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

Murph_D

Oh to be a Boy again.

Chivito550

So, I've had time to reflect on 2020 and what might lie in store for 2021. I'm in the middle of 6-7 weeks off and plan to start back training at the beginning of November. I'm finding it hard to see how an indoor season will happen the way things are right now. Indoors is so important to keep me motivated throughout the long winter, and it breaks up an otherwise long stint of training.

I'm going to have to make the assumption there will be no indoors and be pleasantly surprised if there is, and treat it as a bonus. Back when I lived in Australia I never had an indoor season, and had 5 months of training over winter before I had my first race (though the outdoor season then went on for over 5 months). So, having a long winter with no training is not new to me, but it's been a long time since I've done this, and never in an Irish winter.

My early goals will be to get strong in the gym and to get aerobically fitter. I'll also keep in touch with my speed once a week. The National Indoor Arena is now open for individual bookings, so that will be very welcome when the weather is bad. It's a bit of a game changer compared to what I was expecting for this winter (only being able to run outdoors).

Usually November and December is full of distractions and trips away (Christmas markets in Germany being a fond tradition of mine). This winter could look very different, and perhaps the same distractions won't be there, so I'll be able to be more consistent this winter than I have the last 3 winters. The last time I had a truly great winter training cycle was 2016 going into 2017.

We'll see how it pans out. I'd much rather there was an indoor season. Will keep the fingers crossed but I'm not overly hopeful.

Now that my season is over, I've updated the table below to include this year's results. Hard to believe it's 12 and a half years since I ran my first race as an adult, the MSB 5K back in 2008, and it will be 10 years in January since my first sprint race on the track. It's been a great journey and I couldn't imagine my life with it now.

Event|2008|2009|2010|2010/11|2011/12|2012/13|2013/14|2014|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019|2020
60m|||||||||8.05|8.19|7.80|7.97|7.95|8.02
100m||||13.8h|13.36|12.82|12.63|12.97|12.68|12.35|12.20|12.45|12.18|12.60
150m|||||||||||19.15|||
200m||||28.2h|26.92|25.62|25.44|25.42|25.45|25.10|24.87|25.47|25.36|25.68
300m|||||||||40.47|||||
400m||||63.9h|58.68|56.26|55.00|54.88|55.61|58.35|||60.97i|
800m||||2:34.9h|2:27.6h|2:23.8h|2:15.2h|2:19.70|2:14.98|2:26.73|2:25.03||2:37.24|
1500m|||||5:27.98|5:04.36|4:52.06|4:53.84||||||5:36.76
1 Mile|||||||5:29.0h|||||||
5km|21:46|21:02||||||19:46|19:47|22:36|21:53|22:38.91|22:44|
10km|46:59|45:32||45:24|||||||46:24|||
Half Marathon||1:49:06||||||||||||
Marathon|||4:07:35|||||||||||
110M Hurdles (99.1cm)||||||||||||||24.93
4x100m relay||||||49.36||||50.71||47.96|49.82|
4x400m relay|||||||||||||4:12.20|
Long Jump||||4.17m|4.32m|4.40m|4.83m|4.20m|4.95m|||||4.46m
Triple Jump||||8.93m|9.28m|||||||||
High Jump|||||1.25m|1.26m|1.31m|1.29m||||||1.31m
Pole Vault||||||1.30m|1.40m|||||||
Shot Putt||||5.67m|6.51m|6.21m|6.75m|5.95m||||||6.27m
Discus Throw||||14.65m|14.17m|16.67m|16.59m|15.31m||||||
Javelin Throw||||13.21m|10.83m|8.37m|12.05m|14.66m||17.53m||||
Decathlon|||||2290|2561|2903|2546||||||
Pentathlon (M35)||||||||||||||1317
Beer Mile||||||8:19*|8:27|9:07|10:36|8:43.37|9:21|9:53|11:00|

Chivito550

This log was 10 years old yesterday, and today is the 10th anniversary of my very first track meet (excluding the ones I did in West Leinster and Leinster Schools) and my first ever sprint race.

It's funny reading back on the below report. Some absolutely mental mistakes in there. Running an 800m in sprint spikes was bad enough, but attempting a 3000m race in sprint spikes was the definition of lunacy. I think I ended up with an injury within a few days making the following week's meet a disaster (running 15.53 in the 100m as a result) and I ended up not competing again for another 2 months. My commitment was very shaky in those very early days as I tried to get settled in Australia and was still in backpack mode. I could very easily have drifted away from it before I even got started. Thankfully I stuck at it.

Been a great journey over those last 10 years with lots of amazing memories, and I've met lots of great people through the sport, both through competition and through the media.

Not much to update on my end. I took 6 weeks off after the season ended and got back into it in late October. I made a deliberate decision not to follow any programme for the indoor season as I knew back then there wouldn't be one, and I'm happy with this decision and my judgement.

I'm just ticking over at 70% four days a week (occasionally five days a week), keeping the fitness at a reasonable level and keeping the powder dry until closer to the outdoor season when I'll kick on.

I haven't been doing any strength and conditioning at home. I can't bring myself to do sessions in my bedroom anymore, as it's already where I work and sleep!

December was a great month training wise, as I got 4 sessions in the gym and 4 sessions on the Abbotstown indoor track. But now it's back to square one. The last few days the paths and roads are also way too icy for sprinting, so I'm taking this as a down week. I was at home for Christmas and went up to Marlay Park one day to do a session, and I ended up just jogging around for 20 minutes, as the grass was saturated and the paths were jammed with people. Without a gym and a track, sprint training is hugely compromised. No point denying it. Better to just accept it.

I've no interest in running any outdoor winter track meets, if any of them even happen. It's too risky to sprint flat out in cold weather. It's all about the outdoor summer season this year, and there will be a season. If they could manage it in 2020, then they'll manage it this year.

Pisco Sour wrote: »

Ok so today I competed in my first track meet in Melbourne. Absolutely amazing day. As I havent joined a club yet (waiting until the new year starts on April 1st to do that) I competed as an invitation athlete of Richmond Harriers.

I did a tough track sprint session on Thursday. It has been a long while since I have done anything like that and as a result my legs have been sore and stiff since then. I did everything I could think of to try loosen them up today but they remained stiff throughout the day. Maybe that caused some of my performances to be less than maybe what they could have been but its no big deal.

