Let’s begin first, with saying what speed training is not. Speed training is not running at speeds/intensities less then 90-95%. So, running a 40 yard dash at 100% is speed work, while jogging a 100 meters at 65%. (65% is a tempo run and we will get more into tempo running during the Conditioning for Summer Training article in days to come).

Now, you maybe thinking, ‘well, if I run a 400 meter (800 meter, 1 mile, etc.) at 100% intensity, then that must be speed training right?’

Wrong. This is where we need to drop a little science and physiology to clarify.

Athletes’ Acceleration’s own Speed Expert Latif Thomas wrote a great energy systems article last year and I will just para-phrase it for you.

‘Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP, is the immediate usableform of chemical energy for muscular activity. Any forms of chemical energy that the body gets from food must be converted into ATP before being used by muscle cells. ATP stores in muscle is limited and will deplete in 1 to 2 seconds unless restored. Resynthesis of ATP must occur immediately for muscular activityto continue. There are three systems available within the body to replace concentrations of ATP.
Anaerobic Phosphagen (ATP – CP) Energy SystemCreatine Phosphate (CP) is an energy rich compound foundin muscle cells. After high intensity exercise, creatine phosphate immediately restores ATP in the muscle without forming waste products (lactic acid). The amount of ATP that can be resynthesized from CP can last for 4 to 5 seconds. So, add that to the 1 to 2 seconds of original ATP stores within the muscle and you have about 5 to 7 seconds of ATP production from the ATP-CP Energy System.

According to the USA Track and Field Level II Sport Science manual, to really challenge this system, you need workouts of 7 to 10 seconds of high intensity (sprint) work. This means running at full speed or near full speed, but with no fatigue present.’

So, basically as Latif stated in his energy systems article, your ‘true’ speed work cannot be longer then 10 seconds or 100 meters for those elite runners.

OK, so now that we know what true speed work is, what should we focus on during our summer training plan?

The focus of speed training during the summer is going to be primarily on acceleration development. Acceleration is the key to most sports and needs to be constantly worked on andimproved.

Acceleration work is considered from 0-30 meters in distance for each repetition. We start out with shorter distances at about 15-20 yards. The reason we start with such short intervals, is that we want to make sure that our athletes are accelerating correctly. Your drive phase, which is your first 6-8 strides, is primarily what we are working on here.

What we are looking for during each repetition for acceleration work is:

* Your body is driving out at approximately a 45 degree angle
* Your legs are driving down and back, attaching the ground in a piston-like action
* If you are driving your legs down forcefully, your heel recovery will be kept low
* The foot should strike directly below or slightly behind the hips
* As we discussed in many newsletters before, you are stepping over the opposite knee and driving down (again in almost a piston-like action)
* Arm action is tight, not crossing the body, at a greater than 90 degree angle (your arm angle will open up a little more since your steps are greater and your ground contact time in longer then at top speed)

When you mastered intervals at 20 yards, we start to extend the distance looking for the same form perfection. If you are having form issues, we break down the training because we have found that many athletes are not strongenough to hold and maintain that ideal drive phase. What we do is trick the body to maintain the proper form by having our athletes start using different positions. For example, we will have then starting their interval on the ground seated, lying down in the push-up position, on one knee, etc. So we really bring them to the ground to make their bodies reach the proper position. Another great way to do this is through short hill training. So now you can bring the ground to them to put them at the correct angles and positioning.

Get a 35 Page Speed Training Report and Over 2 Hours of Cutting Edge Video… FREE!