Hi Charlie/anyone knowledgeable,
I have read enough to know that you guys recommend grass for tempo. But what about for speed training. Is a soft grass surface preferable to a running track when doing speed training (e.g., flying 30’s, along with starts, etc.), or is a harder surface, such as a running track preferable? I ask this because there are lush green parks/fields all around where I live, while the nearest running track is a fair distance away/a bit more of a hassle.
I was also thinking that, because the weight room I use is at the running track, but grass is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, c ould it work with me doing MORE speed sessions on grass (e.g. 2 on a speed day), theoretically because the surface is less taxing on the cns, and i would be dropping the weights? What would you suggest?
Stay off the grass it will just make you sloooowwwwww downnnnn mannnnnnn.
Oh, I see what you mean. Soft tracks save on your legs but make you work a bit harder. Run on grass tracks for your tempo or any session where you don’t need to hit top gear. If you must do your high velocity sessions on grass, make sure the surface is firm and the grass preferably short and rolled. If you’re working on some maximum velocity sprints over 10 to 20m, find the edge of a cricket pitch (there should be some in East Africa).
Two speed sessions on the same day? That’s begging for trouble. Do what you need to do in one session and give your body time to recover properly, at least 48hrs if you’re referring to max velocity sprints.
There are many things you can do on grass, but if you must do max velocity then make sure you have screwed in your long spikes for decent traction. One slip at top speed on grass and it’s all over.
We used to do speed work on grass in the short-to-long system and it worked well for us but in limited periods. The transition seemed to work very well onto the track sessions.
An example is the training camp period (just under three weeks) in Nov/Dec 1986, which converted rapidly into performance by Jan 1987- 6.51 opener by Ben in Dec 86 and 6.44wr and 9.7ht easing off in Jan 87.
I’ll be discussing this in detail at the seminar in Utah in March.
Thanks for the quick reply, Charlie and others. I have considered doing multiple (2-3) speed sessions, where I just do flying 30’s for maybe 5 reps, come back in another few hours, repeat the same, and then finally come back one last time, and repeat the workout. As soon as I feel fatigue or even CLOSE to a drop-off, I end the session, only to return a few hours later. The idea would be a mimic of the Bulgarian weight-training session. But I am also happy to drop this idea, and stick with the traditional every 48 hours approach, if people think that will bring faster results.
I am curious about these training camps, Charlie. What did they involve (work wise/time wise). Also, what kind of grass did Ben/etc. do speed on in 87 (eg soft grass, short grass, tough grass)? Thanks heaps.
When you are prepared to hear what you don’t WANT to hear, then you are pretty close to finding the truth.