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

Chivito550

Bit of a disjointed week to update on:

Thursday: Gym

Went through various exercises with S&C coach which will be part of my next programme. So more of a half a gym session.

Saturday: Track

Had a wedding in Limerick on Saturday, so I went down on the bus a bit earlier and jumped out at UL and did a track session there. Sarah Lavin was training away by herself, so chatted briefly to her. Conditions were actually very warm and humid, which was great for a change, but due to the trip down, and not being familiar with where to fill up my water bottle, and not having much time to be messing about before I needed to head into the city and get ready for the wedding, all meant that my hydration wasn't as good as it would normally be. I only had less than 1 litre of water to last me through the whole session, and I was sweating a good bit so this was not enough.

Session was 6 x 150m fast from three point starts, with slow walk back recoveries. I got through 4 of these, and 100m of the 5th rep before my left calf spasmed and I stopped. Hydration could have caused this on this occasion, but my left calf was very tight during my massage 3 days later so could have been a combination of things. But I got 4 really good strong reps done along with most of the 5th, so I wasn't too disappointed. The quality was there.

As I was walking back after my second rep I saw a group of people messing about on the long jump. It seemed like a family with teenaged kids, who were on a walk but stopped by at the track for a bit of craic. They were having great fun, which was great to see, and is what the sport should be about first and foremost. As I walked past one lad, probably in his 40s, who saw me watching them told the others that I might be able to give them a demonstration. I laughed and assured them that I was no long jump specialist (PB is 4.83m from Melbourne). He said to me that I have the speed for it anyway. I got talking to him then and he said he was impressed with my speed, and it turned out he was a former 400m runner himself who ran 49 seconds. I wouldn't have considered my speed to be one of my greater assets, so it was nice to hear that.

The UL track is badly in need of a resurface, but it's so refreshing to have a track where anybody can just walk on for free. I had 2 nearby in Melbourne where I could do this, and we used to have this in Dublin with UCD. Tracks are becoming a prized commodity here these days it seems. Everything needs to be planned and booked in advance. Very little time left for the spur of the moment session.

Monday: Track

First day of the new gym programme.

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 3 x 4 @ 65kg, 67.5kg, 70kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 3 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 2 x 6 @ 32.5kg, 35kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 2 x 6 on each leg @ 12kg, 15kg in each hand
C1: Bench Hip Thrusts (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side
C2: Dynamic Clam (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side

Tuesday: Massage

Left calf was extremely tight, which as it turned out was causing discomfort on the sole of my foot, about half way up the foot. This seems to have subsided a lot since this massage.

Thursday: Grass

Woke up with a sore throat on Tuesday morning, perhaps my body's answer to a long heavy day on Saturday (didn't get to bed until 5am). Felt worse then yesterday so pulled the plug on my training session with the group, in favour of rest. Woke up feeling much better this morning, and being off work for a few days to study for an exam, I went out on my own to Marlay Park to do the session the group did the day before. My 4th running session on my own in a row. Not ideal, but it can't be helped.

Session was 250-200-150-100-50 with reducing jog recoveries of 250-150-100-50. I used a 100m length football pitch, so ran 2.5 lengths, 2 lengths, 1.5 lengths, 1 length and half a length. All reps bar the 100 and the 50 included a turnaround, with the 250 having 2 of them. I pushed them hard as I knew my endurance would be good enough to handly the recoveries. Times were:

43.1 - 35.3 - 27.1 - 16.2 - 7.5

Wind was swirling quite a bit but probably had a headwind for half the lengths. I enjoyed this session a lot more than the recent mid week endurance sessions. It's shorter and faster.

Skipping this evening's gym session as a result. At this time of the year if I have to miss a session I would rather it be a gym one than a running one.

Chivito550

Track session this morning in Greystones on a beautiful morning. Because I'm racing Leinsters tomorrow, my session was 2 x 200 from blocks with about 9 mins recovery. Ran them like the first 200 of a 400, though with it being training it felt harder than it would in a race.

Katie Taylor was training on the track at the same time with her training partners, with her dad Peter calling the shots. They did a fair bit of short sharp sprint work, and on the hill beside it. She could run a half decent 100m I reckon. Pretty cool to train on the same track at the same time as a Olympic Champion.

Chivito550

56.69 in the 400m at Leinsters to come 4th in my heat. Conditions again far from being ideal with a very tough wind in the homestraight, and the track soaked after a heavy hailstones downpour about 20 mins earlier. Surely, I'll eventually get good sprinting conditions to run a quick time. Nice milestone today though, 30th time under 57 seconds.

Chivito550

Third race of the year, but when it comes to conditions, it was very much not third time lucky. I knew when I arrived in Tullamore that this would not be a day to be expecting a PB. It was cold. Very cold in fact. It was extremely windy, with only intermitant sunshine. I arrived early enough due to getting a lift down, so passed some time up in the stands doing a bit of study for an exam 2 days later. Not the best timing for a race, and I didn't think about it much at all during the week as a result, which probably wasn't a bad thing. Needless to say the study wasn't very productive as it was very cold up there in the stands.

Warm up was absolutely bizarre. The sun came out and I actually started to feel warm. I stripped off the layers, and then 3 minutes later came a torrential hailstones downpour. I kept going with my drills, but it got heavier, and so I followed every other person off the track and into the club house, until it stopped. I did more drills in the club house corridor. When I went back outside, the track was absolutely drenched, and no way was that going to dry in the next 15-20 minutes before my race. However the sun did come out, so despite the temperature only being about 12 degrees, it felt more comfortable with the sunshine. It was still extremely windy though.

