True they aren’t running at MaxV. However they’re not running at 200 pace either. They’re running at 400 pace. So wouldn’t it be their relative SE2 (300-600) capacities that make the difference, since endurance is specific only to the speed it is executed at?
Well, if you are talking about overall 400m preparation then ALL of the required areas should be address.
Don’t forget we were really talking about speed reserve, which is one aspect of the 400m.
This is why I stated earlier that they are really no short cuts, everything must be addressed. ONE of the reasons SE1 is useful for the 400m is because it helps improve speed reserve which helps make the first 200 at a slightly slower pace feel relatively easier.
And, yes SE2 is critical to running the 400, because, as you mentioned, this is where specific endurance qualities are addressed.
SE2 is beyond 45sec
SE1 is 15 to 45 sec
Speed End is 8 to 15 sec
Sounds right.
If someone had to write the “true” definition of SPEED Reserve what would you write?
This is what I am still trying to figure out. Also, can you directly train this component or is this something that is acquired indirectly through something else?
I am not trying to change the subject here but if this is the case as what you just said in the quote, is it better to construct your workouts by distance (4 x 200) or by time (4 x 21 sec. runs)?
Tudor Bompa’s “Theory and Methodology of Training”:
“speed reserve is considered to be the difference between the fastest time achieved on a distance much shorter than the racing distance and the time achieved over the same short distance during a longer race.” [Bompa, 1956]
Also G.Schmolinsky 's “Track and Field” contains a short dissertation on Speed reserve .
If you know what an athlete can run over a certain distance than you would know how far he or she an get in a certain time. Most guys who run the 400 in 54 can only run a fast 300m in 40sec. So if you were planning a schedule, you would know that 300m would be enough. And there are few people who can run a 150 in 15sec. So for most people 15sec would be in the 130 - 140 range. Only those who are running the 200m in 20.xx would be hitting 15sec. And at the same time the faster you get the longer your SE runs have to be. I’ve always done my workouts according to time as well, but they were a little different than what Charlie posted. I’ve always done up to 6sec for speed, 6- 15sec for speed endurance, 15-40 for SE1 & 40+ for SE2. So it’s pretty much the same.
I think it’s reasonable to use time as a guide, and it’s very safe (conservative) to use 6 sec or less to ensure the runs remain alactic, however, wouldn’t it also be conservative to use 8 to 15 sec for speed endurance runs to ensure they are lactic?
Of course. I completely agree. I think going 8sec makes more sense, because the speed that comes 1 or 2sec after 6sec would be mainly because of momentum. So once that ends, it becomes a maintenance issue. The reason I use 6sec is because like you say, it’s safe. But the distances that I use would never be run in 6sec anyway. It’s usually 80m or more for guys & 60m or more for most girls. (70m just seems weird)
I use 15sec because thats around the time where a person starts to noticably feel a drop in speed. When we do runs that are longer than 15sec, the focus is on slowing down as slow as possible. This is usually around the time that a person running the 200m would start to feel a little tired. And it’s also the point at which most 200m races are won or lost.
So is this something that you’d encourage me to start doing when training my athletes, or is it just another viable option? Thoughts and opinions?
Also, just curious. . . . .
How do YOU train your athletes Charlie, by time or by distance? Why?
If I may impart my opinion here-
Speed reserve has to do with the availability of fast-twitch motor units to be recruited throughout the duration of a sprint. As an entirely hypothetical example: if running at a given speed requires 50% of your FT fibers, then you will have 50% of your FT fibers left “in reserve” to take over for the fibers in use when they become fatigued. The more FT fibers you have, the more you can distribute the workload among them, and hence the less work each fiber has to do.
If my theory here is correct, then speed reserve is mostly a genetic quality and not subject to improvement through training. Therefore, I would say that speed reserve is a factor that determines your ultimate capacity for speed endurance
Speed reserve is CLEARLY trainable, as everyone who gets faster through training increases their speed reserve to a given lower output task by definition. Genetics ultimately determine how far the trainability can go.
Charlie, I do not believe this to be true. Simply because an athlete increases his maximum speed does not mean that he will experience a corresponding improvement in speed reserve. During sub-maximal running (i.e. 200m or 400m pace), to which speed reserve is most relevant, maximum velocity is not the limiting factor in the first place. The real issue is energy production capacity. To run at a given speed requires a fixed amount of energy regardless of the athlete’s maximum speed. The fact that the output task decreases is irrelevant. Therefore, even if an athlete improves his maximum velocity, he will still fatigue just as quickly when running at any given speed.
Let me clarify my concept of speed reserve, which would actually be better described as “motor unit reserve”.
I believe that speed reserve primarily has to do with the “pool” of fast-twitch fibers available to contribute to a sprint effort. The nervous system recruits motor units on a rotating basis, replacing fatigued fibers with fresh fibers to delay fatigue by distributing the workload among as many fibers as possible. The more fast-twitch fibers an athlete possesses, the more he will have in “reserve” when running at a given speed.
When you improve maximum speed through sprint training, you don’t increase your number of motor units - you merely improve your nervous system’s ability to recruit them for a brief few seconds.
What are your thoughts on this Charlie?
So you have an athlete who starts at a 26s 200m and over the years drops down to 20s. Now when he runs the first 200m of whatever distance at 26s he is using up the same amount of fast twitch fibers as when his PB was 26? Of course not he’s probably using mostly type 1; it’s tempo! And this is just discussing the “pool” of fast twitch fibers (which can be hypertrophied at the least anyway with proper training), I’m sure there are many other factors at play too since it’s just common sense that when someone makes a large time drop it is easier for them to continue at a submaximal speed than when that was there maximal speed.
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Kevin is this what you mean…
The army can add new troops or “reserves” but if those troops aren’t in shape to handle the battle we’ll still lose. We’ll have more soldiers to spare, but they still need to be prepared for battle.
No, what I mean is that an army with more troops has a natural advantage (greater reserve) regardless of conditioning. The smaller army might be able to beat the larger army if it achieves superior conditioning, but if both armies achieve equal conditioning then the larger army will win.