Ok, so I am not Usain Bolt, and I never will be – I get it. But I would like to be a faster runner. As I wrote about previously, I have a goal to run a sub-60 second 400 meter dash. And given that I am currently 45 years old, that would be a pretty big accomplishment, especially since I had NEVER run track until last summer. Over the past 12 months I have … Read more
The track and field events at the 2012 London Olympics have been exceptional – how about 19 year old Kirani James with a 43.94 Gold medal performance in the 400 meters? I wonder if he will eventually break Michael Johnson’s record. What about 800 meter super star David Rudisha and his NEW WORLD RECORD of 1:40.91? All I can say is WOW. While we might look at these athletes as “genetically blessed,” the reality is … Read more
For an elite sprinter like Usain Bolt, running is poetry personified. With perfect rhythm and no wasted motion, his running appears effortless. This appearance is the byproduct of years of refining his sprint technique. But what about everyday athletes? Can we become faster sprinters with the proper coaching and training? Advocates of the Pose Method of running would answer YES to the question above. Pose, developed by Dr. Nicholas Romanov, a Ph.D. in Physical Education and … Read more
Author: Sarah Wilson No one ever told me I could be strong. From an early age I was told I had “the body of a runner.” Translation: you are tall and skinny and should probably stay away from sports that involve physical contact with another human being or heavy objects. So I became a runner because that is what I thought I was “supposed” to be. For a long time, I let my body type … Read more
Author: Jimson Lee For several decades, I used a specific formula to calculate the 400 meter potential of elite sprinters. The formula is: 400m potential = 200m Season Best (SB) doubled, plus 4 seconds. Note that I used Season Best, and not Personal Best, because a time from a previous year may show a huge difference (for better or worse). For a 44 second world class sprinter, a 20 second 200 meter SB means (20 … Read more
Author: Latif Thomas The First Law of Speed Development: Speed is a Skill The dividing line between “good” and “bad” coaches starts with understanding that running fast requires developing technical skill in your athletes, regardless of sport. Ignore, neglect or dismiss this Law and your athletes have already lost. Running fast requires a significant degree of coordination, consistency and deliberate repetition. Because most athletes have never been taught the specific qualities inherent in the fastest athletes, … Read more
Author: Jimson Lee The purpose of speed endurance training is to prolong the amount of time where a near maximal speed can be maintained. Although the term is aimed at the long sprinters (200m-400m), speed endurance training also benefits the longer distance runners as well as other events like hockey. The training range for sprinters will usually be runs between 7 and 40 seconds where there is nearly complete recovery between each of the runs … Read more