400m:

There were 12 of us down for the senior 400m, which are pretty decent numbers, much more than previous years, looking at past results. They seeded us based on our PBs, or expected times. I was in the slower heat. I was in lane 4. Outside me in lane 6 was the guy from Menapians who I beat by 0.02 two weeks ago at the AAI Games, and who I also beat at National Indoors by about 0.7 seconds. In lane 7 was another Menapians guy who ran 60 at AAI Games, but who seems to have 25 second 200m speed. Didn't really know anything about the other 3 guys in the race.

Gun went off and I drove off hard, but probably began my cruise after about 40-50m on this occasion, a bit earlier than normal. I maintained a good pace down the backstraight, trying to keep good form, watching those outside me. My memory is hazy but I think one of the guys inside me ate up the stagger on me during the backstraight, but I didn't really notice to be honest. was watching lane 6 and he had gone out like a train. At half way he was so far ahead of me. Probably about 10m. As I hit the half way mark I eat up the stagger on the guy in lane 5, while another guy inside me goes past me, but this is all very hazy, and my memory of it is poor. What I do remember is going past the guy in lane 7 half way around the bend, and entering the homestraight, still being about 8-10m down on the guy in lane 6.

As I hit the bend I was greeted with a great wall of wind. It was a massive gust, worse than two weeks ago, if that was possible. I tried hard to keep relaxed, but it was extremely tough. For the second consecutive race I was chasing down the Menapians guy in super slow motion. On this occasion, I couldn't quite catch him. He slowed badly, suffering from an outrageously aggressive first 200m, but he finished about 2.5 to 3m ahead of me. Not much, but comfortable nontheless. I was disappointed to lose to him. I beat him last time, and the time before, and on this occasion he had a 400m hurdles race in his legs already that day, but he ran more aggressively than me. Too aggressive perhaps, but I think I could move a small bit quicker in the first 200m without compromising my strong finish. It's a tough balance but hopefully it will click as the season goes on.

I finished 4th out of 6 in my race, and 10th overall. My time was 56.69 seconds which was a pretty satisfactory result given the poor sprinting conditions, and around what I expected. It was 0.27 seconds slower than 2 weeks ago in fairly similar conditions, perhaps even a little worse. I was 0.49 seconds down on the Menapians guy.

The top 3 guys overall, were 1.5 seconds or so down on their PBs. A guy who finished ahead of me in 54.9, ran 53.4ish last week at the League, so if I can somehow get some decent conditions I don't believe I will be too far off that PB.

It is extremely frustrating to keep getting awful sprinting conditions though. I may have slightly taken for granted the 20-35 degrees I consistently got in Melbourne. No wonder I was running 55s for fun down there in my last 3 months. It's much harder to be consistent here. We had a great summer last year, but it hasn't started off well so far. I may look very strongly at 1 or 2 overseas races later in the summer, to get some better conditions, but also for the experience.

This result was a great landmark though. It is the 30th time I have run under 57 seconds. My first time was 56.28 in Geelong in December 2012, which was a 1.73 second PB at the time, one of the most memorable results I've had to date. It would have been hard to envisage at that time that 30 months later I'd have run 56:xx or better a further 29 times. It's definitely nice to keep track of things like this. PBs are huge, but consistency and longevity is important too.

Up next is the Northern Ireland/Ulster Championships in Belfast on Saturday.

Chivito550

Monday: Gym

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 3 x 4 @ 67.5kg, 70kg, 72.5kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 3 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 37.5kg, 40kg, 42.5kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 3 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C: Bench Hip Thrusts (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side

Wednesday: Grass

Murphy's Law that on a training day the weather is perfect, while on race day it is rubbish. Lovely evening for this session on the grass pitch.

300-240-180-120-60 with 150-150-100-50 recoveries. Each pitch length is 120m, so 2.5 lengths, 2 lengths, 1.5 lengths etc with turnarounds.

I messed up the first one and forgot to stop at half way down the pitch. Was actually ahead of the rest, moving well, and so it was only when I heard somebody shout my name that I realised my error. So the first rep ended up being 330m, as I did 2.75 lengths.

Times were: 61.6 - 46.3 - 32.1 - 19.7 - 9.7

Recoveries were: 1:27 - 1:37 - 1:09 - 0:33

Was knackered at the end of this. I like this session. It's hard and intense, but also fast and not too long.

Had a look at the Irishtown track while I was in the area. Seems to be progress, but the guy at reception said another month it will be. So with this being Ireland, multiply that by 3 to get a realistic timeframe.

Thursday: Gym

Watching Thomas Barr smash the Irish record was something that perked me up nicely for my gym session afterwards.

First day doing this new routine:

A: BB Front Squat (with faster descent): 3 x 6 @ 50kg, 52.5kg, 55kg
B: Lunges off step: 2 x 6 on each leg @ bodyweight, then 2kg in each hand for second set
C1: Incline BB Bench Press: 6, 4, 4 @ 45kg, 47.5kg, 47.5kg (There's no specific incline bench press in my gym so I had to use a regular incline bench and put it behind a squat rack. Some teething problems getting it all set up right, so today was a bit messy. Hopefully will be better next week.)
C2: Wide Grip Pull Ups: 6, 6, 5 @ bodyweight
Floor One-Legged Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 on each leg

Massage tomorrow, and then it's off to Belfast on Saturday to run in the 400m at the Northern Ireland Championships. This will be my last 400m until the Munsters at the end of June. Hoping to get some fair conditions. I've had absolutely no luck at all to date with the elements this season!

