Sprint training...to bare or not to bare?

Jonny00GT

Jonny00GT

Chapter Presidents
May 19, 2011
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#1
I want to get a little faster, so I plan to start speed training tomorrow. The running club I'm in does it around a middle school track, so I'm sure the surface will be the standard track surface. Since there will be faster than normal pace and sprints involved, would it be more prudent to throw on my VFFs as opposed to barefoot like I normally run or should I be ok barefoot? I don't want to loose skin and not be able to comfortably run Saturday...I need to put in about 7 miles...

Thanks!

-Jonny
 
#2
You'll only know by trying,

You'll only know by trying, right? Why not carry your VFFs, try it barefoot first, then if you need them, throw them on?
 
#4
Hey, thanks!  Both great

Hey, thanks! Both great ideas. I've got a drawer full of socks I haven't been able to use since I went to barefoot or VFFs.

-Jonny
 
#6
Angie Bee wrote:I agree that

Angie Bee said:
I agree that having some shoes with you would be a good idea.

Watch your form and make sure that you are landing right under your center of gravity.
Click to expand...



Good advice! Thanks, I'll keep that in my fore thought. I have been known to overstride when I ran in shoes and when sprinting.

-Jonny
 
#7
Jonny, read up on

Jonny,



read up on Maffetone. he says go slow to go fast. i'm attempting myself by feel for now until i get a heart rate monitor. by building your aerobic capacity you can get faster where as your anaerobic capacity is limited, the aerobic isn't. it's interesting stuff.



Mike
 
#8
migangelo

migangelo said:
Jonny,



read up on Maffetone. he says go slow to go fast. i'm attempting myself by feel for now until i get a heart rate monitor. by building your aerobic capacity you can get faster where as your anaerobic capacity is limited, the aerobic isn't. it's interesting stuff.



Mike
Click to expand...



Can you break it down into laymens terms and your experience with it so far? The little bit I just read on the net reflected mixed reviews. Some critisized it as a "one size fits all". The fact that he discourages weight training would make his program a no go for me, but I'm so new to running distance, I'm willing to bet anything will make me faster! Just running with a group that paced .5-1.5 m/m faster than I'm use to took 10min off my 10K and moved my conversational pace from 11.5m/m to 10.5m/m after a month!

I think there is something to the running slow in your fat burning zone... last Saturday my wife and I tried to run in my fat burning zone (I estimated it to be 125-135. I could be wrong. I used my age: 38, my resting rate: 58ish and some online calculator) and I couldn't believe it...I can run a 10-11m/m 10K and not be sore, but I run 3.2 miles at a 15m/m(pace I had to run to keep my rate 125-130) and my quads were sore for 2 days!

I have a Garmen with HRM, but so far I've been doing my runs the best I can and just keeping track of what my rate does...not so much aiming for anything. Once warm, my rate tends to hang out in the low to mid 160s and up to 170s when pushing.

So far, my plan is to add speed work on Fridays, and up/down hill training some time durring the week. There is a nice gradual hill area near me and a neighborhood golf course where my running club runs. By the end of November, I'd like to be able to "cruise" at a 9m/m pace. Between weight loss and speed/hill work, I think it should be relatively easy.

-Jonny
 
#9
Jonny,I agree to bring them,

Jonny,

I agree to bring them, just in case. I started doing the same thing a couple of months ago. The first few times, I wound up with blisters on my toes from pushing off.

Just remember to keep your feet under you, leaning slightly forward from the ankles, and keep a high cadence.

Now I just run with them. No problems. It is kind of strange though, alot of them warm up running on the soccer field bf, then put on their shoes to run the workout, then take the shoes back off and cool down on the field bf.

But man, you can hear them coming!! ;-)
 
#10
I think there is something to

I think there is something to the running slow in your fat burning zone...

Huh? Not helping this turtle one bit! :-(
 
#11
Jonny and TJ, your aerobic

Jonny and TJ,



your aerobic zone is 180 minus your age. keep within that and don't go below 10 beats from the max. don't go over your max and the longer you stay in and close to your max the quicker you'll see results. do your base building for a few months then start adding in speed work.

i haven't been running until last week and with my gym membership ending next month i may not lift weights for a while. it takes a few months to notice any gain but if there aren't any races you won't miss much. eventually it gets hard to work in the same zone, which i'm looking forward to.

your range Jonny should be more 142-132. 10-15 minute warmup and cool down. when i get a monitor and see some results i will post them.

Mike
 
#12
migangelo wrote:Jonny and

migangelo said:
Jonny and TJ,



your aerobic zone is 180 minus your age. keep within that and don't go below 10 beats from the max. don't go over your max and the longer you stay in and close to your max the quicker you'll see results. do your base building for a few months then start adding in speed work.

i haven't been running until last week and with my gym membership ending next month i may not lift weights for a while. it takes a few months to notice any gain but if there aren't any races you won't miss much. eventually it gets hard to work in the same zone, which i'm looking forward to.

your range Jonny should be more 142-132. 10-15 minute warmup and cool down. when i get a monitor and see some results i will post them.

Mike
Click to expand...

Ah, so I was running a bit too slow. Thanks, Mig! I'll be curious to see how it works for you. I'm addicted to the weights, the pump and the way it shapes me...not willing to give that up, even for speed.

-Jonny
 
#13
Jonny00GT wrote:your aerobic

Jonny00GT said:
your aerobic zone is 180 minus your age.
Click to expand...

That's just a general average.

In my case that would = 122

Not even worth getting out of bed for.

No wonder you see so many older folks walking!

I like running at 180 minus my age PLUS 38.
 
#14
But Mike, that means I'd have

But Mike, that means I'd have to wear my Garmin and the heart rate monitor...and look at it now and again. eegads.
 
#15
 I follow the Maffetone style

I follow the Maffetone style of training...your slow pace should be 180 minus your age and a possble 5 beat adjustment depending on your current shape and health. Basically you stay with the slow heartrate training till you build up a decent running base then add in a little fast running at about 90% of your max heartrate...maybe only 10-20% fast running. Your running pace should slowly increase over time at the same heartrate....the more miles you run the better this method works. The basic idea is staying at this slow pace will get your body to adapt to using mostly fat as fuel, you have a virtually limitless fat supply.

I really like this method, it will seem too slow at first but you will eventually get to a decent pace for such a easy effort. I wouldn't do any speed training at all in the beginning...once you have maxed out your training time per week for a few weeks and you are feeling good then start adding in a little speed training. In the mean time you could add hill running now and get some of the same benefits as speed training with much less risk.

Running on a track can be hard on your feet...some tracks are rough some are medium but you need to gradually build up your foot conditioning or you may easily get blisters...I wouldn't just wing it on the track.

And ditch any time table on what your speed will be...bottom line is it will improve the fastest by staying un-injured.
 
#16
TJ, i offered to take yours

TJ,



i offered to take yours off your hands, or wrist n chest. doesn't it have an alarm so you don't have to look at it? you should also take off ten beats since you had surgery recently.



Mike
 
#17
Does it?  You mean I have to

Does it? You mean I have to get out the manual...and read it?

My surgery was at the end of April 2010. Does that count?
 
#18
Cryo's worth 10 BPM?

Cryo's worth 10 BPM?
 
#19
Is that per toe?

Is that per toe?
 
#20
Regarding form while

Regarding form while sprinting, the other morning I was running with my wife and she did some short sprints between the street lights. I did it with her but could tell my form was going even after a couple of legs. My feet were slapping the ground, overstriding, and, judging from the hotspots, pushing off a bit.



The next time we did it I payed attention to my form a bit more. Specifically, I focused on not pushing myself faster but rather imagined a rope around my waist pulling me faster from the hips. With that visualization I was able to think about focusing on my form as I was being pulled along for the ride so to speak. It worked for me anyway, and my lungs quickly became the weakest link rather than my feet. hope that helps.
 
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