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Asafa Powell and Carmelita Jeter - Peak Training Age

Can you imagine having a 17 year old male sprinter on your team who runs 11.45 for 100 meters, then the following year as a Junior he runs 10.50.  10.30 is the IAAF “A” standard so you dare to write him off as “Nah, he’ll never be a world class sprinter” kind of attitude.  Would […]

Italian Sprint Heroes - Livio Berruti 200m Rome 1960

During my prime running years, Pietro Mennea’s 200m WR was the holy grail.  19.72 was the 200m WR standard for 17 years.
In fact, Pietro Mennea won the 200m 1980 Olympics in the Moscow Boycotted Olympics.  He also won the Bronze medal at 1972 Munich Olympics at the same distance.  Mennea competed in 4 Olympics (72-76-80-84).
When […]

400 meter splits - 2009 Berlin World Championships

The official splits from the IAAF can be found here (PDF).  What can we learn from these splits?
Standard Coaching Theory
If your opening 200m is within 1 second of your best 200m, and the differential between the 1st half and 2nd half is about 2 seconds, then simple logic determines your 400m time potential is doubled […]

Usain Bolt Splits - 9.69 vs 9.58 - Can He Run Faster?

This is Part 1 of a 2 part series. Click here for Part 2 with 10 meter splits
.
Honestly, I didn’t expect Usain Bolt to run sub 9.60. 
I felt a WR was imminent after watching his SF, and I knew his chest thumping slowdown in Beijing showed me he could run low 9.60.
But a […]

Rome Golden Gala 2009 – Overall Thoughts

I am currently in Rome so when the 2009 IAAF Golden League meet passed though town, I just had to go.
I won’t get into the results yet, as they are on the official web site, but I wanted to share some of my overall thoughts of the meet.
The Olympic Stadium was home of the 1960 […]

Usain Bolt 19.59 200 Meters in Lausanne Video

Usain Bolt in Lausanne

How fast will Usain Bolt run?

Last year in Lausanne where he equaled the meeting record last year clocking 19.63, but that was post-Beijing 2008. And he even eased up from the finish line.

Put Bolt on a fast track, some decent weather, favorable wind, and red-hot sub-20 second Shawn Crawford and anything […]

Technological Innovations in Track and Field

Let’s face it, the new swimming suits have helped demolish world records at a record pace (no pun intended).
Ross and Jonathan from the Science of Sport quoted the average age of a swimming world record for men was 13 months and 8 months for women.  That’s a World Record every year!
By comparison, the average […]

Rest and Taper After a Maximal Performance – Thoughts on Tyson Gay

We all know to rest and taper BEFORE the big meet.  That is just common sense.  For a good review, check out Derek’s 10 Day taper DVD.
Here are two of many guidelines I like to use for my sprinters:

10 day taper AFTER a major Personal Best or World Record.
5-7 100 meter races before […]

Asafa Powell’s 2009 Reebok Grand Prix Video

At the 2008 Reebook Grand Prix, Usain Bolt set the world record in the 100 meters in 9.72 seconds in less than ideal conditions.

And it wasn’t in Europe. It was set at Icahn Stadium, the state-of-the-art facility on New York’s Randall’s Island.

This year, we have Asafa Powell running in this same meet.

There will be […]

400 Meters – Speed is the Key

Gone are the days where the 400 meters was an event for 800 meter runners who moved down in distance.
Today, I am convinced the short sprinters have an advantage over the “strength” sprinters like Lee Evans and Butch Reynolds.  I am referring to the successes of Quincy Watts and Michael Johnson.  In MJ’s case, my […]

150 Meter Fly Time to Project your 400 Meters

Can you use your 150 meter fly time in practice to determine your 400 meter performance?  A 150 fly is simply running 160 meters and timing the last 150m.
Yes and No.
First it would be scary to consider Usain Bolt’s 14.35 150 meter fly time which is probably around 13.35 subtracting 1 second for acceleration out […]

400 Meter Training Workouts - the 6×200 meters

I had a lot of email questions on the 400/800 Meter Training Workouts - The Beakdown, so I thought to add a few more of these workouts. (I wish readers would comment on the blog below the article so everyone can provide feedback)

The Clyde Hart 8×200 Workout

For men,

8 x 200m in 28 seconds.

as the […]

400/800 Meter Training Workouts - The Beakdown

Here is a classic workout from my archives under the guidance of long time McGill coach Dennis Barrett.

We called them “breakdowns” for obvious reasons: 600-500-400-300-200. Recovery is “walk what you run” to a maximum of 400m:

- 600, walk 400
- 500, walk 400
- 400, walk 400
- 300, walk 300
- 200, walk 200

This is a long […]

How to Run an Indoor 400 meters - 2009 Euro Champs

Thoughts on the 2009 European Indoor Athletics Championships in Torino

What is the best way to run an indoor 400 meters?

Run hard, but relaxed to the break at 150m, grab the lead, and try to hang on staying relaxed as much as possible? Surge if a runner attempts to pass you on the straightaway?

Or, run […]

WMA2009 Timetable - Scheduling the 200m and 400m

I am very please to see the schedule for the upcoming 2009 World Masters Athletics.

In the qualifying rounds, how you place in your race guarantees your spot in the next round, but your time guarantees your lane assignment. The fastest qualifying times are assigned Lanes 3, 4, 5, 6 and the slower times gets Lanes […]

The 100 meters - World’s First 10 Seconds Flat Race

Let’s face it. The average public only cares about 3 events in Track and Field.

The 100 meters, the Mile, and the Marathon. The biggest Mile milestone (no pun intended) will forever be known as the 4 minute mile.

In the Men’s 100 meters, that benchmark is 10 seconds flat. Period. Even today, […]

IAAF 4×400 Meter Relay Split Times from Beijing 2008

The IAAF article can be found here. Click here to download the PDF file.

How were these splits recorded?

Transponder antennas were laid under the track at the 0m, 100m, 200m and 300m. Athletes wore chips on the inside of their front bib numbers, so when they crossed the transponder threshold, a time was registered.

This sound […]

Usain Bolt Speed Reserve vs. Michael Johnson Speed Endurance?

With all the hype about Usain Bolt’s 10 meter splits and speculation on what he could have run, I forgot to analyze the 200 meters! Shame on me!

I touched the topic of Speed Reserve in Part 1 and Part 2.

Usian Bolt’s 200m splits were clocked at 9.98 + 9.32 splits for his 200m. […]

Walter Dix 2007 NCAA 100 meters 9.93 splits

Walter Dix was the unsung hero of American Track and Field in Beijing 2008.

With all the hype towards Tyson Gay and possibly winning 3 medals (and ended up with zero), Walter Dix came out with 2 medals despite 2 DQs in the 200 meters that moved him up from 5th to 3rd. A 3rd […]

What is Speed Reserve? Part 2 - Training Methods

Click here for What is Speed Reserve? Part 1 - 400 meter Sprinter types

The news of Usain Bolt going after the 400 WR in 2010 inspired me to write this article.

What is Speed Reserve?

Speed Reserve, or Anaerobic Speed Reserve (ASR), is simply the difference between your maximum speed and your maximum aerobic speed.

The concept is […]

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