Chivito550

56.53 at the Northern Ireland/ Ulster Championships in Belfast today. Very happy with how I ran, but yet again difficult conditions with strong winds. Getting very frustrated with these anti-sprinting conditions Ireland is throwing out, resulting in constant 56s, when I'm in way better shape than that. If this keeps up then I'll have to migrate to Spain for a few races!!

Have to say, the Mary Peters Track in Belfast is the nicest outdoor athletics facility in Ireland I have run on. Lovely track, and fantastic setting. A roof to keep out the wind would be the icing on the cake

Chivito550

After 3 400m races in poor sprinting conditions, I was hoping that this would be the occasion to finally get a bit of luck, and run the low 55 second run which my recent times have suggested I should be achieving in decent weather. Unfortunately, the frustrating Irish summer continued, with this being the windiest day of the lot.

My race was due to start at 12:40pm, so I opted to head up to Belfast that morning. I was out of bed at 6:40am, on the bus at 7am, and on the Bus Eireann bus at 8am. I arrived in Lisburn at 10:10am, and a fellow athlete, who was doing a bit of taxi work for the day, picked me up, and dropped me to the track. I was there at about 10:30am, with loads of time to relax before starting my warm up.

Like recent race days, I was cold sitting in the stands beforehand. It was not warm at this time of the morning, but it gradually improved. By the time I was warming up it was around 12-13 degrees. It was intermitantly sunny, and when the sun was out it felt warm enough, and then when the cloud came over it felt cold. The wind was so strong that the sand from the long jump pits were flying down the track into our faces during the warm up. Yet again, I entered a race knowing full well that there would be no PB today. In any case it was a championship, and I wanted to be as competitive as possible.

400m:

There were 3 heats, with 20 athletes in total in the men's 400m. Pretty good numbers, through they did mix the U18-U20 with Seniors. I was in the second heat, and drawn in lane 4. There were 7 in my race and I knew nothing about any of them. The Letterkenny lad who I've had a couple of great battles with this year was unfortunately drawn in the next heat. I would have loved to have raced him again.

We waited in the call room for what felt like an age. It honestly felt like the guys from the first heat were out there for ages. The sun seemed to be shining for them, and then when we got called out, the cloud started covering it again. It was partially sunny by the time I was in my blocks. It was not warm, but I was sufficiently warmed up, so only felt a very slight coolness on my shoulders.

Throughout my warm up, the headwind was very strong and gusty in the backstraight, so it was clear that this was going to be an issue early in the race, rather than in the closing stages like in the previous 2 races. There really is no good time to have to deal with a strong wind.

Gun went off and I flew out well. This was my best start this season. After 50-60m I relaxed into my cruise, and at this point one lad ate up the stagger on me. I'm fighting through the wind as I enter onto the backstraight, but it wasn't as gusty as during the warm up, fortunately. I keep my eye on the 3 guys outside me. The wind is providing a challenge, but I make sure not to expend extra effort because of it. It doesn't feel as bad as previous weeks, but that was simply down to the fact that I was hitting it earlier in the race, when fresher, as opposed to when the legs are starting to cry.

As I hit the half way mark I started to wind things up. My memory is hazy but somebody else has eaten up the stagger on me at this point. I push well around the bend, keeping relaxed, but encounter more wind at this point. I enter the straight and finally I am free of the wind. I'm about 6m down on the guy in lane 8, with the guy in lane 2 about 7-8m further ahead. I definitely was in touch. I feel like I finished very well. I kept relaxed, kept the knee lift high, and closed on the guys ahead, finishing about 3m down on the guy in lane 8. I guess not having the wind in my face at the end meant I could finish the race feeling stronger and with better technique. I crossed the line feeling I put in a very nice run, doing many things very well throughout the race. I was very pleased. I heard somebody shout my name with about 80m to go. I have no idea who it was as I don't really know anybody in Belfast, but it did help me, even if it wasn't intended for me.

About 3-4 minutes later, after initially feeling fine, I then got that feeling where your head feels like it is about to explode, a more frequent experience of late.

I was convinced that on this occasion I would have run a 55. No PB of course, in those conditions, but surely a 55. This felt like my best run of the season. However the result was a familiar story, 56.53 seconds, my third mid 56 run in as many races. 56.42, 56.69, 56.53. Great consistency, in consistently poor conditions. But it is incredibly frustrating!

I finished 7th of 7 in my heat (although didn't notice a third guy eat up the stagger on me, so had convinced myself I was 6th), and 19th of 20 overall. The Letterkenny lad was just 0.08 ahead of me, in the final heat. A pity we couldn't have had another dust up. Overall, there were some remarkably slow times. Two lads in the third heat, who have run 51 high very recently, both ran 54:xx. I don't know if the wind picked up for their heat or not, but I'm guessing the two of them just had a very bad day at the office, and I wouldn't be thinking that the conditions made a 2.5 second difference. But I do think 1 to 1.5 seconds is reasonable. I do believe I am close to PB shape. Maybe not quite under it, but certainly low 55, and it is so frustrating to not be getting the results that I feel my training deserves.

