[KentuckyHillBilly5321]

The Machine--check this out (from page 1 of this post).


Re: Ask The Coach . . . . . . . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCRunningMachine#17
Just wondering, but what would be the best way to build up my top speed? I usually beat everyone off the line, even at state. They just pass me after I reach top speed.



This is a tough one 17--not knowing you as well as I know my own athletes--I am going to give you a couple of different thoughts on the subject:

Speed is the hardest thing in the world to develop--there are only a few way to acutally get "faster".

1. The first thing that pops into my head is that you need more BASE training. From what I hear about you 17, you are very FAST. So it surprises me that you are getting out--and then getting caught. Right away, it sounds to me like you are fast until a certain point in the race, then everyone turns it on. You need to ask yourself/your coach if you are in shape to run 100% of your maximum speed for a 100 meters (or whatever the distance). Your first thought may be yes--but more often than not, sprinters are not running their top speed for the entire duration of their race. If you are that fast, you should not be caught from behind. This tells me that you are not doing enough base training (combined with sustained speed work). For this issue, we would have the runner get some solid BASE (some mileage), combined with some interval work (for a 100 meter runner--we would WORK TO--not start with 4 sets of 300 meters x 4 reps with 30 to 40 seconds in between) (for a 200 meter runner we would WORK UP to 4 x 400 meters x 4 reps with less than 60 seconds rest in between). The base work is key (because you have to have built up enough miles to handle your intervals in the first place).

2. IT also sounds like you could stand to train to "change gears" during your race. We would do a series of build ups (with 100, 200, 300, 400 meters--with 25%/50%/75%/100%--meaning that for a 200 meter dash you would do the following:
1st 50 meters: 25%
2nd 50 meters: 50%
3rd 50 meters: 75%
4th 50 meters: 100%

And so on with the different distances. For you--I would work on "changing gears" with shorter distances--like 40, 60, 80, 100 meters. And remember--divide your distance by 4, from there--at each segment--you increase to the next percentage.

3. There is one thing that has really helped our turnover (which will also help your speed). DOWNHILL running. This is something that takes some time to get used to. You want to get a slight forward lean and gradually increase your speed (downhill) for a distance of 250 to 300 meters. Again--this will take a while to get used to--but you will definitely feel your legs working to increase the number of times that your feet hit the ground.

Again--the key here is also to build speed ENDURANCE. (Getting used to running fast for a LONGER period of time).

If any part of this doesn't make sense--let me know. Also--if you need me to clear something up--just tell me which part.

Like I have said before, 17--a kid like you who has speed (really good speed) needs to work on your speed endurance either way. The key is to be able to run all 4 events for their entire duration--not just one race as fast as you go--then you progressively get slower. To do that--YOU HAVE TO BUILD A BASE OF ENDURANCE--DOING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF RUNNING THAT YOU ARE USED TO!

Again--let me know if I need to clear things up. And--thanks for asking!

If that doesn't make sense--let me know which part you need me to clear up!