Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

Faster or slower is just math, not an insult…

400stud,
That wasnt a personal comment negativly directed towards you. It was just a fact that unless you are an elite athlete the faster you can run the more your CNS is taxed. So no matter how fast an 11.40 runner is runnning he cannot tax his CNS to the same extent that a 10.40 runner can. And a 10.40 runner cannot tax his CNS the same as a sub 10 runner can.

Although he was not directly talking about you he may have though of you when writing that knowing what your P.R.'s are. However its foolish to take offense to a simple fact.

I'm tired of being called slow because I'm not an elite level athlete. I wasn't too offended until you said "simple fact". 

Yeah, well I bust my ass a hell of a lot harder than a lot of other people who are faster so my times mean more to me than them.  It's called pride and mine just got shot. 

If you just stopped at this paragraph:

It was just a fact that unless you are an elite athlete the faster you can run the more your CNS is taxed. So no matter how fast an 11.40 runner is runnning he cannot tax his CNS to the same extent that a 10.40 runner can. And a 10.40 runner cannot tax his CNS the same as a sub 10 runner can.

everything would have been alright.  But you had to throw in the "simple fact" and now I'm pissed.  I will take my sorry ass times anyday as long as I earned them rather than if I just walked out on the track with no effort and busted a fast time. 

I'm old fashioned…work comes before play and anything worth having is worth working for.  So, I will take my "slow" times anyday as long as I earned them. 

I'm going to go lift and blow off some steam.

:flaming::splat::mad:

400Stud,
I did not call you slow or imply that you are slow. However with the times that you are running you cannot tax your CNS as much as an elite athlete so you can do more static work.

Easy fellas…

Let's get back on track…take the personal stuff off-line.

Originally posted by QUIKAZHELL
400Stud,
I did not call you slow or imply that you are slow. However with the times that you are running you cannot tax your CNS as much as an elite athlete so you can do more static work.

That's cool.  Maybe next time you can be a little more clear to avoid misunderstandings.

Originally posted by JJ
Let's get back on track

No pun intended right?  :saint:

400stud,
You can actually use this advice to your advantage. That is, because your hard days may not be quite as taxing as an elite sprinter's hard days; you could, if the underlying fitness base was present, conceivably do more frequent intense sessions than your elite counterparts…..and make up some of the difference between you and your elite counterpart :saint:.

Getting back to the original question by 400stud…..

Originally posted by 400Stud
But, what about DOMS?  I use a long static stretching routine after every workout and it does two things:

1) Reduces or eliminates andy DOMS.  In the early season I will still have some, but it's not as bad.

2) It relaxes the muscles.  I don't go home all tense and what not because I have taken the time to relax and cooldown and it is a good way to bring your body back down from a "working" state.

Research does not support your views and in fact is often contrary to it. On point number 1, static stretching hasn't been indicated as being a benefit to any kind of soreness that I know of and has in fact been implicated in causing soreness in some cases. As for point number 2, this may be the case if you have actually learned or inherently "know" how to relax your muscles while stretching. For many people though, static stretching may in fact cause their muscles to tense (opposite of loose ) due to the load or rate of stretch placed on the muscle.

Just something to think about.

Imagine a bed that hasn't been made…it's crinkled and wavy….pull it and it smothens out but it is tighter….

As for stretching and soreness, their has been research on cryostretching and improving symptoms of pain, but focus on the training load first.

Mike -

1) Are you suggesting that I might be able to get away with performing 4 hard/CNS taxing days a week since they do not tax my body as much as someone faster?

2) I, from personal experience, know that stretching after a workout can help…me.  Not everyone is the same.  I think it is kind of mental.  If you learn to relax and let your body sort of stretch itself, then stretching post-workout will not be detrimental.  When I stretch after,  I only hold it for 15 seconds and I breathe and relax and let my body just "chill".  I don't force the stretches at all.  Now if I were to hold the stretch for 30-60 sec. as recommended by my coaches, then that would be bad.  But, I only hold it for 15-20secs. MAX and that is how I know it will help. 

I see exactly what you are saying, but I know that it helps me out.  Plus add in a couple of strides afterwards and I'm good to go.

What would you recommend instead that might be better for someone like myself?

Originally posted by 400Stud
Mike -

1) Are you suggesting that I might be able to get away with performing 4 hard/CNS taxing days a week since they do not tax my body as much as someone faster?

Maybe, you'd have to experiment with it.

As for stretching, if you feel it relaxes you then it's doing its job. The psychological benefit of something can be just as important as the physical effect of it (good or bad). Also, like you hinted, for people who know how to stretch, it can be quite beneficial if not overdone.

I might try it, but I don't know if I could handle running fast for 4 days.

I love running fast, but knowing how I am going to feel after doing 4 hard days in a week, I don't know if I would be able to handle it. 

If I did do it, how would you set it up for Pre-Comp.?:

Monday - Speed
Tuesday - Tempo
Wednesday - SE1
Thursday - Tempo
Friday - Speed
Sat. - SE2
Sun. - Rest

That is one why I saw it…how would you suggest? 

I was thinking of only doing this for Pre-Comp. because GPP and SPP I am building up to shape and developing speed and endurance qualities, and during the Competitive phase I would only want to go 3x a week to avoid burnout. 

What do you think?  Could I get away with 4x a week during Pre-Comp. and Comp.?  How would you set it up? 

Thanks.

That's probably about how I would do it. Like I said, you'd know better than me whether you can handle that. If you want to discuss this further, please start another thread so we can stay semi "on-topic" here :D.