A bizarre experience after the race. I was just walking around when one lad started talking to me as if he knew me. He introduced himself and said he reads this log every now and again. He doesn't post here but does lurk. He used to run 400s when younger and took it up again, and when he did, did a google search and this log popped up. Very random to know that somebody who doesn't even post here reads this, but I was delighted to hear it. If the log gets people wanting to try 400m, or get back into 400m at an older age, then all the logging is worth it.

Last word on the championships and the track. It was a brilliantly organised event. Absolutely no delays. The way it should be. Very athlete friendly. For spectators it was a little on the dull side, and maybe a bit of music and razzmatazz could make things more interesting. The track is lovely, with it being a mondo surface, and on a nice day, I'd imagine it is one of the quickest in Ireland. The facility itself is lovely, with a stunning setting, with banked grass hills surrounding the track, lovely forests where distance runners can run on trails, and there's a nice stand with seats near the finish line with great facilities underneath it. Only thing missing is a gym, and an indoor warm up track, but it really is a great venue. A facility which is fitting of the name of the great Mary Peters.

My next race is at Leixlip this weekend. There's no 400m on the programme, so I will be throwing myself into the 100 and 200 against the speed demons.

Chivito550

Sunday: Track

Lovely morning in Greystones for a lovely but tough session, one from my old coach in Melbourne. 6 x 200 with diminishing recoveries of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 minutes. I ran the first 4 in lane 1 with 2 of the girls training alongside me. Then for the last 2 reps I moved into lane 2 and was on my own. I ran the first 4 on the balls of my feet, then for the last 2 ran more flat footed, to ensure I got through it all, and got the full benefits of the tail end of this session, with the very short recoveries. Ran it in the distance spikes.

Times were:

29.1 - 28.8* - 29.2 - 29.2 - 30.0 - 31.1

*The timer didn't go off for me straight away, so it only recorded after a few metres into the rep, and I got 28.0. The rep felt faster than the first so 28.8 is very much an estimate.

Times were very consistent. The last 2 reps were very much survival mode, but happy that they didn't fall off too much. Was in a heap after this session.

Monday: Gym

Monday: Gym

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 4 x 4 @ 70kg, 72.5kg, 75kg, 72.5kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 4 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 3 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C: Bench Hip Thrusts (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side

Tuesday: Massage

Wednesday: Grass

Something a bit different this evening to shake things up. We used a pitch which is a bit shorter than our usual one, probably about 110m. We would run 110m at about 75%, then do 10 push-ups, holding for 2 seconds at the bottom, and repeat this 8 times, with only 10 seconds recovery (which others forgot to take throughout, so not wanting to be left way behind, I started to opt not to take too). This was horrendously tough. After the second set I was no longer holding for 2 seconds at the bottom of each pushup, and in the 7th set I opted for the "girl-pushups" where the knees were on the ground, but managed proper pushups again for the final set. Arms felt awful after and I fear DOMS tomorrow.

Times of the run and pushups (including 10 sec recoveries for the early sets) for each set:

19.6 - 40.2
21.7 - 40.2
22.9 - 40.1
22.7 - 43.4
24.2 - 39.7
22.9 - 45.9
24/0 - 46.5
21.2 - 41.2

A weird session, as the runs felt like recoveries, after such grueling agony of the pushups. Didn't particularly enjoy the session to be honest. I prefer to just run, but the arms got a good workout, and upper body is hugely important for sprinting.

I've gotten to the stage where I don't really believe that 53.9 is achievable anymore this season. It's been a very frustrating year with Irishtown being closed, having to do a lot of sessions on grass, logistical issues getting to tracks, and the recent bad weather. I feel I need to re-evaluate the goals for the season. If I get out of this season with a PB (sub 54.88) then I will be happy. But what I think I will strive for is sub 54.50, to get into the lower 54 range. If I manage that this season I will be delighted.

Chivito550

Gym session yesterday:

A: BB Front Squat (with faster descent): 4 x 6 @ 52.5kg, 55kg, 57.5kg, 60kg
B: Lunges off step: 3 x 6 on each leg @ 4kg, 5kg, 8kg in each hand
C1: Incline BB Bench Press: 6, 6, 5@ 45kg, 47.5kg, 50kg
C2: Wide Grip Pull Ups: 3 x 6 @ bodyweight
Floor One-Legged Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 on each leg

Busy day of racing tomorrow. 100 and 200 at Leixlip, then beer mile in the evening.

Chivito550

Great afternoon at a brilliantly organised IMC meet in Leixlip, with a very enjoyable atmosphere. Ran 12.68 in the 100m into a -1.2 headwind, just 0.1 slower than my PB which was run with a +2.7 tailwind. Then in the 200m managed a 25.45 into a -1.6 headwind, a painful 0.03 slower than my PB, which was run with a +1.2. Definitely the best 100 and 200 I've ever run accounting for the wind, even if they are not officially PBs. Lovely temperatures today, would have been a great day to run a 400m. Hopefully more summer days like this to come so I can get under that 400 PB.

Beer mile this evening.

dintbo

Sounds like you've had a great warm up for the main event this evening nice running man!

