Running Aimlessly Down Under - From 54 to 53 sec 400m

Pisco Sour

First track session in a week. A lot of drink has been consumed the last week and maybe it had a bit of an effect today. The middle distance guys were doing 5x300m, but the session for me and one of the other sprinters was 5x200m with 4 minute rests, running with the middle distance guys from the start, and intending to be well ahead of them when we finished each rep. The first 2 felt good, quick, but ever so slightly within myself. Coach told us not to be going off like heroes at the start and that consistency was the key in this session. The 3rd one was tough though. Felt the lactic acid in the legs. Was b0lloxed after it and sat out the 4th rep. Then for the final rep the coach told me to do 300m with the middle distance guys. I nearly cried. I barely had the energy to do 100m. I somehow mustered up enough will to get through it, in 48 seconds. Legs turned to jelly in the last 100m. Shattered beyond belief after.

So the session ended up being 200-200-200-300 with 4 minutes recovery between reps, with 9 minutes before the last rep. Also I think I ran a fair bit more than 200m in those reps as I ran in lane 6, yet started at the same point as the other guys, so probably about 215m each time. Didn't time them though so doesn't really matter.

RandyMann wrote: »

Also which is very important is to use pronated grip at all times. If you tend to do the mistake of using your arm/arms to help the lift and you have the opposite grip(1 hand supinated and the other pronated), you can easily tear your bicep with the supinated grip.

Interesting. The gym coach has me holding it with one hand supinated. He says the grip is better that way and allows to deadlift heavier. Will see what he thinks about the above point when I see him next.

RandyMann

Hey Pisco, tried that molkosan for the first time yesterday as myself and my daughter had sore throats with a cold developing.
This stuff is miraculous, we are both fixed upon wakening today! Couldnt believe it. My sore throat was actually gone afer a few hours, amazing stuff indeed.
Thanks for that.

Pisco Sour

RandyMann wrote: »

Hey Pisco, tried that molkosan for the first time yesterday as myself and my daughter had sore throats with a cold developing.
This stuff is miraculous, we are both fixed upon wakening today! Couldnt believe it. My sore throat was actually gone afer a few hours, amazing stuff indeed.
Thanks for that.

It's the world's best kept secret. It really is.

Pisco Sour

Gym session this morning. More or less the same as Wednesday with the following differences:

Bench Press: Tried the same as the last day but on this occasion could only manage 5 reps at 152lbs, and again 0 at 162lbs. Going from 90% to 95% like that at the end of a gym session is a struggle. Might have to go to 92.5% or something like that first as I'm going nowhere at the 162lbs.

Leg Press: Continueing my gradual build up in this. Now at 346lbs, up 10lbs from the last day.

Goodmornings: I brought this down from 40kg to 30kg as I feel I am using my back muscles too much at the heavier weight which is not the idea of this exercise at all.

Had my massage after. Was a sore one. Have had 3 gym sessions, 2 hill sessions and 2 track sessions since my last massage so the legs were feeling it.

Big hill session tomorrow morning.

RandyMann

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2hT6JFKXTo

With regard to bicep tears, the above example, you can actually hear it tear. Not nice. Youtube is full of videos of distal tendon tears from deadlifting. If you do manage to do this, it can put you out for months plus you would prob need an op. That is why when you said you were making the mistake of using your arms to aid the lift, had me worried, especially when it was I who was advising you to do deadlifts in the first place.

Pisco Sour

Hill session this morning. I was the only sprinter there so got lumped in with the middle distance runners. They were doing 10x150m with jog back down the hill breaks. Coach told me to do every second rep, so 5x150m, going on reps 1,3,5,7 and 9 of the middle distance guys session, giving me about a 3 to 3 and a half minute walk back rest between each rep. Coach said to me that I am to lead the bunch and finish each of my reps first.

My times were very consistent:

26-27-27-27-27

I was first to the top for the first 4, but got beaten by a metre or two on the last one, by one of the guys who at his best is a 53/1:57 runner.

