I am a runner at a D3 college in New York State.
Trying something new this season, our coach decided to implement what he called 'accelerations:'
250m of light jog on the track, followed by a 150m sprint interval in which the emphasis is to accelerate steadily for the first 75m, achieve top speed for the next 50m, and decelerate in the last 25m, resuming the light jog. This is done five times (5 laps around the track).
However, the key thing here is that we are told to do these BEFORE our easy runs and long runs. No warm up beyond speed dynamic drills, just these accelerations.
My question for the LetsRun community: does this even make sense? Is this even worth doing?
I much prefer doing some fast strides at the end of the run, and many of my teammates agree. Two runners in our top five are battling hamstring injuries, whether or not they are related to these accelerations, I don't know.
Thoughts?