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

Oregano_State

Chivito550 wrote: »

I was completely jaded for half an hour afterwards. This session took way more out of me than I anticipated.

That's what speed-work does to people! It puts a huge strain on your musculature and CNS.

Recovery time needed increases exponentially vs % max output x distance

That's probably not the exact relationship but it wouldn't be a million miles off.

ecoli

Oregano_State wrote: »

That's what speed-work does to people! It puts a huge strain on your musculature and CNS.

Recovery time needed increases exponentially vs % max output x distance

That's probably not the exact relationship but it wouldn't be a million miles off.

Would agree on this. Usually general rule for acceleration style workouts general rule of thumb is 1 min per 10m. For this style of max velocity workout recovery ratio would be slightly lower however I would easily be talking 5-6 min between reps atleast

Chivito550

Oregano_State wrote: »

That's what speed-work does to people! It puts a huge strain on your musculature and CNS.

Recovery time needed increases exponentially vs % max output x distance

That's probably not the exact relationship but it wouldn't be a million miles off.

ecoli wrote: »

Would agree on this. Usually general rule for acceleration style workouts general rule of thumb is 1 min per 10m. For this style of max velocity workout recovery ratio would be slightly lower however I would easily be talking 5-6 min between reps atleast

Yep it's tough going alright. Hamstrings have been pretty tight and sore today from it. Probably because it's the first real speed session I have done in a few weeks, after a block of aerobic power stuff. And it's the first 60-20-40 session I have done since last season as far as I can recall.

I didn't do any leg work in the gym this evening as precaution, and had a fairly painful massage afterwards. Will probably just do some strides and if I am feeling ok, a few easy 150s tomorrow evening. Nothing taxing so I am ready for Saturday. Nothing too alarming. I've had tight hamstrings before after doing a certain type of session for the first time in a long while, so I'm sure I'll be all good by the weekend.

Chivito550

Session was supposed to be a fairly easy one this evening, 5 x 200m with 200m jog, but given my hamstrings were sore from the speed session on Tuesday I took it very easy. Did a long warm up, and then did 4 very easy 150m, with walk back recovery. Was running them in 22 seconds which is fairly easy pace, but still enough for a decent work out. Hamstrings were absolutely fine. I think at this stage it's more sore from yesterday's massage than from any lasting effects from Tuesday. I should be all good for Saturday. Good to take it easy this evening though and be extra cautious.

Chivito550

56.48 for 400m today, 0.57 down on the PB. But that doesn't tell the full story. We were at a new venue which is shockingly exposed to the wind. The last 100m was a joke, and I kind of feel robbed of a PB. I was 1.84 seconds behind a club mate of mine who ran 1:58.2 for 800m recently, and only 0.7 down on another lad who has run 53.5 and 54.8 in his previous 2 400m races this season. I was 1.3 down on a guy who ran 1:57 for 800 recently. With wind like today you need to go on these things.

Earlier I ran 13.56 for 100m into a -4.3 joke of a headwind. Felt like a bit of a waste of time. I decided at the last minute to take advantage of the tail wind for the ling jump, and off no warm up jumps bagged a PB of 4.44m. Only took 2 jumps and it was merely for club championship purposes (need to get 6 events done to be in contention, so thought I'd get the long jump out of the way).

I think today was one of my very best 400m races so hope I can get kinder conditions at High Velocity next Saturday and recreate today's performance.

As for this new venue, there's a rake of shield meets here after Christmas, and apparently its always like today there, so will have to work my schedule around this.

Report tomorrow.

Oregano_State

Wind is the enemy alright! Good running anyway, you're having a great season.

Chivito550

Round 5 took us to a new venue. While it has been in existence for many years, the venue at Epping was never part of our region until this year, when the zones were completely re-done. With Doncaster's track out of business due to resurfacing for the rest of the season, this far flung suburb will be the home of 6 of the final 8 Shield meets of the season. The name of the venue is Meadowglen International Athletics Stadium, which surely is a form of sarcastic Aussie humour. The venue was a bit of a farce and I'll get to that later, but how they can call it an "International" stadium is beyond me!

On the programme for me today was the 100m and 400m. It was a bright sunny day, with very few clouds. Temperatures around 20 degrees. Felt warm in the sun, but surprisingly nippy in the shade, the symptoms of an Australian winters day, rather than summer. Conditions however were not ideal. Winds were blowing hard, and from the moment I arrived and felt those gusts firing down the homestraight in a headwind direction I knew we were in for a tough grind of an afternoon.

100m:

I didn't know a huge amount about anybody in my heat. Lanes 4-10 were being used and I was in lane 8. There was a lad in lane 10 who I thought was a 12.2 guy, but it turns out he merely looks like this guy (and are from the same club and are similar age) and instead he's only a low 13 runner. This sort of threw me off during the race a bit, and led me to believe I was going better than I really was.

The first farce of the day related to the starting blocks. Mine were fine but many of them would not grip into the track and kept slipping. As a result a few people from the next heat had to stand on the back of the blocks to keep them steady. This was a bit of a joke, and although they replaced the blocks with fully working ones for later heats, this should never have happened to begin with.

The wind seemed to change to a cross wind direction and had briefly died by the time we were called to our blocks. This filled me with hope that we may get away with it after all. WRONG. As soon as I launched from the blocks I was hit by a wall of wind which did not ease for the entire race. I didn't get out that well and was down on the entire field at half way, except the guy in lane 10 who I was just up on. I gained momentum in the second half of the race and easily pulled away from him, and didn't seem to lose much ground on the others to finish in 6th place. There was nobody drastically far ahead of me, with the winner being only about 7-8m ahead of me.

