Hobby jogger looking to sprint faster/develop speed. Any advice?

BUMP

I'm at 16:3x for 5k and need similar advice. My top speed for 400m is 59

bump :)

little_kid_scared wrote:

Would you guys say 12.5, 26, and 56 are possible in the next 6-8 weeks?

No.

little_kid_scared wrote:

I'm building base for 800/1600m but would simultaneously like to see my sprint times (100m-400m) drop; how should I approach training to make this happen?

pbs

100m- 13.2

200m- 27.8 (set few weeks before 13.2)

400m- don;t know (67 from almost a year ago, but I 2 months ago ran 65 as part of the end of a workout and it didn't feel all out)

I've been building base the past 5-6 weeks, mostly easy running with a weekly tempo. My speed maintenance/development has included strides 2x a week, 3x sometimes, and starting 4 weeks ago, a weekly sprint session, either something like 5x60m flat or up a steep hill for 8-10 seconds for 6 repetitions (I alternate every week).

Would you guys say 12.5, 26, and 56 are possible in the next 6-8 weeks?

getting to those goals is certainly possible, but saying that its probably is a largely unanswerable question without actually seeing you run or knowing more details. Were those marks set before you started doing the 5x60 and uphill sessions?

You can probably do at least 61 with the 100 and 200 times you listed, with 27.8 speed as a distance runner you should be able to come through in 29.x and finish up in 31.x.

You're on the right track with those 5 x 60 and 8-10s hill sprints (though 8-10s is a little long for right now, 4-8s is a good range), just make sure the rest is complete or very nearly complete, and the efforts are all-out (without straining or compromising proper sprint mechanics). In another week or two I'd start adding in Speed Endurance sessions in place of the 5 x 60m/hill sprints every other week (so week 1 do Speed End, week 2 do the absolute speed work, etc.). You'll start tapping into speed endurance around the 8 second mark of a full-tilt sprint, so for you a 70m sprint is going to be speed endurance workout. A basic workout for this could be 60m, 80m, 2 x 100m, 80m, 60m all with full recovery (5:00+). You can play around with the basic concept as you like, but I'd stay away from a rep longer than 150m as that will start bringing you into Special Endurance (I and II), which probably aren't worth getting into at this point. Just remember, whether its absolute speed (60m and shorter for you) or speed endurance (60m-150m or so), effort needs to be essentially full, rest needs to be essentially full, and when you get to the point where you can't complete a rep as well as a previous one, you're done with the workout.

If you're thinking about various forms of strength training to improve speed and power, that's a bigger can or worms to get into.

JPS wrote:

If you're thinking about various forms of strength training to improve speed and power, that's a bigger can or worms to get into.

Would you mind cracking that open? I am very interested in your thoughts on that.

Jp- That is fantastic advice, thank you sir.

Regan- thanks for the honesty, hope i prove your fata$$ wrong ;)

This hobby jogger will become mediocre damn it!

OH and yes I was in 13.2 and probably 27.2 or so shape before I started base building in September. I set the 12.5...etc goals when I started the base phase.

One factor in improving speed is the improvement of running form. Body position, knee lift, and arm movement are important components in running faster. After finishing distance runs and before doing interval or repeats running about 6x100 and about 75% effort (although after finishing a distance run the efforts on the first few should be slower to prevent injury) would help. Concentrating on pushing off and raising one's knees, keeping arms at a 90 degree angle and thrusting them in an arc roughly from cheek to cheek or hip to below the eyes is vital. Also pushing off the ball of one's foot. Relaxing the upper body and looking straight ahead are part of the equation as well. The repetitive action of this will alter one's form. It takes time but it will happen if one works at it.

regan.. wrote:

little_kid_scared wrote:

Would you guys say 12.5, 26, and 56 are possible in the next 6-8 weeks?

No.

+1

Learn how to squat

Old fashioned squat, start with a ridiculously low weight and perfect your form.

13.2 and 27.8 would indicate you have a choppy stride and/or don’t use your energy as well as you could in that 200 otherwise it should be closer to 26.4.

As for movement pattern retraining, check out what Serge Gracovetsky has to say.

I'm going to tell you the secret to becoming fast. Are you ready?

Dig into the turns.

Bam! You're welcome

coach j64- thanks man, are those like strides what you prescribe? That's what I've essentially been doing on the strides after easy runs, where I accelerate up to 800m pace for 10 or so seconds and then decelerate, I try to maintain as best I can good form (as far as I can tell)

MFer- will look into squats, thanks :). Plyos would probably help, but it's not like I'm running in the 11's or even lower, I'm just trying to break 13 lol, which I hope is possible for me soon

ever listens- I'll film myself sprinting and take a look; my endurance is very poor and that 27.8 was set when I was much slower than 13.2. thank you sir