Chivito550

Chivito550 wrote: »

Sunday: Track

Lovely morning in Greystones for a lovely but tough session, one from my old coach in Melbourne. 6 x 200 with diminishing recoveries of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 minutes. I ran the first 4 in lane 1 with 2 of the girls training alongside me. Then for the last 2 reps I moved into lane 2 and was on my own. I ran the first 4 on the balls of my feet, then for the last 2 ran more flat footed, to ensure I got through it all, and got the full benefits of the tail end of this session, with the very short recoveries. Ran it in the distance spikes.

Times were:

29.1 - 28.8* - 29.2 - 29.2 - 30.0 - 31.1

*The timer didn't go off for me straight away, so it only recorded after a few metres into the rep, and I got 28.0. The rep felt faster than the first so 28.8 is very much an estimate.

Times were very consistent. The last 2 reps were very much survival mode, but happy that they didn't fall off too much. Was in a heap after this session.

Race reports from LeCheile and the Beer Mile to come, but first an update on this morning's session. We did the same session as above, from last Sunday. 6 x 200m with 5,4,3,2,1 mins reducing recoveries. This was rough going, not just because it's a very tough session, but also because I was feeling dodgey after yesterday's beer mile and the night out that followed it. Fortunately I had a bit of sense this year. Unlike last year when I drank craft beers all night after the beer mile, and was in an awful state the next day in training, this time I limited my post beer mile drinking to a couple of pints and a whisky, along with plenty of water. I still felt bad, but not so bad that I couldn't do the session.

Weather was lovely out in Greystones. About 13 degrees, sunny and very little wind. Times were:

? - 28.6 - 28.8 - 29.5 - 30.0 - ?

The button didn't press for me for the first rep but I would guess 28 something based on how it felt compared to the next 2. The last rep I was so knackered I misheard the coach when he was saying go, and started running when he said set, then paused to a jog, then eventually went. So the time of 33.7 includes all that messing about. I'm sure the time would have been about 30/31. I was on the balls of my feet for the first 4, in the distance spikes, then ran flatfooted for the last 2. I was feeling very ropey early on, the long recoveries giving you time to think about what was ahead. Towards the end with the recoveries being so short, it meant I just got on with it, and it was over before I knew it. Severe short term pain though, particularly on the 2 minute and 1 minute recoveries. Times better than last week. Delighted with how I ran, particularly given the hangover.

Chivito550

Background:

Since 2012 I've become a regular beer miler. This year's event would be my 5th beer mile. In my previous 4 I prepared well, and performed respectively well on each occasion.

1) - Parkville Beer Mile - Melbourne University - Sep 2012

9:20 with Hahn Super Dry, 4.6% and 330ml, under the required Kingston Rules criteria. I finished 15th out of 39 (top 39%).

2) Autumn Classic Beer Mile - Melbourne University - Apr 2013

8:19 with Hahn Super Dry, 4.6% and 330ml, under the required Kingston Rules criteria. I finished 10th out of 26 (top 39%). This remains my unofficial PB.

3) Parkville Beer Mile - Melbourne University - Sep 2013

8:27 with Coopers 62, 5.0% and 355ml, Kingston Rules approved beer. I finished 15th out of 40 (top 38%). This is my official PB.

4) Irish Beer Mile Championships - National Beer Mile Stadium - June 2014

9:07 with James Boags, 5.0% and 375ml, Kingston Rules approved beer. I finished 6th out of 13 (top 47%). I threw away about 15 seconds trying to twist off the caps that would not budge, rather than using a bottle opener. First ever run on the slower cinder surface too, so I reckoned I was in solid 8:40ish shape.

I've always performed well, and prepared well for the beer mile, and fully believed that this occasion would be no different.

Preparation:

On this occasion I went for Moosehead. James Boags had 20ml extra per beer which would be putting me at a disadvantage, so I went with what seems to be the official beer of the event at this stage.

I had 4 sessions in the week leading up to the event:

1) Saturday - 3 x Mooshead off 60 secs
2) Tuesday - Beer 1200 (3 beers, 3 runs)
3) Wednesday - Beer 1600 (3 beers, 4 runs)
4) Thursday - 4 x Moosehead off 50 secs

My drinking had improved since previous training sessions and I was able to withstand a greater training load. I genuinely felt in great shape. I did all the right things in training.

Race Day:

I had a 100m and 200m race earlier in the day. This did not concern me. I'd never raced on previous beer mile days but had trained before 3 of the previous 4. However, on race day I drink Powerade, which I never drink on training days. I didn't really give it much thought at the time. I was more thinking along the lines of the fact that the very anaerobic 100 and 200 should not have me in bits for the beer mile, like a 400m might.

I ran very well in Leixlip, which felt like the perfect preparation. Racing that day of the beer mile can never be an excuse. Josh Harris broke the WR after running a cross country race that day. However, the next year he pushed himself so hard in the XC race that he didn't have it in him when trying to break the WR. But again, 100m and 200m should not do this to me, so I was not concerned in the slightest.

I even had a free massage after my races in Leixlip so I would be in tip top shape for the evening.

I ate my dinner at 4:30, a tad bit later than hoped, but still well in advance of the race. It was a small one, and I drank no water afterwards, so my stomach would be nicely empty, ready for the onslaught ahead. Hannibal kindly picked myself and 3 of the others up, and off we went to the venue.

As soon as I saw those hills and trees in the background, and those wide open spaces surrounding the stadium, I started to get the butterflies. This is what it's all about. This is why we do this great event, for moments like this.

