Joe Humble said:Donovan Rebbechi said:The record is 3:26 (or 3:43 for the mile). The fast guys are all in the low
3:30s (3:33 and faster -- about 3:50 for the mile).It wasn't that long ago that the first sub 3:50 mile was run (70s I think).
Up until very recently, 55 seconds is what the top guys would run for a
finishing burst in a mile race, 4 laps at that pace is really quite impressive.
That pace is a hard sprint for me.Cheers,
It would not be my hardest 100m sprint time pace but it is
distressingly close! I can only assume that they have a combination
of training and genetics that allows for full out exertion without
running out of "wind". I think they are probably essentially running
their near top speed the entire time.For example I think you or I could keep up with them in a 100m dash
but they'd keep dashing for another 1400m!
Mid distance guys -- milers and 800m runners -- have good speed as well as
endurance. They get their speed from having a very efficient gait, not weighing
very much (though heavier than marathon guys) and having a bit more fast twitch
thant distance guys.
Many of the 1500/mile races are "slow" because no-one wants to take the lead,
and it comes down to a mad dash for the finish. So they've got to be able to
hit about 12.5 in the last 100m of a "slow" race -- which means that if you
want to be a competitive miler, you really have to be somewhat versatile. The
really top guys like Morceli and El G could win any type of race, whether it
was a long steady grind, or a jog followed by a mad dash.
Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/