Could I, as a 400/800 runner, do 8x30-40m all out sprints on grass/hill combined with easy mileage/drills as an easy day? How cns taxing is doing these sprints with full recovery?
Could I, as a 400/800 runner, do 8x30-40m all out sprints on grass/hill combined with easy mileage/drills as an easy day? How cns taxing is doing these sprints with full recovery?
Not sure if it's taxing energy-wise but it can be pretty hard on the body impact-wise if you're not used to them and do them all-out with FULL recovery. If you do them uphill they are be much easier. I sometimes do 6-8 x 50m with 4+ minutes recovery on flat turf and it definitely doesn't feel like an easy day. But the same thing uphill feels much easier.
HelpPls wrote:
Could I, as a 400/800 runner, do 8x30-40m all out sprints on grass/hill combined with easy mileage/drills as an easy day? How cns taxing is doing these sprints with full recovery?
If you're going all-out, it's never easy.
What's the purpose of the workout? If it's just to feel fast doing some quick stuff, no need to go 100%, or limit it to just 40m and not 100m or so.
If the purpose is to improve your absolute top speed, then it's not an easy day. It's a neuromuscular workout that you should be fully recovered and fresh for if it's going to do you any good.
I guess it's kind of just to stay in touch with top speed and eventually build some strenght/recruit some fast twitchs. Doing them uphill like the other guy said sounds like a good Idea, I still kind of want them @97-100% though, not just 75% strides.
I don't think he was suggesting 75%, probably something more like 95-97%. Although that's not a huge drop in speed, it's a huge drop in how much it would tax the CNS.
If you run them at 95-97% you probably get 90% of the benefit while only being maybe 65% as hard on the body when compared with running them at 100% intensity.
I'm kind of pulling these numbers out of the ether here, but I think the general idea stands.
That sounds correct and understandable, I'll keep em at ~95% then and vary between hill/grass.
Had Some Myself wrote:
I don't think he was suggesting 75%, probably something more like 95-97%. Although that's not a huge drop in speed, it's a huge drop in how much it would tax the CNS.
If you run them at 95-97% you probably get 90% of the benefit while only being maybe 65% as hard on the body when compared with running them at 100% intensity.
I'm kind of pulling these numbers out of the ether here, but I think the general idea stands.
disgraceful_admin had a good post about this.
If you're trying to develop absolute speed or work on acceleration, then devote that day to it. Don't muddle it with slow distance or you'll likely negate any gains you intended to achieve.