Hey Malik —
Here's the picture of what you're building this season.
You're fast — genuinely, naturally fast, and that's the one thing in track nobody can give you. You already have it. So let's be clear about what this season is actually about: it's not getting faster. It's about turning the speed you've already got into faster times, through a better start, staying relaxed, and finishing strong.
- Your top-end speed is the real deal. That raw fast is the hardest thing to build, and you were born with it.
- You're explosive and powerful — the engine is there.
- You're coachable and you'll do the boring form drills, which is why your start is already getting better.
- You're starting to drive out low instead of popping up, and that's where the biggest time is hiding.
One thing to focus on this week
Run relaxed at top speed. This one's going to feel backward: when you want to go faster, everything in you wants to try harder — clench your fists, tighten your face, force it. But tension is slow. When you tense up, your muscles fight each other, and you actually slow down. Watch the fastest sprinters — they look almost easy at top speed, because they're completely loose. Soft hands, soft face, dropped shoulders. Let the speed happen instead of forcing it. Relaxing isn't slowing down — it's how you go faster.
The wall drives, the form drills, the build-ups where you're just practicing relaxing — none of it is glamorous. It doesn't feel like it's adding up. It is. The sprinter whose times drop next season is the one who did the boring mechanics work this year. You already have the speed. This season is about letting all of it show up on the clock. Keep going.
