JOsh Kerr is one of the fastest middle-distance runners in history. He is the 1500m world champion, indoor two-mile world record holder and Britain’s fastest man over the mile – ahead of Steve Cram, Sebastian Coe Coe ) and Steve Ovett. But perhaps Kerr’s ultimate superpower is his ability to discover more at the end of a game, when his lungs are burning and his limbs are screaming.
Kerr’s highly regarded coach Danny McGee said that ability comes not only from physical training, but also from his mental strength and ability to prioritize what’s really important.
“Physically, he responds very well to most of the drills we do,” McGee said. “So Josh probably gets to a certain level and you start hitting him with stimulation and he just keeps getting better. But he’s also very good at focusing on the right thing at the right time, which is great for a pro player. A very understated skill. Sometimes they get distracted easily, or don’t prioritize correctly, but he’s really good at what needs attention in the moment.
“Psychologically, he’s very fearless. A great athlete has to be… I shouldn’t say fearless, because he’s afraid of things, but they have to be aggressive. That’s probably what I’m saying. He’s very confident, mentally Also very aggressive.
How Kerr’s training can help you improve
McGee emphasizes that recreational runners who want to improve should keep two principles in mind. The first is having a specific goal—and a training plan to achieve that goal. Without it, McGee says, “It’s almost like Groundhog Day, the same thing over and over again.” Another thing he emphasized is variability — so one day you might Lose the feeling and the next day it’s fartlek – you mix sprinting with jogging or walking. “Be clear about your exercise goals,” he says. “Every day counts.”
So how will McGee help those who want to improve their speed and sprint performance? Let’s say someone runs five times a week and he recommends two more difficult workouts that will be the focus.
One workout Kerr often does is running 600m to 1000m repeatedly at his target race pace, with the final 200m even faster. Cole then jogged 400m very slowly to recover, then worked hard again until he completed four to five miles of training. “The good thing is, it works for someone like Josh, or someone trying to run an 18-minute park run,” McGee said.
For recreational athletes, Mackey recommends tweaking the training slightly so they run six to eight 800m efforts, running the first 600m at any 5K target pace, then doubling down on the last 200m.
After each effort, they shuffle slowly for two minutes before going harder. “Josh usually jogs — I call it a sprinter’s jog — and then continues,” McGee said. “There are studies that show this is better than waiting to see what happens.”
McGee emphasized that this kind of movement will help people perform well in races, not just sprint. “A lot of people see kicks and think, ‘Well, I just need to sprint,'” McGee said. “But there are other metabolic factors that have a greater impact on 5K.”
Newsletter Promotion Post
For a recreational athlete, McKee says he would use this program once a week while getting in another quality workout. One option, he suggests, is to perform 8 to 10 200m repetitions in a session, resting between each 200m burst. Another idea is to do a tempo run followed by a 100m stride.
Assuming someone runs five times a week, Mackey suggests the other three exercises would include one long run and two easy runs. “These can even be slower than conversational speed,” he said.
Three main points
-
Have a plan. “Write it down — say this is what my week will look like,” McGee said. If you have a stressful job and have a lot of commitments, simply say, “I’m going to do a high-quality workout on Tuesday and Friday.”
-
Use different shoes to work out and recover faster. McGee uses Brooks’ lighter, faster Hyperion shoes for harder runs and softer Glycerin shoes for slower runs. “It helps you become intentional, like: ‘Okay, I’ve put on my fast shoes. I’m going to work out today,'” McGee said. “From a biomechanical standpoint, if you have two different types of shoes because your stride pattern is different, it does reduce injuries.”
-
Don’t forget the importance of rest. “I’m not good at quick fixes, but from Josh’s perspective, the recovery was huge,” McGee said. “Sleep hygiene is very important.”