I entered 4 events today: 200m, 800m, Long Jump and 3000m

200m

I finished 4th out of the 6 runners in my heat in a time of 28.2 seconds which I was delighted with. However I was told afterwards that there was a bit of a tailwind but the wind wasnt being measured today so I have no idea how strong it was. One official said that he didnt think it would be much over 2.5 so screw it I'm going to count this time as a PB anyway. I didnt feel extremely smooth probably because of my legs being stiff but I finished strong and pipped one guy from Richmond Harriers to 4th place, edging him out by 0.4 seconds. I was delighted until I realised he was 9 years younger than me :rolleyes: ah well. The winner of my heat ran it in 24.0 seconds. I would have prefered to run in a slower heat but I was in a rush to get to the start line for the 800m (which was being run in lanes 1 and 2, with the 200m in lanes 3-8) so I ran in a heat that was too fast for me and so winning the race was never an option.

800m

As it turned out I had about 30 minutes rest before I ran my 800m race. I ran in the 2 minutes 40 standard heat. I didnt feel too great early on and after 300m I was last of the 11 runners. I overtook one coming up to the bell and completed the first lap in 1:22. I finished quite strong and overtook another 2 runners to finish 8th and run a time of 2:44, even splits! Despite that I was a little disappointed as I have run 2:42 as a time trial back in Dublin, in road running shoes, and yet in a proper race here with spikes I couldnt go faster. I guess a combination of the hot weather, the stiff muscles and the fact I had run 200m probably took a little bit away from me. But still not a terrible run by any means.

Long Jump

I had a good bit of time to rest before the Long Jump and did some practicing and warm up on the other pit which was not being used. In the actual competition my first jump was 3.87m. Below what I expected for sure. Second jump I improved to 4.07m, and my third and final attempt improved once more to 4.17m. I was pleased with it to be honest. I have jumped 4.50-4.60ish back home but that was after about 7-8 attempts. Its a bit different doing it in a competition where you just get 3 efforts. I didnt stick around to see where I finished in my heat but I reckon I was about half way down the 10 or 11 starters.

3000m

I dont know what I was thinking running this. My legs were in pain after the other three events so I was never going to be able to do myself justice here. I guess I wanted to get value for my dollar and get another event in. There were just 2 heats of the 3000m. I went in the slower heat which was basically a mass start type of thing with about 50 runners in it. Must be painful trying to keep track of how many laps each people have left. I settled comfortably about half way down the field. Cardio wise I didnt push myself as much as I could, but there was a reason. My legs were starting to feel the pain at this stage after my earlier exertions and so after 1500m I made a sensible decision to drop out. My time at the half way point was 6 minutes 40 which is well of what I am capable of running. It is the first race I have ever dropped out of and I was a little disappointed with myself for doing it but there was nothing much to be gained from plodding along to a time of 13:20-13:30 when I can run it close to 12 minutes dead. Besides I wasnt competing for any club so I couldnt score points for any team anyway.

So thats my first track meet down here. Really enjoyable afternoon. It is so great to see so many people of all different ages and all different abilities take part together. Many people take part in as many events as possible just for fun. Some even competed in 7, 8 or 9 events today which is insane. Athletics Victoria and the clubs down here have really fostered a great culture of grassroots athletics. After seeing such a great event today it makes me very sad that in Ireland we dont have this. Back home if you are running 400m in 66 seconds there is no future for you. Here you simply run against others of your own level and you get to enjoy the buzz of running in a proper race and score points for your club in the championship standings. Maybe if we created such a thing back home that got moer of the average joes running 400m, 800m etc rather than just road running events then maybe our country would have much more interest in the sport of Athletics. Just a thought.

The only disappointment today was the lack of electronic timing. Supposedly the track at Ringwood is one of the few that doesnt have it set up.

Next weekend hopefully I will get to compete again. 100m and 400m being the priorities but sure I may aswell give a few of the field events a go for the craic. Haven't thrown a Javelin since my one and only attempt 13 years ago! No better time to have another go!

I will update the thread when the official results are posted on the website and do a little analysis of where I ranked overall in each event.

Murph_D

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice after that meet, what would you say to yourself?

Chivito550

Murph_D wrote: »

If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice after that meet, what would you say to yourself?

Good question, and the answer is I'm not really sure.

I was only starting out both in athletics and a new country. I had no idea if I would like either and was just finding my feet. I had my eyes on a sub 60 400m, but I didn't know whether I'd end up doing sprinting, middle distance or jumping. I guess in those early days it was important to try everything. I guess after that first meet, I'd give myself some advice to stick with the training group and go to training regularly, and build into it slowly.

At that time however, I had no idea how long I'd stay in Australia. I thought I'd just stay for a year, in which case I'd have got a few meets at the tail end of 2010/11 season, and then half of the 2011/12 season. It was only when I decided during the middle of 2011, when I decided I would do the regional work to get a second year visa, that I became more committed to the sport. I was still in backpacker mode for a lot of 2011 and did a fair bit of travelling, so I wasn't all that settled in Melbourne.

If I could go back and change something it would be to join my coach and training group earlier. I did a few sessions early 2011 with them, but for the entire 2011/12 season I trained by myself and was self-coached, using an excellent 400m detailed document by Clyde Hart, Michael Johnson's coach. Until the end of November I was doing my regional work, so this wasn't an option. But after Christmas I really should have joined up with the group and slowly started gym work. Instead I waited until May 2012 to do both, so I could start them at the beginning of the next training cycle.

I was fortunate to have such a great coach for 2 full seasons. If I had gone to him a half season earlier, I wonder would it have had an impact on how fast I eventually ran for 400m.

I guess at the time, being self coached suited me, and I did make big gains in that first season.

No regrets anyway.

Chivito550

So after 3 and a half months of unmotivated "ticking over" type training 4 days a week during the winter months, I started following a programme in February and kicked up the intensity of the training a couple of notches. I still trained 4 days a week but the sessions were much harder. The sessions were as follows:

1) Alactic speed - e.g. 3 x (4 x 60m) with 30 secs recovery within sets, and 1:45 or 2:00 between sets.
2) Plyometrics - using 12 steps in a public park including step sprints, double leg hops, double leg hops every second step, single leg hops, sideways runs, box jumps up steps
3) Speed - Reps ranging from 30m to 60m fast with good recoveries
4) Lactic endurance - On a gentle hill, sessions involving reps of 100, 120, 150, 180 and 200. Total metres run would range from 1000m to 1400m and would usually be over 3 sets (sometimes 2) with 7 or 10 mins recovery between sets, and jog back within sets

Initially all these sessions were done locally, and then some sessions progressed to the track.

