"All great runners learn to relax with speed!" Once said by Sebastian Coe, the 1981 world record holder in the mile (3:47.30) and the 1984 Olympic 1500 M winner, it shows the key to getting comfortable a a fast pace.
The ability to push hard when tired is based on progressing patiently and finishing fast. The hardest part of the progression is not the last lap, but the next to last lap. It is usually easier to push the last lap because you realize there's no reason to save. 1500 M runners particularly need to develop the ability to relax while pushing their pace into the next-to-last lap. This push will set up the last lap which you can finish with strength and speed.
Remember, it is not necessarily the "fastest runner" in the last lap that is crossing the finish line first, but the one who at that point is running the most economically! It is how efficiently your body is using oxygen at that last lap that will determine your speed. It is sort of like a car's economy. The less oxygen or energy you need to run at a certain pace, the longer you can go without ending up (to steal a line) "gassed".
No comments:
Post a Comment