Run Against Time – Why Sprinting Against Time Will Transform Your Speed

Sprint training isn’t just about running fast

Athletes often ask me: “How can I get faster?”

Most believe that adding more sprint volume to their training will do the trick—more sprints, shorter rest, pushing through exhaustion. But that’s exactly why they don’t get faster.

Tony Holler, high school track coach and founder of "Feed the Cats," puts it perfectly:

“Tired is the enemy of fast. If you're tired, you are training something – but it’s not speed.”

So, I decided to test it myself. 10x 10-Yard Sprints with laser timing.

My Goal: Consistent Sprint Times & a New Personal Best

I wanted to see if I could maintain consistent sprint times with full recovery between sprints—or maybe even set a new personal record.

🔹 My previous best: 1.75 seconds

🔹 My setup:

✅ 10 sprints – Full recovery between reps

✅ Laser timing for precise measurement

✅ Focus on sprint mechanics & technical adjustments

The Results – How Recovery Affects Sprint Performance

Sprint	Time (s)	Speed (km/h)
1	1.75	20.47
2	1.83	19.59
3	1.71	20.94
4	1.80	19.94
5	1.81	19.83
6	1.78	20.19
7	1.75	20.49
8	1.75	20.55

What do we see here? My times are incredibly consistent.

I matched my personal best (1.71s).
My sprints remained within a tight window of 1.71s – 1.83s.
I was able to sprint just as fast at the end of the session as at the start.

Why? Because I gave myself enough rest between sprints.

Sprinting Against Time Changes the Way You Train

1️⃣ If you track your sprint times, you sprint differently.

Every sprint suddenly feels like a competition. You either go all in, or you’re wasting your time.

Chris Barnard from Overtime Athletes explains it like this:

“Every sprint should be a rep of perfection. If you’re not running at 95-100%, you’re not training speed.”

2️⃣ Recovery is the key to personal bests.

My worst times came when I wasn’t fully recovered. 2-3 minutes of rest between sprints was the sweet spot.

Why? Because the central nervous system (CNS) needs time to recover. Speed is a neurological ability, not just a muscular one.

Cal Dietz, author of "Triphasic Training," puts it this way:

“Neuromuscular fatigue is what limits sprint speed, not muscular endurance. That’s why complete recovery between maximal sprints is essential.”

3️⃣ Technical Adjustments & The Role of the CNS – Why Rest is Crucial

Sprint speed is influenced more by the central nervous system (CNS) than by muscular strength.

What does that mean?

Sprinting is not an endurance ability—it’s a high-level motor skill.
Your brain and nervous system must activate the maximum number of muscle fibers for every sprint.
The more often you train at 100% intensity, the better your CNS adapts → you get faster.

But:

If your CNS is fatigued, it can’t activate muscles at full capacity.
This leads to worse sprint mechanics, slower times, and inefficient movement.
CNS fatigue can last for hours or even days if not managed correctly.

My Personal Experience From This Test:

I noticed that if I lacked power at around 7-8 yards, my time was slower.

On the next sprint, I focused on a more aggressive first three steps.
I mentally rehearsed a perfect start between sprints.
The result? A faster time on the next attempt.

Cal Dietz calls this "CNS priming" – using mental and physical adjustments between sprints to make the nervous system adapt faster.

📌 My Body Gave Me a Clear Signal at the End

I’m almost 43 years old, and I’ve done my fair share of sprint sessions. But after 10 sprints at max intensity, I knew:

"Okay, that’s enough. If I push further, I risk overload or even a muscle strain."

Why does this matter?

✅ Sprinting is high-performance training. Every sprint is a maximum stimulus for muscles, tendons, and the CNS.

✅ Fatigue sneaks up on you. You feel fine, but your body is sending warning signals.

✅ More isn’t always better. If you keep going without listening to your body, your form will break down—and your injury risk skyrockets.

📢 My learning:

Even if you feel mentally ready, you need to know when to stop. Maximum quality > unnecessary volume!

Why Sprint Training With Fatigue Kills Your Speed

Many believe: "If I don’t feel completely destroyed after sprint training, I didn’t train hard enough."

That’s completely wrong.

🚫 If you sprint tired, you’re not training speed—you’re training fatigue.

🚫 Your nervous system can’t learn to sprint faster if it’s constantly overloaded.

🚫 Sprint volume ≠ Speed. More isn’t better.

Tony Holler describes it as the “Cats vs. Dogs” mentality:

“Cats are fast, explosive, and rest between bursts. Dogs are endurance animals – they run themselves to exhaustion. Train like a cat, not like a dog.”

If your goal is sprint endurance, shorter rest periods make sense.

But if you want to develop speed, you need full recovery.

Conclusion – Race Against Time, Not Against Your Fatigue!

✅ Sprint against time – your personal best is your real opponent!

✅ Train speed, not exhaustion.

✅ Full recovery = Full power for maximum velocity.

✅ Technical adjustments between sprints make all the difference.

✅ Sprinting is neurological training – your CNS controls your speed.

🚀 Train smart, sprint fast!

What’s Next?

Now you understand why sprinting against time is a game-changer for speed development.

But how can you take your sprint mechanics to the next level?

✅ What are the most common sprinting mistakes that slow you down?

✅ What can we learn from NFL combine sprinters and elite track athletes?

✅ What are the biomechanical keys to an explosive start and maximum acceleration?

🔥 All of this is covered in Part 2!

📢 Stay tuned – Part 2 is coming soon! 🚀