I haven't been able to do any gym sessions because of you know what, and I can't bring myself to do core sessions in my bedroom anymore, so the plyometrics have been the substitute for gym work.

City of Lisburn AC meet - Belfast

First meet of the season last weekend, and my first race in 8 and a half months, an absolute eternity.

Given the horror show of weather we had on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, we got fairly lucky on Saturday. It wasn't warm, but it was dry throughout and when the sun came out it felt warm. The wind also appeared to be blowing in the correct direction as far as I was concerned.

100m: 12.57 (+0.8)

I was in lane 6 and there were 7 of us in the race. I had one block session in advance of this race which helped get the rustiness out of my system, and it seemed to help, as I was pretty happy with how I reacted to the gun and got out on this occasion. The guy in lane 8 had about a 1m lead on me early in the race, but I closed marginally on him in the second half of the race, but couldn't quite reel him in. I could hear the lad to the left of me, but he never came up to my peripheral vision, and I managed to hold him off.

I finished 4th of 7 in what was a very competitive race, in 12.57, which was faster than my legal season's best from last season. I was very happy with this for a first run out after an eternity away from racing.

200m: 25.90 (-0.8)

The 200m was 2 hours after the 100m, and during my warm up I was feeling fairly fatigued. Doubling up feels a bit more difficult as I get older. When doubling up I prefer the 200m to come first, as I find it easier to run a 100m when tired than I do a 200m.

I was in lane 7 and got out ok, but was a little thrown off by how quickly I was up on the guy in lane 8. He ran 29.xx and I did not expect to be past somebody within a few strides. I felt my bend was quite laboured, but once I got into the straight I found my running and reeled in one guy ahead of me to finish 5th of 7. The wind unfortunately changed direction so I didn't have the benefit of a tailwind in the straight, though I didn't have a wind in my face on the bend so conditions weren't terrible by any means.

I'm delighted to be sub 26 for my first race of the season, particularly when feeling fatigued after the 100m. It's my 45th time now under 26. Hopefully sub 26 can become a habit this season again, as I only managed it in 2 of my 5 200m races in 2020.

The meet was fantastic. Other than a few tiny measures that you wouldn't really notice, it felt no different to any other meet I've ever run in from 2019 and before. The changing rooms were even open. Overall it was just so chilled, thankfully devoid of any of the OTT protocols we will see south of the border.

Frankly, I'm intensely frustrated by the actions of AAI, Sport Ireland and the Irish Government of late, and the latest recommendations of 100 per competition is absolutely laughable stuff. I have absolutely no problem making the trip up North to compete in proper competitions, and looking at those who were there last Saturday, there are countless more like me. If I have to go up all summer to compete I will do so.

After the competition was over, I walked 1.8 miles to a lovely beer garden where I consumed two delicious pints in a lovely setting, and had a bit of grub too. I enjoyed it so much, I've booked a holiday up there for a few weeks time, and I'll be able to enjoy the freedoms of an indoor pint and indoor meal.

Next up, Belfast IMC meet this weekend.

My races can be found at 1:18 and 3:20 on the below video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxlaERT8Dcg

Murph_D

You’re vaccinated, right? How much impact does that have on your thinking?

Chivito550

Murph_D wrote: »

You’re vaccinated, right? How much impact does that have on your thinking?

Absolutely none whatsoever. Other than the first few weeks in March 2020 when we didn't know anything about this virus, I've never been concerned in the least about transmission at outdoor sporting events, and the facts back that up.

I wasn't vaccinated last year and I wasn't in the least bit worried when competing, and thought then too that the restrictions on such competitions were OTT.

I suspect the majority competing last weekend and again this weekend from south of the border have not been vaccinated.

EDIT: Those most vulnerable are our officials, who would be vaccinated by now. I frankly see no good reason for why we now have limits on numbers at half of what we had last year, a time when we had no vaccines.

Murph_D

I wasn’t really thinking about the competition. More about the indoor ‘freedoms’ you mentioned at the end there. I’m looking forward to those too, but I’ll feel far more comfortable about them when I’m fully vaccinated like yourself.

Chivito550

Murph_D wrote: »

I wasn’t really thinking about the competition. More about the indoor ‘freedoms’ you mentioned at the end there. I’m looking forward to those too, but I’ll feel far more comfortable about them when I’m fully vaccinated like yourself.

Ah right. Yeah understandable. I'm not fully vaccinated - just the first AZ jab so far, though my understanding is that provides the bulk of the protection.

For me, I was comfortable with it all last summer and Christmas to be honest. Didn't act the bollocks - usually it was just myself and herself going out for dinner and drinks. A few times we met up with other couples for either brunch or dinner/pints, but I could probably count on one hand the amount of times, and that was in the summer, not at Xmas.

Well and truly over it all now.

Chivito550

Entries opened back in March for this. I had deleted the Twitter app for my mental health (all the Covid talk was doing my head in), and as a reward for doing this, I missed the announcement that entries were open, and they filled up in no time.

Fortunately there was a drop out in the 100m about 5 days before the meet and I got myself in. No joy with the 200m as they only had one race for men.

I wouldn't normally travel such a distance to race just a 100m, given 200m is my priority, but this was set to be a really great meet and I wanted to be part of it.

Conditions were lovely. It really felt like the first day of summer. Temperatures in the high teens, sunny and only a light breeze, which unfortunately was blowing the wrong way as far as I was concerned, but all in all very nice conditions for racing.

100m: 12.65 (-0.4)

I was in lane 8 in the B race. I got a great start. It's not often I'm happy with my start but this was definitely one of my better ones. Most of the field were out of sight by mid way but the lad in lane 2 (who I caught in the closing stages in the 200m last weekend and beat by about 0.5 seconds) I started to see in the closing stages as I closed in on him. As I dipped I wasn't sure if I had got him or not. As it transpired I beat him by 0.01. Second week in a row he was well ahead of me and I caught him. He ran 12.27 (albeit with a +2.7 wind) last week, so on paper based on recent form, I really should not have beaten him over 100m.

I was very pleased with the time. It's 0.07 slower than my time from last week, but it was into a very slight headwind. When adjusting both performances to 0 wind, this was a better run by 0.02, so have to be happy with that.

