Developing the "kick"

In 1983, Jeff Smith was leading the New York City Marathon at mile 26.  Rod Dixon, in second place, had been closing in on him since mile 20.  At mile 26, Smith looked over his should, only to see a possessed Dixon speeding past him.  At mile 26!  In the ensuing 0.2 miles, Dixon's legs churned, taking him straight to the finish line, increasing in speed the whole way.



This incredible drive by Dixon at the end of the marathon is something I like to refer to as "the kick". Developing the kick takes time and patience in your training. It's normally the result of regular fast, explosive workouts that focus on building anaerobic endurance.

Jeff Dixon is historically a miler, meaning he was a short-distance racer turned marathoner. Through regular speed work sessions, he managed to maintain his anaerobic engine in addition to improving his long course endurance.

Anaerobic work ranges from heavy weightlifting to short-distance sprints. If you're a runner, this obviously means running sprints. But you can build the kick in swimming or cycling in similar fashion - short, powerful repetitions.

Anaerobic work has benefits beyond developing the kick, a useful component of endurance sports competition. It also revs up your metabolism and builds muscle. As a runner, if you were to focus your time primarily on speed work at the track, you would look more like exhibit A as opposed to exhibit B:

Don't get me wrong. I don't think one body type is better than the other, but, physiologically speaking, the anaerobic giants tend to have more muscle mass, and aerobic runners, who would observe decreased performance from extra, heavy muscle mass, tend to be thinner.  Long-distance guys don't need the explosive power garnered from big muscles.

Anyways, "the kick" is one of the most incredible things to watch in sports.  When you see somebody turn on the jets at the end of a long event, you can't help but admire them.  It's so hard to develop the kick, but the result is well worth the price.