Originally Posted by HDTVKSS
regarding the pyramid sprints, when im out doing base training, i dont know if its good practice or not, but to mix up the session a bit and to begin to train my legs up a bit for build periods, i will do 5 or so 10 second sprints in a session. stops the brain from going to mush and gives you osmthing to look forward to in the session methinks.
The theory goes that you shouldn't be doing that stuff during base training HDT. Smacks from teacher for you
However that sort of thing is used quite often by runners when they are doing any non-specific miles. It's called fartlek training, and is basically a mix of various intensities on a training run usually using visual triggers (eg. light poles) to signal the start of an effort and the distance. Sprint intervals, long intervals, kick drills, stride throughs, they do them all in one training session and it keeps things interesting. Cyclists can enjoy the benefits of fartlek training too, but specific (ie. targetted) training yields better results in the long run. Maybe on one ride per week.