• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Making Freelap a Better Timer

You are here: Home / Coaching / Making Freelap a Better Timer
4
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

October 6, 2011 by Jimson Lee Leave a Comment

Last Updated on April 19, 2013 by Jimson Lee

If you follow this blog regularly, you’ll know I was a crew member at the Lake Tahoe Triple Marathon, as well as I stopped by the ESPN 1280AM studios for a segment on ethical cheating.  There were more visits in California, the land of milk and honey…

Behind the scenes of SpeedEndurance, I also had a chance to visit Freelap Track and Field USA headquarters and looked at improving some of their prototypes.

I use the Freelap timing system for both my 3 point starts, as well as my fly times for sprinting.  Anywhere from 20 meters all the way up to 400 meters.   Even when I do 3 x 150m near all out (one of my favorite workouts), I run 160 to 165 meters and Freelap times the last 150 meters.  For this workout, I am testing speed endurance, and over the course of the spring and summer, I hope to see that improve!

The Freelap timing system is also great for distance runners for split times at 200 and 400 meters.  It’s all automated, and the athletes never have to check if the coach is ready to time them.  How many missed splits have you had over the course of a season?

With Freelap, the sprinter just runs fast when they are ready, and the watch captures all the information.  No more missed times, which is common with an ordinary stopwatch when you have to time several people.

What about Baseball?   Or 800 meters start?

The 40 yard dash and the 3 point stance is easy to use with the Freelap with their touch & release device.

See also  Interview with Laurier Primeau, WAC Canada, and Head Coach at TWU

But what about the Baseball 60 yard test? Or an 800 meters crouch start?

Freelap prototype block watchWouldn’t it be nice there was foot block, where the electronic timer starts when you release the pressure on the pads?  Similar to a real starting block (though real blocks detect pressure on the pads) 

Christopher Glaeser of Freelap Track and Field gave me a sneak peak at some early prototypes, and we even tested them outside on the grass field.

I didn’t do an official 60 yard test, but it did feel more natural than digging my shoe into the ground.

Most 40 yard dashes and 60 yard test are manually started by coaches, with an electronic timer to stop the watch.   So this starting device, when it becomes available, will eliminate all the guesswork in timing.

I am looking forward to it.

After all, accurate consistent data is our goal. 

And improving those times over time, of course.

Category iconCoaching,  Technology,  Track & Field,  Training Tag iconFreelap

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbs-aWxyLk

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (6)
  • Jimson Lee (4)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • Jim Hiserman - Developing 800m Runners: Identifying, Categorizing and Developing 400m-800m Type Athletes $42.99 $39.99
  • Private Coaching - Monthly Plan $600.00 $525.00
  • Jim Hiserman-Developing-Distance-Runnersv2 Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99

RECENT POSTS

  • Oregon22 Coaches Club now Online
  • IFAC 2022: The Return of In-Person Conferences (with Virtual option)
  • Here is our 400m Discussion Recording… over 2 Hours Long
  • The Best Free Coaching Book – post Beijing 2022 Olympics
  • The Ultimate 400m Track Webinar for Coaches & Athletes
  • NACAC Athletics Coaching Science Series 2022
  • Top Six 400m Predictor Workouts (Number 4 is my Favourite)
  • Best 6 Podcasts for 2021 (and Beyond)
  • Why Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 400mH WR is my Highlight of 2021
  • Sprinting: 10 Research Articles for Effective Sprint Training [Part 23]

Copyright © 2023. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}