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I'm 44 and wanting to get in to some sprinting. I haven't sprinted since middle school were I held a 40 yard and 100 yard record for a while. I've always had good sprint speed which was always noticed and commented on during softball and flag football games.

I've stayed in decent shape, lifting regularly and running road races. (I never did too well in those. I also know that type of training can be counter-productive to sprinting.)

Is it too late to start sprinting to see if I have the right stuff? How do I know what event to train for? I have very good 60m speed but I fall off quite a bit after that. When I trained for road races, I could hold a good 400m pace.

Thanks for any suggestions, comments, criticism.

If you're lucky it won't be too difficult. If you're normal it will. It will definitely be well worth it and if you're even wondering about it , you just have to go for it. I started just over a year ago at age 44 and have had the best, most challenging year ever. JUST DO IT!!!!!

Glad to here that you want to run! Take your time getting into your training and DON'T use a stop watch. Time is not important when you first start. Plan your workouts in advance with the days that you plan to rest and recover. Have a good back up plan for when you get injured. Noticed I said when. I think we all get started and think we are 20 again and the body can just take it. Guess what its not true. lol. Just plan and do everything you can in you training to prevent them from happening.

Thanks for the encouragment!

Can someone give me suggestions on some workouts I should start with?

I returned to the track at 46, after nearly 15 years away. Not quite your break, but maybe some of this helps:

Don't fall for the trap of trying to do a watered down version of what the youngsters are doing. The Masters body is different, and each needs to establish its own regime. Persevere.

Work on strengthening the weak links in the chain - hips, hamstrings, knees, calves, achilles and feet. If one goes, you can be pretty sure the next-weakest link will be lining up to follow it, just as soon as you think you've recovered.

REST! Resist the rediscovery of that adrenaline rush, and give your body time to recover from each session. Read up about DOMS. You're sure to encounter it!

Include as much fast running in your work out as you can do without hurting. You need good knee lift and good foot speed to counter the effects of being older. The better your stride, the fewer you'll need, the faster you'll get there.

Find a good masseur/masseuse and let them develop a long-term relationship with your body. Their feedback will confirm or refute what you think you're feeling!

Race. Running fast in training is a great buzz, but you'll learn loads from being around other racers.

Read. There's great wisdom to be had these days, especially about care and prevention of injury.

Enjoy it. What does it matter that you get beaten? Learn from it and fret about what you might be if you weren't a runner. It's great motivation!

Tom Phillips
(A Master from Great Britain. European M50 100m finalist in '06 and Euro 4x200 relay gold medalist in 07 - still getting faster every year!)

Good advice Tom. I enjoyed it even though I didn't ask the question.

Provided that you are medically fit, you should start training. I began running at age 44, after almost 25 years. I ran in high school and a bit in college. Take it slow, build up gradually. You might want to follow a "easy" day "hard" day plan. Rest / recovery is as important as working out. Find the right balance. Cross train and lift. Good luck.

I always recommend the advice of my Canadian particle physicist friend Jess Brewer. Check out his seminal suggestions:

http://www.masterstrack.com/train/general1.html

Worked for me.

44 = old ????