Power Production Training on Track

This morning I had one of the most enjoyable training sessions that I've ever experienced. As an athlete I love trying new things and experiencing new challenges and I found todays session was very rewarding. After warming up the session involved harness runs using my training partner as resistance, holding the reins behind me. The point in this part of the session was to sprint for a set distance using the correct arm and leg movements to create power and momentum, in order to overcome the resistance being provided behind you. It's a surprisingly strenuous type of session to do and although the exercise is done over a short distance on the track, it feels like you've really worked when you get to the end! I particularly like this part of the exercise because the resistance slows down the pace, allowing you the time to get your body into the right angles, as you would in the drive phase of a sprint start.

Harness, Running Spikes and Blocks - Tools of the Trade

As the harness was put around my core, so that it can be held in place by the driving force joining arms and legs, I needed to remove the set/ needle connected to my insulin pump that I put in my stomach a couple of days ago. As I wanted to avoid the possibility that the harness could pull the set out whilst I was running. The track was quiet at that time in the morning and so I did a set change to move the needle to my hip instead, which was one of the first time I can recall doing a set change outside. This enabled me to continue with the training session without having to worry about my diabetes. What was also interesting was that the session was so strenuous, that my blood sugars remained between 6.4mmol and 9.0mmol the whole session. Whereas compared to other training sessions that I've done in the morning, whereby I see a sharp rise in blood glucose levels due to how streamlined my overnight insulin delivery is, usually leaving little excess insulin on board to combat the adrenaline is which comes with exercise.

Harness Runs... You Can't Hold Us Back

After a brief recovery we then followed the harness by runs by starting a blocks session, utilising the feeling of having to pull against the harnesses and converting it into power, used to drive out of the blocks. The sprint start in my opinion is a skill in itself, even though it's just one part of the race, and a skill that I've done my best to hone over the decade that I've done athletics. But never having trained for blocks in this way before, I found the new style of training both interesting and invigorating and am so pleased that after 10 years in the sport, it can still motivate me and challenge me to find new ways of improving.

Putting it All Together Out of the Starting Blocks