Too Fast, Too Far, Too Soon?
I was out at the track yesterday doing some speed work to take advantage of the nice weather.
I haven’t done anything approaching speed training since last summer so I knew I was going to have a tough time putting things together.
I also knew I was going to run longer than I should have because I wanted to test out 2 ways of running the turn for my sprinters.
During the course of that workout I made (confirmed) a few important realizations that are easy to overlook when you are the coach holding the stopwatch and not actually out running at the same intensity as your athletes.
And this applies *regardless* of the sport/s you coach.
The first is the importance of a short to long program.
Part of my workout was 5×30m from a crouch. Not only was I completely vertical by 20-25 meters, but it wasn’t until the fifth repetition that I even felt like I was getting good force application, lift or correcting the anterior pelvic tilt (butt sticking out) that was screwing up my acceleration.
And I actually know what it is supposed to feel like and can make mechanical corrections mid-stride.
So if I had those problems at that distance, you can imagine what your inexperienced athletes are
doing wrong.
So if they haven’t mastered (and you haven’t effectively taught) the ability to accelerate over that distance, then you certainly shouldn’t have them run any longer distances.
That said, I broke my own rule by running 2×110m around the turn.
I realized very quickly that by about 45m, I could not maintain an efficient, effective and powerful sprint position, proper mechanics or technique.
Why? Because I was unable to run 30m, so it was only going to deteriorate exponentially at longer distances.
All the reason to ensure your athletes meet certain benchmarks at shorter distances before you let them run longer.
But the length of the run and the accompanying ‘rust’ from my layoff isn’t the only reason I couldn’t maintain over that distance.
I could also feel, very clearly, that my physical strength was not sufficient to get acceptable force
application or maintain required posture conducive to slowing my rate of deceleration.
(Because by 40m or so, *every* developmental athlete is starting to slow down. The fastest athletes are the ones who decelerate slower than the competition. ‘Accelerating’ past someone in a race or when running someone down on the field is a myth and an illusion.)
What’s more: if your athletes are running longer speed endurance type workouts (2 x 110, R=10’ is a good example) with longer rest very early in the season, they’re in trouble. Because they should be doing more general speed and speed endurance work during the first 4-5 weeks of the season.
Sure they’ll run some fast times early. But they’ll top out midway through the season and run their fastest times long before Championship Season. To paraphrase my college coach:
‘Flying in March, dying in May, dead in June.’
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I spent more time on other athletes’ training this winter than
my own.
But it only proves, once again, that specific focus on developing absolute strength, core strength and explosive power is critical to developing fast athletes.
Now, none of this is new information to me.
But actually experiencing just how pronounced these issues are myself, instead of just reading about it in a book or article (or stealing my workouts from those places) really drove home how important it is to have this type of structure in your speed training program.
If you’re truly serious about developing faster athletes that is.
So think about your progressions. Because PRs aren’t very exciting if they come in March and are fond memories in June, when it matters.
To your success,
Latif Thomas
April 15th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
If i am already feeling dead in april, with major shin splints and never feeling like I am able to be loose, what does this mean. Is there a way to fix this?
>>>It sounds to me like you are overtrained.
If you were my athlete (especially if you’ve been training regularly since the fall sports season) I would pretty much start to unload you now and use recovery days as active rest. So, even if you’re going to be running the 400, I’d keep the tempo volume at 1000m @ 75% at most. I’d back off of the intensive tempo (80-89% intensity stuff) and generally treat the next 6 or so weeks of your season like a precompetition and competition phase. Your speed, speed endurance and occasional special endurance runs would be more or less full rest, full recovery. I’d focus more on doing foot prep work and longer warmups, hurdle mobility, static stretching, foam rolling, etc., most likely doing different ‘workouts’ than the rest of the team because you have to individualize training as much as possible. If tempo work hurts your legs, then I’d put you on the bike or eliptical on recovery days.
I had a girl with beat up legs last year and I pretty much had to baby her whenever she wasn’t doing a quality workout because you can’t skip those if you’re not injured. She broke the 200m school record and was on 2 state champion relays.
So back off, cut the volume of your submaximal work (anything less than 90% intensity), increase the rest on your quality days and spend more time doing barefoot stuff, foam rolling and stretching. In the weight room, drop the weight to the 40-60% of 1RM range and just work on being explosive.
If you’re that burnt out mentally and physically, I’m guessing you’ve been training all year. That means you’re already in shape and can concentrate on doing what I call ‘fun track’ workouts. Base building at this point, especially if you’re doing a lot of slower running, is going to be the kiss of death. For your mind and your body. The best way to get it back is to cut the volume and let your body recover.
LT
April 16th, 2010 at 4:28 am
It makes good sense and yet so easily overlooked. Thanks for the reminder. peter.
April 16th, 2010 at 5:30 am
Latif:
As you said it’s a no win situation. To try to kick myself as reminder, I have to give my guys a 9 week, 12 week and 16 week program based on commitment – runners done when school ends, runners done at the end of school championships & finally runners that compete for a club team once schools is done for USATF or AAU Championships. I wish I could train every now and then with the kids but my knees are shot.
April 16th, 2010 at 9:37 am
This info is very helpful to me as a beginning coach for track. Currently, I am coaching elementary school children, and initially I thought to run them long distances to condition them. Fortunatly I read this article along with the one that emphasized the knee high step, and crack the egg with you heel. That type of workout is more apprpriate for these kids starting out.Thank you for your information.
April 16th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Hello Latif
I am 57.
Last year I tried to teach myself how to sprint.
I could not sprint any more than 20 metres from start, and then I ran out of energy.
But I made a simple decision.
If I can only sprint 20 metres then I shall only train by sprinting 20 metres and maybe some day when I get stronger, I may sprint 30 metres.
Do you know my technique improved remarkably in a very short time, and by the end of the summer I could manage 40 metres.
Since then I discovered Athletes Acceleration and I said to myself: “This man is talking sense” and I have since purchased Complete Speed Training.
I have the advantage like you that I can practice the techniques myself before I instruct any children in the technique.
Then I noticed something. Even our highest achievers in our club are not sprinting. OK, they are running very fast and covering ground quite quickly, but none of them are sprinting.
All their training consists of racing each other every part of every session.
That is because they are programmed to coaches whose only skill is to shout “faster – more effort”.
All this achieves is tiring them out very quickly.
If this continues they are ideal candidates for burnout.
Amazingly, I see qualified coaches scratching their heads and saying “I just don’t understand” when a promising athlete gives up the sport, sometimes without even reaching senior level.
With your help I plan to do something about that!
>>>One of the best posts I’ve read! I’m going to steal that ‘running fast vs. sprinting’ concept and probably use this in an upcoming article!
LT
April 17th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
I have been following what you have said regarding training for the track and field athlete. I appreciate your website and the educational tidbits and dialogue that you allow to go on. It’s nice and I hope that your student-athletes are as successful again this year.
April 21st, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I want to first start off saying that your articles are very informing. I have learned a lot following your work, it has made me a better coach and listener. I have a youth daughter who times are going the wrong way. Last year at the AAU JO’s she ran a 14.6 100m in the primary division. I have followed your program from A to Z. She is stronger and beginning to master the drills. However, I notice that her arms and leg speed has slowed some. Last week she ran a 15.3 in the 100m and she just didn’t show any explosiveness. Do you have any recommendation?
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:30 am
Coach James – Without seeing her or knowing exactly what she’s been doing, it’s hard for me to say. My gut reaction is that she’s overtraining. That all the new drills, exercises, etc. have been a lot for her to adapt to and she’s simply tired. She’s very young and it’s easy to try and cram too much training in sometimes, especially when you get excited about the potential for improvement. I would cut the volume of training and also ask her for her input on how she feels more often so you know whether or not she feels OK or if she’s just doing what dad says even though she’s fried.
LT
May 6th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Hi LT, I purchased Complete Speed Training and have learned a lot from the program. I am working with a group of about 10 kids 8-14 years of age, twice a week. I’m not sure if I know how to split up the workouts. I here speed/power days but am not sure what exactly what it consist of. I don’t have kettle bells or MB, only cones and a ladder. All the kids play football and my two boys also play baseball which is still in season.
May 7th, 2010 at 11:47 am
(9) Coach Battie: If it’s only twice a week I would focus strictly on movement skills (technique) and speed/agility work. You can give them basic conditioning work to do on their own, but your limited time with them should focus on skill work. You don’t need kettlebells or med ball work.
LT