Sprinting: 'It's just fun. So much fun!'

I tell almost everyone I know the same story about sprinting. After school, we would race to the local shop for sweets before running back and sitting on the track eating them out of paper bags. As the PE teacher walked into our line of vision, we’d wipe our sticky hands on our shorts and start legging it around the track.

This was what sprinting was to me when I was young. A laugh, and something that came relatively easily. I was by no means a champion, but I was on the girl’s relay team and competed in inter-school competitions, which we always looked forward to as a day out.

Fast forward 16 years and I’m stood on the side of Wimbledon Park track, floodlights beaming down on groups of determined-looking runners practising drills and starts and discussing times. Naively, I had thought that, on my first practice session, I would rock up, get in my lane and start sprinting.

That was the first important lesson. Sprinters take warm-up very seriously. Drills make up a massive part of our one-hour training sessions – almost half the session can be dominated by the warm-up. Fast feet, arm drives, high knees are all regulars, but there’s also a mixture of other exercises depending on the session, such as skipping, plyometrics and tyre-dragging.

The sprinting part of the session can really vary. You may do a few 150m efforts, or a mixture of sprint distances with varying rest in between. In the winter, the distances get longer and the whole session gets tougher. You’re encouraged to push yourself, but to be smart and not risk injury. It’s important to know you can work your way up to it and it’s useful to remind yourself that some of the people taking part have been doing this for years.

Sprinting as an adult is a different ball game. Persuading your (heavier) body to move as fast as possible – and then some – takes a lot of power, skill and energy. But it’s also fun. So much fun.

The sprinting group I train with at Hercules Wimbledon are the loveliest bunch of people. From those who have been coming to the running club since they were kids, to those wanting to gain a competitive edge in other sports, to those simply hoping to burn away the stress of the daily grind, they all come to push themselves and to have a good time doing it.

As the sessions are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, it can be difficult to fit in with work and social lives, but the vibe is relaxed. Some go to every single session, others come and go as they can. We are all in agreement on one thing, though: no matter how much you don’t fancy doing a sprinting session at the end of a long work day, you never regret it. Even when you’re doubled up on the floor, out of breath, lactic acid shooting up your calves. “I felt like I was going to be sick” gets the response: “That’s great. Shows you were pushing yourself!”

Sprinting often seems to be associated with youth or lightning speed. When I tell friends or colleagues that I go sprinting, I can see a faint look of puzzlement. Running a 5K, 10K or a marathon is widely accepted as normal now, yet talk about sprinting is usually relegated to discussions about HITT, sports day or Usain Bolt. Often, when you talk about it, people assume you must be very fast. But you really shouldn’t let this put you off giving sprinting a go. As one of the coaches, helpfully but rather depressingly, tells me: “You can’t transform a cart horse into a racehorse – but you can make it go faster.”

At a recent bootcamp I attended, a few people were intrigued to know more about what we get up to on the track. One lady, in her 40s, was very keen on joining but admitted that she had thought sprinting was just for “fast twentysomethings”. Yet part of this same bootcamp had featured races and drills not dissimilar to our sprinting sessions. And with an annual fee of £20 (plus a £2 track fee for each session), it’s far cheaper than a lot of group classes.

So, what about the kit? Normal running gear will do you just fine. If you get more into sprinting, spikes are worth investing in. It’s a credit to the friendliness of my group that, when I started thinking of buying a pair of spikes, a member of the team gave me a pair she had spare. They fitted well and I still use them.

From 20s to 40+, the groups are very mixed. The fast youngsters are often coached separately, and it’s worth going along to a club and checking out their training schedules to find a group that suits you and your ability.

For those interested in something a bit more serious, then there is ample opportunity to get involved in competitions. From casual club fixtures to national and international competition, there is a space for anyone to don their running club colours and represent. Competing is not just for the youngsters either – one of the guys in my group recently won the over-45 400m at a major track and field championships.

Sprinting can benefit so many other sporting interests, too, from cycling to rugby and swimming. Mentally, it can be a revelation. In such a short space of time, your thoughts are limited to pumping your arms, pulling those knees higher, relaxing your shoulders and driving forward. There’s just no space – or time – to think of anything else.