The way I see it, fall training is putting money in the bank and racing is taking it out. Every race you run in January, February or the summer is a withdrawal from what you built between October and March… so if you didn't deposit much, you're going to be broke pretty quickly.
I really believe a big part of your season is decided in the first two or three months of training. That doesn't mean a bad fall is the end of the world, because I've been pulled out of bad off-seasons by great coaches before, but it does make your ceiling a lot harder to reach. It's like building a house. If the foundation is rock solid, everything you put on top of it stays stable.
The off-season before I first broke 46 was so good that I actually got sick after about four months and fell behind in training. It didn't matter. Once racing started I ran PB after PB, because the foundation was already there.
What should sprinters do in the off-season?
It depends on who you are and what's limiting you, and that's the part a lot of off-season programs miss. For most young sprinters speed is still the biggest limiter, so speed has to stay in the program from the very first week.
For me it's a bit different right now. I'm at a point in my career where speed is no longer the complete limiting factor. I still want to get faster, of course, but aerobic capacity, speed endurance and holding on to what I have at the end of the race are what I need most.
So this fall with Coach Rovelto we're doing 3 strength days a week (last year it was 4). The first three weeks are a reintroduction where the goal is really just getting fitness back. Acceleration is tied into every warm-up, which is how we bring speed back slowly instead of throwing it in all at once. Around that we do longer runs with fairly short rest, general strength circuits with 100s in between and some pool work, basically getting the aerobic system back up before we start sharpening anything.
Stay out of spikes for the first 6 to 8 weeks
I always do at least 6 to 8 weeks of fall training without spikes. Flats, grass, hills, gravel, whatever surface you have available. Spiking up in week 1 for a time trial makes no sense to me, because your body isn't ready for it and you're just burning months in spikes that you'll want later in the year.
At the same time, I think the hate on spiking up early is a bit overdone. Spikes are the only way to reach true max velocity, and good summer training in spikes is a big part of how I got where I am. If your season ended early or you trained all summer, getting back in them a bit sooner is completely fine. And if you're a young athlete running 11.5, you don't need to wait half a year either.
The work nobody posts: drills and circuits
Drills are a big reason I am where I am. They build execution, and execution is what holds up when you're tired. In the off-season I do 6 to 8 drills, 2x20-30m back and forth, sometimes inside the warm-up and sometimes as their own section. As the season gets closer I cut the drill volume down so the focus is on fewer, high-quality reps.
I also have 1 or 2 days a week dedicated to a movement and injury-prevention circuit, things like low walks, lateral hops and paused jumps. It doesn't look exciting on Instagram but it honestly changed my career.
Don't try to know everything
The off-season before I broke 46 was the first one where I ever ran 300s. Nothing over 300, just 300s, and that was a big deal for me at the time. Looking back, the biggest thing that year wasn't a specific session. It was that I enjoyed the challenge, pushed myself and didn't know too much.
There is so much information out there now, and using it is good, but trying to know every single thing about every single thing can mess you up. I see it with some athletes who start acting like their own coach, worrying about their nervous system after every session. Have a plan you believe in, do the work, and let the coach be the coach.
Go hard on the key sessions, and easy on the rest
My best indoor seasons came from taking fall prep seriously, but not in the way most people think. I went REALLY hard on the key sessions and I was fine doing even less than prescribed on the less important days. A sprinter can't push 5 or 6 times a week and still improve, so pick your battles.
Plan backwards from your first race
About 3 to 4 weeks before my first race I make sure my body understands race pace and my goal splits, so I'm not going in blind. One of my favorite sessions for that is a 500 where I go through the 400 in around 48 seconds, sometimes even 47, and then maybe a smooth 150 after. It gives me so much confidence going into the season. If you're a younger athlete, the idea is the same: run through your goal race pace a few times before you have to do it for real.
Keep making deposits once you're racing
This is where the bank account comes back in. Once the indoor season starts you're taking money out with every race, and you can't keep doing that forever. After 2 or 3 months of racing you need to go back and build again with speed work, capacity work and strength, otherwise you show up to the outdoor season broke.
Nobody claps for a good November, but that's where the summer gets decided.
Want the full structure?
When indoor season starts, the 16-week Race Ready Speed System is how I'd set any sprinter up to race, in a 200/400 and a 60/100/200 version, with a free week and a race week for every week.
