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Anyone know anything about sprint training?
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So im in my 30's now, nearly 31 and for years have focused on mainly sprint training, im not fast but its the thing im best at as i suck at endurance. However endurance type events (5k) are events i can do where i wont come last since you get all abilities (such as people who walk). With sprinting im last all the time in meets but i have more speed than endurance. Im 14.6 at 100whereas 5k im about 31 mins lol. Id like to improve at 5k as well as sprints however Ive heard that doing long distance runs will hinder sprint speed/fast twitch fibres. What do you think? Could I get better at both with more effort? Or is it a case of picking one or the other?
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There's a trade off between endurance and sprint training.
Ironically its having built up endurance that enables one to do more effective sprint training on account of recovery factors.
The 5k as an event is not strictly endurance as a large %, 30% is in the sprinters realm. Marathons are different altogether.
Its possible to train for both events.
The reason people run 30 mins for 5k isn't a lack of endurance, its a lack of speed and simply not being fit aerobically.
🙂
Sprinters, if seasonal, will train speed-endurance. For instance, summer season (outdoor) sprinters are presently in a period of increasing endurance, though it is still at a good - not top - pace. I'm not sure where all season competitors get their speed endurance - I don't know about their training. Sprint groups in winter training at my club are doing daily easy/steady runs around 15-20 mins, with a long weekend run presently about 30-35 mins. There is also regular cross-country racing, and where nothing else is on in the week a Saturday morning parkrun (5k) is recommended. I'm not saying that this is what Usain Bolt does, though as he started in Middle Distance he probably had a good aerobic base at one stage, and maybe still does.
Of course, going for a 5k run doesn't necessarily mean you're training for a 5k race. There are huge differences in the requirements for 5k racing and 100m racing, and therefore the optimal training is entirely different - if you are purely focussing on being your absolute best at one or the other. Whether you could get better at both with more effort does depend on the effort you are putting in now, whether it is the most, and more importantly the smartest, that you are able to afford.
ok thanks. I thought 5k was endurance because its not sprinting or middle distance. Ive read that any type of distance can reduce power and fast twitch fibres.