Sprint work is central nervous system work. It is not conditioning, and it cannot be recovered from with the same 24 hours you give a tempo run. Athletes who treat those as equal spend a season running slightly slow.
The 48-hour rule
High-intensity speed work — anything above 95% — needs 48 hours before the next dose. Fill the gap with tempo, mobility and technical drills at conversational effort, not with a second hard day wearing softer clothes.
- Two true speed days per week, never back to back.
- Score readiness each morning 1 to 10 before you look at the plan.
- Two consecutive scores under 6 means the plan changes, not the athlete.
- Track ground contact volume, including practice. Feet keep a tally whether or not you do.
What the foot absorbs
Every foot strike is an impact you either return or absorb. A dead platform under the foot turns free elastic energy into soft-tissue work — which is fatigue you paid for and got nothing back from.
Put it beneath your feet
Springbak® Springsoles — 3/32nds of an inch. Try untrimmed; trim the toe or forefoot only if needed.
Shop SpringsolesQuick answers
Frequently asked questions
- How does an insole affect recovery?
- Recovery load starts with how much impact your tissues absorb. Springsoles return part of each landing force instead of letting soft foam swallow it, so the same session costs your calves and shins less.
- Should I wear Springsoles on easy days?
- Yes. Easy days are where most of your weekly foot contacts happen, so that is where the reduction in absorbed force adds up fastest.
- How many pairs do most track athletes use?
- Most athletes run one pair in trainers and one in spikes so they never have to move a set between shoes on meet day.
Keep reading
Related reading
Track & Field · Mechanics
Touchdown and Takeoff: The Two Hardest Contacts in Track
A hurdle touchdown lands and re-accelerates in the same instant. A jump takeoff converts a full approach in one plant. Both are decided by what happens under the foot.
7 min read
Track & Field · Speed
The Block Start Is a Force Problem
Reaction time is a rounding error. What separates starts is how much force you can put into the block and the first four contacts — and what the track gives back.
6 min read
Track & Field · Mechanics
Insoles for Track Spikes: Why Yours Does Not Come Out
The footbed in a sprint spike is a pad sewn into the shoe. Here is how to add a responsive layer without wrecking pin angle, heel height or plate feel.
7 min read
Track & Field · Mindset
Take the Springbak® Challenge
Two weeks, one variable, real numbers. How to test a performance claim on yourself instead of taking anyone's word for it.
4 min read
- 1.Touchdown and Takeoff: The Two Hardest Contacts in Track· Track & Field
- 2.The Block Start Is a Force Problem· Track & Field
- 3.Insoles for Track Spikes: Why Yours Does Not Come Out· Track & Field
- 4.Take the Springbak® Challenge· Track & Field