It was mentioned earlier about the speeds of the runs between the bounds and drills.
Can someone (athletics coach?) suggest what a typical session would look like - sets/reps/bound/run/drill distances
Also would like to look at the speed of the run - ExT pace was mentioned earlier?
Suggested progressions?
I think it is good stuff and would like some more ideas about its use and progression.
Perhaps a rule of thumb might be, run at a pace that allows the running As at the end to be completed with good form and begin to pick up the pace in a fashion that maintains that ability.
The longer this work is maintained in the program, the faster that pace will get.
2-3 sets. Intermediate + advanced 400/400h athletes should have no problem with 3. Breaks between are @7-8min. As bounds get longer, the runs get shorter. Running A’s get longer, but only as much as I feel that the athlete can maintain form. The run segment begins at@75% and as Charlie noted, get proportionally faster as the distance shortens and fitness is gained. I also throw in ab work at the end of the running A’s.
Hope that this helps.
Yeah thats good thanks. By 2-3 sets you mean the bound/run/drill = 1 set? Just to make sure! I did 100m run A’s last week just to see what it was like and how long it took - 66sec of pretty hard labour! Got to about 40m and started to wobble but held together - just. So its looking like about 6sec per 10m which makes the whole of the set pretty long, which I like.
The jump-run-bound circuit is a continuum. Very short break between each, maybe 5-10sec. It’s 2-3x of the entirety.
The furthest that I take them on the running A’s is 60m. It is very tough.
Do you feel that circuit directly improves performance, or does it serve to enhance the quality of later special endurance training? Both?
A bit of both. I think that there’s good transference between the long bounds and performance. The greater value is as a bridge to SE though, IMO.
This type of session can take on a number of different forms. The first work of this type that I prescribed were Loren Seagrave’s “triangle runs” which I still like and will throw in for variation. The next were Seagrave’s version of the drill/jump/run circuit which I don’t like mostly due to the extended length of the running and ensuing potential for bad foot strikes.
Here’s link to one more variation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcLFGwVIeW4
I like this because the exercises are simple to master. For those who stuck indoors it looks like a good session.
I understand the bridge comment, but isn’t sprinting the sole bridge between itself and all other activities or points on the curve?
Thanks, that helps a lot.
I would agree that according to Charlie that is likely the case. My statement was that the jump/run/drill circuit acts as a bridge to SE, which is, in a L-to-S program more removed from pure sprinting.
In general though, I view jumps work as sitting someplace between general strength (weights) and sprinting. I have gotten much better results when I have taken this approach. It is simply my opinion based not only on my experience and that of other coaches that I know and respect and not meant to argumentative.
can you expand on what the difference between these is? 
The running high knees would be more of a focus on knee lift with the foot coming more or less in an up and down action, while the running As still have the same high knee but also have a heel recovery under the hips and more or a cycle action stepping down with the foot.
In simple terms the running A is more like running (cyclical action) while the high knees are a bit more like driving (piston action).
That’s right, straight up under the butt and not flicked behind like some still do. 
Because you don’t have the travel through the air of a running stride, I always kept the foot directly below the knee at all times and i didn’t have two different types.
OK I had a look thru the SPEED POWER video to review the technique and I have been looking at it as pretty much where you go into the B from the A. This really works the hammies done in this way so I guess it is a variation on a theme to possibly use in the combination sets.
charlie, what dictates how far the split runs should be? i mean if I want to break down the 2x300m session of spec end into say 2x5x60m with 90s/20 mins rec…but when should it be 2x3x100m with 90s/20 mins rec? does the length of the split run mainly depend on the age of the athlete and how fast they are? I mean the slower the athlete the shorter (down to 60m) should the split run be? I guess it also depends on how much room you have…
Is there a thread that discusses the application of split runs? When to start using them, what the intensity levels are, how to split them up, etc…?
depends- S-to-L? L-to-S? Indoors for some of the SPP? Generally, the more you expect performance to shift (an honest assessment!!!), the shorter the splits might be and the higher the athlete’s level, the longer they’d start out- cause there’s less performance difference possible.
So, when there’s lots of room for improvement, you might start 300s as 2 x (5x60). Top athletes might start 2 x (150+150, or 200+100). In any event, by the end of the SPP, you obviously must be able to complete the whole run, so you need to figure what your progression will be to get there.
you can check out the SPP lecture series to help with your planning.
I’m having trouble planning my S to L GPP. I have everything else down but this will be my 1st year using a S to L and I am stumped.