Kenyon Drake Tweet

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,147
44,866
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
In my opinion, this would be a pretty tough workout, especially if the coaches want it to be a conditioning workout. I've run track as a distance runner in high school and college, and I coach XC/track now. This would be a tough workout for anyone, especially considering the rest is only :30 seconds. It would be tough on distance runners because they don't normally have the fast-twitch muscles that sprinters do. It's tough on the sprinters because of how many they would have to do. It's tough on the big guys because they have to carry that extra weight.

The workout would start as an anaerobic workout, forcing the body into oxygen debt. But, due to the number of intervals, it turns into an aerobic workout in the end. So it's a conditioning workout that is working two different body energy systems. Great, great workout. My distance runners would accomplish the same kind of workout doing 200-400 meter hill repeats, or doing ladders at race pace with only a 1:1 or 1:.5 rest.
i have done a ton of long distance running and speed work just destroys me, ill be more sore after a speed workout (don't do very many) than a long run. i would be wrecked for a few days if i ran 16 110 sprints at full speed.

for strength/speed, i generally run the hills hard and recover on the down hills (luckily, i live in a very hilly neighborhood). when I'm doing these runs, i get my recovery time down pretty low, but even then, i can't do the sprints.

by ladders, do you mean something like 4x400, 4x800, 4x1200, 4x1600, 4x1200, 4x800, 4x400?
 

gman4tide

All-SEC
Nov 21, 2005
1,906
442
107
55
Flint Creek
Don't remember the time they had to be run, but my jr year in high school (a LONG time ago), our conditioning test was 40 40 yard sprints 30 seconds apart. 11 am one nice and humid august morning! Like others, i run a good bit now, but sprints kill me.
 

cbi1972

Hall of Fame
Nov 8, 2005
18,139
1,295
182
51
Birmingham, AL
You aren't 20 years-old, either...
I remember trying to play Ultimate Frisbee a few years after graduating college and if you told my older self he used to play this game all afternoon in high school, he would laugh in your face if he didn't know it was true.

edit: pronouns
 
Last edited:

CaliforniaTide

All-American
Aug 9, 2006
3,618
14
57
Huntsville, AL
by ladders, do you mean something like 4x400, 4x800, 4x1200, 4x1600, 4x1200, 4x800, 4x400?
With my distance runners, my ladders tend to be 500, 400, 300, 200, 300, 400, 500 or 1000, 800, 400, 800, 1000 - all done at race pace. It's more for trying to simulate how they will feel during the actual race. Kicks anyone's butt in my opinion.
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,147
44,866
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
With my distance runners, my ladders tend to be 500, 400, 300, 200, 300, 400, 500 or 1000, 800, 400, 800, 1000 - all done at race pace. It's more for trying to simulate how they will feel during the actual race. Kicks anyone's butt in my opinion.
thanks, i hadn't heard of them that way. if i ever decide its smart to do speed work again, i may give that a shot :)
 

CaliforniaTide

All-American
Aug 9, 2006
3,618
14
57
Huntsville, AL
thanks, i hadn't heard of them that way. if i ever decide its smart to do speed work again, i may give that a shot :)
I forgot to add that your rest is 1:1 in this workout. So, if you 1:30 for your 500, you get that much rest before the 400. If you run 1:15 for the 400, you get that much rest for the 300, so on and so forth.
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,147
44,866
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
I forgot to add that your rest is 1:1 in this workout. So, if you 1:30 for your 500, you get that much rest before the 400. If you run 1:15 for the 400, you get that much rest for the 300, so on and so forth.
thanks, i've always heard of folks doing 1:1 rests on these. i have a lot of ultra running friends (the guys who actually race those things) who do those long ladders and say it really helps on the speed over distance. me, i just plod

several years ago i read a book by a british guy from the 50's or 60's who was a marathoner/ultrarunner and his workouts were insane. can't remember his name, but he was regularly doing 200ish miles per week. he did really well for about 4 or so years then burned out.
 
