Ok, so I'm training for this race I'm going to run in October.  It's only a 100m jog, but I have to represent myself well and not lose by too big a margin.  I'm jogging a bunch and playing softball, plus cutting back on the bad foods.

Any good suggestions besides adding sprints to my runs (coming soon)?

Well, I am not an expert, but I did run sprints in high school and the wife ran in college.

My advice would be to warm up really well. Run 1/2 mile or so until you break a sweat. Then make sure you stretch well. Pay special attention to your hamstrings. You could do some high knee runs (bring your knees up high like you are trying to step over something with every step) and butt kicks (kick your foot back, bending your knee as much as possible) for 20 yards or so. Then run several build ups ( building up from a jog to a full sprint in about 20 yrds, sprint 40 yds, slow to jog in 20 yrds). Finally practice a few starts (run as fast as you can from standing) for about 15 yrds. Repeat streching to finish. Do as many as often as you like or desire.

This is the time of year when lots of high schools are having league and state finals and that sort of thing. Go watch a meet. Study the form of the faster runners then afterward try to track down their coaches and ask for advice.

You might also try hooking up with a good running club in your area, though most are distance-oriented.

Another option is checking out [i]Runner's World[/i] Magazine, especially its Web site ([url]www.runnersworld.com[/url]). From there, you can check out a number of places and even ask their experts. Good luck. Yeah, be sure to warm up thoroughly and also stretch. [:)]

Nichon gave good advice for a newbie sprinter.

Once you can do sprints well, add a few sets of stairs to the end of your workout.  

You want to concentrate on "explosive" movement so stride as much as you can, skipping stairs if possible, and stay on your toes.



-good luck