My result was 13.56 seconds into a gale force headwind of -4.3 m/s. My initial response was pure joy. I saw the .56 bit and screamed "PB YES!!", then I realised there was a 13 in front of it, not a 12. I didn't for a second expect to see a 13. I felt like a bit of a tool then! The winning time was 12.50 so overall everybody was slowed right down by the wind. Not only does it slow you but it messed with your form. Overall this felt like a complete waste of time.

Long Jump:

I was so pissed off with the headwind in the 100m I made a spur of the moment decision to take advantage of the tailwind in the long jump. The event is of no great concern to me, but to be in contention to win our club championship you must attend 6 of the 12 shield meets and do 6 different events throughout these meets, with the person with the total IAAF Scoring Tables points being named club champion. My 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m will score me solid points by the time this season is done and dusted but I still need 2 other events. I already had a shot putt in the bag, but at some point I was going to have to bite the bullet and get a long jump over and done with, out of the way. This seemed like a perfect opportunity.

The event had already started and I asked was there any space. They said no and I would have to come back for the next group in 40 minutes. Then all of a sudden they called me, said that there were 3 drop outs and just jump in. There was no time for a warm up, nor had I any intention of wasting energy doing one anyway. No warm up, no training. Sure who needs any of that stuff. Perfect on the board, and a PB of 4.44m, 4cm better than my previous best. My second attempt was 4.39m. At this stage my job was done and I scratched from my 3rd attempt. No need to take any further risks. That jump will score me nearly 400 IAAF points which is pretty good for what will be only my 5th highest of 6 events (At this moment my 400m scores me over 570, and 200m about 520).

400m:

I lined up in the 2nd fastest heat. I was in lane 2 with the following being competitors of interest:

Lane 1: A Collingwood lad who ran mid 54 at the last Shield meet and went 1:57 at the Vic Milers 800m recently. An 800m specialist who earlier in the day ran a 1500m

Lane 4: A club mate of mine, and kind of a training partner, in that he is in the 800m group who we trained with over winter and are at the track at the same time, and we are all sort of the one group overall. He hasn't run a 400m race in years but only a few weeks ago ran 1:58.2 at the Vic Milers for 800m, being narrowly beaten by the lad in lane 1 mentioned above. He also had a 1500m completed earlier in the day, in 4:15.

Lane 5: A lad from Doncaster who I have had some good battles with over 400m. On 2 occasions last year in Highh Velocity meets he pipped me by a quarter of a second. He has come on hugely over the winter and recorded a 53.5 in his first race of the season. But away from his home track he doesn't seem to run as well and his last shield meet was 54.8, the day I ran my 55.91.

There was no escaping the fact that the wind was, if anything, worse now than it was during the 100m and that it was going to be a hell-ish last 150m. I decided I was going to attack the race, because I was planning to anyway, but also to take advantage of a crazy tailwind down the backstraight.

Because I was in lane 2 I had to set up my blocks on the infield as the previous race was going on at the time. I can't set them up without having the line in front of me, so basically I had to wait til the previous race was over before I could get myself sorted. I wasn't ready and we get called to our blocks. Screw this, and my hand goes up, and everybody has to get back out of their blocks. I was given the necessary time to get ready, asked was I all good now, and we settled back into the blocks.

Gun goes off and the guy in lane 3 shouts out "ah I didn't hear that" as I fly pass him. He stopped dead and didn't bother running the race. Now there is a big gap between me and the guy closest to me on my outside which was annoying. I pushed hard to about 80m, longer than usual, and kept up a strong work effort down the backstraight, but still keeping a bit in reserve. I couldn't feel the tailwind at my back but I knew it was there as I was fairly flying. The Collingwood guy came past me in lane 1 after about 100m or so. My eyes were firmly fixed on my club mate in lane 4 though, and at half way he is about a second ahead of me.

Now I really push on, and I noticed some of the outer lanes coming back closer to me, and one guy drop well back behind me. At one point I thought I was closing on my club mate, but he's an 800m runner so the chances of him running out of gas were slim and he powered on. At this point though I noticed the lad from Doncaster and he is not a million miles ahead of me. However as we get to 150m to go I start to hear the wind (it's bad news when you can actually fully hear it) and as we rounded the bend it slapped me fully in the face. From here on in we were all pissing into the wind, for want of a better metaphor. I feel myself tensing up and consciously correct this and start to relax in the facial muscles. Despite the hassle of lifting my knees through this driving wind, I actually feel great and am moving strongly. I closed slightly on the Doncaster lad, finishing about 5m down on him, not a huge amount considering he has run a 53 this year. I was about 12m down on my club mate, which given the fact he is a far better athlete than me, and although an 800m specialist, I was fairly delighted to stay that close to him. With these gaps I assumed I had to be in the 55s.

The results however showed a different story, 56.48 seconds, 1.8 seconds down on my club mate, 1.3 seconds down on the Collingwood lad, and only 0.75 down on the Doncaster lad. I was really frustrated with the result. I knew I ran very well, possibly the best I have ever ran. I felt great throughout, and I was not too far off some good athletes, but despite all this I felt frustrated, and full of dissatisfaction, because I felt cheated out of a PB. I wanted the numbers to show for my efforts and feel I didn't get what I deserved on this occasion which is annoying.

One of the older lads at the club said to me it was one of my very best runs considering the conditions and he is right. It would have been nice to have had a PB to show for it. Overall it seems like most people were down on the last shield meet. Some by half a second, some by a second. It's hard to know how much the wind exactly cost me, except that it was a significant amount.

