what is a good time for 300m hurdles?

Question

i am a sophomore and i run the 300m hurdles in 42.36 seconds. i would like to know if this is a good time for my age and how can i reduce stutter stepping. I am one of the fastest sophomores in the state of maryland and i want to know how can i reduce stutter stepping for regionals without having to stutter step or change legs in between the hurdles i have good form i just stutter on some of the hurdles which eventually kills my time. i have came up with some techniques that i thought would help me like just sprinting to the hurdle without fear which helped but i want someone elses perspective so please help.

Answer 1

That is a decent time for you age, but elite h.s. times are under 40 and the best are around 36 or 37.

To stop chopping your stride before the hurdle you need to increase the stride length as you approach, not shorten it.

This takes practice and the courage to do it rather than being safe and shortening the stride to get on the correct lead leg.

If you practice and learn to run the hurdles you will know your stride pattern and be able to eye adjust from a much longer distance as you approach the hurdle.

In practice you can run from one hurdle mark to the next hurdle and then over a few hurdles to simulate a race, you do not have to start each drill from the start line.

You can also set up two hurdles in one lane and two facing the opposite direction in the next lane, start at 35 meters from the hurdle run over two, run to a mark 35 meters past, do a u turn and run over the other two hurdles, you can do this two or three times to create fatigue as you do in a race, and practice adjusting your stride length as required.

It just takes experience to be able to see where you are and make the necessary adjustments without chopping and ruining your speed over the hurdle.