SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:

Three Fun Ways to Speed Up Your Sprint

By Shannon Valerio
 

It’s race day.

You’ve trained hard, put in the long miles, tapered, and finally spent the last three days carbo-loading.

You’re ready for your marathon.

Things go well for the first 26 miles. You’re hanging with the pack. But then, with 500 meters to go, your dream of glory crumbles.

The pack starts sprinting. But your legs say “no way.”

You’re left in the dust.

But don’t get discouraged.

Even if you weren't born with lots of fast twitch muscles, you can learn to be a sprinter.

How?

The standard way to speed up your sprint is to commit yourself to three sessions a week of 100-meter sprint intervals.

But if you are looking for a more enjoyable way to learn to sprint, try one of three cross-training options:

1. Hockey

Whether on ice, inline or quad skates, hockey is one of the best sports for developing fast twitch muscles. Just ask recreational hockey players Tony Muse and veteran marathon champs Jim Bourgois and Peggy Girgenti.

Hockey is stop-and-go. You sprint to the puck. You stop on a dime. Then you charge off in another direction. The work-to-rest ratio is perfect for a sprint work.

On top of that, hockey develops your ability to stop and turn. And it also has a nice social aspect.

Pro hockey can be pretty rough. But recreational hockey leagues have a non-check policy.

A hockey league will only take a couple hours a week of your time. And if you’re like me, you’ll look forward to it.

2. Indoor speed

Join an indoor speed skating team. Once you get used to the corners, you’ll find indoor skating provides great short-interval training.

Just don’t make the mistake of trying to pace yourself at practice. That defeats the purpose. Instead, push yourself to go as fast as you can during drills and relays and get your rest during the breaks.

And don’t worry about buying a lot of new equipment. If you’re already an outdoor skater, all you’ll need for starters is a good set of indoor wheels, which unlike outdoor wheels, will last for years.

Like hockey, indoor speed skating is a social sport that will welcome you with open arms. Give it a try. Just one indoor practice a week is enough to make a big difference in your sprint.

3. Roller derby

In the last few years, roller derby has emerged as a bona fide sport with men’s and women’s teams sprouting up all over the country.

Like hockey, roller derby is full of starts and stops. So it’s another great way to train your sprint muscles.

To find a team, ask at your local skating rink. If you’re not sure about derby, attend a practice session. Most teams welcome extras to fill out their practice sessions.

OK. Those are some fun ways to speed up your sprint. Now get out there and jam!

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Shannon Valerio has been a competitive athlete since she was eight years old and has competed in speed skating on quad, inline and ice skates. She also plays ice hockey and competes in road cycling. An accomplished master’s inline skater, she has 14 national titles in indoors, banked track and road and holds two national records. She has also placed in several marathons skating for Tru-Rev. She is a certified strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer for Valerio Training, a company she founded in 2009.

• Valerio Training web site

Related reading:

• Skate Tip of the Week Archive
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating