KS3 · Physical education · Year 8
Training in teams for personal bests in middle distance events
Athletics: train and perform in a sport education season
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/10
Your learning goal
I can start to work independently within a small team to improve my personal best in middle distance events.
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Training in teams for personal bests in middle distance events: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
What you’ll learn
I can start to work independently within a small team to improve my personal best in middle distance events.
Key learning points
- Move: maintaining a forward and relaxed alternate arm action helps maintain speed and balance.
- Move: increasing stride length and/or stride frequency towards the end of a run can improve time.
- Think: being able to maintain a "race pace" for the full distance of a race without fatigue will maximise performance.
- Feel: running alongside others can help to regulate emotions during training.
- Connect: running with others in pairs or small groups can help with motivation over longer distances.
Words to know
- communication
- sharing ideas, listening and giving feedback to teammates and coaches to improve performance and understanding
- aerobic
- physical activity that relies on the presence of oxygen to produce energy. Lower intensity and longer in duration than anaerobic activity
- pacing
- managing your speed throughout the race to avoid burning out too early and maintaining enough energy for a strong finish
Common mistakes
To get faster at running middle distance you always have to train at race pace.
Improvements in speed and fitness for middle distance running can also come from running easy efforts. This builds aerobic fitness and gives the individual a strong base where over time the same effort will be maintained but at a faster pace.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Using the Borg RPE Scale will allow every pupil to find their own personal pace. Using conversation as a gauge in the lesson will indicate if the effort is too hard or too easy. It will not be possible to hold a conversation when running a hard middle distance effort.