Best distance for speed endurance

With all the talk about speed endurance I’m now confused about what distances to actually train.

For 200m are distances above 200 but below about 250 best, and for 100m are distances above 100 but below about 150 best?

OR can repetitive distances at or below the race distance be used effectively?

That’d be more like special endurance, where for a 200m runner you’d do something like 2x300m. Please correct me if I’m wrong guys, but speed endurance for a 200m runner could be a number of 150m reps (say 6-8), and for 100m you’d do 80m reps.

Currently for me, my speed endurance is something like this

2 x 3 x 60m with 2-3 minutes between reps and 10 minutes between sets.

Would you consider special endurance session something like 2 x 80m with 15 minutes recovery.

In my current fitness I would struggle with that let alone 150’s

There are a variety of approaches. How about posting some examples for each event (and doublers).

In my current program for 100 m…I might go with 10x80 meters or 3x 30,60,80. For 200m I like to go with distances between 90 and 150. Example. 3x90,120,150.

Training at less than race distance for reps seems very different from training above race distance with regards to energy systems and metabolic by-products.

When training below the distance the energy systems (ie. free ATP, PCr, glycolysis, krebs cycle, ETC) will probably be completely recovered by the next rep. However, the metabolites involved in causing fatigue (ie. lactate, H ions, free P, IMP, ammonia) maybe still be having effect, although certain metabolites more than others.

Therefore, training below the distance may not optimally prepare the muscles for fatigue resistance in terms of the energy systems, and it is doubtful that it will in terms of all metabolites. Training above the distance may optimally prepare the muscles for both energy system and metabolite fatigue resistance.

Any views?

Just because free ATP and PCr finish after a certain amount of seconds (or not) does not mean glycolysis has not started. Each energy system overlaps. Glycolysis starts as soon as the muscles have been developed to start it, which can be soon after a second, even though ATP and PCr are activated. Also PCr actually helps to provide energy for most if not all of the 400m, it just diminishes throughout.

Training past the race distance ensures full development of each energy system throughout each motor unit in terms of their capacity to produce energy as quickly as possible.

True.

Probably best to train under and over distance

One of my favourite speed endurance workouts

150
90 secs rest
4x40
20 sec rest between each 40
90 secs rest
150

1-3 depends on the athlete

Luc
:smiley:

Originally posted by DMA
Currently for me, my speed endurance is something like this

2 x 3 x 60m with 2-3 minutes between reps and 10 minutes between sets.

Would you consider special endurance session something like 2 x 80m with 15 minutes recovery.

In my current fitness I would struggle with that let alone 150’s

DMA, with your fitness not at the right level for sprinting (you only just finished throwing right?), you probably shouldn’t look at special endurance for a while yet.

Ok instead of doing sepcial endurance sessions, is it wiser or better to replace with a speed session or speed endurance session.

This is the part that confuses me the most, for a beginner or intermediate sprinter, what is more important special endurance or speed endurance training.

Special endurance done at close to max intensity with long recoveries or speed endurance done at lower intensity with shorter recoveries.

For a beginning or intermediate athlete, they can handle more volume of speed work since their CNS is not as developed. Since speed is the name of the game, I would take another speed day.

Originally posted by dlive11
For a beginning or intermediate athlete, they can handle more volume of speed work since their CNS is not as developed. Since speed is the name of the game, I would take another speed day.
What do you define as more volume? U mean more volume than what elite sprinters could do? For example could a beginning or intermediate sprinter do more voulme of speed work than the speed volume graph in CFTS(2200m/wk-3300m/wk with sp end.)?

So should beginning and intermediate sprinnters do 3 speed days per week? What about speed endurance runs?

I dont particularly mean volume in meters per workout, or week. I mean that they can go with less rest, and that the speed session done in one day will not be as taxing on the CNS in a beginner as it would an elite.

I think that speed endurance runs should stay in the mix. It depends on the athlete’s situation, on what you may want to implement. If you notice that an athlete cannot hold proper form past 40m, why go any further? Just an opinion.

One more question, how would beginning and intermediate sprinters be classified as time-wise?(11seconds?)

Dlive

So with sprint session for beginners. Say they do 400m total in a speed session, they could do that a couple of times a week, whereas an elite sprinter who might be doing 600m wouldn’t be able to do as many sessions.

It still leaves the question of speed and special endurance, when it should be done and how do you know when to introduce it.

I just read your last reply whilst typing about keeping form. So you are saying if the athlete can keep form over a progressively increasing distance then they are ready?

Honestly,
I would mark it at training age and not times put up as much.
Someone may be as fast they can ever get (thanks to genetics), but have a high level of training therefore needed more rest, etc.
(hope that makes sense, getting late :smiley:

Thanks, I know what u mean!:slight_smile: