Sponge Pete answers ...

Thanks to Harris and Prinz for chiming in on the Big Sponge Theory. Good to hear from you both. As always.

Prinz posed the following, interesting question:

Why is 4x400 with 1 minute rest a bad workout? Why is a good workout?

It is a tough question to answer in a vacuum, but in the spirit of discourse here is my take on it for Prinz.

Why is it a bad workout? Probably because the runner (most likely a highly-trained male) will salivate over the low volume of the workout and drill it way too fast (sub-60?), given the insanely short rest break. So, in DanielsSpeak, that guy will be doing rep work with thresh recovery. THIS IS A BAD COMBINATION! Terrible.

Why is it a good workout? Done correctly, this workout could give a highly trained miler type the confidence to run race pace while tired and not fully recovered. It can also teach said miler the restraint to run the first 400 of the workout (and thus the race) at close to goal race pace, which will feel relatively comfortable.

As with most workouts, if the coach puts good thought into it and then the athlete executes it properly, it will have some training benefit. However, here in the real world, coaches are not always perfect in their judgment and athletes certainly are not perfect in their execution.

It's all part of the fun, isn't it?

Thanks again, guys, for thought-provoking stuff.