What is the purpose of including a top-speed or speed-endurance session in a peak week?

• A. To maximize endurance with long repeats.
• B. To decrease neuromuscular demand before competition.
• C. To improve late-velocity capacity and sustain top speed under fatigue.
• D. To replace all sprint drills with endurance runs.

Answer: (C)

In a peak week the goal is to preserve and enhance the ability to maintain high speed when fatigue is present. A top-speed session trains the sprint mechanics and neural drive needed at max velocity, keeping your form and stride efficient when you’re fully engaged in fast running. A speed-endurance session pushes that high-speed expression into fatigue, teaching you to sustain velocity and sprint quality even as recoveries shorten and fatigue rises. This combination develops late-velocity capacity—the ability to hold near-top speed through the final meters of a race—which is exactly what performance hinges on in peak weeks.

Long endurance repeats don’t specifically train the capability to hold top speed under fatigue, and they can blunt sprint mechanics. Reducing neuromuscular demands before competition would undermine the purpose of sprint work, not enhance it. Replacing sprint drills with endurance runs would sacrifice the speed-specific adaptations you’re aiming to peak.