Then after my 5th rep the coach told me to run the last 75m of their 10th and last rep, which I didn't bother timing, and being honest probably didn't push 100% for either. Was stuffed after the 5th 150 and wasn't expecting to have to do anymore reps.

Happy with the session, and happy to manage 5 days of training this week despite the distractions of this time of year.

The middle distance guys are crazy! During our run throughs to warm up they were jogging back between each. They go for mad long warm up jogs (6 laps the other day, as opposed to my 2), and they jog back between hard reps. They are mad for the jogging!

RandyMann wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2hT6JFKXTo

With regard to bicep tears, the above example, you can actually hear it tear. Not nice. Youtube is full of videos of distal tendon tears from deadlifting. If you do manage to do this, it can put you out for months plus you would prob need an op. That is why when you said you were making the mistake of using your arms to aid the lift, had me worried, especially when it was I who was advising you to do deadlifts in the first place.

Ouch! Thanks for sharing that!! :eek:

Will certainly be talking to my gym coach and seeing what he thinks about this. Tbh I think I may need to drop the weight back down to 50kg or something so I can get the technique right. I simply can't do them very well.

RandyMann

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Hill session this morning. I was the only sprinter there so got lumped in with the middle distance runners. They were doing 10x150m with jog back down the hill breaks. Coach told me to do every second rep, so 5x150m, going on reps 1,3,5,7 and 9 of the middle distance guys session, giving me about a 3 to 3 and a half minute walk back rest between each rep. Coach said to me that I am to lead the bunch and finish each of my reps first.

My times were very consistent:

26-27-27-27-27

I was first to the top for the first 4, but got beaten by a metre or two on the last one, by one of the guys who at his best is a 53/1:57 runner.

Then after my 5th rep the coach told me to run the last 75m of their 10th and last rep, which I didn't bother timing, and being honest probably didn't push 100% for either. Was stuffed after the 5th 150 and wasn't expecting to have to do anymore reps.

Happy with the session, and happy to manage 5 days of training this week despite the distractions of this time of year.

The middle distance guys are crazy! During our run throughs to warm up they were jogging back between each. They go for mad long warm up jogs (6 laps the other day, as opposed to my 2), and they jog back between hard reps. They are mad for the jogging!



Ouch! Thanks for sharing that!! :eek:

Will certainly be talking to my gym coach and seeing what he thinks about this. Tbh I think I may need to drop the weight back down to 50kg or something so I can get the technique right. I simply can't do them very well.

Yes prob wise, no rush going up the weight as you are experiencing good gains already.

RandyMann

Hey Pisco, you are faster than Mo Farah over 100m, he ran 12.98 !

Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjwye6P0Kpc

Pisco Sour

Track session on a glorious sunny morning. I was put in with 2 middle distance guys, one who has run 53 for 400m this season and 2:02 for 800m, and the other guy who used to be a 49 runner but now is probably in 53/54 shape and is training for 800s these days.

The 2 of them were doing 4x400m with 5 minute recoveries, while I was told to do 270-270-270-300 with 5 minute recoveries, running with the other 2 lads from the start and staying with them at the pace they were running and then finish up at the appropriate part of the track.

I didn't time myself, but the times for the 2 lads were: 62-62-61-60. I stayed with them for each rep, though maybe a tiny gap developed on the last rep. My last 300m was probably about 45/46, and the other reps probably at 46 pace for 300m.

I was pushing pretty hard on that last rep, but maybe the session as a whole was just the slightest bit on the easy side, and maybe 4x300 would have been better. But I've been on my hands and knees many times coming off that track so having the tiniest bit of energy left after a session isn't going to harm me. Very good aerobic workout all in all.

So that's the last session of 2012. Great year with huge improvements. Here's to an even better 2013. Happy new year everyone.

RandyMann wrote: »

Hey Pisco, you are faster than Mo Farah over 100m, he ran 12.98 !

Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjwye6P0Kpc

Haha. Something doesn't seem quite right about that. 12.98 is extremely slow for somebody who can run a 53 at the end of a fast 10000m race.

RandyMann

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Track session on a glorious sunny morning. I was put in with 2 middle distance guys, one who has run 53 for 400m this season and 2:02 for 800m, and the other guy who used to be a 49 runner but now is probably in 53/54 shape and is training for 800s these days.

The 2 of them were doing 4x400m with 5 minute recoveries, while I was told to do 270-270-270-300 with 5 minute recoveries, running with the other 2 lads from the start and staying with them at the pace they were running and then finish up at the appropriate part of the track.

I didn't time myself, but the times for the 2 lads were: 62-62-61-60. I stayed with them for each rep, though maybe a tiny gap developed on the last rep. My last 300m was probably about 45/46, and the other reps probably at 46 pace for 300m.

I was pushing pretty hard on that last rep, but maybe the session as a whole was just the slightest bit on the easy side, and maybe 4x300 would have been better. But I've been on my hands and knees many times coming off that track so having the tiniest bit of energy left after a session isn't going to harm me. Very good aerobic workout all in all.

So that's the last session of 2012. Great year with huge improvements. Here's to an even better 2013. Happy new year everyone.



Haha. Something doesn't seem quite right about that. 12.98 is extremely slow for somebody who can run a 53 at the end of a fast 10000m race.

Well lets just say that 53 is a real goal for you in the future.

Pisco Sour

Usually have my massage on Wednesday but my cousin was leaving Melbourne this evening :( so this evening was my last chance to see him until God knows when! So went for some dinner and have rescheduled my massage for Friday.

Could have done with the massage though as the last few days I've had this niggle which has been irritating me. It's in my right leg, at the back, behind the knee, in the area connecting the hamstring to the calf. Don't know what it is or where it came from. So decided to not put any stress on the legs this evening and so only did a short gym session:

Bench Press: 8 x 135.5lbs, 8 x 145.5lbs, 5 x 152lbs, 2 x 157.5lbs

Crunches: 2 sets of 30

Side sit-ups: 2 sets of 20 on each side

Body twists: 1 set of 50 @ 10kg

Weather forecast for tomorrow is 36, Friday is 41, then 2 comfortable days (31 on Sunday for my race), then back up to 38 on Monday. Mental this is.

Not sure what to expect on Sunday. Wouldn't be entirely hopeful. The last few weeks I've eaten lots of crap, drank a lot, haven't slept great, have been out of a routine, and throw in the emotional energy of homesickness.

Pisco Sour

Track session yesterday evening in 36/37 degrees. I thought the coach would go easy on me in this weather but no, instead, he had myself and another lad do 2x300m flat out, with 15 minutes recovery between each.

The heat was so bad that after my warm up I almost felt like I had done a hard session.

Times were:

41.6 – 42.5

Delighted with those times, especially with the first one being the exact same as the last time I did a 300 flat out about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Despite the Christmas distractions, and the heat I didn’t lose anything, albeit I did have the help of a faster guy to run with on this occasion.

Training in that weather will hopefully make 31 seem easy on Sunday for my 400m race.

Pisco Sour

Weekly massage after work yesterday. Not much else to report. Had considered doing a light gym session but given the fact it was 41 degrees yesterday I thought better of it and made sure to expand as little energy as possible. Even just travelling on the trams home from the gym felt like a full workout in such disgusting conditions.

Race tomorrow.

Pisco Sour

‎56.26 seconds for 400m at the High Velocity meet in Knox today, coming a close 2nd in my heat but more importantly a PB by the tiny margin of 0.02 seconds. Delighted to back up my time from 3 weeks ago and to prove to myself that it wasn't a fluke or once-off, especially given the nasty headwind in the homestraight and severe blisters in the last 150m on what was a burning hot track. Roll on country champs in 3 weeks time.

Race report to follow.

RandyMann

Great running, a PB is a PB also great for the confidence, very well done!

Pisco Sour

After a very successful High Velocity Club debut 3 weeks ago, I was back for seconds this weekend. The location was Knox, which to my surprise was much further out of Melbourne than I thought, with not a single train or tram line anywhere close to the track, and just unreliable buses. Fortunately I knew one person also competing, a decathlon buddy of mine, so a lift was arranged, and so I didn’t have to worry about struggling to find the place!

