Coaches: how do you set up flying 30s/40s/50s?

3 min recovery minimum

^^^this

Mile runners don't need max speed work, like you've described. I do like 3,2x80m near-max sprints (w/ walkback, 5min) for mid distance types.

This is pretty solid stuff. Contrary to what the poster above claims, every runner (athlete) can benefit from some max velocity training. I have coached 800m and above at a variety of levels, and even if it is only for a portion of a straightaway at the end of a race, eventually you will need an athlete to have a higher top end then the person in the next lane.

A couple thoughts to consider:

1) 20m acceleration zone is probably okay, but for your most speed-oriented runner it may actually be a bit on the long side

2) as you progress throughout a season, runners can benefit from progressively increasing the length of the sprint; 30-50m is pretty short, even for a pure 800m runner, and some true endurance athletes may just be getting going 30 or 40m in; with high level athletes, extending to 80 or 100m is feasible, but you will need to keep an eye on undesirable deceleration as you approach those distances

3) 2:30-3 min is sufficient time for an endurance athlete to recover and have ATP production reset

4) exercise care when having athletes lined up against one another; self-awareness is important when running all out, and lots of athletes will end up racing instead of concentrating on their own form

5) some athletes simply produce more force into the ground, and this work can prove impactful if that is the case; I always have athletes run immediately following a max velocity session, but not everyone will recover the same way; since the muscles fibers used are different than most other endurance training, some athletes can return to 'standard' training the following day with little problem

Best of luck and kudos for incorporating this type of workout. It requires making room in a schedule but is well worth the effort.

What is an appropriate number of reps?

randomcoach wrote:

Mile runners don't need max speed work, like you've described. I do like 3,2x80m near-max sprints (w/ walkback, 5min) for mid distance types.

WRONG

6-8 reps, depending on the level of athlete and overall training load. It doesn't take much

This seems like a very beneficial workout for 800-miler types. When do you begin incorporating it in your athletes' training? During the base phase?

As far as making room for it in the schedule when do you like to do it and how often? After an easy training run once a week? And how long do athletes normally take to recover from it before they can hit another hard workout?

If you mean you expect them to be at top speed 20m after they start running, it's completely wrong. It might make sense if they have a rolling start, but not really, because they're not going to reach the same max speed without using sprint mechanics, driving 20m before starting to stand up.

20-30 meter run ins are best. My rule of thumb on recovery is 1:00 for every 10 meters sprinted. If you are running 30 flys with a 20 meter run in, you should recover at least 5:00. Distance runners struggle with this because they think if you are not breathing hard you are recovered. Hold them to this so that you can train the proper energy system and get the CNS work that this stimulates.

That being said, you might also consider running them through the wicket drills. Get some banana hurdles and check out this video.

http://completetrackandfield.com/top-speed-wicket-drill/

Most distance runners don't know how to put force into the ground since they have such high back kicks. The wicket drills expose the flaws in their mechanics and force corrections, IMHO. You want the kids to get the contact foot to the ground under their hips and back off the ground and up to their bottom.