Great meet. Mary Peters truly would make a great venue for Nationals and AAI Games. What a shame we are operating those events down here under such miserable conditions (test event status at Nationals notwithstanding). I stayed for 5 hours, roamed around, watched superb athletics (Phil Healy and Sophie Becker the highlight), had a few chats with various people. Overall a great day. Unfortunately down here our government have tied the hands of the likes of Dublin Athletics, who have to operate their event under such ludicrous restrictions. It takes the joy out of it. Athletics meets are about more than just running a race.

Only complaint from Saturday was how slow the results were coming out. I didn't get mine for 5 hours and that was only because a good few of us pestered one of the officials for them. Bizarre, because it was a very well organised event otherwise.

Next up is AAI Games in 2 weeks time.

Race can be found at 1 hour 46 mins in here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y1wow5H00

Chivito550

First competition south of the border for 9 months. The meet was spread over 2 days, so I was competing in the 200m on the Saturday, and two 100m races on the Sunday.

For the first time ever AAI ran a track meet with the sprints being run with the wind. Full credit to the new chair of competitions for having the appetite to make these changes. It was greatly appreciated.

Conditions were superb on both days. Around 20 degrees on Saturday and intermittent sun, and 22 degrees on Sunday with mainly cloud. Very warm conditions and quite humid.

Technically we were supposed to warm up in a miserable grass area before going to the call room and then to the track for our race. Thankfully common sense prevailed, and we all ended up doing our warm ups on the track.

200m: 25.40 (+4.3)

With the uncertainty of how much track time I'd get before the race, I was fully warmed up only to realise then that I would get far more time on the track than we thought. There was also a delay in the start lists appearing, and I ended up in the 6th heat of 7. So my warm up went on way too long, and I didn't drink enough fluids given how much I was sweating in the warm conditions. Just as I was striding towards my blocks I felt a very light spasm in my right calf. I couldn't belief it. I felt sick. I decided to just go for it in the race, and if it happened again, so be it. Thankfully it didn't.

I was out in lane 8 and was way behind everyone else in my heat. I was further behind one lad than I was recently so I assumed my time would be well outside 26, but as it transpired he ran really fast, and therefore my time was way faster than I thought. It's my fastest time in 2 years, and my second fastest time since my 2017 season when I ran my PB. It's also my 46th time under 26, so I'm creeping closer to that target of 50.

I'm a bit baffled by the wind reading as it felt like a very calm day. Must have been some random gusts at times. Anyway, I don't get too bogged down with wind readings for 200m as it never tells the fully story.

I was delighted with the time, and hopefully I can continue to improve on this.

100m Race 1: 12.70 (+1.9)

I was in lane 1 for this one and got a poor start and was disconnected from the field from the beginning. I was very unhappy with this time. It was 0.2 down on what I had run in Belfast in 2 races recently, when adjusting all times for 0 wind. I was frustrated I didn't take advantage of a legal following wind like that.

100m Race 2: 12.38 (+1.7)

I was in lane 7 for this, against many of the same guys, and I got a flyer of a start and drove really well. I knew immediately I was onto a good one as I felt in contact with the field his time in the early stages. I held my form well and was much closer to another lad this time than I was last time. I punched the air after I crossed the line knowing I nailed it, and expected a fast time.

12.38 with a legal wind is the fastest time I've run in 2 years when I ran my PB of 12.18. Outside my 2017 season it's the 3rd fastest I've every run, and overall it's my 9th fastest time ever. Back in 2016 I ran 12.35 (+1.5), when I was 31, so 5 years on I'm absolutely chuffed to get so close to that time.

Two Weeks of training now before National Seniors (which I'm opting to run in over the Northern Ireland Masters). The week after that I plan to compete in the masters at the Leinsters. That will finish off the first half of my season. I'll plan out the remainder of the season after that.

Videos of my races can be found below:

200m can be found at 6 hours 42 mins in the below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOA7XZQzwM

100m Race 1 can be found at 1 hour 44 mins in the below and 100m Race 2 can be found at 2 hours 53 mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad6KedzSFrw

Murph_D

That’s some improvement in race 2. Congrats.

Chivito550

My 6th time competing at Nationals Outdoors since 2014, with 2018 being the only one I've missed due to a cousin's wedding.

A lot of my clubmates went up to Belfast to do the NI Masters, but for me, there was no way I could pick that over National Seniors, one of my favourite weekends of the year, and the event that gets my adrenaline flowing more than the rest. So many great memories and PBs set at the event down the years, that it will take priority for hopefully a good few more years to come. The clash was unfortunate, as I would love to have competed up North.

I ran 100m on Saturday and 200m on Sunday. Conditions were a mixed bag. On Saturday it was quite chilly at around 12/13 degrees, but the there was a tailwind. Sunday was much better at around 16 degrees and again with an ideal tailwind, blowing at the best angle possible for 200m.

100m: 12.48 (+2.6)

My start wasn't brilliant, and I got beaten by 0.23 by a lad I had pipped in a 100m race recently up in Belfast. That said he ran much closer to his best on this occasion, so in that form, I was very unlikely to beat him. Would have liked to have been a little closer though. Overall, I was reasonably satisfied. I was 0.10 down on my time from AAI Games, albeit with an illegal wind. I found I was being pushed forward a bit during the race. That happens to me with illegal tailwinds sometimes.

200m: 25.58 (+2.5)

I was initially put into lane 8, which I was licking my lips at, but I was then bumped to the dreaded lane 1. No point getting upset about it. I knew I was in good shape and could run well from any lane. I told myself that lane 1 outdoors is still better than pretty much every lane indoors. Donore lad was in lane 2 so I just tried to keep him in my sights as best I can. He ran 24.4, so he dragged me along well. I didn't see any of the other lads at all once, including Leon Reid. When in lane 1 in a race like that you can feel disconnected, but thankfully I had the guy in lane 2 to stay relatively close to.

I was delighted with the time. It was 0.18 down on AAI Games (which had a stronger tailwind), but 0.10 faster than Nationals last year. It's my 47th time under 26 seconds, so I'm inching closer to that 50. I could have had it already had a couple of 26.00 runs gone my way, and I didn't insanely skip the 200 at Leinsters 2 years ago when conditions were perfect, in order to prioritise relay races that nobody seemed to care about as much as me, and in which we had no competitors. Anyway, hopefully I'll reach that target by the end of the season. It's been a target I've thought about for maybe 3 years now.

Next up is the Leinsters in Carlow this weekend, where I'll run 100m on Saturday and 200m on Sunday, both as a master on this occasion.

100m race in following video at 10 mins in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3tawPzq-mM

200m race in the following video at 46 mins in:

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

Chivito550

GET IN! One of the best weekends I've had in athletics in quite a long time at the Leinster Championships in Carlow. Firstly, 12.30 (+2.5) for 100m yesterday, fastest time in 2 years, 6th fastest time ever, and just 0.12 down on my PB, albeit with the wind a little over the legal limit. Then today, 25.16 (+0.3) for 200m, my fastest time in 4 years, and the 5th fastest I've ever run. Still 0.29 down on my PB, but just 0.08 slower than my second fastest time I've run. Definitely didn't expect that, particularly given I was feeling very jaded in the warm up. Makes all the grind through multiple endless lockdowns worth it.

Will do a short report when I get a chance.

AuldManKing

Congrats - great when it happens!!

Chivito550

Leinster Championships - Carlow

*new site doesn't allow headings for posts 😕

Quick recap on this meet from over a week and a half ago.

Conditions were ideal. There was a tailwind all weekend, with it blowing from the perfect angle for 200m. There was a threat of rain and thunderstorms, but thankfully I got away with it on both days, with the heavens opening about 1 hour after my 200m on the Sunday. A nice bit of good fortune there. Conditions were reasonably warm too, in the high teens from memory. New track too, so overall a nice opportunity to run fast.

100m - 12.30 (+2.5)

M35 - GOLD (1st of 1)

M35/40 - 1st of 5

My race - 2nd of 7

All masters - 3rd of 19

I knew going in that I was the only entry in M35 for both events, which was disappointing. As a result I was guaranteed 2 gold medals. To justify these medals, I felt I needed to run well, and beat as many people in the M40 category as possible. I was in lane 8, and a lad from Fr Murphy AC was in the lane beside me. He had beaten me by 0.17 at AAI Games 3 weeks earlier. I hoped to hang onto the back of him to run a fast time. Over in one of the middle lanes was the Gowran AC runner who pipped me in that infamous 200m at National Masters last year, when I fell over the line. He's in much better shape now, so knew he'd be tough to beat this weekend.

The Fr Murphy AC runner false started (not for the first time!), and as a result I was left out isolated in lane 8. I ran my own race though, quite unaware of what was going on elsewhere. As I dipped I knew it was close between me and the Gowran runner. I only saw him in my peripheral vision at the very end. As it turned out I did enough to hang on by 0.03 of a second. I was happy to beat him after such a disappointment last year. Very nice guy, and both of us are running away better than back then, but the competitive side of me wanted to get a victory over him, to make amends for last year.

I was delighted with the time. It's my fastest in 2 years, and my 6th fastest ever, albeit with a slightly illegal tailwind. I was also happy to beat all the M40 guys, albeit one of them due to a false start.

200m - 25.16 (+0.3)

M35 - GOLD (1st of 1)

M35/40 - 3rd of 5

My race - 3rd of 5

All masters - 5th of 15

I was unbelievably jaded during the warm up. Probably the most tired I've ever been leading into a race. I slept well, but I was physically tired from the day before, and mentally drained from so much racing. 3 out of 4 weekends, with all 3 meets involving racing on both Saturday and Sunday. I didn't expect to run much better than a mid 25 given how I was feeling.

I was out in lane 7, with Fr Murphy athlete in lane 6, and the Gowran lad in one of the middle lanes. There were 2 other M40 guys in the race. I got out quite well, but the Fr Murphy lad was up on me quickly and as I entered the bend I'm probably 4-5m down on both him and the Gowran lad who was having a stormer. As I hit the straight I started to motor and started clawing back them back. I got quite close to the Fr Murphy lad but I ran out of track, and finished 3rd in the race. I knew by how close I was to him that it would be a fast time. Gowran won in 24.61, which is a huge improvement on last year, Fr Murphy second in 24.89, and I was third in 25.16. This is the fastest I have run in 4 years. I was beyond chuffed. It's also my 6th fastest run ever (4 times faster in 2017 and once faster in 2016).

This is one of the best weekends of athletics I have had in the last 4 years (only the Drogheda IMC where I ran my PB in 100m 2 years ago rivals it). I really feel I peaked well for it. My weight was 69.9kg and 70.1kg on the morning of each race. This is the lowest I've been on race day since 2017 I suspect (though I haven't kept track religiously).

Now I'm back into a block of training and getting back into the gym for first time in 6 months, before another block of racing at the end of July.

Chivito550

A couple of meets to update on very briefly (this new boards site is so bad that it basically has discouraged me from actually using the site very much being honest).

Graded Meet 4 - Tallaght

200m - 25.84 (+1.8)

I usually don't run gradeds, but given the weather was so good, there were forecasted tailwinds, and I'm so close to 50 sub 26 200m, I thought this would be a good opportunity to grab one. It wasn't a brilliant run, and I don't enjoy racing on weekday nights after work, it was very much a case of job done. My 49th time under 26 seconds.

AAI Summer Games - Carlow

200m - 26.01 (-1.4)

It was a scorcher of a day just like Wednesday, but unfortunately the wind was the worst type of wind, a headwind for the entirety of the 200m - blowing at the worst angle you could ask for. I thought I ran well, but was very disappointed and frustrated to miss my goal of 50 sub 26s. It will have to wait another week. I can take heart from the fact I nearly managed it despite running into a headwind for the entirety of the race. It was 0.85 down on my race 3 weeks ago on the same track, but on that occasion I had the perfect wind, with it at my back most of the way. You win some, you lose some.

100m - 12.84 (-0.2)

The wind reading was pure nonsense as everyone's times were so slow. A lad who ran 11.9 recently, ran 12.37, which put my 12.84 into perspective. I was 0.54 down on my best for this year. The wind felt outrageous the whole way.

Have drawn a line under yesterday, and it's onwards to NI Champs in Belfast this weekend.

Chivito550

NI Championships - Belfast - July 31st

Amongst the non-stop Olympic viewing and the awful new boards site, I haven't really bothered coming on here, so I forgot to update on my most recent race from 2 and a half weeks ago, at the NI Senior Champs in Belfast. Conditions were OK from memory. It rained a bit in the warm up but dried up before the race, though the track was a bit damp as a result. Temperatures were around 19ish from memory, and there was a bit of a headwind on the bend, but nice tailwind on the straight. I was seeking my 50th sub 26 200m. I was fairly sleep deprived leading up to this meet as I was up til all hours watching the Olympics, and the rowing medals on back to back nights kept me up til ridiculous hours. Overall, I averaged about 4-5 hours sleep over the 16 days, and got only 4 actual proper night's sleep. However, I got 2 really good solid night's sleep the 2 nights before the race, so I felt good heading up. I decided to skip the 100m to focus solely on the 200m.