The weather was very nice. Around 30 degrees, but very comfortable in the shade. Not a cloud in the sky. The only issue was a very strong wind which was destined to greet my face in the homestraight.

The track was nice. I think it had been resurfaced not too long ago, and also the straights were just 80m long, and so the bends were long and sweeping at 120m each.

I was entered to run in the 400m, and after a standard warm up I was ready to go.

400m:

There were 2 heats of the men’s 400m. I went in the second of these heats, the slower one. There were just 4 people in my race. I was drawn in lane 6, with 2 guys inside me in lane 4 and 5 who I knew little about except for the fact that they were somewhere between 53 and 55 second runners. In lane 7 there was a 12 year old kid (more about that later) who had a PB of 60.

As I sat in my blocks waiting for the starter’s gun I was attacked by a swarm of petulant flies. The Aussie version of these useless creatures are quite something else. In Ireland if a fly goes at you, you quickly bat it away and it learns who is boss and pisses off! Here however, they don’t take the hint that they are unwelcome and will stick around for desert. They really are a right nuisance!

Anyway, back to the race. I had no choice but to let the flies have their feast as I waited carefully for the gun. Pistol was fired and I don’t think I reacted incredibly well but I got out sort of ok I suppose. I think the first 40m or 50m I didn’t quite drive enough but by the time I exited the first bend I was moving well. The guy in lane 5 ate up the stagger on me and cruised past, while I did likewise to the kid in lane 7. Cruised at high speed down the backstraight (trying to take advantage of a tailwind at this moment), but about 150m in and the guy in lane 4 has also eaten up the stagger on me. At 200m to go I up the pace and I notice the gap is not opening any further between me and the 2 inside me. With about 170m to go I kick to full out sprint. I’m about 5-6m down at this point, but with about 150m to go the guy in lane 4 who held a small lead pulled up (which I would learn later was a hamstring pull). It was now me and the guy in lane 5 going head to head. The kid was nowhere to be seen. Around 150m to go was also the point at where the balls of my feet really started feeling it. The track was extremely hot and I was blistering with every step. It was painful but I had no choice but to grin and bare it. On the plus side it would take my mind off whatever other pain may crop up in the closing stages.

Coming into the homestraight and I am greeted with an extremely strong head wind (probably -4 m/s at least going by some of the wind readings from the 100s and 200s). This was very noticeable and it was tough. I pushed hard and I was closing on the guy ahead of me. I was now in a real race. Maybe there would even be a victory in it for me. I pushed and pushed and closed very gradually over the closing stages, but he was strong enough to hold me off by about a metre and a half. I think a part of me thought that I wouldn’t catch him, and maybe I should have been a bit more positive, but you don’t get much time to think in a 400m and most of it is a blur.

He congratulated me after saying I ran very well and that he could feel me closing on him. I don’t think he expected that given the fact ate up the stagger on me quite early. I asked him what his PB was and how he thought he went today. He said his best is 54.9 but reckoned he went 55, maybe even 56 on this occasion. He wasn’t liking that strong headwind down the home straight.

Well, his winning time was 55.99, with me not far behind in 56.26 seconds, a PB by 0.02 seconds. I was very pleased with the run and in particular how I held my form down the home straight. My main goal for this race was to back up my performance from 3 weeks ago and to run maybe within a few tenths of that time, given the disruption of Christmas. The fact I ran a PB was a bonus. I’m delighted to back up my breakthrough run 3 weeks ago. There’s always that nagging doubt that it could have been a once-off, but not anymore.

This result has done my confidence no end of good. I feel that I had a 55 in me today with a lighter wind, so I’m feeling good about the Victorian Country Championships in 3 weeks time. Not only do I want to run fast there but I also want to be competitive. I finished 13th of 16 last year with 59.44. On that occasion a mid 54 made the final. I’m not expecting to qualify for the final but I want to place as high as possible. But that’s for another day. Still more racing to come before then. Next week it is back to the AV Shield for round 10 where I will just run the 200m (no more 800m races this season for me).

