On races from the 1500m-10,000m you only use 5-20% of your energy delivery systems from the ATP-CP (Mathews and Fox 1976). Are those stores used right away at the start? Or can they be used in a spurt in the middle of the race or a kick at the finish? Can you use some say 3 seconds at the start and have 3 seconds left at the finish?
You use this energy system when you make a sudden kick in the race, or get out at the beginning, or sprinting in the last meters of the race. You rebuild the ATP, so it is not that you only have 6 seconds total in the race to use it.
We have been seeing a few questions on distance training, so why not have a new thread on this topic? I know it is not sprint-based, but it we do have members or visitors on the forum that have backgrounds in this subject.
i agree. this is a sprint forum, but i personally have a number of distance related questions, especially concerning the training of a 200/400 runner vs. a 400/800 runner vs. 800/1500 runner. I see a lot of coaches treating the 400 like a distance event and neglecting speed work for 400/800 types.
good point Magico, there are many coaches out there that use distance to “build” for the 400. But, I think that as coaches we are exposed to various traning questions and situations, so why not be versed in all aspects of track and field.
dlive:
“You rebuild the ATP, so it is not that you only have 6 seconds total in the race to use it..”
“PC reformation requires ATP and occurs only during recovery from exercise” (Powers & Howley). So,is that ATP coming from another system? Or can it really reform during a race when the other energy systems are working and the ATP-CP phase is “at rest”?
I also would like to see a distance thread made. Being a high school coach, I have or will have plenty of other questions that all won’t be sprint related and I know I can trust the members here for their opinions and ideas.
Fluke,
Good question. To answer your question (I think), the reactions of ATP and phosphocreatine hydrolysis are reversible, and when energy is readily available from other sources (aerobic metabolism in the mitochondria), creatine and phosphate (derived from ATP breakdown) can be rejoined to form phosphocreatine.