200m: 25.55 (+1.1)

Very happy with how I ran this. I was in lane 6 and had lads in lane 5 and 7 that I tried to stay as close to as possible. Felt I ran well under 26 but you can never be sure. In the end I was well under it. I was 0.39 down on my season's best, but my third fastest time of the year out of my 7 200m races. More importantly, it resulted in the achievement of a goal I set around 2018/2019 when I found the PBs were drying up and I needed other goals - to run 50 times under 26 seconds. I'm thrilled with this. My first was 8 and a half years ago back in January 2013 in Melbourne, a 25.62 clocking. Granted there were a couple of years in there when I didn't really run many 200m races, but regardless, this is a very long term target that's been achieved, which is quite satisfying.

I'll have to think of a new long term target. Perhaps 100 times under 26 200m and 57 400m combined. I'm currently on 87 (50 times sub 26 and 37 times sub 57). That's quite a bit off at the moment and will require another 13 times under 26 to achieve the goal, as I'm long finished with 400s.

Took a down week and a half after this race and just tipped along. No point training hard when sleep deprived from the Olympics. Now I'm back in hard training. My next and last meet is National Masters on 5th September. I had hoped to get one tune up race before that, but sadly the few meets that are available don't suit as they clash with pre-made plans.

My race can be found at 3 hours 8 mins into this video:

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

Chivito550

National Masters Championships - Santry

After last year's disaster at my first National Masters, where I fell over the line and was pipped for bronze in the 200m, I was determined my second time taking part in the event would be a happier occasion, irregardless of the results.

I had planned to run the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, but once I saw the timetable, I decided to change to 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay. The 100m was on before the 200m, and I wanted to be fresh for the 200m. I also felt I potentially had a chance at challenging for the medals in the 400m. I went back and forth on whether to give it a go, before trying a 2 x 300m session with 8 minutes recovery, 7 days beforehand. My splits were 44.0 and 44.8. These were the first 300m reps I had done in a very long time. I felt maybe, based on these splits, a 57 was possible, so I decided I'd give it a go. I was a nervous wreck all week any time I thought about the prospect of running a 400m. I hadn't properly run one in 6 years and 1 month.

It was a warm day, and it was quite breezy during the 200m. But by the time of the 400m and relays, the sun had gone in, the wind had died down, and it was almost like being indoors, it was that calm.

200m - 25.71 (-1.7) - 5th place

I was drawn in lane 2 and there were 6 of us in the race. There were 2 lads that I expected to take gold and silver, with myself and 2 other lads contending for bronze, with the 6th place guy much slower. As it transpired one of the guys I thought would be around my level ran a huge PB and actually split the 2 favourites, and almost took the gold. I felt I ran as well as I could in the conditions. The wind was at my back on the bend, and it was quite strong in the straight. I was pleased with the performance and with the time considering the wind. I was a bit disappointed to only come 5th, but I would have needed to be on my season's best time to get 4th, and very close to my PB to get bronze, neither which were realistic into that headwind.

400m - 57.71 - Bronze

I had 3 hours recovery time after the 200m, but was feeling quite tired before I started my warm up, so I made sure not to overdo it. I was drawn in lane 8, and there were 6 of us in the race. At the time I thought it wasn't a great lane draw, as I would be running blind, but in hindsight it allowed me to run my own race. Feidhlim Kelly was in lane 4 and was the clear favourite, and the lad from Monaghan inside me in lane 7 (who was one place ahead of me in the 200m) was a 56 second runner. The other 3 lads were in the 57/58 second range, and I felt I could take them. That said, you have no idea what kind of big PBs people may run on the day, so I tried to play down my expectations.

I got out well, and went hard for 50m or so before settling into a cruise down the backstraight. I expected the lad from Monaghan to come up on me, but he didn't pass me until 200m into the race. It was at this point I realised that I may be onto a good one here. Feidhlim ate up the stagger on me on the first half of the final bend, and at this point I am trying to stay as close to the two of them as I can, with no idea what's going on elsewhere. I up the effort levels with 150m to go, and as I am about to enter the straight, my curiosity got the better of me and I took a very slight glance inside me and I saw nobody which gave me great encouragement as I started to hurt. I know I shouldn't have done this, but the pure fear of being in lane 8 in a championship race is something I can't quite describe.

Once I hit the straight it's empty the tank time. About 50m to go and I can feel I am hanging on. My legs are like lead, my hips feel tight, my balance doesn't feel as steady as it could be. I'm willing the line to come and hoping to God somebody isn't finishing like a train as I would not have been able to respond. My club mates told me after that I held my form really well and looked comfortable. Funny as it didn't feel remotely like that. Thankfully the line came and I hung on quite comfortably by about 0.9 of a second. As I crossed the line I let a roar of delight out. It wasn't planned, it was very much an instant reaction. I was absolutely thrilled. I then threw myself to the floor and was in agony for a few minutes and struggled to stand up after. I left absolutely everything out there.

My time was 57.71 which I was thrilled with. It's 2.9 seconds down on my PB of course, but I haven't trained for 400m since 2015, and I've only run two half arsed 400m races since (an end of season graded in 2016 and an indoor race in 2019 when I was about 5kg more than I should have been for this distance). The inspiration for giving this a go was actually Cliodhna Manning from the 2017 Nationals. She was a 200m runner and trained as a 200m runner, and after being disappointed with a 200m race a week before Nationals, decided to enter the 400m. She won silver in the 200m, and then against all expectations came out the next day and beat everyone to take the 400m title. This kind of story made me feel it was possible to run well over 400m off 200m training.

Fedihlim won in 54.3, with the Monaghan athlete second in a low 56. Fourth place was 58.6, with 5th and 6th not far behind in low 59.

This is my first national medal in a sprint event. I'm under no illusions that it's considerably easier to win medals at masters level than at senior level. And within masters, the M35 is definitely a softer category than M40. But you can only beat who you're up against. This medal felt well earned and I'm absolutely delighted to win it. It feels more special that it came over 400m, the event that I spent 5 full seasons training for, the event I started off this sport in, from 2011 to 2015.

I don't see myself going back to training for the 400m, but I do think I'll throw in more 300m rep sessions into my 200m training next year, and run a few more 400m races. It's good to keep my options open between 60m, 100m, 200m and 400m at championship events.