Overall the new venue at Epping was not a popular hit:

1) The farce with the blocks as mentioned above for the 100m
2) For my 400m I had to use Little Aths blocks which are completely different to what I am used to (probably because the normal blocks were broken!)
3) The track is completely exposed to the elements with very little tree protection. I've been told that this venue is always very windy. I really will have to keep that in mind when designing my racing schedule from now on.
4) Didn't concern me but the pole vault was cancelled as the equipment was not in proper order.
5) The club Meadowglen, who are the local club of this track, had no volunteers bother to show up, for a meet at their own track.

I have now had 20 races so far this season. One more remains before the Christmas break, a High Velocity 400m next Saturday, where I should get to race against that same Doncaster lad again, which will be great for running a fast time hopefully. Tomorrow there is a low key club meet, which are not an official races, but is basically a competition involving a handicapped 300m, where I will probably be the backmarker and will have to run through the entire field, a time handicapped mile, and a shot putt. Good to do something different every now and again for a bit of fun.

Chivito550

Chivito550 wrote: »

Tomorrow there is a low key club meet, which are not an official races, but is basically a competition involving a handicapped 300m, where I will probably be the backmarker and will have to run through the entire field, a time handicapped mile, and a shot putt. Good to do something different every now and again for a bit of fun.

I'll write a small report on this event when I get official results tomorrow, but in the 300m I started as backmarker, with the second from the back having 12m start on me, and the majority about 40-50m. The event was absolutely brilliant and chaotic and had to run into lane 4 to go past them. Finished up 2nd (well was given 3rd as they incorrectly took the finishing placings at the line 10m before the finish line) and was 4m down on the guy who had a 12m lead on me. There was around 15ish in the race overall I think. One guy clocked me at 38.1 at the 290m mark, but I wouldn't take much from those very rough hand times as I have no idea whether he did it correctly.

Shot Putt, the guys threw 6kg and I threw 6.95m. Then for the mile I front ran 5:29, and won by about 100m, and picked up a medal and trophy for winning that race. I came 4th overall in the Shield competition. Will explain the whole concept more tomorrow but overall it was one of the most fun events I have competed in.

Chivito550

Along with all the official Athletics Victoria meets my club puts on a few of their own meets, which are usually in honour of a deceased club member, important life member etc. On this occasion 2 events were being run side by side:

Currigan Shield: This has been running for about 20 years and involves 3 events: 300m, shot putt and mile.

300m: This event is handicapped like you see at pro racing meets in Australia with the fastest on paper running as backmarker, running the full 300m, with each runner being given a headstart measured in metres based on their ability and current form. First across the line wins and gets 20 points, 2nd gets 18, 3rd 17, and so on.

Shot Putt: This is handicapped to an extent in that women throw at one weight and men at another, and I think junior women had even lighter weights. Winner gets 20 points, second 18 etc as above

Mile: This is also handcapped, but on a time basis. So everybody starts together, but everyone is given a handicap and your result is based on how close you run to your handicap. So a guy with a handicap of 5:00 who runs 5:10 will be ranked below somebody given handicap of 7:00 who runs 7:02. Again winner gets 20 points etc.

The winner of the Currigan Shield is the person who amasses the most points over the 3 events. The handicapping makes it even and in theory gives everybody a chance at winning.

Morrison Mile: This event has been going for about 30 years, and started up when a local businessman sponsored a club mile race and it has gone from there and has been named after him. The Mile that forms the 3rd event of the Currigan Shield doubles up as the Morrison Mile. For this competition there are no handicaps, first across the line is the winner.

300m: Being comfortably the fastest sprinter of everyone in attendance I was made the backmarker and would start at the 300m to go mark. The next from the back had a 12m lead on me, with the next guy about 16m. There were a few with about 20m, and a rake with about 40m, and even one with over 100m. It seemed like a tough task to make up these margins in a short space of time but I looked forward to the challenge. There were 16 in the race in total.

No blocks so I started from a 3 point start and away I went. I knew it would be chaotic to an extent but I didn't expect it to be such mayhem. Some of the guys with 40m starts on me were very slow and people were running out into lane 3 to get past them, which forced me out into lane 4. Coming around the bend with 150m to go and I have probably taken 4m off that 12m lead the second from the back had. At this point I make up the full 16m on the guy 3rd from the back, he seemed to be having a shocker. Rounding into the homestraight and I am past most of them, bar about 5. The 12m guy is running really well though and I had way too much to make up and knew at this stage that the win would be out of reach. With 70m to go I go past another 2 and now I am in 3rd, with the 12m guy in 2nd, with some slow lad hanging on for dear life. I'm closing on the 12m guy but I am running out of track. In the last 10m I go past the slower lad and move into second but finish about 4m down on the 12m guy finishing in lane 4. I made up 8m, but not good enough to take the win.

However there was a bit of a cock up and some of the guys officiating used the line 10m before the finish line as the finish line, meaning it was only a 290m handicap, and thus I was only awarded 3rd, as I only passed that other guy in the last 10m. Everybody ran to the finish. The officials simply messed up. Not a terribly serious event though so it didn't matter too much. I was given a time of 38.1 for the 290m, but the winner seemed to have 38.7 when he crossed the line which makes no sense. So I'm not taking any time from this. Overall I felt I ran very fast and it was a great workout. Having people to chase really pushes you on. In theory if everybody runs to their potential we should all cross the finish line at the same time. It's funny how the backmarkers still manage to run through the field. Must be something about being the chaser that brings a bit extra out. Overall an absolutely brilliant race. Serious fun. I received 17 points for the 3rd placing I was given.