A bit of a footnote in all of this. The 12 year old kid ran 59.3. That’s an exceptional time for a 12 year old. Yet his dad seemed merely satisfied and while he admitted it wasn’t bad for a 12 year old he was hoping he would have run 57. I assured him that 59 is a mighty time for somebody so young and that fear not in about 5 years time he’ll be running 52 or something (random number I plucked from the sky). His response was that he hopes he will be running 52 by the end of next year! WTF! Sounds like the type of guy who will suck every ounce of passion for the sport from that poor kid!! It is sad to see.

My feet are currently in a world of pain with a pretty big blister on each foot, but it was worth the pain.

Pisco Sour

Following on from the race report above here the video of yesterday's race. A rare youtube video of one of my races.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol5XwHokL4E

Pisco Sour

First full gym session in about a week and a half:

Bench Press: 8 x 135.5lbs, 8 x 145.5lbs, 5 x 152lbs, 3 x 157.5lbs

Leg Press: 3x8 @ 356lbs (up 10lbs)

Box Squats: 4x10 @ 40kg

Goodmornings: 2x15 @ 30kg

Deadlifts: 3x6 @ 50kg (down 10kg, still don't know if I'm doing them properly, gym coach wasn't around today)

Body twists, crunches and side sit-ups aswell.

Blisters are better but still not near being gone. Hope they are gone by tomorrow's track session or else there could be some extra discomfort to add to the norm.

Oregano_State

Pisco Sour wrote: »

First full gym session in about a week and a half:

Bench Press: 8 x 135.5lbs, 8 x 145.5lbs, 5 x 152lbs, 3 x 157.5lbs

Leg Press: 3x8 @ 356lbs (up 10lbs)

Box Squats: 4x10 @ 40kg

Goodmornings: 2x15 @ 30kg

Deadlifts: 3x6 @ 50kg (down 10kg, still don't know if I'm doing them properly, gym coach wasn't around today)

Body twists, crunches and side sit-ups aswell.

Blisters are better but still not near being gone. Hope they are gone by tomorrow's track session or else there could be some extra discomfort to add to the norm.

Watch youtube videos, there are loads of instructional vidoes on proper technique. If your gym has mirrors in it you can then watch yourself. The main thing is to keep your back straight, chest up and get your hips low before you lift. Your hips shoudn't rise before the bar. It's tough enough to get right when the weight gets heavier, but with 50kg you should have no trouble.

Pisco Sour

First thing the coach said to me when I arrived at the track this evening was "what was up with that first 20 metres?" He had seen the video of my race. He said that where I lost the most time was that first 20m and that I have to really go at it for those opening moments of the race, and that the guy inside me just sailed past me. He said that I am probably fitter than that guy who beat me but I lost the race in the opening stages.

I think that last race really shows where my strengths and weaknesses are. My speed endurance is obviously a strong point but flat out speed is still an issue, but it is improving. I'm not the most powerful unit you'll ever see so I lose a fair bit early on to some of the others.

With this in mind the coach had me doing a speed session today with one of the other lads. 6x120m with plenty of rest in between each. The 120m was all in a straight line with the first 60m flat out, the next 20m easing back and dropping the pace by about 15% and then the last 40m kicking again. The idea behind this is to work on quick change of pace.

The lad I was running with was a 11 dead 100m runner a few years back and 49 high 400m runner. He's only coming back to the sport now so wouldn't be near that shape but natural speed is something which is inbuilt in people. For each of the reps I was about 5m down on his, and not surprisingly most of this was lost in the first 30 or 40m.

The last time I did this session I couldn't get to grips with it and ended up running the full 120m flat out. Today I got the hang of it. I was also a good bit closer to my club mate than I was the last time.

Coach said to me I will run 25.58 at the weekend based on today's running. Very precise prediction I have to say! I'd be happy with a PB and delighted with any sort of sub 26.

RandyMann

Pisco Sour wrote: »

First thing the coach said to me when I arrived at the track this evening was "what was up with that first 20 metres?" He had seen the video of my race. He said that where I lost the most time was that first 20m and that I have to really go at it for those opening moments of the race, and that the guy inside me just sailed past me. He said that I am probably fitter than that guy who beat me but I lost the race in the opening stages.