4x100m Relay - 51.47 - Silver

We did two practice sessions for this in the 2 weeks beforehand, and had a squad of 6. Thankfully our fastest 4 runners all got through the day without any injuries, so we had our strongest team available. I was supposed to lead off, but our coach ended up switching the running order around completely to account for fatigue. The race was just 45 minutes after my 400m, and given the recovery time and call room time, there was no time to warm up. So I made sure to stay standing and keep walking and moving. I was moved to the anchor leg which I was delighted with.

There were 4 teams in the race: Ourselves, Craughwell, Galway City Harriers and Lucan. Our team was made up of a M35 (me), a M50, M50 and M60.

Our first runner ran well, but the changeover was poor and cost us the best part of a second. We were third at the half way point, but then our third runner built up a good lead on Galway City Harriers in third. The changeover between the third runner and me was good and I got the baton comfortably in second place but well behind Craughwell, and took it home for second place and a silver medal. There was talk that Craughwell would be disqualified as their second runner ran half the backstraight in our lane, but to be honest they were way better than us, and we wouldn't want to win in that way, so we didn't push for it. They deserved their win.

So a great way to end a great season, and a considerably better experience than my debut National Masters last year.

Race videos are below.

200m at 3 hours 4 minutes

400m at 6 hours 18 minutes

4x100m Relay at 7 hours 3 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwefE8UXenE

Chivito550

As is traditional after I finish a season, here's my nerdish list of competitions I've competed in throughout 2021. Just outdoors this year. Indoors never happened sadly.

OUTDOOR:

100m:

Pre-season PB: 12.18 (+1.8) - July 2019

1) 12.57 (+0.8)

2) 12.65 (-0.4)

3) 12.70 (+1.9)

4) 12.38 (+1.7)

5) 12.48 (+2.6)

6) 12.30 (+2.5) - Leinster Masters Gold

7) 12.84 (-0.2)

200m:

Pre-season PB: 24.87 (+0.9) - July 2017

1) 25.90 (-0.8)

2) 25.40 (+4.3)

3) 25.58 (+2.5)

4) 25.16 (+0.3) - Leinster Masters Gold

5) 25.84 (+1.8)

6) 26.01 (-1.4)

7) 25.55 (+1.1)

8) 25.71 (-1.7) - National Masters 5th

400m:

Pre-season PB: 54.88 - July 2014

1) 57.71 - National Masters Bronze

4x100m Relay:

Pre-season PB: 47.96

1) 51.47 - National Masters Silver

Chivito550

I haven't updated this log in a full year. Mainly because I hate the new boards site, which has basically given me the kick up the arse I needed to basically stop using it and wasting so much time on it. But also because this log really has virtually no engagement (perhaps partly down to the decline of messageboards) and I felt like I was just talking to myself on it.

But for the sake of continuity, below is a full list of results from my 2022 season:

Indoor:

• NIA Live - Abbotstown (Jan 19th): 60m - 8.19
• National League Round 2 - Athlone (Jan 23rd): 60m - 8.07, 60m - 8.16, 200m - 26.36 (lane 4)
• AAI Games - Abbotstown (Feb 12th): 60m - 8.04, 60m - 8.03
• National Seniors - Abbotstown (Feb 27th): 60m - 8.01
• Leinster Masters - Athlone (Mar 26th): 60m - 8.02 (M35 Silver), 200m - 26.33 (lane 6)(M35 Silver)

Outdoor:

• National League Round 1 - Templemore (May 22nd): 200m - 26.62 (-1.3), 100m - 12.90 (-1.7)
• NI Senior Championships - Belfast (Jun 18th): 100m - 12.97 (+0.6), 200m - 26.57 (-0.7)
• National Seniors - Santry (Jun 25th & 26th): 200m - 26.78 (-2.7), 100m - 13.40 (-3.4)
• AAI Games - Tullamore (Jul 23rd & 24th): 200m - 26.27 (+2.2), 100m - 12.72 (+2.2), 100m - 12.84 (+2.0)
• National League Round 2 - Athlone (Jul 31st): 200m - 26.29 (NWI), 100m - 12.70 (+0.2)

From a results point of view, 2022 was my worst year in athletics since 2011/12 in Australia, which was my first full season as a sprinter.

Admittedly my 60m indoors was good. My 8.01 matches up nicely to my 8.02 from 2020 and outside of my best year in 2017 when I ran 7.80, it wasn't a million miles away from my season's bests from other years (7.97 in 2018 and 7.95 from 2019). I was incredibly frustrated to miss sub 8 by such a small margin, and on quite a few occasions.

It was all downhill come outdoors though, with some very slow times. It was really only the last 2 weeks of the season when I ran some half decent times. The 12.70 with a still wind in my very last race being worth a solid 12.5x with a stronger legal wind.

In addition, I missed both National Masters, after the highs of my bronze last year in the 400m. The indoors got moved because of a request from athletes travelling to Braga, and as a result it was moved to January, very early in the year, to a date that I had made pre-existing commitments for (Nevin Maguire's incredible cuisine!). The Outdoors took place while I was on my honeymoon. And I also missed the Leinster outdoors as the late change in date clashed with the weekend of my stag.

Why did I run so slow? Life took over. I got married in August, so I was very busy with wedding planning stuff. On top of that there was mortgage application/ house searching stuff. And to top it off I moved job early in the year. A lot of life events and changes taking place. All great stuff. But it has meant that my running has fallen right down the list of priorities. I still trained, but the quality wasn't the best. I trained at about 70% of the level of 2021, and you really can't get away with that when it comes to results. I also didn't join my training group all year, opting to train solo on my local track rather than make the trek to Irishtown. To be honest, it was a transition year. I was 1.1 seconds slower over 200m than last year, and 0.4 seconds slower (though not as bad when adjusting for wind) than last year over 100m. Lightyears in sprinting.

2021 was an incredible year for me in terms of athletics, but I never want to see another year like 2020 and 2021 again. Having our lives and normality back has definitely pushed athletics back in terms of priority a bit. In 2020 and 2021 there was very little to do so I trained like an animal as a result. But give me a normal life over lockdown-induced training any day of the week.

Motivation was very low all last season. I'd get pockets of motivation which would last for a few weeks at a time, but I struggled with sustained motivation. I'm currently not at all motivated to get back training and I'm still on my break. I'll have to find the motivation from somewhere. I'm sure it will come back though. It comes in waves.

Wottle

Congratulations on getting married and all the other life adventures.

