There’s a lot of info in those links for sure, though it’s not always so easy to get to it. The first link is managed by an individual who would like you to buy a lactate meter, so there is a little bias there. The second and third links are very long message board threads, but if you check them out you could really just read the posts by Renato Canova…he’s an italian coach/consultant to many Kenyan runners.
Thank you for your suggestions and throw anything else on the board if it comes up; I’ll really have to monitor things closely this season to find the best mix for maintaining the speed reserve while simultaneously building the long special endurance.
Aerobic endurance - last as long as you can before lactic acid is needed.
Top Speed - if you cant run 12sec 100, you wont be able to even run a 52sec 400.
Speed reserve - if you can run a 11sec 100m, but cant even run a 50sec 400! your in trouble
Repeatable 400m speed strength - if you can run a 400m in 50sec, rest, then run in 55sec, then rest the run in 58sec, you are very out of shape.
I have had top speed and speed reserve in abundance before, but no aerobic endurance and got flogged after 600m. Remember, the race starts at 600m. And i would doubt very much if MJ could pass 600m. To many sprinters falter after 600m because of there lack of any Aerobic base preperation. Sprinting with massive recovery does not create aerobic endurance. Dam, doing 10 200’s in 30s with 2min recovery as in tempo is good for a sprinter, but not anywhere where you need to be for a good 800m runner. Really, sprinting is a holiday compared to hard 800m training. To be good that is.
The reason I ranked lactate threshold as the #1 of a 400/800 athlete is because it is the primary energy system stressed by both the 400 and the 800. Now top speed is one of the essential components, but in order to maximize top speed in botht he 800 and the 400 you need to have speed endurance. That’s why I ranked speed endurance above top speed, because an athlete can have good top speed and if they’ve got GREAT speed endurance they can utilize that average top speed for both a good 400 and 800.
you keep referring to Lactate Threshold and it gets confusing a bit…
“…, but in order to maximise top speed in both the 800 and the 400, you need to have speed endurance”; i thought it was the other way round… what do you mean by that?
if you mean special endurance, with good accel in place, you are fine to start working on this as well…
sigh this is why I only get B-'s on my English grades… I have a hard time saying EXACTLY what I mean to say. I keep referring to lactate threshold, but as I said earlier, but probably didn’t say very clearly, I’m really trying to refer to the ENTIRE anearobic (lactate) energy system. As far as the term “speed endurance” goes, well… I’ve always been pretty flexible with the use of this word. Let me just pull out my CFTS… haven’t read the danm thing in one or fifteen weeks… Yah, by CF’s definition I mean specifically special endurance.