Shot Putt: We got no practice throws in this. Everybody got 2 attempts. The men were all throwing 6kg, which felt significantly lighter than the usual 7.26kg. I'm not sure what the women were throwing but I assume 4kg, and the junior women were throwing very light weights. In theory this should even out this event to an extent.

My first attempt was 6.70m, and I managed to improve to a 6.95 for my second and final attempt. There were a lot of foul looking throws but given the good natured fun of the competition the officials looked past that. I finished in 5th place and was awarded 15 points, keeping me well in contention to take the Currigan Shield going into the final event, the mile.

Mile:

When I saw what handicap was I knew it was game over with regards the Currigan Shield. I was very severely, and harshly I may add, handicapped at 5:15, which I was told was generous and that I am lucky to be given that. The logic was flawed. Because I had a 2:15 800m I should easily run a 5:15. This ignores the fact that I am a 400m runner who happens to have run a decent 800, not a distance runner coming down and running a 2:15. I do zero mileage. The jump from 800 to 1609 is massive and you can't bluff that off 400m training, despite all the endurance stuff I have been doing.

In addition my legs felt shot after that 300m, and coupled with the fact that the standard was woeful and that I would basically be out in front running on my own, there was literally no chance of a 5:15. I said that I would run probably 5:30 given these limitations.

I stood in lane 1 and as the gun went off I pushed straight into the lead. One lad went with me, being about 5m back for the first 200m, which I went through in 37/38. At about the 300m mark he is right on my shoulder, but by the time I reach the end of the first 409m he has dropped way back. I run this 409m in 77 seconds, and I hear the middle distance coach shouting at me to speed up and that it is too slow, which confused me, and for a second I thought it was 87 seconds, until I checked again.

From here on it was a race against the clock. After about 700m I go past the first of the lapped runners, somebody who was walking the distance. I hit the 809m mark in 2:43, meaning the second lap was 86 seconds, a big drop. I'm feeling it now, finding the solo running a bit of a mental and physical struggle. I didn't feel like I dropped off in the 3rd lap but from my memory I went through 1209m in 4:13 which means a 90 second third lap. At this point I have gone past another lapped runner, and in the final 400m I pushed on, had a few more lapped runners to chase down which kept me going. I went past the walker for the second time. The final 100m is a complete sprint with the small bit I had left. There was one guy I was about to lap who I tried to get past before the finish line, which I didn;t quite manage. Crossed the line in 5:29.3 which meant a 76 second final lap.

Second place was away back in 5:55, with third in 6:00. Probably the easiest win I will ever have. I was presented a medal for winning the Morrison Mile, and lifted the trophy, and my name will go on it now. I looked at some of the past winners and felt a small bit embarrassed to have my name there beside them, but you can only beat who shows up, and it's nice to have my name on something which is a big part of the club's history, so I was very happy.

With regards to the Currigan Shield though, my overly harsh handicap ended my hopes. I was 14 seconds outside it, meaning I was only 9th of the 16 runners, giving me just 11 points. Others got to within 3-5 seconds of their handicaps. Felt a bit screwed over here but the event is only a bit of fun anyway so no big deal. I said I would run 5:30 and I ran 5:29 so I ran to the handicap I would have given myself, in these circumstances.

Overall I finished in joint 3rd in the Currigan Shield, well down on first and second.

As for my mile performance, it was a PB, not hard given the fact all my previous runs were merely time trials. Though so was this to be honest. Without a 300m in the legs, and with a proper pacer who I could latch onto then 5:15 right now would be achievable. A nice endurance workout overall and good for the fitness.

Overall a really fun event and nice to do something a bit different every now and again.

Chivito550

This evening we did 6 x 200m with 50 walk/150 jog recovery. Didn't time the recovery but at a guess it would have been about 90 seconds. The first one was naturally fast but I probably went too easy on 2 and 3. Really stepped up for the last 3 though, particularly the last one. Times were:

30 high - 33 low - 32 high - 31 high - 31 high - 30 flat

Average was around 31 high.

Chivito550

Forcasted for 40 degrees today, so decided to get up at the crack of dawn and train first thing in the morning on the track. Was on my own and the session was an easy one to freshen myself up for Saturday's 400m. 5 x 150m with 3 minute walk back recovery and the idea was to run strong but cruisy and relaxed. Times were:

20.8 - 21.1 - 21.1 - 21.1 - 20.5

Now it's time to rest up before my last race of 2013, the High Velocity meet at Knox. I'm down in the 3rd heat, and have been given lane 6, which is a lucky lane of mine. Hopefully I can finish off a great year in style.

Chivito550

55.00 for 400m at the High Velocity meet, a massive PB by 0.91 seconds. GET IN!! Extremely satisfying when it all comes together like that. It makes all those frustrating 56 second runs completely worth it and it's a fairer reflection of where I am at. Just 0.01 off the goal I had set for the season and there's still all the big competitions to come after Christmas. This gives huge motivation to keep the training levels up during what will be a hectic visit home.

Report to come, but first I'm off for a PB beer.

Chivito550

Felt surprisingly fresh after yesterday's 400m for this morning's session at the track, a pyramid session of 100-150-200-250-300-250-200-150-100. The recoveries were fairly generous, with a walk back recovery, so they got longer towards the middle, as after the 250 you would walk the full 300m before doing the 300 for example. Recoveries ranged from 2:30 to 5 mins.

