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Imagine a high school track athlete getting set to run a 200-meter race among some of the best competition in the world. The gun goes off and the athlete tears out of his blocks and hurdles into the first turn. He shoots around the bend and roars down the last 100-meter stretch to a miraculous win.

Now, to the average eye it would have appeared that the athlete simply ran as fast as he could around the track, but to the trained eye, there is indeed much more going on.

Enter Latif Thomas, a very trained eye. Thomas is the sprints coach for the North Attleboro High School Boys and Girls' track teams and co-owner of Athletes' Acceleration, Inc., a sports training company whose mission is to provide information and resources designed to improve performance for athletes on all sports and levels.

Thomas, a native of North Attleboro, has held the high school's outdoor 400-meter record (48.8 seconds) and 200-meter record (22.1 seconds) for the past 13 years. He received a partial athletic scholarship to the University of Connecticut where he had terrific success. Thomas was All-New England as well as a Big East finalist in the 200-meter dash for three consecutive indoor seasons ('98,'99, '00), and in 2000 he was All-Big East in both the indoor 200-meter dash and was a member of the All-Big East 4x400-meter relay team. On top of this, Thomas was a key member of many other successful relay teams and was All-East in 1999 in the indoor 200-meter dash.

The idea behind Athletes' Acceleration developed after parents from local area schools began approaching Thomas directly for their kids to have individual training sessions. This was because of Thomas's immaculate success while coaching at Foxboro High School from 2001-06. In that period he coached 60 League Champions, 36 Class Champions, 3 All-State Champions and 2 New England Champions. With a training program in mind, Thomas got together with fellow North High alumnus Patrick Beith (co-owner of Athletes' Acceleration) and together the two soon released their first training resource, "Complete Speed Training." They put their product online and soon purchases were being made around the entire world. Thomas and Beith might not have realized it at the time, but it was the start of what would become a very successful business.

Since then, Athletes' Acceleration has grown into a nationally recognized program. "The permanent goal of Athletes' Acceleration is to provide coaches, parents and athletes with cutting edge training information and resources to reduce injuries and allow athletes to perform to the best of their abilities," says Thomas.

Their products have sold in over 72 countries worldwide, and have been used by athletes and coaches on all levels, including the strength and conditioning coaches of the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

A key part of Athletes' Acceleration is applying the science behind running. Thomas and Beith apply that science in all of their programs. "Most athletes will be at full speed by 30 yards, and to continue to try and get faster after that point is counter productive," Thomas says. "Athletes need to develop the ability to relax while running at full speed. They should be thinking: 'Maximum speed, minimum effort.' It all just comes back to the skill of running."

Thomas added, "Most sports programs run outdated training systems where coaches likely understand the X's and O's of that particular sport, but know very little about the speed and strength conditioning elements that ultimately determine whether or not athletes reach their goals."

Their Web site, www.AthletesAcceleration.com, features countless tools for improved training. Not only are the products featured, but different training and performance articles written by Thomas, Beith, and a slew of other contributing coaches are added often. The coaches can be reached directly at info@athletesacceleration.com.

Thomas's coaching career reached an all-time high in 2005 when he was voted the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Coach of the Year. That year, he was also appointed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. In his first two seasons at North Attleboro he wasted no time in propelling three of the school's best athletes to the top: senior captains Elijah Harris, Kristen McLoughlin, and Katy Flannery.

Harris, last season's Hockomock League champion in the 100-meter dash, completed a memorable indoor season, winning the 55-meter dash at the League Championship Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Massachusetts, under Coach Thomas's watchful eye. Harris says the differences from last year to this year are unquestionable.

"The level of understanding that Coach Thomas brings to the mechanics of running and the science of it is incredible," says the senior captain. "It's to better us as athletes so we're not running mindlessly, but with a sense of understanding." Harris' 200-meter time dropped from 23.4 seconds last season to 22.9 seconds this season, and he's seen over a second shaved off his best 400-meter time which currently stands at 52.0 seconds.

McLoughlin, who won the 200-meter dash at the Hockomock League Championship meet on May 23, saw her previous personal best of 26.14 reduced to 25.97 in winning her first ever individual League Title in an open running event. The very next week she also won the 200-meter dash at the Division II State Championship in a time of 25.90. For McLoughlin, the differences have spoken volumes. In fact, McLoughlin has set new lifetime bests in every event she has competed in this season. "I have a whole new focus. I feel more confident and prepared. I feel like I'm doing better because I have a race plan. We run so many different workouts and we run at full speed more often in practice, so when I get in a race I feel prepared because I've done it so many times in practice. I cannot say enough good things about Coach Thomas."

McLoughlin shattered her own school record in the 300-meter dash this past winter, posting a time of 41.67 seconds, compared to her previous record of 42.6 seconds.

For Flannery, her biggest improvement since Thomas's arrival this past winter has been in the indoor 300-meter dash. Her previous best before this past season was 45.86 seconds, but she obliterated that with a time of 42.7 seconds. For Flannery, it's Thomas's passion that sets him apart.

"The enthusiasm he comes to practice with is awesome. He breaks it down to a science," she says. "If you're willing to work, there's no way you can't get better with him as coach."