Sprints, sprints, sprints!

We had a lot of happy winter track kids today.  The majority of the winter track team is comprised of distance kids right now, and today we did 8 x 60 m out of the blocks today.  For distance kids, running short sprints with lots of rest was something they had neer really done before, especially in November   The kids had to get to top speed in 20 m, then maintain it for 40 m.  It was actually a lot of fun. It got competitive, with freshman races and senior races, with lots of testosterone exhibited by lots of hooting and hollering.

I was pleasantly surprised with the foot-speed of some of our kids, but Coach Harris was more concerned with the rate of acceleration of some of our kids.  He was stressing that we need to get to top speed as quick as we can.  20 meters might seem like not a lot of time to get to top speed, but in races like the 400, the 800 and even the mile, 20 meters can make the difference between being in the lead pack and being spit out the back.  This requires getting that foot up off the ground as soon as possible, having quick arms, and not slamming the ground, but rather lightly scratching it.  That is something we are going to continue to work on through the winter.  We have the fitness to maintain top speed throughout the race, but in order to win races, we need to get to that top speed faster than everyone else.

Overall, it was a very good practice today.  Easy run tomorrow, with tempo kilos on Wednesday.  And the inaugural Green Mtn. Time Trial will be on Saturday, more details to come later in the week.

SEP

P.S.  I got most everyone taken care of for ordering winter running tights today at practice.  If you want a pair, please let me know by Tuesday afternoon. I want to get that order in as soon as possible.  They are 30 bucks, and are super awesome!