Distance runners: Would you rather be sprinters if you were good at sprinting?

I wouldn't. I love running for what it is and love long runs. If I was a sprinter I probably couldn't go on nice long runs.

Those sprint performances most likely are what a young Steve Ovett &/or what a young Earl Jones were able to sprint. Many D-2 sprint coaches would not want a 100m guy with those times.

what? 10.99 or 11.26? wrote:

Those sprint performances most likely are what a young Steve Ovett &/or what a young Earl Jones were able to sprint. Many D-2 sprint coaches would not want a 100m guy with those times.

So? There are also some schools who would not want someone who could only run a 14:59 5K. That's even further off the WR by percentage than the 10.99 or 11.26.

If your twitch fibers are destined for 200 meters to 2000 meters, you can still periodize mileage for strength, and building capillary/mitochondriac processing.

Edwin Moses did 6 miles a day off season with no speed work for strength to dominate 400 meter hurdles.

Fast twitch or slow twitch? wrote:

what? 10.99 or 11.26? wrote:

Those sprint performances most likely are what a young Steve Ovett &/or what a young Earl Jones were able to sprint. Many D-2 sprint coaches would not want a 100m guy with those times.

So? There are also some schools who would not want someone who could only run a 14:59 5K. That's even further off the WR by percentage than the 10.99 or 11.26.

A 11.26 100m man is a sprinter because he or she only believes so. A 11.26 100m man is like a 250 pound woman saying she is a super model.

what? 10.99 or 11.26? wrote:

Fast twitch or slow twitch? wrote:

So? There are also some schools who would not want someone who could only run a 14:59 5K. That's even further off the WR by percentage than the 10.99 or 11.26.

A 11.26 100m man is a sprinter because he or she only believes so. A 11.26 100m man is like a 250 pound woman saying she is a super model.

You could say the same thing about the 14:59 5K:

A 14:59 5K man is a distance runner because he only believes so. A 14:59 5K man is like a 250 pound woman saying she is a supermodel. There are women who can run half a minute faster than that 14:59 guy.

Nope

Tons of opportunities to race and be king of the hill in distances races as an adult. Very little opportunities to sprint as an adult.

Also as far as bragging rights go, most people would be more impressed by a 4 hour marathon than an 11 second 100m.

I'd rather be a Godly 400-800 guy

Right now I'm just a very mediocre mile-5000 guy

Fast twitch or slow twitch? wrote:

Suppose you're a good (not elite) distance runner. Your 5K PR is 14:59, which is 811 points on the IAAF tables. Given the choice, would you give it up and become a sprinter if you could run an electronic, wind-legal 11.26 100 (also 811 points on the IAAF tables) and an electronic but wind aided 10.99?

I'd be a sprinter instead of a 14:59 5K guy even if it were a 12.26 100 instead of an 11.26 100.

A 12.26 100 has a lot more usefulness for other sports than a 14:59 5K. It's not going to get you noticed by the NFL or anything, but if you're just playing touch football with your friends, you'll pretty much be a speed god. Same thing goes with basketball, baseball/softball, ultimate, kickball, weightlifting, and pretty much anything that requires explosive strength. A 12.26 may not have any benefit for certain sports (e.g., golf), but a 14:59 isn't going to make you a better golfer either.

It's much easier to race friends, co-workers, or random guys you meet if you're a sprinter instead of a distance runner. If you say "I'll bet you X dollars that I can beat you from here to that streetlight after giving you a 5 second head start", you'll get a lot more takers than if you were to say "I'll bet you X dollars that I can lap you in a mile race."

Sprinting is more akin to powerlifting than running...yawn.

I like long runs.

I would never want to be a sprinter. Amateur track meets are pretty terrible events. There are a smattering of people in the stands. The races are usually very lopsided with some kid fresh out of college schooling the guys who are fighting the clock. I would rather do a road race any day of the week than a sad all comers track meet.

Sprint training is weird. They do a couple reps of some drill and then stand around for 15 min doing nothing. The spend way too much time in the gym and stretching/getting deep tissue work done.

Sprinter may be ripped and shredded, but their muscles are incredibly tight and they are always getting very painful sprains and strains.

Precious Roy wrote:

I like long runs.

I would never want to be a sprinter. Amateur track meets are pretty terrible events. There are a smattering of people in the stands. The races are usually very lopsided with some kid fresh out of college schooling the guys who are fighting the clock. I would rather do a road race any day of the week than a sad all comers track meet.

Sprint training is weird. They do a couple reps of some drill and then stand around for 15 min doing nothing. The spend way too much time in the gym and stretching/getting deep tissue work done.

Sprinter may be ripped and shredded, but their muscles are incredibly tight and they are always getting very painful sprains and strains.

Random all-comers meets are almost always better than road races. In most road races, you'll have to push through a massive pack of hobby joggers, and there's also the lopsidedness of 1-2 guys fresh out of college schooling everyone else. And at the end of it, the 25 minute 5K guys you passed will be showing off their finisher's medals and gloating like they just won the Olympics. On occasion, you'll get hecklers shouting things like "Run, Forrest, Run!" during road races, but that's almost unheard of during track meets.

Sprint training is much different than distance training, but you'll be looking at the sprinters in envy as you're slogging past a track in the Florida heat and humidity in summer. And distance runners also have injuries that can take months or even years to fully overcome.

Id take the 11.26 then go focus on 800/1500, slowly building up over time. Eventually I will move up to the 5k and break 13.