I feel I didn't go quite hard enough in the early to middle stages and felt I had plenty of gas in the tank at the end. It's the first time I have done this session though and it gets easier at the end so maybe that has something to do with feeling fresh enough at the end also. My aim was to run them all at similar pace in between 400 and 800 pace. I was using my new Soleus watch which does lap times and messed up the timing for the first 100m. To be honest there was little point in timing what was pretty much a run through effort. Times were:

? (high 14 or low 15) - 23.0 - 31.4 - 38.3 - 46.6 - 38.2 - 29.8 - 21.8 - 15.0

Chivito550

About to take off on the long trip home for Christmas. Will pass some time writing up my report of yesterday. Anybody interested in joining for a training session over the next few weeks just drop me a message.

Cleanman

Well done on nailing that 400 0407 PiscoChivito!

The 300 time in the session is the equivalent of a 2:04 for the 800. Sounds promising!

dna_leri

Wow. Great time.

Chivito550

The last race of 2013 took me back to where it all began, the far flung suburb of Knox, where I ran a PB of 56.26 at the very beginning of January, a PB that lasted until a month ago. Since that 55.91, my first clocking under 56 I have had two 400m races. The first a 56.39 the day after a 200m PB, and the second a 56.48 last week into a horrific headwind down the home straight. However, of my previous 6 races this season not one of them was run completely fresh: 1 was at the end of a day 1 decathlon, 3 were after a 100m, and 2 were the day after a 200m. This meet would be my first truly fresh 400m race of the season, something which mirrored last season. Last year my first 5 races were either after 100m or at the end of a decathlon day 1. Going into my final race of 2012 my PB was 58.01. Then in my first fresh race I dropped a near 2 second PB to run 56.28. Confidence was high that I could do something similar again this time, particularly given my run last week in highly unfavourable conditions.

On this occasion conditions were absolutely perfect. The track is great, it is better shielded from the wind than last week’s venue, the temperature was mid 20s, but it was overcast, keeping the sun out, it was quite humid with little breeze. It was ideal for quick sprinting.

400m:

I was in the third of 3 heats. There were supposed to be 7 of us but the guys in lanes 7 and 8 didn’t show up. Lanes 2-6 were used. In lane 2 was a guy from Casey Cardinia who beat me in a High Velocity meet last January and who seemed to be running 55s for fun last season. In lane 3 was another Casey Cardinia athlete, a 14 year old kid, who ran 58 in a race against me last year. In lane 4 was my old nemesis, the Doncaster athlete who I have raced a fair bit and have never beaten, who was just 5m ahead of me in last weekend’s pissing into the wind 400m race. In lane 5 was the third and final Casey Cardinia athlete, a lad who is in around 53 shape, with a PB of 52 from a couple of years ago, and finally myself in lane 6.

I attacked the start well, one of my better starts, hitting the first 70m as if it is a 100m race before easing back as I entered the backstraight. At about the 100m mark, both the Doncaster lad and the guy in lane 5 ate up the stagger at once. I had gone out fast, so these guys were fairly motoring. This didn’t bother me as I knew that the gap wouldn’t open a great deal more from here on in. At about the 150m mark the lad in lane 2 is also up on me. I shut this out and ignored him, keeping my eye on the guys in lane 4 and 5. As I hit the half way mark I am probably 8m down on the Doncaster lad, who is the guy I am mainly watching at this stage, as the other guy takes the lead.

Coming around the bend and I am feeling strong and hanging onto the back of the Doncaster lad, but having the inside lane on me results in him feeling a little bit further away by the time we reach the straight, which is very short at Knox, at just 80m. At this point I am back level with the guy in lane 2. At this point I hear somebody shout my name, but the guy in lane 2 has the same name as me, so I suspected the cheer wasn’t for me. He needed it more as I was finishing much stronger than him and I didn’t see him at all in the final 50m. At this point I am trying desperately to keep as relaxed as I can and to hold my form. I am making no headway into the Doncaster lad’s lead, but am holding the gap, and finish about 9m down on him at the end.

I felt I had run very well but I have felt this in the past and have been disappointed by the result so I decided not to count my chickens before they have hatched. We crowded around the officials at the photo finish machine. They read them out one by one: the lane 5 lad won in 53.68, the Doncaster lad in second in 53.79, very nearly catching him at the end. At this point I was certain I had PB’ed, but by how much? Next they call my name at “55 flat”. I double check and indeed I had run 55.00 seconds, a massive PB by 0.91, a huge breakthrough which did not hugely surprise me, and what I felt was a much better reflection of where I am at. My initial reaction was to try my best to chip one hundredth off that time and I asked the official, in a tongue in cheek manner, to double check the result and see if in fact it was really a 54.99. The reason I asked is because at my last High Velocity meet I was originally given 56.40 before it was corrected to 56.39 in the official results, so I thought I had nothing to lose by asking. She laughed but was having none of it, as she double checked and assured me it was 55.00 and that the 54 would have to wait. I’ll be honest, the fact I missed out on the 54 by the smallest of margins irks me a lot. It’s the nature of the athlete.

However it was 1% disappointment, 99% pure delight. This performance brought immense levels of satisfaction and is a great way to end a great year running wise. I have now taken 1.26 seconds off my pre-season PB and we haven’t got to the new year yet.

I’m heading home for a few weeks which will pose a unique challenge. I am moving from the height of a hot Australian summer to the depths of an Irish winter. I will need to modify my training over the next few weeks and treat it as a “mini-winter”. That means gym work as normal, but lots of hills, and maybe the odd long run. Any track session will have to be more aerobic. I have never done sprint training during an Irish winter so I will be cautious. Speed work can wait until I am back in Melbourne.

