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I've spent hours looking for answers to no avail. I'm trying to find out how to judge someone's ability to get faster, including my own. If you do everything right, how much faster can you get? Does it depend primarily on natural talent/genetics or is talent more of a starting point? If someone starts out running a 13 second hundred does it mean they can never reach sub-eleven? Stride Length x Stride Frequency = Speed, but you still see plenty of shorter people run sub-eleven along with tall, slow stride sprinters. How do you know your body's limits? How do you know someone else's limits? Is it just about how hard you're willing to work? I can keep firing off question after question for hours, so please give as much insight as possible on the subject.

yes a person can get faster, but like my coach said i can make a fast person faster but i cant make a slow person fast. there is not denying the fact that hard work brings results. but you really do have to take in natural ability. there is probably some equations someone can give you but really its a mix between the 2. i run an 11.02 at my fastest. in middle school i ran like a 12.2 so yes i have improved but i have also gotten bigger and stronger. and ive always kind of been fast. and my time will probably not improve a ton from where it is now. i may some time be proven wrong but someone going 13 now.( in good shape and not growing ) will never go sub 11, they can how ever get faster. and yes the harder you work the more it will pay off. with in reason. not just running but lifting and plyos ect... and it won't happen over night. it takes a lot of time to get faster and stronger. and as far as limits ? good question i really don't know. sometimes it seems that our limits are indefinite and sometimes it seems like we cant go any further , really its a choice . look at this vid. apparently no one told her what limits are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsOBaV_93yQ


sorry probably not the answer you wanted but i saw it wasn't answered so i gave my 2c

This is a great "comeback" vid! It has nothing to do with natural speed or natural talent, and it's not even much to do with the value of training hard to get faster. It's a great motivation story of determination and grit, with the moral being NEVER GIVE UP and overcoming adversity!

So no matter how slow you might be or how much your PV technique sucks. Just keep working hard, and NEVER GIVE UP!

When you know that you've trained as hard as you possibly could, gotten as strong and as fast as you possibly could, and improved your technique to the best of your ability, then nobody can take that away from you! Even if your PR isn't that great compared to other vaulters, you will have the life-long satisfaction and pride of doing your best and KNOWING that you NEVER GAVE UP!

This lady ran a great race, but her satisfaction would not have ended on that day, or even the day after, when she read the newspaper report of her amazing comeback. She will be proudly telling that story to her grandchildren some day!

So Willschmelt, my advice to you is to train as hard as you can, and don't fret if you never get as fast as you wish. YOU WILL GET FASTER - so NEVER GIVE UP!

Kirk