Fast 40 but slow 100. What's up?

Take some creatine and you'll have no problem.

If you want to do it the old-fashioned way, do workouts that improve the energy storage and efficiency of your creatine-phosphate system. A good one is flat-out 100s separated by 8 minutes of recovery (walking, easy jogging, and stretching). By waiting for the full 8 minutes you allow the creatine-phosphate system to fully replenish itself before you exhaust it again. Run about 5-8 of these (it's a bit time-consuming, obviously).

Basically, in the 100-400 events you are significantly reliant on this particular energy system, which only lasts for about 10s even when it is well trained. So it plays little role in training or racing of events 1500m and up. Even 800m workouts (ie, 4 x 400 at 800 race pace with 3:00 rest) are targeting the anaerobic glycolytic system much more than the creatine-phosphate system.

Good luck.

You caught a flier (almost like Jerry Seinfeld, difference being he won)?

Even though 14.9 is slow, kudos to you for sprinting a 100m at 45. If I tried this right now at 25, I would surely pull a hammy and probably a quad as well.

When you say your 40 time was 4.8, do you mean 40 yards or 40 meters? I find it highly unlikely that you could run 40m in 4.8 seconds as a 45 year old. Running that time for 40 yards is more believable but still sounds a little suspect, especially when your 100m time was 14.9 - a below average time for a high school girl.

But let's assume you are telling the truth and you really did blow up that bad over the second half of your 100m race. It really just sounds like you need to do some overdistance training. 6x150m with 3-4 minutes rest in between repeats might be a good workout for you. Once you start to fatigue during such a workout you should concentrate on holding form (staying upright, keeping your torso relavitely stationary, pumping your arms with control, lifting your knees and using your glutes to drive your foot into the track underneath your center of gravity, etc).

Actually, you should probably take a little more rest in between those 150s. Maybe 5 or 6 minutes. Full recovery.

I have the same problem but different races --I can burn 100 meters but fall apart the last 40 meters of a 200 meter race. Can you guys recommend anything? Thanks for the help.

i kinda like running wrote:

When you say your 40 time was 4.8, do you mean 40 yards or 40 meters? I find it highly unlikely that you could run 40m in 4.8 seconds as a 45 year old. Running that time for 40 yards is more believable but still sounds a little suspect, especially when your 100m time was 14.9 - a below average time for a high school girl.

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40m.

I did blow up that badly. I was doing it in the few times I trained. My 60-100 time is a lot slower than my 0-40 time. And that's with a standing start!

So, I'm somehow not keeping the speed.

the dude with the funny hat wrote:

Take some creatine and you'll have no problem.

I've taken it before but I never sprinted while on it. I never stayed on it because it made my legs cramped after running 1/2 mile.

I'd consider taking it to get me through the 100. Would it really help that much?

Slow Mo or Go wrote:

i kinda like running wrote:

When you say your 40 time was 4.8, do you mean 40 yards or 40 meters? I find it highly unlikely that you could run 40m in 4.8 seconds as a 45 year old. Running that time for 40 yards is more believable but still sounds a little suspect, especially when your 100m time was 14.9 - a below average time for a high school girl.

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40m.

I did blow up that badly. I was doing it in the few times I trained. My 60-100 time is a lot slower than my 0-40 time. And that's with a standing start!

So, I'm somehow not keeping the speed.

No way you ran 4.8 for 40m, that's about 4.3 for 40y, which is what Darren McFadden ('06, '07 Heisman runner-up) ran at the NFL combine. And those times aren't really legit because the start is motion-sensored, not a gun, so basically you are claiming to be faster over 40y than pretty much any NFL running back.

Ben Johnson hit 4.53 for 40m in his world record performance at Seoul in 1988. No way you at 45 years old would be one stride behind the fastest sprinter in the world drugged to the gills.

Well, that is my time.

Slow Mo or Go wrote:

Well, that is my time.

Oops, hand timed. So, it's about 5.0 electronic.

Still, I'm blowing up over the last 40m.

Those times are flat out wrong. Way off. Have a precise person time you at another time.....just so you know.

Nonetheless, you are probably quicker than you are fast. Sounds like you get up to top speed in a blink.

It's not likely you actually slow down in the last 40 compared to the first 40 unless you gave up.

Still... I think it would be interesting if your last 40 is something that could be improved upon.

Good luck.

PTF wrote:

Those times are flat out wrong. Way off. Have a precise person time you at another time.....just so you know.

Nonetheless, you are probably quicker than you are fast. Sounds like you get up to top speed in a blink.

It's not likely you actually slow down in the last 40 compared to the first 40 unless you gave up.

Still... I think it would be interesting if your last 40 is something that could be improved upon.

Good luck.

No, I didn't give up in the final 40, but I can feel my form going to pieces.

I've always been very quick. I can stop and go on a dime.

Is there a way to improve upon those final 40m, or is it just not going to happen?

You can certainly improve your strength and train your body to finish stronger in the 100. Again, you're just going to have to do some longer sprints in training. You can still continue to run shorter sprints, like 40s, to work on your start, drive phase, power, etc. But a couple times a week you should be doing 100s, 150s, etc. Again, take plenty of rest in between each repeat so you can get the most out of each sprint. You don't want to slow down significantly over the course of the workout, so keep that in mind when determining your goal times. It's not going to help if you're crawling by the end of the workout.

If you're doing 6-8 x 100m, a realstic goal time for each rep might be 17-18 sec for your first workout. But instead of blazing the first 50m and crawling to the finish line, try a more conservative approach and finish strong (and focus on maintaining proper form). When you come off the start line try to accelerate with control instead of mad-dogging it like you're running from a werewolf. Keep your head down and lean forward in the drive phase. Lift gradually. You shouldn't be standing fully upright before 30m.

And yes, creatine might help. If you're cramping you should drink more water. Creatine users who don't drink plenty of water often experience cramps. I don't prefer to use creatine because you tend to have significant decreases in strength when you stop using it, but it would almost certainly help you finish stronger in workouts and races.

Despite the fact that you can probably improve at 100m, I wouldn't be surprised if your aptitude lay in start/stop sports like basketball and tennis......to name a few.

It seems quickness and pure speed are 2 different qualities.

I would imagine that you have good reflexes and agility.

I am much the same as you....quick but not fast. And even though I could start and stop well, my best running events were long distances. Never quite understood why.

Take care...

I did a fly-in 40m yesterday with a 10m start and ran it in 4.1

So, it looks like my acceleration is pretty good. It's maintaining my speed that's a problem.

I did some 100 and 150's yesterday and I can tell that I'm really slowing down at the end. I ran a couple about medium speed for the first 60m then picked it up at the end. I really need to work on my top end speed.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We have another corporate cup the end of July and I'm hoping to run something more respectable.

If you ran the first 40 in 4.8, that means your last 60 was run in 10.1 seconds. That's 67-second pace for a 400 - PLUS you had a running start!

Impossible. If you're running all out you can't run the first half of a 100 at sub-12 second pace, then slow down so significantly that the second half averages out to Jordan Hasay's mile race pace.

Sorry friend, whoever was timing you at the 40 meter mark was mistaken.

Sadly, it's true. I timed myself yesterday evening. 5.0-5.15 hand timed. I started my watch before my first reaction as well.

I don't know what's up. Maybe these 45 year old legs just don't have it for 100m.

Slow Mo or Go wrote:

Sadly, it's true.

Nope.

I'm not sprinting this evening since I did that yesterday. Maybe tomorrow but defintely Sat. at the latest.

I'll have my son time me at 40m and 100m and I'll post back here after. Maybe I'm missing something, but I've been hand timed twice now in the 40 with the same time and the 100 was electronic.

Thanks for pointing out what appears to be a flaw in the timing.