Sports Speed
Sports Speed is a new edition of a book previously published in 1988 and 1997, focused on techniques for improving sprint speed. The authors are George Dintiman, a Professor Emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Bob Ward, conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys during their glory days in the 1970s and 1980s. Although perhaps more useful for sprinters, football players, and other athletes who primarily use explosive bursts of speed, elite distance runners who wish to develop a blazing sprint to win races (and perhaps slower runners who wish to impress finish line spectators!) may find the techniques in this book to be helpful.

The topics covered in the book include several that have been demonstrated to be of value to distance runners. There are chapters on weight training for speed, plyometrics (bouncing exercises), speed endurance, and sprint technique. Bounding techniques are also covered--a practice that is undeniably useful to distance runners. Some topics are controversial for distance runners, such as the use of weighted vests and shorts. I have personally used ankle weights with good effect, but the practice of running with weights on the body is controversial in distance running, due to the possibly heightened risk of injury, especially if the weights are worn for miles at a time.

Other elements of the book are less useful for distance runners, but are good for entertainment value. Few distance runners will run with a parachute behind them to increase resistance, for example, even though that is an often-used training method for sprinters. Likewise, one section of the book is devoted to how to slow down safely, after being at high speed. Most distance runners can only dream of that problem!

The primary audience for the book should be younger, elite runners. Many of the techniques in the book are too demanding for older runners. The great New Zealand distance coach, Arthur Lydiard, once told me he thought that all serious distance runners should train like a sprinter as well as like a marathon runner, and that because some of the best sprint coaches in the world were in the United States, American runners should be the best at incorporating these ideas into their training. This book makes some of that knowledge available.

Functional Training for Sports
Mike Boyle is a former conditioning coach of the Boston Bruins hockey team. His book, Functional Training for Sports, is designed to build strength not for its own sake, but rather to enhance particular sports skills, such as stopping and starting. The emphasis is on multi-joint movement that involves coordinating body function across several muscles and joints. This is in direct contrast to machine-based strength training, which seeks to isolate particular muscles.

Many runners will be scared off from this book by the time they reach Chapter 3, "Assessing Your Functional Strength," which calls for large numbers of chin-ups (the men's scale ranges from "world class" (25+) to the wimpy lowest level, "NFL linemen" (8-10). I guess that if one can do fewer than that, there is no point in even talking about it. If you can get through the chin-ups, then the next test is a one-leg full squat with one leg and both arms (holding dumbbells) held extended in front. If there is anyone reading this who can complete both of these tests at the minimal level, I would be surprised. Reading this chapter I felt as helpless as I usually feel when I read a yoga book that shows an attractive person twisted up into a position that would paralyze me for life.

Chapter 5, "Linear and Lateral Warm-Up" includes many exercises (e.g., skipping, high-knee walking, and butt kicks) that are potentially useful in distance training to make the running muscles more flexible and supple (although perhaps not a good idea as a warm-up for a distance race). Chapter 6, "Lower Body Strength and Balance Progressions," shows many exercises (e.g., squats and step-ups) that have been shown to be useful for distance runners. This is followed by a chapter on hip extensions and hamstring exercises, which is also potentially useful to the distance runner. The upper body chapters are less useful, but there is a chapter on plyometrics that runners should find useful.

All in all, the book is geared for the elite explosive speed athlete, but runners can gain by incorporating many of the exercises. Like Sports Speed, this book can be valuable to the younger, elite distance runner who wishes to build strength and speed, and reduce the risk of injury at high levels of performance.

George Dintiman and Bob Ward, Sports Speed, Human Kinetics, 2003

Michael Boyle, Functional Training for Sports, Human Kinetics, 2004

Roland Rust provides free coaching to a handful of dedicated runners. His coaching and running resume can be found here.He also does Washington Running Report's runner rankings. Roland can be contacted at rrust9@comcast.net.