masters runners: how to get power back in stride??

Sprinting. Lots of it, on every terrain. Masters tend to get lazy with regards to speedwork, is that you? Plus stretching to get that flexibility back.

stretching? Stretching? when will the stretching myth die? My poor jr high school kid is forced to stretch for 20 minutes before running a mile. it's the lawyers probably.

Anyway, do hill sprints at full speed for about 12 seconds each. Walk back down slowly. As close to full recovery as possible.

Work up to doing 6 of them, maybe 3 times per week.

'Work up to doing 6 of them, maybe 3 times per week.'

That will do fine until he does his hamstring

The issue isn't stretching, it is range of motion. As our bodies fall apart, we lose range of motion. Stretching doesn't necessarily help range of motion. Things like strides, leg swings and other dynamic movements help much more than putting your leg on a park bench and touching your toes.

If you aren't in the weight room, you need to be. Weights will help you keep from losing muscle. It is a necessity after 40. It may also help get a bit of snap back in the legs.

Finally, be realistic about the amount of hard speed work you can do. You may just have dead legs from too much time on the track. You don't need to do two hard track sessions a week anymore. Make sure you get adequate recovery.

1) Dynamic stretching for range of motion.

2) Join a soccer league.

3) Weight training.

I really like drills for keeping my form in shape. Just start easy and build to what is recommend in the video below. I also agree with strides and short hill repeats, but whatever you do, ease into it! Nothing will make you slower than injury.

http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=17578

Hills

Weights

Drills

guy is right about static stretching and range of motion. apples and oranges.

Are you trying to run a fast 100 meters or 10k? What are your goals in running?

ukathleticscoach wrote:

'Work up to doing 6 of them, maybe 3 times per week.'

That will do fine until he does his hamstring

that's what 'working up to' suggests - start at one and make smart judgments as you go. we're adults here.

thanks for the replies. concerning soccer, i quit playing soccer at age 43 and took up running because i couldn't take soccer anymore. that game is tough on the body if played hard.

i don't do much speed work, as my hip and leg muscles tend to knot up afterward. i love running fast however so i'd like to get back to that. however, it is risky business trying to run fast and not get injured.

i think the motion exercises are a good idea. i hope i can loosen my hips up.

when i played soccer, i was mostly sprinting and always ran on my toes. now i run races from 5k to marathons and never run on my toes.

i think if my hips were looser, i'd enjoy running more than i already do. i might not be faster, but it would feel better.

thanks again for the responses.

Coach Mihaly Igloi had us develop two sets of muscles in the leg. We did speed and swing and at varous tempos. Swing involves raising the femur bone higher than normal. Be careful when you try anything new, especially as you age. Don't do too much of anything new at first. Just do a couple of 100s or 150s and wait a day or two.

tired legs wrote:

i don't do much speed work, as my hip and leg muscles tend to knot up afterward.

?

stadium stairs

[quote]agip wrote:

stretching? Stretching? when will the stretching myth die? My poor jr high school kid is forced to stretch for 20 minutes before running a mile.

We are talking about master runners not high school runners.

What exactly do you mean by "power"? Do you mean you want to run faster over a certain distance, or something else?

Distance running - if you plan to do it for the long term, without destroying your body - is about lightness on your feet, and not about a feeling of pounding the ground with brute force.

-p90- wrote:

[quote]agip wrote:

stretching? Stretching? when will the stretching myth die? My poor jr high school kid is forced to stretch for 20 minutes before running a mile.

We are talking about master runners not high school runners.

there is next to zero scientific evidence that old school stretching has any positive benefit whatsoever.

Many threads on this on lrc obviously.

I don't know much about the new-fangled active stretching exercises. I don't have an opinion on them.

How old are you and how fast?

you can stretch and do drills all day long, but hills are the best and fastest way to develop leg strength. there's no way around it. a weekly 6-8 x 100m hill gig after an easy run and then perhaps a monthly 8-10 x 300m hill session should work wonders if you've been ignoring hills in the past. second to altitude and perhaps genetics, hills, in my opinion, are why africans own.

sexytimesmith wrote:

you can stretch and do drills all day long, but hills are the best and fastest way to develop leg strength. there's no way around it. a weekly 6-8 x 100m hill gig after an easy run and then perhaps a monthly 8-10 x 300m hill session should work wonders if you've been ignoring hills in the past. second to altitude and perhaps genetics, hills, in my opinion, are why africans own.

Except the Africans run for 2 hours up hills not 100 meters.