Starting from standing
A flying sprint begins with a gradual build-up. Going off as if from the blocks loads the hamstrings abruptly and trains something else: acceleration, not top speed.
RunningSpeed and sprintsIntermediate 46 min
Flying sprints for runners (6 × 6 s)
Flying sprints: six sprints of about 6 seconds after a gradual build-up, with 4 minutes' walking between each. A 46-minute session to develop your top speed and your stride at high speed, without piling up fatigue.
Session profile14 blocks
At a glance
- Duration
- 46 min
- Main target
- 130–170%vVO₂max7 Z7 · Neuromuscular
- Time at target
- 1 min
- Estimated load
- 27
- Structure
- 6 × 6″ at 130–170% vVO₂max, 4′ recovery
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- GPS watch · Track (optional)
The session in detail
vVO₂max
Time in zone
- Z140 min
- Z25 min
- Z71 min
What the targets mean
| Target | Zone | Time | vVO₂max 14 km/h | vVO₂max 16 km/h | vVO₂max 18 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130–170% | 7Neuromuscular | 1 min | 3:18/km–2:31/km 30–40 m per rep | 2:53/km–2:12/km 35–45 m per rep | 2:34/km–1:58/km 39–51 m per rep |
| 25–35% | 1Recovery | 20 min | 17:09/km–12:15/km 233–327 m per rep | 15:00/km–10:43/km 267–373 m per rep | 13:20/km–9:31/km 300–420 m per rep |
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What this session is for
Flying sprints train your top speed: the fastest your legs can go, and the quality of your stride when you're there. You don't start from standing: you build up gradually over twenty metres or so, then hold your top speed for about ten metres.
The point isn't to tire you out. Every sprint should be as fast as the first, hence the 4 minutes' walking. A review combining research with the practice of sprint coaches recommends exactly this: short, flying sprints with near-complete recovery.
Who it's for
Healthy runners with a base of easy running, intermediate to advanced, including middle-distance runners who lack speed. If you've never run fast, start with strides at the end of an easy run. A recent vVO₂max is used to set the warm-up.
When to do it
One speed session a week is a common guideline. Do it on fresh legs: after an easy day or a rest day, never the day after a hard session or the day before a race. Start with 4 sprints, then go to 6.
How to do it
Warm-up
15 min10′ at 60–65% vVO₂max + 5′ at 66–72% vVO₂max
10 minutes of easy running at 60–65% of vVO₂max, then 5 minutes at 66–72%. Allow longer than usual: add drills, high knees and heel flicks, and three or four strides of increasing speed.
Main set
21 min6 × 6″ at 130–170% vVO₂max, 4′ recovery
Six flying sprints of about 6 seconds. Build up gradually over twenty metres or so, hold your top speed for about ten metres, then ease off smoothly. Over the 6 seconds you'll cover 35 to 45 metres at 16 km/h: the 130–170% of vVO₂max range is a guide, don't cap it. Between sprints, 4 minutes' walking: stroll back to the start and wait until you feel fresh.
Cool-down
10 min10′ at 55–65% vVO₂max
10 minutes of very easy running at 55–65% of vVO₂max. If your last sprints were clearly slower or less fluid, stop earlier next time: a watered-down sprint adds nothing.
How it should feel
Fast, but very little fatigue. You feel a springiness in your legs, a stride that lengthens and lands quickly. Between sprints, your legs recover completely. Guide: 8 out of 10 for speed, hardly any breathlessness.
Common mistakes
Cutting the walk short
Four minutes for six seconds of sprinting seems long. But a sprint run tired is slower, and your top speed only improves if you actually reach it. If you still feel heavy, wait another minute.
Braking hard
Slowing down matters as much as speeding up for your hamstrings. Ease off gradually over twenty metres or so after the top-speed zone, rather than slamming on the brakes.
Carrying on through a niggle
At the slightest tightness in the back of the thigh, stop the session. The hamstrings are the most exposed muscles in sprinting, and a small niggle ignored quickly becomes a real injury.
When to skip it
Before you start
- A base of regular easy running.
- A few strides already run at the end of easy runs.
Skip it if
- You have a niggle or recent injury in your hamstrings or calves.
- You're tired, or you did a hard session the day before.
- A race is planned for the next day.
Origin and evidence
Level of evidence
Limited evidenceLevel 2 of 5
Haugen, Seiler, Sandbakk and Tønnessen (Sports Med Open 2019;5:44), a review combining scientific literature with elite practice, recommend flying sprints for developing top speed, with near-complete recovery. Their examples range from a 20-metre build-up and 10 metres flying for a young, less-trained athlete, with about 4 minutes' recovery, to a 40-metre build-up and 30 metres flying for an elite sprinter. The conversion to time, about 6 seconds for those 30 metres, the 130–170% range, the number of sprints, the warm-up and the cool-down are Wattson choices. Bottom line: a narrative review and elite practice, few controlled trials.
Sources
- Haugen T., Seiler S., Sandbakk Ø., Tønnessen E., Sports Med Open 2019;5:44
Frequently asked questions
How fast should a flying sprint be?
At your top speed, with no ceiling. As a rough guide over the 6 seconds: 130 to 170% of your vVO₂max, or 30 to 40 metres at 14 km/h, 35 to 45 metres at 16 km/h, 39 to 51 metres at 18 km/h. Top speed varies a lot with your profile: a distance runner will often be at the bottom of the range.
Flying sprints or strides?
Strides are fast but relaxed accelerations, often at the end of an easy run, without reaching top speed. Flying sprints go all the way: a few metres flat out, with full recovery. Strides prepare you; flying sprints train top speed.
Does a distance runner need top speed?
A little. Your top speed sets a ceiling: the higher it is, the easier your race pace feels by comparison, and the more efficient your stride stays when you pick it up. One short, low-fatigue session a week is enough to maintain it.
Why programme it in seconds rather than metres?
Because a watch tracks time more reliably than distance over an effort of a few seconds. Coaching examples are given in metres: a 20-metre build-up, then 10 metres flying for a less-trained athlete. On a track, cones at those distances are still the most precise option.
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