What is speed training?

Speed training is more than just running as fast as you can. Often when athletes go to a track to work on “speed” they are actually working on their ability to run as fast as they currently can for longer periods of time as opposed to actually doing something that will improve their top end speed. What does that mean you ask? Well, a typical sprinter workout will consist of several 200m repeats, 100m repeats and several 10-20m repeats and some start work. This workout is actually going to work on his/her abilities to run at his/her current top speed for longer periods of time (not slowing down at end of sprints) but not actually improve the top speed reached. I use an analogy of the runner as a race care. You have this race car and drive it around the track, you can press the gas pedal down as much as you want it won’t go any faster then it currently is going. Now, take that race car and work on the engine, wheels, the type of fuel being used, the way the gas flows, etc… then take that same race car out on the track and press the gas pedal as hard as you want and now if you did things correctly then the car will actually go faster than before. The typical way to work on speed is jus to keep pressing that pedal down to make it go faster but soon that pedal is on the floor and no more speed is there. If you work on things and you press the pedal to the floor the car is now going faster.

I am not trying to say that track coaches and track workouts are not good nor am I saying that they are not important to running fast, because they are. With the limited amount of time and resources available to the local track coaches and so many athletes to work with the coach is doing his/her best to get that athlete to finish line as fast as possible. So, if you are looking to get a “tune up” and try to get that car going faster, come see what Velocity Sports Performance can do for you and your speed.