Long Sprint - Covid 19 Shut Down Guidelines

Long Sprinters:

We are off to the best start we've ever been off to.  6 Boys made milkshake marks for the 800 in the first 3 meets!  That means by historical standards, we have 6 in the top 6 of the TVL.  We're doing great in the 400 and the mile also.  We need to keep that going!  We need to think positively that this panic will pass once we understand what we are up against and that the CIF will allow the resumption of sports once we have passed April 19th.  Let's look at the most important factors in your training and you can figure out how to make a plan that works for you for the next month

If you cannot get access to a track, these workouts can be done on the roads.  If you live out in LaGrange, Hickman, or Roberts Ferry, Hill repeats can replace many of the sessions below.

Important Factors (in order of importance) for this point of the season

1. Aerobic Power -  You can develop aerobic power in many ways, but the standard plan is to run intervals of 2-4 minutes at vVO2 max.  You may have noticed that we did 600s at vV02 3 weeks ago and 800s at vV02 last week.  This week would have been another session of 800s at vVO2 and then we would probably move to 1000s at the same pace.  Because you are mid distance runners, you can afford to do these right at 6 minute test pace, but because you're doing them faster than we did during cross or faster than the distance group would be doing them, you can take more rest.  A solid varsity boy Long Sprint Aerobic power might go.  Warm Up, Drills, 3 x 50 (70-80-90).  Change to spikes. 50m sprint.  Catch your breath, get a drink then 5 x 800 @ 2:26-2:28 with 4 minutes of rest.
2. Anaerobic Power - The workouts we've done with very fast 250s -300s are designed to develop this characteristics.  Since you are putting out VERY high power outputs in these workouts, the total volume can be very small and the rest can be very long.  This is why we rested 8 minutes in between the last 300s we did. 
3. Aerobic Endurance - In all honesty, this factor could still be listed as number one on our list.  You gain aerobic endurance by doing your distance runs.  Your easy mileage should still make up the backbone of your training.  Focus on doing runs of 20-40 minutes at an easy pace to maintain the aerobic endurance you've built
4. Anaerobic Endurance (Lactate Tolerance) - We have not done much of this in training yet.  The session of 5 x 500 at goal mile race pace was geared to start developing Anaerobic Endurance.  You can approach these sessions in 2 ways. A) Do long repetions of 500-800m at faster than mile race pace with long recoveryies (like the 5x500 session we did) or B) Do shorter reps (200-400m) with short recovery.  Most of you are familiar with our 20 x 200 @ mile race pace with 30-40 seconds recovery....That is designed to develop Anaerobic Endurance. 
5. Top Speed We spent a lot of time working on top speed early in the semester.  Now we simply need to try to maintain what we've built and develop the fitness that will allow us to use that speed at the end of a race. A couple of top speed 50m sprints as we transition from warm up to workout once or twice a week should be fine to maintain your top speed.

Putting it all together (14 day block)

There are too many factors to fit into a one week block.  Most elite athetetes train in 10-14 day blocks (or microcycles as we call them in the biz).  For the most part, you guys have been on a 14 day block this year.

Week 1 (Key sessions only)

• Aerobic Power - as described in #1 above
• Aerobic Endurance - Warm up. 3 x 50 sprint.  6k progression in Arb or on roads.
• Anaerobic Power/Aerobic Endurance - Warm up. 1200-800-400 @ 90% vVO2 with 1 min recovery, 2x350 at 400m goal pace.  Full recovery.

Week 2

• Anaerobic Endurance - 5 x 600 @ goal mile race pace, 4-5 min recovery or 20 x 200 @ goal mile race pace with 30-40 seconds recovery.  
• Aerobic Power/Aerobic Endurance - 5-6 x 3 min @ 90% vVO2 embedded into a 40-50 min run.
• Race simulation @ 3/4 goal race distance. followed by easy 200s or easy fartlek.

The rest of your sessions you should fill in with easy running, strides, drills, lunges, stretching.....

DO NOT BE AFFRAID TO DOUBLE.  It is an easy way to maintain your training volume.  Plus 2 very easy runs have a much greater restorative effect than on longer, easy run.