In this issue:  

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World Championship MVP

By now, the 2011 World Championships in Daegu are a distant memory. For others, they are getting ready for Zurich, Rieti, or Brussels.

There were a lot of highlights, controversies, and exciting head-to-head matchups… something that is lacking in most meets nowadays.

My favourite moment?

It wasn’t Usain Bolt’s 200m or 4x100m World Record relay. It wasn’t the false start controversy of the 100m, nor the collisions in the 110m hurdles or 4x100m relay.

My winner has to go with Sally Pearson and the 100m hurdles. In case you missed it, here it is on YouTube.

The high hurdles are a combination of technical perfection as well as speed and power. You need both, and Sally is a master of all.  Speed and Power hurdlers want to “nail the start”, but there are dangers of crashing into the first hurdle. Great technicians appear to run faster and faster as the race goes on, rarely knock down hurdles, and rely on patience if behind.

Other than the pole vault, hammer throw, and triple jump (which were all included to equal the men’s events), all of the world records were set pre-1988 well before the out-of-competition drug testing with the exception of 400mH.

 

Sally came close to breaking the WR (12.28 vs. 12.21), and her run was simply a beauty to watch. Track and field is no longer limited to the Men’s 100m and Women’s Pole Vault for world records.

When you think about it, USA’s Gail Devers had PRs of 10.82 and 12.33 for the 100m and 100mH.  What was her true 100mH potential?  Sally Pearson has PR’s of 11.14 and 12.28. There will come a day when someone has “the right stuff” and run a 11.99 for the 100mH. One day…

 

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Low Hurdles: Preview Jim Hiserman’s new book

Speaking of hurdles, there isn’t a complete book of training that solely focuses on the 400 meter hurdles. There are lots of great chapters scattered in several books, as well as web sites. (i.e. SpeedEndurance?)

Jim Hiserman, author of books Program Design Method for Sprints & Hurdle Training and Strength and Power for Maximum Speed, will be releasing his new book shortly, and I am proud to preview his first chapter.

Click here to download Chapter 1 in PDF (or right-click and choose "Save As", or go to the website for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)

Being September, it’s a great read as it discusses some important factors in identifying 400 meter hurdlers.

 

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The Achilles series, postponed until next month

I had a lot of great feedback on the Achilles series, but the next 4 or 5 parts will have to wait until next month.

If you are a new subscriber, you can view the past newsletter on Achilles Injuries on the right column.

 

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Best of August 2010

As always, here are the best articles for August 2010.

Onwards to 2012,

Jimson Lee
SpeedEndurance.com

 

Clyde Hart’s Monday 200 meter Repeats
2011-08-22 04:00:00-04

With September around the corner, I wanted to review one of the more famous Clyde Hart “Monday” workouts. It’s the 200 meter repeats. Now, any clown with a whistle and clipboard (**cough cough Coach Al cough cough**) can dish out a workout.  But I believe in asking questions first.  Why are you doing this workout? In short, the [...]
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100 meters Sprinting Mechanics, Side View
2011-08-08 04:00:00-04

Here is a slow motion rail-cam view from the 2011 Monaco Diamond League Men’s100 meters.  It’s a great instructional video, and there are a lot of take home messages and a few aha moments too. Just a recap, we have Nesta Carter on the outside lane with a blazing start, and Usain Bolt is playing ketchup.  [...]
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Lactate Threshold Training (aka Anaerobic threshold)
2011-08-10 04:00:00-04

This post is primarily for mid distance and distance runners who simply want to know what is their optimal pace for racing.  That is, the point just before lactate clearance is no longer able to keep up with lactate production.  Once past this point, I call it acidosis, or an accumulation of hydrogen ions (H+). Now, [...]
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More on Peter Snell – Training and Racing
2011-08-11 04:00:00-04

A while back, I posted Peter Snell’s training log leading up to his 1:44.3 800m world record.  Many of you know his coach was the legendary Arthur Lydiard (read Was Arthur Lydiard Right All Along?) This National Film Unit classic from New Zealand tells Peter Snell’s story up to just prior to his triumph at the [...]
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How to Improve Acceleration (Part 5)
2011-08-15 04:00:00-04

This is part 5 of a multi-part series.  Part 1, which discussed hip mechanics, can be found here.  Part 2 discussed several types of Resistance Running.  Part 3 and 4 discusses The Role of Strength and Power Training in Part 3 and examples in Part 4, both written by Jim Hiserman. I think there’s enough evidence [...]
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Delaying Physical and Mental Fatigue with Phenylalanines, Tyrosine
2011-08-18 04:00:00-04

The consumer market is flooded with increased energy and mental alertness drinks and pills.  Phenylalanines claims to promote energy, mental alertness, elevates mood, and enhances concentration.  I will attempt to explain how and why this works. Without bringing back bad memories of College Biochemistry, here is the pathway (I’ll skip the enzymes for simplicity): L-phenylalanine [...]
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On Chalk, Straps, Gloves and yes, Sponges
2011-08-19 04:02:00-04

Two years ago, I talked about using wrist straps and weight belts. I have since ditched the weight belt, and I still own a pair of gloves, but I use those mostly for chin ups or pull ups. However, if there is one piece of equipment I can’t live without, it’s my chalk for my cleans and [...]
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Key Performance Indicators for the Men’s 110m Hurdles
2011-08-24 04:00:00-04

This article is guest blogged by Carl Valle, USATF II The technical demands of the 110m hurdles are often looked at visually from a mechanics perspective, one that is biased to what the athlete looks like with eyes. Coaches are encouraged to use visual analysis both on the track and when reviewing film. Unfortunately, without the [...]
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How to Improve Acceleration Part 6: Weight Training Examples
2011-08-29 04:00:00-04

This is Part 6 of a multi-part series.  Part 1, which discussed hip mechanics, can be found here.  Part 2 discussed several types of Resistance Running.  Part 3 and 4 discusses The Role of Strength and Power Training in Part 3 and examples in Part 4, both written by Jim Hiserman.  Part 5 discussed a [...]
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Usain Bolt and Changing the IAAF No False Start Rule
2011-08-29 19:00:00-04

By now, everyone knows the unthinkable happened. That is, a major star getting disqualified at a major event like the Olympics or World Championships.  Forget about a no-height in the pole vault (**cough cough Sergey Bubka 1992 cough cough**) And forget about someone else twitching that causes a false start. Prior to 2003, the rule was a disqualification [...]
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