Sharpening up, a question for the track aficionados

TheRoadRunner

I've just been looking at some Irish results from around Europe recently and have been impressed with the way some of our athletes have opened their seasons.

In a couple of interviews I've heard/read recently the athletes involved all say, "yep that was a great run for me and once I do some specific speed work (sharpening up) I expect to run faster etc etc".

Now what interests me is that every year athletes say similar things but the majority never really seem to make a huge improvement as the season goes on. Now obviously I don't know the circumstances of all these athletes (injuries etc) but I was just wondering do track athletes get more out of their tough endurance work then the short sharp training they do as the season goes on. I know it's not possible to continue high intensity workouts throughout the whole season but is their any benefit to be gained from ignoring (or putting less an emphasis) on the sharpening phase.

Two very good historical examples that come to mind include Mark Carroll's interview after he ran his 5K pb, he said he needed to sharpen up but after that race he didn't really run to his true potential in the Euros that year (still got a bronze).

The second is when Gillick stormed to his 2nd indoor title purely off long winter type training (I think he ran 45.55 o similar). Again he reiterated his ambition to run faster with more speed specific training but didn't go much quicker that year.

I'd be interested to hear what others think and would like to point out the above isn't a critism of any athletes mentioned just a ponder on my behalf

tergat

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

I've just been looking at some Irish results from around Europe recently and have been impressed with the way some of our athletes have opened their seasons.

In a couple of interviews I've heard/read recently the athletes involved all say, "yep that was a great run for me and once I do some specific speed work (sharpening up) I expect to run faster etc etc".

Now what interests me is that every year athletes say similar things but the majority never really seem to make a huge improvement as the season goes on. Now obviously I don't know the circumstances of all these athletes (injuries etc) but I was just wondering do track athletes get more out of their tough endurance work then the short sharp training they do as the season goes on. I know it's not possible to continue high intensity workouts throughout the whole season but is their any benefit to be gained from ignoring (or putting less an emphasis) on the sharpening phase.

Two very good historical examples that come to mind include Mark Carroll's interview after he ran his 5K pb, he said he needed to sharpen up but after that race he didn't really run to his true potential in the Euros that year (still got a bronze).

The second is when Gillick stormed to his 2nd indoor title purely off long winter type training (I think he ran 45.55 o similar). Again he reiterated his ambition to run faster with more speed specific training but didn't go much quicker that year.

I'd be interested to hear what others think and would like to point out the above isn't a critism of any athletes mentioned just a ponder on my behalf

TheRoadRunner,

You are spot on in your assessment. Simply put: strength = speed. Focusing on speed gets you injured, more times than not. Strength-Endurance is the key to success in all events, at least from 400m and upward.

Distance runners have to keep their endurance base topped up at ALL stages during the season. If you drop the mileage and do fast stuff you will erode away that endurance base.

It is not wise, but all too common, to reduce aerobic mileage when transitioning from Base training to more race-specific training. This, of course, rests on the assumption that the amount of mileage being done during Base training is within a runners adaptive capacity. That is, if they are running a mileage amount that they can well handle, then NO reduction of mileage should be done during race-pace training phases. It is VITAL to retain and continue to develop aerobic capacity: Reducing mileage takes away one of the key tools of aerobic capacity development!

I don't schedule a Tapering Phase in any of my schedules for runners but, rather, a Peaking Phase. The difference is subtle but real. Tapering is a TOOL to return leg strength and energy level to athletes who are chronically tired and sore. It is only needed to revitalise an athlete who is suffering and not performing up to par.

There are many, many instances when runners perform very well without tapering. How many times have you seen a runner establish a new PB when they had been doing higher mileage/endurance work? I've seen and been told about many!

The reason that runners do set PB's even when doing high mileage is because their bodies were NOT tired or too sore at the time. That's the key!

Peaking is a paradox. It is both simple and complex. The simple part is this: reduce the stress a runner is experiencing in order to revitalise their body and mind so that they feel good on the big race day. The complex part is multi-fold. To revitalise a runner, you don't necessarily have to taper the amount of running (mileage) they are doing. You can reduce the amount of hard running they do during a given time frame and that alone will make them feel better. Let's look at an example:

Sean has has been running 8-10 miles per day, most days, for several weeks. The last 6 weeks he has been doing intervals at his 3000m and 1500m race pace, in addition to doing weekly races. By the end of 6-weeks, he really is not going to improve his anaerobic capacity and his peak VO2 anymore after about 6 weeks of doing this intensely. In fact, he probably will go down hill a little bit if you don't reduce the intensity (stress) he is experiencing. The mistake most coaches would make in this situation is they either make his intervals faster (thinking he needs more stimulus) or they taper his mileage - thinking he needs "rest." Guess what happens to Sean's time in a 3000m and to a lesser extent his 1500m when intensity is increaseed even further or tapering is done? He folds!!!

The better solution to Sean's problem is this: reduce the amount of hard interval work and racing he does while RETAINING his aerobic mileage. If it were me, I'd tell him to run even SLOWER during his distance runs than normal, yet still do them. In about 4-5 days, he'll feel "OK" but not great, yet if you had to put him in a race, he'd improve over his last "FOLD" performance. Give him another 4-5 days of easy but consistent distance running WITHOUT all the intensity and guess what happens? He runs much faster than when he folded. Now, he's ready to train at a moderate level, but consistently and race well again.

If you want to peak a guy like Sean, and let's say he didn't fold, then you simply follow a modest approach to intensity. You reduce the quantity of hard running he does for about 10-14 days and voila, he races well and peaks.

Just my thoughts.

Tergat

TheRoadRunner

Cheers Tergat
Without doubt the best reply I've ever had to a question.

tergat wrote: »

TheRoadRunner,
There are many, many instances when runners perform very well without tapering. How many times have you seen a runner establish a new PB when they had been doing higher mileage/endurance work? I've seen and been told about many!

The above is exactly what I was talking about, thanks again for the reply

thirtyfoot

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

In a couple of interviews I've heard/read recently the athletes involved all say, "yep that was a great run for me and once I do some specific speed work (sharpening up) I expect to run faster etc etc".

I recall that British athletes would regularly say this and it used to wreck my head. For a sprinter anyway, they will be doing speed all year round and its probably the unloading that means they run faster as the season progresses. Its a tough one to gauge as a coach and athlete, the balance between easing off too early at the risk of missing vital training.

One thing I try to follow is that even when tapering or easing down to continue to train the same number of days but at a less intensity. This would be for shorter stuff, 400 down. Works alright beause sometimes having too much energy the week of a big race can be bad, trouble sleeping, out of your routine etc.

TheRoadRunner

Tingle wrote: »

I recall that British athletes would regularly say this and it used to wreck my head.

Yeah me too and it isn't just the sprinters who say it, the 10k runners make a point of saying it too.

--amadeus--

Tingle wrote: »

when tapering or easing down to continue to train the same number of days but at a less intensity.

Different beast altogether but the likes of P&D recommend maintaining intensity but reducing duration during the taper phase for a marathon. Is that because its endurance road running which isn't the same thing or is it just a different school of thought?

(apologies for hijacking a track thread, btw)

thirtyfoot

--amadeus-- wrote: »

Different beast altogether but the likes of P&D recommend maintaining intensity but reducing duration during the taper phase for a marathon. Is that because its endurance road running which isn't the same thing or is it just a different school of thought?

(apologies for hijacking a track thread, btw)

Probably mean the same thing. When I said reduce intensity I'd meant train a little less (less volume or duration) each day but train the same number of days. I was wrong to use intensity as you would train with more intensity and less volume during race season alright.