Wes Williams, an SDSU alum, is the Head Sprint Coach for the Cougars and is in charge of the sprint training regimen for athletes like Team Captain Burtland Dixon and Jasmine Oliver.

“Sprinting is mostly anaerobic,” said Williams. Sprinters are essentially learning to run faster “without oxygen.”

He makes sure the sprinters have proper aerobic conditioning before they begin working on their speed.

“We work on a cross country-type base during the preseason, but when it gets closer to season, that’s when we begin doing faster and tougher workouts,” said Williams.

Williams said he makes sure his sprinters are in shape before they increase to this intensity. He tests his athletes’ conditioning level by having them sprint “short enough that if [they’re] in shape, [they] won’t be getting into an anaerobic state.”

Through a sprinting career that began with a collegiate debut in 1969, Williams has found that peak training time is between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“Sprinters don’t sprint well prior to 10 o’ clock. That’s just what I’ve noticed. The body isn’t completely awake or warmed-up yet until then,” said Williams.

The most valuable lesson that Williams has learned from coaching is being receptive to change. “Not every athlete is the same, and a good coach will taper the workout to fit the individual’s needs,” he said.

He tells his sprinters to “trust themselves, trust their coach and trust what he or she is giving [them]. There is always some thought behind it. If there is a question, then athletes can ask.” Williams encourages his athletes to ask him questions and to challenge him as a coach.

Dixon, who also serves at the Web and Social Media Manager for the Cougar Chronicle, is one of CSUSM’s fastest sprinters. He enjoys the steady practice of sprint work that Williams has the team do. He said he likes that each workout he does is a new one; the muscles never know what to expect next.

Due to this type of training, Dixon said, “I’m always in pain, but when you get injured, you’ll know it.”

To avoid injury, Dixon makes sure he stays flexible by foam rolling, stretching and properly warming up and cooling down as per Williams’ advice. “How flexible you are is how fast you are,” Dixon said. “You have to stay consistent. You have to stay motivated. If it gets tough, keep going.”

Dixon’s weight lifting regime is all about power. He doesn’t want to get too bulky because that’ll slow him down, so he focuses mainly on Olympic power lifts.

Oliver, who began training under Williams after transferring from Cuyamaca Community College, is another one of CSUSM’s elite sprinters.

Much like Dixon, she said she appreciates the way Williams runs practices.

“At times, the work can be really hard and it makes me think twice about running track, but overall, I know Coach Wes’ workouts are meant for us to get better,” she said.

Oliver acknowledges that the workouts train her not only physically, but mentally. After a workout, she feels like she can tackle anything.

In addition to practice on the track, Oliver lifts weights everyday in the preseason and cuts back to three days a week during season so that her body can get the proper amount of time to recover.

Oliver said she takes Williams’ advice and also takes care of her body outside of track workouts. “I stretch really well, foam roll and takes ice baths. Most people hate it, myself included, but it really does help,” she said.

Many of us would mind it as well. Unlike our sprinters, most people hate the thought of exercising, or anything that fringes on the boundary of pain and pleasure, but we all know we have to do it to stay healthy.

If you’re ever near the track, come watch our sprinters do what they do best—work hard! If you’re looking for a safe place to run, the CSUSM track is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, unless there is an event scheduled.

Sprinting is a great calorie-burner, so hopefully this article inspired you to not only support our CSUSM Track and Field team, but to also get out and run. But before you do, make sure you build up your base, eat right, drink plenty of water and most importantly—have fun!