Race recovery

[Thomas]

Perhaps this question is a bit rhetorical and overly answered but here goes anyway.

Why is it that one track athlete can run multiple, close-to PBs on any given day, plus other races. For example in one day, open 400, 4 x 400 leg and 4 x 100 leg two days in a row. Compared to another track athlete who runs only an open PB 800 on Friday and an 800 leg of the distance medley and can’t come close to a PB.

The biggest reason I hear is the athlete “has no heart” or “not in shape”. This seems like the easy answer as there is no thought involved and doesn’t require much analytical thinking to come to this conclusion.

Other factors:

Can’t recover.
Training non-specific to racing demands. Multiple events.
Hormonal
Nutrition
Sleep
Overtrained
Injuries
Racing experience

I know the answer or answers are in the question. Maybe all this rain in the the East has given me a brain cramp.

[Palmtag]

The 800 is one of the most brutal races out there, and it requires a monster athlete to run well 2 days in a row, but I understand where you’re coming from. It takes a serious overdistance program to be able to manage doubles and triples of PB quality, and usually the second and third PB’s aren’t what that runner was really capeable of. It could also be that I’m a half miler and I lover over distance. It’s good for you Or it could be all that rain in the east…