, this guide to emailing a college coach will help.
Helping Your Athlete at Home
What can parents and athletes do at home to help?
Coaches have limited time with athletes at any level, so a few key habits are hard for us to control. These three are yours.
Sleep. Teens generally need about 8 to 10 hours a night. Sleep is when the body repairs muscle and locks in the work done in practice, so it’s one of the most effective things an athlete can do for recovery.
Diet. Runners and field athletes need complex carbs, quality protein, healthy fats, and plenty of water, along with enough iron, calcium, and vitamin D.
Partnership with the coach. Athletes take their cues from their parents, and when they see you trusting the program, they tend to trust it too. If something concerns you, or you were taught a different approach, bring it to the coach privately and ask about it. Keeping those conversations away from practice protects the credibility your athlete needs with their coach.
When It’s Time for a Private Coach
What if the coach says my athlete needs more training?
Then it may be time to consider a private coach. One-on-one work can fill in what team practice doesn’t have time for, and that’s especially true in technical events like hurdles, jumps, and throws. It’s a good idea to let the team coach know what you’re planning, so everyone is pulling in the same direction.
If you’re ready to look, you can find a track and field coach near you on CoachUp.
Track and field can be as awesome as it is complicated. States, schools, clubs, and associations run meets in different ways, and coaching staffs are working hard to make the best of the schedule they’re given. When something is unclear, ask questions, and keep concerns about team decisions between you and the coaching staff. There are plenty of other questions I could answer, but for beginning athletes these are the ones that come up most. Happy running!
