08-31-2003, 03:50 AM
Hello, just a little factoid from my experience.
You have quite obviously never run track. I might suggest that one day sometime soon, you head down to the local high schools track. Time yourself running one 100m race, and then 5 minutes later time yourself running another 100m race. I think you'll probably end up finding a difference in the times of upwards of a second (if you train). In the extremely high end of the sport, for example the olympics a one second delay is 10% more time. That is like running a 4:40 mile instead of a 4 minute mile.
A typical track practice (from my last year, as a freshman doing T+F) can consist of several things: a ladder (100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, then go back down. Or you can do it the other way), repeats (5x300, 8x200, 10x100), or other such excercises. Athletes fight injuries (I myself fought shin splints, which are *extremely* painful) in practice in order to be ready for the race day. We train for hours for our 10, or 25, or 60 seconds of fame on the track, and then you ask us to rerun the entire race because someone ahead of us false-started? I'm sorry, but even at a distance of 100m you WILL see dramatic differences in times from one to the next with 5 minutes rest.
Anyway, rant off, and isn't it about time you started sticking that foot in your mouth? ;)
Just kidding of course, but I thought I'd put my little bit of input in the discussion.
Baylan
Quote:I remember the days when all runners got a warning, and yes I know it took forever. But maybe they should just admit that short-sprint races are a little different-- let them run. If the first place finisher had a false-start, do the race over. Otherwise, (s)he's the winner. If only the 2nd place person did, re-run the race for 2nd and 3rd, but 1st place has already been decided. I can't believe that 100m is too hard to repeat after say 5 minutes.
You have quite obviously never run track. I might suggest that one day sometime soon, you head down to the local high schools track. Time yourself running one 100m race, and then 5 minutes later time yourself running another 100m race. I think you'll probably end up finding a difference in the times of upwards of a second (if you train). In the extremely high end of the sport, for example the olympics a one second delay is 10% more time. That is like running a 4:40 mile instead of a 4 minute mile.
A typical track practice (from my last year, as a freshman doing T+F) can consist of several things: a ladder (100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, then go back down. Or you can do it the other way), repeats (5x300, 8x200, 10x100), or other such excercises. Athletes fight injuries (I myself fought shin splints, which are *extremely* painful) in practice in order to be ready for the race day. We train for hours for our 10, or 25, or 60 seconds of fame on the track, and then you ask us to rerun the entire race because someone ahead of us false-started? I'm sorry, but even at a distance of 100m you WILL see dramatic differences in times from one to the next with 5 minutes rest.
Anyway, rant off, and isn't it about time you started sticking that foot in your mouth? ;)
Just kidding of course, but I thought I'd put my little bit of input in the discussion.
Baylan