Sprinting...

justjenny
justjenny Posts: 529 Member
edited January 15 in Fitness and Exercise
I have tried running over the years, and plan to start the C25K in March. I really want to be a runner, but I have noticed that I am more of a sprinter than a long distance runner. I run really hard, really fast for short bursts. It feels really good, and I enjoy it, but I am not sure how I would track it, or how many sprints I would need to do to actually get any benefits out of it. Does anyone else sprint instead of running long distance?

Replies

  • DavidKBrewer
    DavidKBrewer Posts: 53
    Look up interval training, which is a series of sprinting and walking. It's very good for you, but if you're not in decent shape you could injure yourself easily.

    I did the C25K program and it really worked for me. Just put your speed away when doing it and focus on making sure that you run the entire time. If it gets tough, slow down. It's hard to run so slow, but once you get the endurance up you can work on speed.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Sprinting is great. I'd look for some running HIIT workouts. It is harder to track calories burned with sprinting since if you do much of it you'll likely quickly leave the aerobic zone and a HRM won't give an accurate reading.

    But if you really want to become a distance runner you need to concentrate on going at a slower pace until you get used to it.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I do HIIT as part of my overall routine. I find it helps condition my aerobic system for longer Steady State kinds of things like running or biking. That being said, if being a good distance runner is a goal, distance runs should be the key part of your program with HITT and some resistance training being your auxilliary work. I don't really consider 5K a major distance run as I run some of these and I'm not much focused on running vs. weight training and biking (In that order. Running is third.) If you do some runnning to condition these muscles, are in overall good condition and aren't looking to set a competitive time, that's all you need.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    sprinting is good for you, but it has entirely different effects than distance running. The two are best done as complements to each other.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories