The stride technique you use effects your capacity for acceleration.
Whether you run 100 meters or 1500 meter track events, you should always look for ways to improve. All athletes constantly strive to find ways to tweak their form, improve their average speed and refine their start and finish. Improving speed requires all-around adjustments to your preparation, training, form and technique.
Starting Well
Getting out of the blocks quickly is crucial for improving speed. A sloppy start can destroy your averages. BBC Sport Athletics advises positioning the hands just wider than shoulder length apart. The sports broadcaster also recommends leaning forward before pushing out of the blocks and breathing in until the starter's gun is fired. Exhale as you push from the blocks.
Form
Joe Douglas, founder of Santa Monica Track Club and coach to Carl Lewis, believes that the key to a good sprint relies on driving the leg rather than lifting it. He advise runners to drive from the foot and lead with the knee. Coach Douglas also recommends that sprinters and middle distance runners relax and make an effort to move the arms from the top, not the front.
Effective Training
Training properly is crucial to hitting your track personal best. Avoid over-training, training when injured and make sure that you are focused when you do train. Athletes trained by Douglas have collectively won 29 Olympic medals, including 19 golds. He believes that each training session should vary but have the main goal of improving aerobic and anaerobic performance. Douglas also believes that weight training is an effective way to avoid injury, but advises against using heavy weights.
Run Intervals
Interval training helps to keep things interesting, especially for long-distance runners. If you're a 1,500 meter runner you don't need to go out every day and cover that distance. Aim to run shorter intervals faster than you would run your preferred distance. Vary your speed during runs. If you train on the road set yourself small challenges. For example, run at full speed until you pass the next tree and then slow right down to recover.
Eat Right
Eating right throughout your training and on race day can improve your speed. For training, eat a balanced, low fat diet that delivers lots of protein and carbohydrate. On race day avoid heavy meals before your run and remain hydrated.
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