Maybe a shiny blue track might help with motivation.

AuldManKing

Congrats on the Wedding and other life events - Running is only running - all that other stuff is so much more important!!

I hear you on the levels of engagement around here - not too sure why I post anymore either!!

Chivito550

My annual summary for my 2023 season is below:

Indoor

• League Round 1 (8th Jan): 60m Round 1 - 8.16, 60m Round 2 - 8.08
• League Round 2 (22nd Jan): 60m Round 1 - 8.12, 60m Round 2 - 8.10, 200m - 26.55 (Lane 4)
• National Indoor Masters (5th Feb): 60m - 8.12 (4th), 200m - 26.90 (Lane 4)(4th), 4x200m Relay - 1:45.29 (BRONZE)
• National Indoor Seniors (19th Feb): 60m - 8.22, 4x200m - 1:38.96
• Leinster Indoor Masters (11th Mar): 60m - 8.12 (SILVER), 200m - 26.02 (Lane 5)(BRONZE)

Outdoor

• Dublin Graded Meet 1 (29th Apr): 100m - 13.20 (-1.8)
• Leinster Masters (27th-28th May): 100m - 12.84 (+0.8)(SILVER), 200m - 26.91 (-0.5)(BRONZE)
• Munster Masters (5th Jun): 200m - 26.01 (-0.1)
• DSD Games (18th Jun): 100m - 12.58 (+1.5), 200m - 25.60 (+1.2), 4x100m - 46.16
• AAI Games (16th Jul): 200m - 25.29 (+2.7), 100m Round 1 - 12.38 (+4.6), 100m Round 2 - 12.33 (+2.2)
• National Seniors (29th-30th Jul): 200m - 26.17 (-2.7), 100m - 12.82 (-2.4)
• National Masters (13th Aug): 100m - 12.46 (-0.6)(4th), 200m - 25.57 (+2.1)(5th), 4x100m - 49.88 (SILVER)

My indoor season was pretty terrible. I changed approach late on, and by the time I got to Leinsters I was seeing benefits over 200m. Started the outdoors sort of where I left off indoors, but after Munsters I gave in and bought the Adidas super spikes, having resisted for so long. I was getting fed up missing out on sub 26 clockings by mere fractions. DSD Games was my first meet with the new spikes and the differences were very noticeable. I reckon 0.1 over 100m and 0.2 over 200m. They feel magnificent and I feel faster in training in them.

Overall, I'm delighted with how the outdoor season panned out. Thrilled to get back down to 12.33 for 100m and 25.29 for 200m. Not far off what I ran in 2021, albeit with better shoes.

Chivito550

My annual summary for my 2024 season is below:

INDOORS

• League Round 1 (6th Jan): 60m Round 1 - 7.99, 60m Round 2 - 8.02, 200m - 25.73 (Lane 6)
• National Indoor Masters (13th Jan): 200m - 25.64 (Lane 5)(SILVER), 400m - 57.28 (Lane 5)(4th), 4x200m Relay - 1:54 (5th)
• AAI Games (27th Jan): 60m Race 1 - 8.15, 60m Race 2 - 8.15, 200m - 26.31 (Lane 3)
• National Indoor Championships (18th Feb): 60m - 8.08
• Connacht Championships (25th Feb): 400m - 58.40 (Lane 4)
• Leinster Indoor Masters (9th Mar): 60m - 8.03 (SILVER), 200m - 26.04 (Lane 6)(GOLD)

OUTDOORS

• Leinster Masters (26th May) - 200m - 25.91 (+2.3)(GOLD)
• Dublin Graded Meet (15th Jun) - 200m - 25.86 (+0.5)
• National Championships (29th/30th Jun) - 200m - 25.63 (+1.6), 100m - 12.66 (-0.1)
• AAI Games (13th/14th Jul) - 200m - 26.02 (-2.3), 100m Race 1 - 12.78 (+0.0), 100m Race 2 - 13.00 (-0.9)

My indoor season started amazingly well. I ran my first sub 8 for 60m since 2019, and I ran my third fastest ever indoor 200m in National Masters. I was also chuffed to run a low 57 for 400m later that day, my fastest time since 2015 (albeit I've rarely raced 400m since then). The indoor season took a bit of a dip then, but I managed to find some form in the last meet, albeit still down on my early season form.

I took a week off after indoors, and when I started back I noticed tightness in my right hamstring. I kept an eye on it as I kept training, but frustratingly it didn't go away. It started to get worse. I eventually got my physio to look at it, and he said I had a very low grade tear, and I likely pulled it in my final race of the indoors, without even realising it.

I was still able to train and race for the outdoors, and I managed it well. But it was frustrating as the recovery after each race and tough session was huge. I had little expectations for the outdoor season as a result, so I was stunned to run sub 26 in my first race. In total, I only ran 7 outdoor races across 4 meets - the lowest number of races I've ever run, but this was all I could manage. I was delighted to nab 3 sub 26s, and one near miss. I ended my season 3 weeks earlier than planned and skipped National Masters (which as it turned out I would have medalled in all of 60, 200 and 400 had I run). I had enough of the struggle of managing an injury and trying to compete at the same time. So I started my recovery 3 weeks early, and decided to spend longer in Paris for the Olympics instead, rather than flying home early to run in the Masters.

I'm at 59 times under 26 seconds for 200m now, so hopefully I can grab that 60th time soon. More importantly, I have a goal I set awhile back of running 100 times under 57 (400m) and 26 (200m) combined. I'm at 96 times now. I'd love to hit 100 in 2025. It's only going to get more difficult year on year - and even more so now that we have a baby. :-) It's good to have these targets though, as it keeps the motivation up, long after my PB days have gone.

I took 8 full weeks off with no training, and then started back in the gym for the first time in a couple of years. I did 5 weeks of pure gym work, before starting back running. I feel the hamstring is much stronger now. Still not perfect, but it's in a better place I feel. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

I'm no longer with DSD. After 10 years, and 250 track races with the club, I moved to Celbridge after the indoor season. I won't go into the details of why on a public forum!

SuspectZero

Congrats on the baba man! And great to see you still at it, the prime may be gone but throwing a spanner in father time's onslaught is always progress in itself.

Chivito550

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122854445#Comment_122854445

Thanks for the message. I don't visit these parts anymore. Can I ask what your old username was (I don't recognise this one) so I know who you's sending the kind words? 🙂

SuspectZero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122888787#Comment_122888787

I've had too many to list😋 but I used to be El Caballo in a former life