As for the new year, now that I have hit a breakthrough 400m run, I need to bring my 200m and 800m back closer in line with it. There are 2 big 400m targets for the business end of the season. Firstly the Victorian Country Championships on Australia Day weekend at the end of January where I will be aiming to make the final, and the State Championships at the start of March, where I would love to run a PB in what is the pinnacle of the Victorian calendar. There are many other races in between and before these however. I’ve had 21 races before Christmas. I don’t anticipate quite so much after Christmas.

54 is right there, and a final place at the Vic Country’s is a seriously realistic proposition. 3 weeks in Ireland is not ideal however from a training point of view, as it is pushing me out of a routine, but must make the best of it, and work on the fitness during that time.

2013 began in Knox with a PB. It is only fitting that it finished here with another.

Chivito550

First ever Irish winter session as a sprinter and what a shock to the system! Found a hill near my house and did 4 x 250m hills with 4 minute recoveries. I didn't mind the 5 degree temperatures. Doesn't take long to warm up. But those winds are nasty out there. I can't remember the last time I have run into anything so bad. I thought my hat was going to fall off my head a few times. Was running into the wind on all my reps. Times were:

47.3 - 47.1 - 46.9 - 47.1

Very happy with the consistency. Running on your own is a bit of a drag though, particularly in this weather. Delighted to get this session in though as the next few days are a bit hectic and my local gym is also closed until Saturday. Don't feel like I have adequate clothing for this weather. It was all a bit makeshift. 2 layers (one t-shirt, one thin long sleeve which was not designed for running but does the job), pair of long shorts, and a hat.

Chivito550

So after 2 and a half months of constant racing I now have 4 weeks without any racing, so thought i'd put together a short list of season performances to date.

100m:

Pre-season PB: 12.82 (-0.7)

1) 12.5h (NWI) (light tailwind)
2) 12.58 (NWI) PB (light tailwind)
3) 12.80 (+2.3)
4) 12.67 (+0.8)
5) 13.56 (-4.3)

PB Improvement: 0.24 seconds

200m:

Pre-season PB: 25.62 (+1.3)

1) 25.77 (NWI) (strong tailwind)
2) 25.66 (+1.0)
3) 27.41 (-7.1)
4) 25.44 (-0.3) PB
5) 25.45 (+1.9)

PB Improvement: 0.18 seconds

400m:

Pre-season PB: 56.26

1) 57.4h
2) 56.45
3) 56.70
4) 55.91 PB
5) 56.39
6) 56.48
7) 55.00 PB

PB Improvement: 1.26 seconds

800m:

Pre-season PB: 2:19.3h

1) 2:19.75
2) 2:30.4h
3) 2:15.2h PB
4) 2:18.00

PB Improvement: 4.1 seconds

My first race back will either be the AV Shield (100m/400m) at that horrible Epping Venue on Saturday 18th January, OR the High Velocity 400m at my favourite track Knox on Sunday 19th January.

Usually this would be a no brainer and I would go for the latter, but given I will be suffering the effects of jet lag, the chances of running a PB would be slim to none, so I may be better off just running the Shield meet with no great expectation, just to get back into the racing mode, as the Victorian Country Championships will be just 7 days later.

On Tuesday 21st January I will run an 800m at Vic Milers meet, then hopefully by Saturday 25th January, with 2 meets in the legs, I'll be back in racing mode for the big one, the 400m at the Victorian Country Championships in Ballarat. My current PB would have made the final last year. Obviously the standard can vary from year to year but a place in the final is my next big goal so any racing decisions before then will be made with this goal in mind.

Chivito550

3 full days off but back today with a session with the DSD sprint group on the grass at Irishtown. Distance of the reps were supposed to be 300m but ended up being somewhere between 350 and 370m. Felt weird running on grass and it wasn't the smoothest surface also. Times not really too important but rather where I was in relation to others. Messed up the timing of the 3rd and 4th reps and seemed to lose the data. Still not used to this new watch.

Session was: jog 370m, sprint back 370m, jog 370m, sprint back 370m. 5 minutes rest, do the same.

Times were: 59.4 - 59.8 - 61.?? - ??

Tried to stick as close to one of the girls as possible. She's a 53/54 runner and I was only a few metres behind her so happy out with that.

Enjoyable session.

Chivito550

Hill session this morning with the DSD group again. The hill was on grass which is a first for me. 3 x (50-100-50) with jog recoveries within each set and 4 minutes between each set. Didn't bother timing them. I went well though and was right in the middle of the group which is very pleasing because there are good runners in that group. A nice bunch of people and a good coach so am enjoying it.

Chivito550

Last session of 2013 today with a gym session at my local gym in Ballinteer. I didn't get to the gym at all last week so this was my first gym session in 13 days. It turned out to be a bit of a rubbish session. Using a new gym with different equipment etc completely threw me off.

The squat was a pure disaster. The box wasn't ideal, there was no wooden plank which I usually use to rest my heels, so I used a weight under each foot. There was no padding on the Olympic bar so it absolutely killed my shoulders, and it was a lot harder to lift it off the stand to begin with. I was completely out of my comfort zone. I tried 70kg (I squat 72.5kg in Melbourne) and I couldn't manage it, dropped the weight and could have done myself some damage. Hurt my left groin but I think I have probably got away with it as it appears minor and hopefully will be gone in a few days. Ended up ditching the box and my makeshift support under my feet, dropped the weight back to 60kg for the first set, and 65kg for the next 2 sets, didn't squat fully down, but did 8 reps instead of 6. It felt a bit easy but given what had happened I wouldn't chance anything more.