I think that last race really shows where my strengths and weaknesses are. My speed endurance is obviously a strong point but flat out speed is still an issue, but it is improving. I'm not the most powerful unit you'll ever see so I lose a fair bit early on to some of the others.

With this in mind the coach had me doing a speed session today with one of the other lads. 6x120m with plenty of rest in between each. The 120m was all in a straight line with the first 60m flat out, the next 20m easing back and dropping the pace by about 15% and then the last 40m kicking again. The idea behind this is to work on quick change of pace.

The lad I was running with was a 11 dead 100m runner a few years back and 49 high 400m runner. He's only coming back to the sport now so wouldn't be near that shape but natural speed is something which is inbuilt in people. For each of the reps I was about 5m down on his, and not surprisingly most of this was lost in the first 30 or 40m.

The last time I did this session I couldn't get to grips with it and ended up running the full 120m flat out. Today I got the hang of it. I was also a good bit closer to my club mate than I was the last time.

Coach said to me I will run 25.58 at the weekend based on today's running. Very precise prediction I have to say! I'd be happy with a PB and delighted with any sort of sub 26.

Breaking 26 will be a milestone and something you are well capable of, I believe.

Pisco Sour

Weekly massage where the guy who gives the massages (the middle distance coach) paid me the nice compliment that I am unrecognisable as a runner from the guy who stepped onto the track for the first winter session last May/June. Nice to hear a bit of positive feedback every now and again like that.

Same gym session as Monday except the following:

Leg Press: 366lbs now, up 10lbs

Bench Press: 8x135.5lbs, 7x145.5lbs, 5x152lbs, 3x157.5lbs. Exact same as Monday except bizarrely I couldn't manage the full 8 at the 2nd weight for the first time in ages. Redeemed myself with the last 2 weights though, equalling Monday's performance.

Pisco Sour

With the State Decathlon Champs in just 4 weeks time I thought for a bit of fun I would do up a bit of a target for the event. The main reason for doing it is to get another 400m race in before State Champs in March, but also because it’s incredible fun. And once you are taking part you want to do as well as you can, even in the events I don’t train for. So I have set myself a modest but challenging target of 2500 points, which would be a significant improvement on my 2290 from last year.



100m: Bit conservative here. It would be a small PB, but you can never know what the wind will be like so best to be cautious.

Long Jump: Haven’t done the event all year. Jumped 4.32m last year. I’m faster and stronger now, so even without any technical improvements or any practice a 4.28m should be well doable.

Shot Putt: PB is 6.51m, but that was a bit of a freak. Next best is 6.02m so basing my target of 6.18m on that.

High Jump: Haven’t done this since September but I jumped 1.26m in appalling conditions that day so 1.28m should be realistic.

400m: Have predicted for 55.8. I expect to be in the 55’s by then, but with the event being at the end of a long day that’s bound to have an effect so I’ve chosen a high 55 here.

Hurdles: Won’t be attempting them, and even if I finished my time would be so slow I would receive zero points. No worth it.

Discus: Have thrown 15m before so no reason why I cant do it again.

Pole Vault: Will give it a shot but am hopeless at this.

Javelin: Have thrown 13m the first time I did it. Only 10m the other 2 times. Am fairly useless at this so modest target.

1500m: Finished the decath in 5:28 last year. Much fitter this year so 5:20 is realistic.


What sort of training will I be doing? Well I’m not taking the eyes off the main prize so very little. My training will cover me for 100m and 400m completely. The few 800s I have done and general fitness will get me through 1500m. All my gym work will hopefully help me somewhat towards the rest, and I will do another 2 shot putt’s at the Shield. But besides that I probably wont do any specific stuff for other events til Country Champs are over. Once they are done I may ask somebody to give me a crash course on the javelin and discuss, and it would be good to practice the high jump. All of this after my normal training of course. It’s just a bit of fun and something different in the end of the day. But I will come back to this post as reference closer to the time.

