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

This week's tip:
Learning to Sprint

By Gypsy Tidwell
(Oct. 13, 2006)

The toughest part of most races comes at the end, the mad dash to the finish that usually decides the winner.

You may be the strongest skater from here to Egypt, but if a faster sprinter manages to hang with you until the final yards, it will likely be the sprinter — not you — who rolls away with the win.

That's why sprinting is such an important part of any training routine.

Getting Started

A full-blown sprint workout can take three hours or more. But if you don't have that much time, don't worry. You can break it up over the course of a few days.

The key to sprint workouts is to allow yourself to completely recover between each sprint. This is important so that you can go 100 percent on each sprint, which teaches your muscles what it feels like to go fast.

Here's what a full sprint practice looks like:

• Warm up and stretching
• Walk throughs (going slow-motion through the beginnings of a sprint)
• 5 sprints of 100 meters
• 4 sprints of 200 meters
• 3 sprints of 300 meters
• 2 sprints of 500 meters
• 1 sprint of 1000 meters
• Cool down (light skating) and final stretching

In between each sprint, allow your heart rate to return to its resting rate. This will take from two to five minutes, depending on your age and conditioning. That means you'll spend more time resting than skating. But later, you will find you need less time to recover.

Spread It Out

If you don't have time for a full sprint workout, break it up into pieces. Do the 100m and 200m sprints on the first day; do a long-distance skate on the second; and finish the sprint workout on the third day.

You should do sprint workouts:

• once every other week during the early part of the year (September - December for skaters preparing for the U.S. indoor-outdoor championships);
• once a week during mid-season (January - March);
• every 48 hours during race season (April - August).

If you race more frequently in the early part of the year, adjust your calendar accordingly.

(Note: Before starting any new exercise regime, check with your doctor if you have any concerns about your health.)

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Gypsy Lucas Tidwell is a former World Champion speed skater who was inducted last year into the USA Roller Sports Hall of Fame. She grew up skating at her parents' roller rinks in Texas and went on to compete in both figure and speed skating. In the mid-1990s, she won three gold medals at World Speed Skating Championships, four gold medals in the Pan American Games in Argentina and two gold medals in downhill skating in the X Games. Even though her specialty is sprints, she has also won several inline marathons. She has been a coach of the U.S. World Team and coaches the Inside Edge Racing team of Waco, Texas.

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