Workout of the Day

HPW Elite 1:47 half miler, Nathan Fleck.

2 x (90m, 100m, 110m, 120m) + 1 x 150m

Splits:

Set #1 — 9.50 / 10.54 / 11.25 /  12.50
Set #2 — 9.06 / 10.62 / 11.28 /  13.06
Set #3 — 17.75

Recovery: 3' - 5' rec as needed

Nathan Fleck — May 12th, 2016

Context & Details

The longer I coach, the more I've come to prioritize speed, especially sprinting and speed endurance. And thankfully Nathan is an athlete who responds well to both sprinting and speed endurance work. 

This session is a speed endurance ladder I employ mostly with true 800m athletes. Remember, I think of the 800m runner as an endurance sprinter. Understanding this is imperative since a critical determinant to competitiveness in high class middle distance races is a healthy speed reserve. 

The goal of speed endurance ladders is to start fast and stay fast. All these reps were done on the fly with an 8-10m running start, thus why the marks are so fast. For me, it is just as important for the athlete to "feel speed" as it is to "express speed." I put a high importance on one's proprioceptive awareness when running quick and typically coach toward them refining their sensation while traveling at a rapid pace rather than instructing the athlete to hit a mark for each rep. 

If an athlete is fit and ready, they should be able to sustain the speed for the duration of all the reps within each set and from set to set, as Nathan did so well this day. This is not easy to do. Don't be fooled, it is very hard to do, despite the brevity of the rep distances. Should the athlete start to drastically decelerate, that means cut the session or shorten the rep distance as managing deceleration is not the desired purpose of this type of work. 

Ideally the distance and volume are exactly appropriate for the athlete, so with adequate rest, there is a little something left in the tank, such as a 150m at above near full effort at the end of the session. This more than anything else, affords the athlete to walk away satisfied with their day's effort but excited to run fast in the races ahead.

Any questions? I'm happy to answer. You can send me a Direct Message on Twitter or email me at jmarcus.hpw@gmail.com
Thx //  jm