Vista Murrieta, CA junior Michael Norman set nation-leading times in the 400m (45.91) and 4x100m (40.69) at the Arcadia Invitational last weekend. His team also ran US #2 1:24.53 to win the Invitational 4x200m by four seconds.
Michael Norman is not exactly the new kid on the block.
As a sophomore last year, the Vista Murrieta, Calif. athlete earned runner-up honors in both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at the California state championship.
But 2015 has released an entirely new athlete, as Norman unleashed the U.S. No. 1 200m of 20.71 just one week after the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship. This past weekend at the Arcadia Invitational, he defeated national 400m champion and former US #1 Rai Benjamin (Mount Vernon, NY) head-to-head in the event with a nation-leading 45.91. To put that time in perspective, no prep athlete has cracked 46 seconds since 2012.
"I knew when I saw the entries and I saw [Benjamin's] name, I started getting mentally prepared and focused because I knew he would be a great competitor," Norman said. "He's a crazy good athlete this year."
But so is Norman. The 400m title was just one race during a busy weekend that saw Broncos set the nation-leading time in the 4x100m (40.68), U.S. No. 2 in the 4x200m (1:24.53) en route to a four-second victory, and take a narrow loss for runner-up honors in the 4x400m (3:14.69).
"Either the 400 or the 4x1 [was the most impressive]," Norman said. "They're pretty close because I had a little bit more than a one-second PR in the 400, that was my seasonal goal. Hitting it so early really motivated me. In the 4x1, we wanted to get our state-leading time back from Chaminade and we ended up beating the nation-leading time, which was great."
The hour and a half drive through southern California to Arcadia High School is a scenic one - and one reminiscent of the state championship atmosphere.
"The atmosphere and competition is very similar to the California state meet," he said. "I want to redeem myself [at state] and hopefully come with a win in the 200 and 400."
CIF season, for those unfamiliar with the California high school track and field circuit - progresses through CIF Prelims, CIF Finals, Masters, before a talented few compete at the State Championship itself.
Last year, a bright-eyed Norman says he was not mentally prepared for the rounds and atmosphere of state. He finished runner-up to Kemonie Briggs, 46.92 to 46.94, in the 400m and runner-up to Curtis Godin, 20.87 to 20.92, in the 200m. Both Briggs and Godin have since graduated and now compete at Texas Tech and UCLA, respectively.
"For both events, I don't think I was mentally prepared to run," Norman said. "It was, 'ok, end of the season, state meet, let's go'... it was an eye opener, it just hit me and showed me that I need to be mentally prepared before I run and train harder to hopefully make it back to the state meet."
The Vista Murrieta relay squads won the 4x100m, 4x200m and finished runners-up in the 4x400m at the Arcadia Invitational.
Though Arcadia is a nationally elite event, Norman says that nothing compares to the pressure of competing within the California high school leagues.
"Depending on your performance in those meets... you're gonna move to the following week or not," he said. "Arcadia has great competition but when it comes down to it, CIF is more pressure, especially in the later rounds because if you don't run well, you risk the chance of not qualifying for the next week."
The self-professed run junkie has been focused on track as his main sport since entering the high school ranks, though he dabbled in baseball and basketball as a middle schooler. Norman saw his times drop drastically from eighth to ninth grade - from 12.2 to 11.13 in the 100m, 24.00 to 22.60 in the 200m and 56.00 down to 49.54 in the 400m.
In in the interim before high school, Norman maximized his potential by lifting weights - and experiencing an impressive growth spurt that saw him shoot up from 5'4" to 5'10". He become involved in CrossFit during that time, though he has since switched to dynamic fitness.
"It's correctional lifting," he says, "to make your body perform how it's supposed to perform. Fixing your body and strength and power."
Weight training has helped Norman get to the next level in his track and field career.
That strength and power has been critical to Norman's fast rise that is still on its way to a seasonal peak in June. He plans to follow his state meet with appearances at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational (June 13 in Cuba), New Balance Nationals Outdoor (June 19-21, North Carolina) and USATF Junior Nationals (June 25-28, Oregon).
Norman has already achieved his sub-46 400m goal. Timewise, he would be happy to break 20.5 seconds for 200m.
"I don't really like losing and it just motivates me to see how far I can lower my times," said Norman. "Seeing the process really motivates me and I love the atmosphere, the competitive atmosphere. The track community is great. I love the community, I love competing."
Michael Norman's toughest workouts:
- 4x300m at tempo pace then finish with cut down 200s (27, 26, 25)
- 8x200m with 3 min recovery - as the season progresses, effort increases from 70% to 85%