Race:

There were big numbers at the track, not just competitors, but volunteers, spectators, fans etc. I did a lap and felt grand. Then I did a few strides, and my stomach as feeling mildly in knots. Uh oh, this is not great. But I played it down a bit. But this is the type of feeling I usually have the evening of 400m races after drinking Powerade earlier that day. I hadn't felt it at all on this occasion, until I did those strides.

We were about to start when I dropped my beer onto the ground, much to the amusement of everyone. I quickly swapped that beer for another one, for beer of a foam explosion upon opening.

Beer 1: This went pretty much as normal, although I had to take a break with about 10% of the bottle left, which never happens. I didn't think much of this, and my time was 25 seconds which is about what I usually open in. I was towards the back, probably only about 5 behind me at this point, but this always happens and never concerns me. I usually make up the ground very easily.

Run 1: I took off and got the burps out. However the burps weren't tasting like beer, but more like vomit. This was a dreadful sign this early in the race. There was a big pack about 20m ahead of me and I wanted to latch onto them but I just did not feel good at all. I opted for a sensible pace and hope that this was just a bad patch and that things would come good. Meno and DrQ are about 10-20m ahead of me exiting the first lap. I'm still in touch despite my poor start. Lap time: 1:33 seconds. I'm on sub 8 pace, but feel dreadful.

Beer 2: This was a struggle. The second beer is usually grand. Not this time. I had to take shorter gulps, burp regularly, and slow the pace. Time was 48 seconds, which is about 10 seconds slower than what I'd have hoped for. Not a catastrophe though if I could pick up the running pace. At this point I notice Cathal fairly hammering through the beers, with thirstywork doing likewise. The battle out front looked epic and it was a shame I couldn't enjoy the spectacle.

Run 2: My mate, who is not involved in athletics, but wanted to do this event, was about 5m ahead of me as I started the second lap. He completely underestimated the event, and as I passed him, he said to me "Oh man, I feel like sh1t". I was feeling poorly so could not respond in words, so made some sort of hand gesture. I laughed a bit as I found that funny, but the laughter would nearly turn to tears, when I was burping up vomit spraw in the back of my throat. I was really having to work hard to keep it down. The first 150m of each lap was where I struggled the most. By this point I have lost all perspective of where I am in the race and have no idea who passed me at what point. My mate came back at me towards the end of the lap and we entered the third beer at the same time. I wasn't worried about him though and knew I'd win out in the end. Lap time: 1:40. I'm now only on sub 9 pace, which would still be good, but the pace is only going in one direction.

Beer 3: More of the same. I'm really struggling now, and vomit is becoming a realistic proposition during this beer. This was never an issue before. I took lots of shorter gulps, a few breathers for controlled mild burps, so not to trigger any puke. But I didn't want to waste any time just standing there catching my breath. But I'm not the only one struggling. At this point I notice TRR, who was on the 4th beer, really struggling. Seemed to be a tough day at the office for many. Beer time 1:03, about 15 seconds down on what I would have had as worst case scenario.

Run 3: I'm about 80m into this lap when I see an incredible battle for the title, with Cathal just pipping thirstywork. However this only briefly distracted me from the pain. I was unbearably close to spewing about 100m in. I couldn't believe how everything had unraveled so badly. It was actually a fine accomplishment to manage to not throw up here, I was that close, and my pace suffered as a result. Lap time: 1:48

Beer 4: This was one of the toughest things I've done in this sport. Far harder than that last rep at the end of a split 400 session. I was now drinking at a speed, not that much faster than guys with no alcohol tolerance manage. I was close enough to spewing throughout but to my credit I kept things controlled, and never risked anything. I just wanted to finish in one piece at this point. Time was a pitiful 1:18. I usually budget about 2:30 for all 4 beers, on this occasion it was a touch outside 3:30, a whole minute lost on just drinking.

Run 4: The first half of this lap was incredible. I've never run so slowly in my life. I've done warm down jogs after awful track sessions much faster. I've run a crap marathon at a far niftier pace. I didn't even look like a 24 hour runner at this point. I probably looked like that bloke who runs marathons every day up in Ulster, at astonishingly terrible speeds. I think it was Davedannon who was up ahead, who I should have caught with my usual last lap speed, but I couldn't move at all really. I couldn't burp. One burp and I would puke for sure. I waited until 250m to go before it subsided and I upped the pace to a more respectable level. Just before this, Timaaay went storming past me, somehow mastering the art of running an insanely fast last lap, after 3 terrible previous ones. I cruised home, not fully extending myself, as I didn't want a penalty lap. I sort of knew I was safe at this point, and with nobody to catch, nobody behind me, and no chance of even a sub 10, there was no incentive to empty the tank over these closing 50m. Lap time: 1:58

My finishing time was 10:36, the slowest I have ever run by a country mile. I finished a dreadful 15th out of 22 (to be confirmed). At least I managed to beat my mate, who dropped out mid way through his last beer, having struggled badly over the previous lap and beer.

What went wrong?

My preparation was meticulous. I did so many right things. Josh Harris messaged me saying I'm as prepared as I can be. I completely overlooked, one simple thing: the awful effects that sugary Powerade crap has on your stomach. I use it for races to keep fueled during the warm up, but in hindsight maybe I should have stuck to water at Leixlip as a one off. I don't like breaking for race routine though. This one simple slip up caused catastrophic results. I will know for next time. Ideally next time I wont have a race that same day, but with it being June, there's a good chance I will, so I have to learn to manage it better.

What went right?

Nothing really. The only thing I can look back on with pride is that I toughed it out, and somehow prevented myself from getting sick when it looked odds on from an early stage that this would happen. Funny enough, I didn't need to spew after at all.

Where to next?

I'm desperately disappointed with my performance, and I don't want all that hard training to be for nothing, so I am considering doing a beer mile this week as a form of redemption. We'll see. I know I'm a far better beer miler than I showed on this occasion, and I will be back. Even Josh Harris had a disastrous day when he ran 7:xx when targeting the WR. It happens.

The event:

You really can't beat it can you? Great banter, great people, and so much entertainment. It must be the best social event of the year on this forum. DCM is a great day, but there's something so refreshing about this event. It doesn't matter if you are a sprinter, middle distance runner, marathon runner, non-athlete, fast, slow, in between, it's an event for everybody. For a brief period, all our definitions go out the window. We are all simply beer-milers.

Having JTG there providing coverage was a great added bonus and created an extra bit of atmosphere. I did an interview with them after which was mad craic. The event has come on in leaps and bounds since last year, and now truly is a mainstay on the summer athletics calendar.

The aftermath:

There was some serious banter afterwards. About 15 of us legging it to the bus with the driver driving off, and myself getting calf cramp in the process of legging it. Then in Synnotts there was a ridiculous amount of craic. From Meno declaring himself as the Ulster Beer Mile Champion, to TRR and myself solving all the problems with Irish athletics (none of the solutions I can now remember), to myself trying to convince one of the lads who is flirting with ultras to go for middle distance instead, and later in the night, sprinting, when he tells me what he can squat. And then there was Yaboya and Pacing Mule giving me abuse about my performance. Certainly one of the more random nights out.

A big thanks to TRR for organising this great event, and huge appreciation must be shown to all the volunteers who cleaned up after us, timed us, took photos, videos etc, without who, this event would not really be possible to be carried out to the standard it was.

The idea of a Christmas Classic Beer Mile was proposed which could be a nice idea, but whatever happens with that, the Irish Champs will always be something which will be part of my summer racing calendar.

Chivito550

With no 400m on the programme for men, this would give me a rare opportunity to have a go at the 100m and 200m. I'm no stranger to these events of course, running around 6 in each per season in Melbourne, but since coming home, with the different season structure here, they have become a bit of a rarity.

After 4 days of poor conditions for my 4 400m races I've had this season, this would prove to be a very nice day, with temperatures around 16-17 degrees, and sunny the majority of the time. There was a headwind in the home straight throughout, but it would have been pretty decent conditions for a 400m. Alas, that will have to wait. Today was about the short sprints.

100m:

Excluding the 100m in dreadful conditions at last year's Irish decathlon, this was my first 100m since leaving Australia. My 100m PB is the only one over 100-200-400-800 from my time in Melbourne which still stands, a 12.58 (+2.7) clocking in October 2013. My legal wind PB is 12.63 (around +0.8). This would give a good indication of my flat out speed.

I was drawn in lane 6. There were 5 in my race, with one lad to the right of me with a PB of 12.4. The guy to the left of me didn't show up. A few lanes over from me was a training partner of mine, who is a masters athlete, and consistently in the top 8 in Europe and the World in his category, with a PB a couple of tenths quicker than mine. Not running as well at the moment so I expected to get ahead of him, but knew I would have to run well to do so.

Got out well and drove hard. Lifted the head to find myself a bit down on the guy to the right of me. There's a guy from Crusaders which is powering ahead, and my peripheral vision can see my club mate probably a metre or so ahead of me at half way. I really start to power through during the second half of the race, not losing any more ground on the lad to the right of me, and I pushed ahead of my club mate and got him by a bit to spare.

I finished 3rd out of 5 and knew I ran well. Unfortunately the headwind denied me a PB. My time was 12.68 seconds into a -1.2 m/s headwind. Adjusting this to a 0 wind, this works out as 12.56, which is faster than all my best times which were run with decent tailwinds. This really was the best 100m I have ever run. Just a shame I didn't have an official PB to top it off.

200m:

The 200m was due to start just 56 minutes after my 100m. I took the first 25-30 minutes to rest and recover, and then began another warm up. Already warmed up from the 100, there was no need for a full warm up, so I did a half warm up, which did the trick. Mentally it is a bit tiring going through a second warm up in the space of an hour though.

Like the 100m I was in the C race, and was again drawn in lane 6. There were 6 in the race, with one lad outside me, the Crusaders guy who won my 100m race in 11.97. My club mate was again in my race, in lane 3, and there was another masters athlete in the lane inside me, who runs 24 seconds.

Gun went off and I got out ok, but felt a bit laboured over the first half of the race, perhaps not having the same drive in the legs after already running the 100m. 3 guys inside me eat up the stagger on me, all at once it seemed, as I rounded towards the straight. As I hit the straight I am level with my club mate, maybe even sightly behind, which is not what I would have expected given I beat him in the 100, and the fact I am a 400m runner, so should be stronger over 200. However once on the straight I really started to find my rythm. I kept relaxed, held good form, and was moving really well. I moved easily away from my club mate, and didn't lose any further ground on the 4 ahead of me, who all appeared to be in a line. I felt very strong in that last 50m, and crossed the line only about 7-8m down on the winner, who was the Crusaders guy, who took a double win, with a 24.35 clocking.

