Being able to sprint at the end

rEdShawks · 10-18-2009, 01:21 PM

currently i am on a college cross country team and just had a race. it was a tough race where i did good, and finished strong. At the very end i pulled off a strong sprint that helped me out.

That got me thinking, was it good i had enough energy at the end to sprint? i mean if u have enough energy to sprint at the end of a race, then maybe u didnt leave it all on the race, and try your hardest. b/c my goal is to do my best by using all the energy i have throughout the race. but clearly i didnt? what do you guys think? i mean cause having energy at the end also means ure well conditioned.

JSN · 10-18-2009, 01:32 PM

that's where strategy and knowing your own body comes into endurance sports. the classic battle in distance running or cycling is someone with a strong sprint s a guy who can maintain a faster pace. having a sprint in you doesn't nec. mean you could maintain a higher pace for the full 3 miles- it might just mean that you want to try to hang on in a group near the front without shooting your load, and then sprint past as many people as you can in the last quarter mile or whatever distance you feel like you can sprint for.

bardley99 · 10-18-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSN

that's where strategy and knowing your own body comes into endurance sports. the classic battle in distance running or cycling is someone with a strong sprint s a guy who can maintain a faster pace. having a sprint in you doesn't nec. mean you could maintain a higher pace for the full 3 miles- it might just mean that you want to try to hang on in a group near the front without shooting your load, and then sprint past as many people as you can in the last quarter mile or whatever distance you feel like you can sprint for.

I think that is a good problem to have. What you can do is test yourself a few times in practice. Ideally what you are looking for is your best time, whether that is with a sprint at the end or by pushing yourself throughout the race.

So time your yourself during practice runs and try it both ways. Try to find what works the best for you. Maybe sprint at the front to get ahead and then settle in to your pace. Maybe sprint at the end. Maybe just a faster steady pace the entire time. Try a few different options and do each one a few times and find out what gives you the best time.

paolo27th · 10-18-2009, 11:59 PM

I think you`d run at anaerobic threshold and then go anaerobic when you sprint at the end. So you wouldn`t be able to really go any faster during the race and if you tried youd probably end up in anaerobic-land and run out of steam very quickly.
That being said I`m no running expert so take what I said with a pinch of salt.

JSN · 10-19-2009, 12:59 AM

i know that bike racing isn't exactly the same, but it's roughly analogous, and eddie merckx (greatest cyclist of all time) but this really interesting breakdown. he said something like "racing is a strategy game where you have a book of matches, and every time you burn one, a couple matches next to it burn up."

EndoGlo · 10-19-2009, 08:18 AM

I like that quote.

I think testing the two different ways (stated above) is a good idea. The other thing you may learn from the test is that maybe you are not putting as much effort into the race as you think. Meaning your conserving more than you actually need to. The idea is to learn what level you can run a certain distance at. You need to figure out your fastest pace for a set distance. Obviously, the same speed you run a 3 mile at should not be remotely close to the speed you run a 5 mile.

I think that testing it is a good idea, but at the same time I think you should be training to run a 3 mile at a faster speed. Even if you get gassed one day and cannot finish. That's not a bad thing, because you'll eventually build yourself up to handle that speed throughout the full 3 miles. It's called progression. Again, in the future, train for the race you're going to be running.

Compare running to MMA. If a fighter has a 5 round fight, his training is going to be much different from the training he'd do for a 3 round fight. Train for what you're doing.

Shuru · 10-19-2009, 08:19 AM

You're using a different energy system when you sprint that is only available every 2-3 minutes or so, its why you're able to put on bursts of speed to overtake etc during long distance events.

EndoGlo · 10-19-2009, 08:55 AM

I don't know about it being a different energy source, but yeah, I know what you mean. I think it depends on what level you set yourself at. I know that if I keep a long distance fast pace up; I will not be able to sprint at the end. However, there are times when I'm running that I can amp it up tremendously for short periods. I don't think it's another energy source. I think it's similar to lifting in a sense. When you lift, it is truly incredibly hard to actually lift until "failure". Any true lifter knows this. I believe running is the same way. We don't actually run at a level our bodies can handle for long distance. We are too conservative. I'm not talking about getting gassed. When have you ever run until your legs couldn't handle it? I'm sure it's more about the distance than actual speed. I would say 99% of the time it's the runner who gets gassed, not their muscles.

Basically what I'm saying is; endurance and cardio needs to be built. Then train to run at fast speeds for long periods of time. Without your breathing under control, you'll never be able to actually perform at fast speeds for extended periods of time. This is the idea behind LSD training over HIIT. You train at lower longer speeds to be able to endure high speeds for a longer duration.

Understanding Intervals

Ian Coe · 10-19-2009, 09:45 AM

I sort of agree with endoglo.

I haven't been doing much running due to a injury, but have done longer distance work via other means to develop my aerobic capacity.

On the weekend I had to do some fast runs, a 1.5 miler and a lot of conditioning work afterwards and a 4 miler with some fast sprinting based work in the middle, end and then again after a short (sub 1 minute rest).
It was muscular fatique which began to be a problem for me. During the slower paced run I was fine, during the run at all points I was fine breathing wise (which surprised me during sprints and burpees), but during the last 400m of the 1.5 miler and the last few sprints on the 4 miler I was feeling the strain in the legs (ie not being able to produce a high enough turn over to comfortably keep the pace up, and concurrently I was feeling laboured to keep the pace, still did though).

I base this on their being a lack of relevant adpations in the leg muscles, while the aerobic capacity was more then enough to cope with the strain.

El Beebo · 10-19-2009, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paolo27th

I think you`d run at anaerobic threshold and then go anaerobic when you sprint at the end. So you wouldn`t be able to really go any faster during the race and if you tried youd probably end up in anaerobic-land and run out of steam very quickly.
That being said I`m no running expert so take what I said with a pinch of salt.

I totally agree. If you would've had to run another mile or two after your sprint, the build up of lactic acid would've left you fatigued and hurting. However, some people can flush lactic acid quickly.

Out of curiosity TS, have you asked your coach what his/her opinion is on this or do you talk strategy at all? Some people have very detailed race strategies, while others just go out and let it flow.