Last edited:

CoachJeff

Suspended
Jan 21, 2014
3,596
3,654
187
Shelby County Alabama
While we're reminiscing I'll say the two hardest workouts I ever did wee sprints up the BDS spirals and 200s in :30 with :30 standing rest. We were supposed to do as many 200s as we could. I did 5 I think. It was murder. I was Ina group with a future NCAA champ/record holder/Olympian and another guy that made the trials. It killed everyone. What made it so hard is that the rest was left. Usually people day they get x for recovery but it's more than that. We had a whistle going off every 60" exactly so there was no extra rest... Unless you wanted to run your 200m faster, but that wasn't a good idea.
 

Superdad

1st Team
Sep 17, 2009
377
244
67
I can do the shuttle from my La-Z-Boy to the bathroom, to the kitchen, & back in 3 minutes flat.
 

CaliforniaTide

All-American
Aug 9, 2006
3,618
14
57
Huntsville, AL
thanks, i've always heard of folks doing 1:1 rests on these. i have a lot of ultra running friends (the guys who actually race those things) who do those long ladders and say it really helps on the speed over distance. me, i just plod

several years ago i read a book by a british guy from the 50's or 60's who was a marathoner/ultrarunner and his workouts were insane. can't remember his name, but he was regularly doing 200ish miles per week. he did really well for about 4 or so years then burned out.
I think the ultra-marathoners are crazy, but it's still impressive. I was burned out after running roughly 90-110 MPW in junior college and at Alabama. I'm just now getting back into some running because I want to stay healthy, but I have no desire to run the kind of mileage I did in college.
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,147
44,866
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
I think the ultra-marathoners are crazy, but it's still impressive. I was burned out after running roughly 90-110 MPW in junior college and at Alabama. I'm just now getting back into some running because I want to stay healthy, but I have no desire to run the kind of mileage I did in college.
most of us are just more stubborn than smart. ;)

now, i am not running as much as usual these days, but if i am racing regularly (5-6 times a year) i don't have to put in massive weekly miles to stay in race shape. granted, I'm not trying to win, but just to finish in a decent spot, but i have been able to race at that level on 2 or so LSD runs a month and a couple of maintenance runs during the week and I'm never pushing a pace (there is rarely a time when you need to pull out a sub 6 mile in a trail ultra), you just have to grind out the miles.

i also do most of my long milage on trails which helps a lot physically (the pounding of the pavement) and mentally (the tedium of the pavement)
 

92tide

TideFans Legend
May 9, 2000
58,147
44,866
287
54
East Point, Ga, USA
most of us are just more stubborn than smart. ;)

now, i am not running as much as usual these days, but if i am racing regularly (5-6 times a year) i don't have to put in massive weekly miles to stay in race shape. granted, I'm not trying to win, but just to finish in a decent spot, but i have been able to race at that level on 2 or so LSD runs a month and a couple of maintenance runs during the week and I'm never pushing a pace (there is rarely a time when you need to pull out a sub 6 mile in a trail ultra), you just have to grind out the miles.

i also do most of my long milage on trails which helps a lot physically (the pounding of the pavement) and mentally (the tedium of the pavement)
the guys i know who are running at the top are usually good for 1-2 (maybe 3 in a good year) top performances a year and a lot of them burn out after 4-5 years.
 

theBIGyowski

All-American
Aug 4, 2005
3,645
35
67
42
Cumming, GA
While we're reminiscing I'll say the two hardest workouts I ever did wee sprints up the BDS spirals and 200s in :30 with :30 standing rest. We were supposed to do as many 200s as we could. I did 5 I think. It was murder. I was Ina group with a future NCAA champ/record holder/Olympian and another guy that made the trials. It killed everyone. What made it so hard is that the rest was left. Usually people day they get x for recovery but it's more than that. We had a whistle going off every 60" exactly so there was no extra rest... Unless you wanted to run your 200m faster, but that wasn't a good idea.
Those were my favorite workouts to watch...from the top of the spirals. Good 'ol off-season workouts.
 

Latest threads

TideFans.shop : 2024 Madness!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a>
<br />

<!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \-->
<p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.