Is a Quick Spurt Any Good?

[Pugwash]

Is anyone aware if putting in an extra effort for the last, say, 100m of a 5km run confers any benefits excepting the marginal effect on run time? It seems unlikely but I thought I'd ask😁.

[Cmoi Graduate]

For me personally the only benefit is making me feel good that I still have enough left to speed up at the end of a run Pugwash . I should add that the final 100m of most of my runs is a gentle downhill after between 1km and 3km of uphill, so it's usually pretty easy for me to go that bit faster then! 😉

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

Thanks for the reply. I can only dream of a downhill finish😅.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

I would agree with Cmoi , it confirms that I did not set off too fast at the beginning of the run .I often try to make the 2nd half of the run quicker than the first half.

I will however always remember the first time I tried to put a spurt on at the very end of a run !

It was on week 8 run 1 of the c25k program and I ended up with 18 days of no running , 2 osteopath appointments and a sports physio appointment 😐

Having said that , I think I did over do it with my enthusiasm at the time .

I'm not sure if there is a scientific benefit from a sprint finish , there are runs though on the NRC HM plan that get you to run at mile pace during the last few minutes of a 13 or 15k run .

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I like the idea of it being an indicator that one didn't start off too fast but, TBH, that's never troubled me😁.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

The answers you got are great.. I do it, too because I like...always, to have something left in the tank!

Laura from C2K's words are firmly instilled in my head , even after seven years... Finish in style ! x

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Yes, the absence of science doesn't excuse one from the lack of style😁.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Pugwash]

So true!!!

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate]

I've seen Youtube coaches such as Ben Parkes and James Dunne extol the virtue of ending an easy run (which I believe C25K should be) with a short spell(s) of faster running, on the basis that it accustoms the body and brain to the sensation of running faster.

For my part the last km of my run is often the fastest as I'm close to the end and know that if I start to feel tired there isn't far to go.

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to ForbiddenPlanet]

Thanks for that. I'm like you in that I 'up the ante' in the last stages of my run, knowing that I don't need a reserve at that point. I don't currently do a dash to the line though.

[JulieByf Graduate]

I just like running as fast as I can at the end so I'm out of puff. It's only if I'm able to do it but I find it I'd the cherry on my cake and rounds the run off. I just like doing it I'm weird.

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to JulieByf]

Not weird at all Julie - as Oldfloss says in his reply: "finish in style"!

[nowster Graduate in reply to Pugwash]

Oldfloss is a he? She might be a little surprised at that. 🤣

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to nowster]

Oops! Gender assignment's a minefield these days isn't it? 😂Apologies Oldfloss - no offence intended.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Pugwash]

It's okay... a runner on here a while ago, thought I was an old man with a grey beard. I'm not... I'm old but I don't have a beard!

Race For Life Caernarfon...

[Pugwash Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

😁👍