Endurance Handbook

SECTION 6

START PACE (SPEED) DISTANCE WEB COPY ©EVEQUE 50m PACE 100m 150m OPTIMUM Performance curves of fast starts before settling down to optimum pace The above is an approximation of what speed can be maintained at the start of a distance race before an athlete settles down to their Optimum Pace (see below). This is just a typical example because the situation is different for all runners who by experience should find their own performance capabilities. Performance curves when running too fast for too long at the start An athlete sprinting hard or maintaining a pace above their optimum for an extended period of time will eventually tire and under perform. 200m DISTANCE WEB COPY ©EVEQUE This graph shows what might happen if athletes run too fast for too long at the start of a race as they are unable to settle at their Optimum Pace. They may, however, recover after a period of time, something which is referred to as getting a “second wind Running at Optimum Pace In 1932 the 800 metre Olympic Champion Tom Hampson demonstrated that by finding the maximum even pace which you could maintain for any distance you could produce an athletes best performance. We will refer to this as the ‘Optimum Pace’. Pace training is very simple, well used by coaches and can be an enjoyable exercise. The Finish A problem for many endurance runners is their ability to change pace and sprint as they approach the finish. All too often after leading or keeping up with the leaders for the majority of the distance they are out sprinted in the closing stages. The Bleep Test is an ideal endurance exercise for improving finishing ability. It can be undertaken in its standard form by individuals or in a relay format for the younger age groups. It calls for an increased effort as the test progresses requiring ever increasing speed so it is in the final stages that the participants must go fastest. For details please refer to page 27. 50m PACE 100m 150m OPTIMUM 100% 90% 80% 100% 90% 80% START PACE (SPEED)

PACE TRAINING

200m

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