The LSU track and field teams are gearing up for another banner year this spring and are in the midst of a strenuous fall training regimen designed to help them compete against the nation’s best. The Tigers and Lady Tigers form the premier combined program in all of collegiate track and field with an impressive 31 NCAA championships and 47 Southeastern Conference championships all-time.
Sixth in a nine-part series updating LSU’s progress during the fall training season will focus on the middle distance group.
BATON ROUGE – For members of LSU’s vaunted middle distance crew, the month of November marks a transition in their training program each fall season as they don the spikes and step onto the track for the first time as they enter the homestretch of the semester before the Christmas break.
And after building a strong endurance base through the months of September and October, the Tigers and Lady Tigers are ready to step onto the track for the first time on Monday to begin their speed training.
By introducing speed development into his workouts, LSU assistant head coach Mark Elliott believes that his athletes can begin their gradual climb toward the competition season.
“It’s a great feeling every year when we get to put on the spikes for the first time and begin our running at the track instead of just focusing on our distance and endurance training,” Elliott said. “By running out on the track, it gives each athlete a better idea of where they are in their fitness and what they need to do with improving in their training. This is the time where we start training with a focus on running fast.”
Elliott coaches the LSU middle distance runners through timed intervals on the track two or three times in a week. The squad will continue its speed and endurance training as it preps for its annual test runs before leaving campus for the start of Christmas break.
The 2011 indoor season in just under two months away as the Tigers and Lady Tigers are preparing for an indoor opener Jan. 15 as they play host to the Purple Tiger Invitational at the Carl Maddox Field House.