Pisco Sour

Back to more pressing matters and was back at the track this evening for a speed session. Coach had me running with the same guy again as Tuesday but while he was doing the exact same session of 6x120m (at 60-20-40), he had me just running the first 60 flat out and leaving it at that. I was about 1.5-2m behind him on average and he was clocking at around 7.5 seconds approx. Would take these times with a grain of salt as they are hand timed, but felt I ran well.

200m race on Saturday where I'm hoping to finally get myself down below 26.

Pisco Sour

Have been using 5mm spikes for the last year but I was thinking it was time I put in some new ones. They aren't hugely worn but are getting a little blunt. So I bought a 12 pack of 7mm spikes, even though each shoe has 10 spikes in it. Gym coach told me to replace just 6 of them in each shoe, the most worn ones, which were the bottom 4, and then 2 others. So this evening I went to change my spikes, and well, loads of them I couldn't get out. They are 100% jammed and are never coming out! My spike tightener thing wont grip onto them because lots of the metal has eroded off over the last year. I tried pliers but no joy. So if I want to use those 7mm spikes I will need to buy a new pair of spike shoes.

Dejected, I put the old spikes back, but as I was able to take 12 of the 20 out I rearranged them around as best I could so that I got as many pointy ones at the back as possible, with the flat ones at the very tip of the shoe (I dont seem to be wearing those ones out as much. However I've now got spikes of varying lengths at the bottom.

I'm sure it wont make much difference and I'm over thinking as usual. But it may be time to buy a new pair of spikes I think, but a bit hesitant about changing shoes mid season, but I also want my spikes to be sharp come the big races around the corner.

Decisions.

omicron

Have you tried a vise grips? I found it worked for me before no matter how worn the metal was, as long as I had the vise grips as tight as possible.

Pisco Sour

25.62 for 200m today with a light following wind of 1.2 m/s, a PB by 0.70 seconds. Delighted to finally run a 25. About time. And there was a bit more there had I not lost my balance in the last 20m. Just relieved I managed to stay on my feet.

Also ran the second leg of the 4x4 but decided to run it at an 800 pace in road running shoes, but ended up going a bit faster at around 67 or 68. Also threw the shot 6.13m, my 2nd best ever.

Report to come later.

RandyMann

I am impressed but not surprised

Pisco Sour

RandyMann wrote: »

I am impressed but not surprised

Thanks RandyMann. I'm actually now strongly considering the idea of doubling up at the Country Champs in 2 weeks time after today's performance. I now think I can be respectable in that event and it may be worth giving it a go, especially considering I won't have too many more 200m races left this season. It's the day after the heats of the 400m (and final also) so it won't interfere with my main event. Will probably enter anyway to have the option available.

I'm also dying now to get my hands on a 100m. The coach believes I would run much faster than 12.92 now. Sadly I am running out of races. I'm missing next Saturday's one because of the tennis, so the only ones available are the Decathlon in 4 weeks time, and the Shield Final a week after, which we may not even qualify for. I won't enter the 100 in any of the championships because 1) it clashes with my better events, and 2) I wouldn't be near as competitive in it.

omicron wrote: »

Have you tried a vise grips? I found it worked for me before no matter how worn the metal was, as long as I had the vise grips as tight as possible.

Tried that this evening after my race. No joy. Just cant get any grip onto the spike. Managed to get one difficult one out so out of the 10 spikes on each shoe I have a total of 7 out on one foot and 6 on the other. I don't really need 10 spikes so I can put in new ones into the empty slots which will get me through the rest of the season, and then after that it will be time to buy a brand new pair.

Pisco Sour

Going to the tennis after work tomorrow so decided to do my gym session this evening instead. Same gym session as the last day but with a few improvements:

Leg press: 4x8 @ 376 lbs, up 10 lbs

Box squats: 4x10 @ 42.5 kg, up 2.5kg

Bench press: 8x135.5 lbs, 8x145.5 lbs, 6x152 lbs (up from 5), 4x157.5 lbs (up from 3)

Will write up the race report for yesterday's meet shortly.