The bench press was a similar disappointment. Whatever it is about this type of bar or the seat or whatever but I couldn't lift near what I was managing in Melbourne. Ended up doing 8 x 50kg, 8 x 55kg, 4 x 60kg, then couldn't lift anything at 65kg, so went back to 60kg again and managed 3 more reps. I've decided to scrap the bench press programme I was on and just do what I can for the next couple of weeks.

The rest of my routine was fine but had to change the order of how I do things because of it being a bigger and busier gym. The deadlift was one of the more pleasing parts of the day. Last deadlift session in Melbourne was at 75kg, so started safe at 60kg. Ended up doing 6 x 60kg, 6 x 65kg and 6 x 70kg without any issues.

Lesson learnt. When using a new gym with new equipment you MUST drop the weight back significantly and ease into the new environment. I anticipate tomorrow my body is going to hurt. My legs are feeling stiff already, so I worry what I will be feeling like tomorrow. As long as the left groin is fine then I'll put up with some DOMS.

Today wasn't a good one but overall 2013 has been a great year for me running wise. I took my 100m PB down from 12.92 to 12.58, my 200m PB down from 26.32 to 25.44, my 400m down from 56.28 to 55.00 and my 800m from 2:27.6 to 2:15.2. I ran 2 very strong beers miles, and got to run in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow. Lets hope this coming year will see continued progress and most importantly enjoyment.

Happy New Year to all. May it be filled with many PBs.

Oregano_State

The wooden plank you use to raise your heels is to give greater ankle mobility in the squat, allowing the knees to come forward more so you can keep the back more vertical as you lower the bar. Tight calves are pretty much guaranteed if you are a 400m runner, I know I really have trouble with them.

Personally I don't use anything to raise my heels at the moment, but I'm going to invest in a pair of weightlifting shoes with a raised heel for this reason. I don't like the idea of an unstable 'plank' beneath me, it would be dangerous with higher weight imo.

I would stop using a cushion or padding of any kind on the bar when squatting, it's not necessary, and as you've found out, some gyms don't have them. It is also adding a layer between you and the bar, raising it, which makes the bar harder to lift as it affects leverage negatively. When I first started squatting I found resting a naked bar across my traps sore, but after 3-4 sessions I guarantee this will completely disappear, and you should feel no pain whatsoever. Just make sure you retract your scapula before you get under the bar, and keep your shoulders and upper back tight throughout the movement. This will contract your traps, providing the necessary cushioning.

Also, if I was you I would ditch the box-squat as an exercise. The box is used as a guide for depth, but you should be able to tell what good depth is if you squat regularly. You are putting your back at risk in a big way if you allow your glutes (bum) to rest on the box when your spine is loaded. The box is just another piece of equipment that you don't need, and different gyms will have different ones so can throw you off if you're not used to their equipment.

I've been moving around a fair bit in the past few years and have had to adjust to new gyms and equipment a number of times. Every decent gym will have a squat rack and olympic bars, the less auxiliary equipment you use the better imo.

This is all my opinion, I'm just letting you know what works for me, but if you are to take one thing from this post, ditch the cushioning on the bar. Nobody will take you seriously in a gym if they see you using one! :cool:

Best of luck with 2014 though, you've had a seriously good year.

Chivito550

Oregano_State wrote: »

The wooden plank you use to raise your heels is to give greater ankle mobility in the squat, allowing the knees to come forward more so you can keep the back more vertical as you lower the bar. Tight calves are pretty much guaranteed if you are a 400m runner, I know I really have trouble with them.

Personally I don't use anything to raise my heels at the moment, but I'm going to invest in a pair of weightlifting shoes with a raised heel for this reason. I don't like the idea of an unstable 'plank' beneath me, it would be dangerous with higher weight imo.

I would stop using a cushion or padding of any kind on the bar when squatting, it's not necessary, and as you've found out, some gyms don't have them. It is also adding a layer between you and the bar, raising it, which makes the bar harder to lift as it affects leverage negatively. When I first started squatting I found resting a naked bar across my traps sore, but after 3-4 sessions I guarantee this will completely disappear, and you should feel no pain whatsoever. Just make sure you retract your scapula before you get under the bar, and keep your shoulders and upper back tight throughout the movement. This will contract your traps, providing the necessary cushioning.

Also, if I was you I would ditch the box-squat as an exercise. The box is used as a guide for depth, but you should be able to tell what good depth is if you squat regularly. You are putting your back at risk in a big way if you allow your glutes (bum) to rest on the box when your spine is loaded. The box is just another piece of equipment that you don't need, and different gyms will have different ones so can throw you off if you're not used to their equipment.

I've been moving around a fair bit in the past few years and have had to adjust to new gyms and equipment a number of times. Every decent gym will have a squat rack and olympic bars, the less auxiliary equipment you use the better imo.

This is all my opinion, I'm just letting you know what works for me, but if you are to take one thing from this post, ditch the cushioning on the bar. Nobody will take you seriously in a gym if they see you using one! :cool:

Best of luck with 2014 though, you've had a seriously good year.

Cheers for all that advice. I guess I'll slowly make these changes but a bit afraid to try anything too drastic mid season.

With regards to the box squat I don't actually sit on the box. It really is only there as a guide these days. I will graze against the box sometimes, but never any more than that, and many times I don't even touch the box. So I guess they aren't really box squats I do anymore. I just feel comfortable having the box there.

