Born A Sprinter
Contrary to belief (due to my Pakistani heritage) but I was the fastest in my school year every year until around Year 10
Either I was an Asian anomaly, with phenomenal genes and insance fast-twitch muscle fibres, or everyone around me was pretty slow.
As you’re reading this and you likely don’t know my ability on the track, let’s stick with option 1, it sounds most realistic - right.
I never did any specific training around sprinting the 100 meters apart from five minutes before the race. Neither did anyone else, so I always wondered how I managed to smoke everyone.
Sometimes talent and the ability to perform on the giving day does triumph any sort of preparation you make. Despite this, I knew if I was ever going to compete at a higher level (Olympics 2012 against Bolt) then I had to prepare for it.
Fast forward to the present day, I didn’t make the olympics, in case you thought I did. I feel like it’s important to be transparent.
We all prepare in life to different extents, based on the task and perceived value it brings us.
The bottom line was, I did not actually value becoming a sprinter, it wasn’t part of my plan, I just ran fast and by chance beat everyone else. If however I decided to improve my sprint game, then preparation would have been key.
Sprinting was actually exhilarating, how often do you run as fast as you humanly can for 14 seconds? That was my 100 meter record at around 14 years old.
Well, a couple of situations may make us run that fast;
A thief steals your phone
You are putting the bins outside and it’s raining
A bear is chasing you
You’re running after a moving train to grab SRK hand
Never
You probably wouldn’t have to think about your sprinting form if this happened.
If you know you know.
Never is usually the answer for most. Running at a top-speed for even 5 seconds is tiring in and of itself.
Even more challenging is racing against others, it teaches you even more about yourself - it brings your mental capacity to the forefront, rather than just physical. See the 100 meters is going to be a close race regardless as the distance is shorter. That last 30, 20, 10 meters is what puts you on pole or sets you up for defeat.
Up until the age of 14, I was winging the races with little to no prep. When I turned 15 and this one dude started getting quicker than me, I didn’t instantly think ‘okay I have to train harder now, there ain’t no way I’m going to be beaten.’ Instead I just did the same thing I was doing in the hope I would run faster than him - which I did not.
Fast forward almost 14 years later - and I decided to join a sprint coaching club near me.
The goal was clear, get revenge on that guy 14 years ago who run faster than me. I was locked in, I was ready.
Okay that is by far not the goal here - it was actually to reconnect with my passion for sprinting and see what I could achieve with a coach and intentional training plan.
Joining this sprint coaching club helps with the following:
Expert guidance and solid coaching techniques to help me get quicker
Community vibe of like-minded individuals who enjoy sprinting, makes it more enjoyable a process
It builds accountability and discipline - if I stick to it, I’ll get faster - if I don’t, I won’t.
Having gone a handful of times now, all the above points definitely hold true.
I am not going to make the 2028 olympics, however the process of getting faster each week is very cool.
