Relax and Focus

Tonight, a speed work-out at the track following a 1.5 mile warm up.

I've done this speed training before as part of my soccer prep. It consists of interval work and a series of sprints at 100 and 50 meters. The intervals are housed inside 2400 meters (6 laps) at 200 meter upticks in pace and then active recovery.

I use it for soccer because I train my lungs to accelerate and then recover while still running. For triathlon training, I'm using this particular technique to shock my lungs out of the sustained-running pattern and adjust to the increases in need for oxygen.

It's just a complicated way of saying I'm changing things up for my body.

The sprints are strictly for building strength. I flow into the sprint, meaning I don't start from a cold stop. I jog into the 100 meters and then break it down into 3 segments.

First 25 meters, building up to a good speed, powering through the start and really pushing off. The next 25 I work my arms and start to straighten through the stride. The remaining 50 I relax and keep my speed steady.

The 50 meter sprints are mostly focused on generating power at the start. I work through the same cycle as the 100's, working on starting low and generating as much burst as I can, then straighten up and I pull off at 50 meters.

As much effort as I put into this workout, I really focus on relaxing and staying loose throughout the workout. I have a tendency to tighten up (I think I mentioned this in my first or second post) while running, and I'll get pains in my shoulders and shins. With so much movement required in the sprints, I just concentrate on not tightening up to keep the energy flowing where it needs to.