Chivito550

Another session with the group this afternoon. There was only 6 of us there today so we were put in 2 teams of 3 and we had a relay session. We used one of the pitches near Irishtown Stadium. You had to run down, tag your team mate, who would run back up, tag another team mate who would run back down and tag you and off you go again.

Each relay involved each member running 3 times each. We did this relay twice with a 5 minute recovery between each one. So it was basically a 2 x (3 x 100m) session, with around 30 seconds recovery within each set. On both occasions my team lost but by only a couple of metres.

No times recorded. As it was run on grass which had received a lot of rain it was pretty slippy. Good session, a lot harder than it sounds.

Chivito550

Hill session on my own this morning. Had planned to do it tomorrow and go to the gym today but the weather was far too nice this morning and the forecast for tomorrow is not great so I decided to swap the sessions around.

Session was 8 x 150m with walk back recovery which ranged from 2:30 to 2:50. Hill was pretty flat-ish for the first half and then got steeper in the second half. Messed up the timing of the first rep. Times were:

? - 24.8 - 25.0 - 25.3 - 24.3 - 24.6 - 25.7 - 25.4

Pretty consistent. I was quicker getting to the stopwatch on some reps than others and the wind seemed to get up a bit for the last 2 reps but overall fairly even across the board.

Chivito550

Gym session today and it was a huge improvement from the farce of the last day as I started to get comfortable in the new environment.

For the Squat today I topped out at 6 x 75kg, which is the highest I have ever squatted but I wasn't going down as far as I normally do. Probably a good 6 inches higher than what I would do in Melbourne.

The deadlift I topped out at 6 x 77.5kg which is my highest deadlift I've ever done.

Goodmornings I'm back up to doing 45kg which is what I do in Melbourne.

Bench press was better also. Managed 7 x 60kg and 3 x 65kg, up from 4 and 0 the last day.

And I tried out the leg press machine today. It's very different to the one I use in Melbourne. It is more horizontal here, compared to the one in Melbourne which is on a 30-40ish degree angle. This may have something to do with being able to lift a lot less. Also it's different in that the part you put your feet on stays stationary and the seat you sit on moves back. In Melbourne the seat stays stationary and the thing you push moves forward. Overall very different. I eased myself into it and topped out at 8 x 140kg. The highest weight available on that machine is 200kg. In Melbourne I do over 200kg, so I've come to the conclusion that leg press machines can't be compared and that it's the effort levels that matter.

Did all my other core stuff also.

Chivito550

Another hill session this afternoon. Was supposed to do this one with a friend but he had to cancel so was on my own again. I again did 8 x 150m with walk back recoveries but this time on a better hill. This hill started off steeper and then slowly leveled off, so it was a better workout. Recoveries ranged from 2:20 to 2:45. I messed up the times of the 5th, 6th and 8th reps. I am certain the 5th rep was 26 something but I don't know what reps 6 and 8 were, but it would be reasonable to expect they would have been 26 also based on the rest of my session. Times were:

26.2 - 26.5 - 26.2 - 25.9 - 26.? - ?? - 26.4 - ??

After 3 days off over the Christmas (25th - 27th) I've now managed to train 7 of the last 8 days which is pleasing given the distractions of this time of year. 3 of my 6 running sessions have been with the sprint group also so it hasn't been a case of all my running being solo. Day off tomorrow.

Chivito550

Chivito550 wrote: »

Gym session today and it was a huge improvement from the farce of the last day as I started to get comfortable in the new environment.

For the Squat today I topped out at 6 x 75kg, which is the highest I have ever squatted but I wasn't going down as far as I normally do. Probably a good 6 inches higher than what I would do in Melbourne.

The deadlift I topped out at 6 x 77.5kg which is my highest deadlift I've ever done.

Goodmornings I'm back up to doing 45kg which is what I do in Melbourne.

Bench press was better also. Managed 7 x 60kg and 3 x 65kg, up from 4 and 0 the last day.

And I tried out the leg press machine today. It's very different to the one I use in Melbourne. It is more horizontal here, compared to the one in Melbourne which is on a 30-40ish degree angle. This may have something to do with being able to lift a lot less. Also it's different in that the part you put your feet on stays stationary and the seat you sit on moves back. In Melbourne the seat stays stationary and the thing you push moves forward. Overall very different. I eased myself into it and topped out at 8 x 140kg. The highest weight available on that machine is 200kg. In Melbourne I do over 200kg, so I've come to the conclusion that leg press machines can't be compared and that it's the effort levels that matter.

Did all my other core stuff also.

Same session as above this morning except the following:

Leg Press: Topped out at 8 x 150kg (i'm assuming the 150 on the machine refers to kg)
Squats: Topped out at 6 x 77.5kg (not going right down the full way though of course)
Deadlifts: Topped out at 6 x 80kg

Some hills tomorrow morning.

Chivito550

Went for a hill session this morning with Letyourselfgo. Was good to have somebody to run with for one of these sessions as all the hill sessions I have done around my area up to now have been solo.

Session was 6 x 250m with walk/jog recovery of walk the first half, jog the second half back. Recoveries were around 3:30. The route starts off hilly, levels off in the middle and then gets hilly again at the end. My Soleus watch started playing havoc and wouldn't record splits so I had to start, stop and reset after each rep. It appears I had too many laps already saved to the watch. Now that I have deleted them it is working grand again.

May have got a bit carried away for the first rep and I got no time for the second one. The wind got up very strongly for the final 2 reps. Times were:

45 - ? - 52 - 50 - 54 - 51

Times not as consistent as I would have liked but the wind played a big factor in that, in addition to rustiness with regards this type of session.