I hoped I would have done enough to hit a new PB, and knew it would be close, but sadly again I just missed out. I recorded a time of 25.45 seconds into a significant -1.6 m/s headwind. This was an agonising 0.03 behind my PB from last season, but that time was run with a +1.2 tailwind, and my second best time, from my last season in Australia, of 25.44, was run with a -0.3 headwind, so adjusting for the wind, this run was my best ever over 200m. It's not as easy to adjust for wind over 200m as the reading only measures the wind in the straight, and ignores the direction it is moving in over the bend, but an adjusted time for a 0 wind would give me 25.28, which is the type of shape I felt I was in when I ran my 54.88 last year, even though I didn't actually run that time.

Both these runs are serious confidence boosters, and tells me I am in good shape, and actually says more about my current 400m shape than my weather inhibited 400m runs this season have, funnily enough.

A quick word on the Leixlip meet. Best meet of the season so far. Great atmosphere, great commentator, great organisation, and never a risk of anything running late. This is the way all track meets should be. It was a fun afternoon.

Oiriallach

Chivito550 wrote: »

never a risk of anything running late

Or running early, which is even worse!

Chivito550

Monday: Gym

Was wrecked on Sunday after the Leixlip meet the day before, followed by the beer mile, the night out after, and then the disgusting training session Sunday morning when hungover. It all caught up with me and I had a mild sore throat on Monday morning, but it seemed to disappear during the day. Other than that I felt grand so I did my gym session.

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 4 x 4 @ 70kg, 72.5kg, 75kg, 72.5kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 4 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 42.5kg, 42.5kg, 45kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 3 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C: Bench Hip Thrusts (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side

Sore throat was worse then yesterday, but was hoping I'd be better today for my session this evening, but I feel pretty drowsy, so I am going to give it a miss, and rest up and shake this cold. Should be ok for my gym session tomorrow and then ready for 2 track sessions at the weekend.

Chivito550

Only getting around to sticking this up. My second of four 400m races so far this season. A cool windy day at Santry for 56.42 at the AAI Games in mid May. Lane 5. We all look like we are running in slow motion into that wind in the home straight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRxeCPtJ7mE

Chivito550

So the sore throat was worse than anticipated. It was more of a mild throat infection, rather than a cold. I ended up doing nothing since my gym session on Monday, taking 4 full days off after it. It started to improve on Friday, so I was able to train on the track this weekend, albeit I wasn't feeling 100%. I think my body was just worn out from all the training combined with the intensive beer mile training on top of it, and my immune system was weakened as a result. I definitely over trained for the beer mile, and in future I will not be doing that same level of training for it.

Saturday: Track

Very few of the group were around this weekend, and I had no way of getting out to Greystones, so I went out to ALSAA on my own and did the session by myself. Lovely temperatures, pretty warm, although there was a strong enough breeze, but I ran with it at my back. Session was 2 x (4 x 60m from jog rolling start) with slow walk back recoveries within sets, and 10 minutes between sets. I felt pretty tired during the warm up, still recovering from the dose, but I felt pretty decent during the actual so session. Enjoyed the session and felt like I was moving well, though it can be hard to tell completely when on your own.

Sunday: Track

3 x 300 at Tallaght this morning, off 10 minutes recovery. Again was feeling fairly wiped from the last week, so was thinking to myself if I manage 2 good reps I'd be happy enough. Conditions were not good. Not overly warm, though due to humidity it didn't feel cold either, but t was very windy in the homestraight. Felt good during the first rep and the second rep was a bit of a struggle, and lacked the energy to really surge around the bend. After the second rep I had initially decided I'd stop at that but then decided I'd do a 200m rather than a 300m. I got through 100m of it and then my left calf spasmed and I stopped. The long recoveries don't particularly suit me. Had 2 pints the night before but had drank a lot of water this morning so that wouldn't have been an issue I don't think. Times were:

42.8 - 44.7

Disappointing times, though the wind probably cost me around a second on each rep, and I wasn't feeling 100%, so the first rep was a good run, and the second was ok.

Not all sessions can go brilliantly. I feel I need one cracking 400m race result to really kick on the motivation to deal with tough days like today when not feeling great, in poor weather. Hopefully that great result will come, when I get good conditions.

I'm probably about 80% recovered now from the dose, and hopefully will be feeling 100% again during the week.

Chivito550

Gym this evening:

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 3 x 4 @ 70kg, 72.5kg, 70kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 3 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 2 x 6 @ 42.5kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 2 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C1: Bench Hip Thrusts (with pause): 3 x 6 on each side
C2: Calf Raises: 3 x 6 on each leg @ 15kg

Well, an interesting result from the NI Masters Championships last weekend. One lad in the M35 who I've raced a few times ran 53.84. He actually ran 53.3 last year but current form I'm more interested in. I beat him by 0.05 at the indoor AAI Games in Athlone in February. He then beat me by 0.49 at the Outdoor AAI Games in Santry last month in poor conditions (video a couple of posts above). And at the NI Champs 2 weeks ago he was just 0.08 faster than me, although we were in different heats, and he may have got an even windier heat than me.

Very interesting. Obviously I've no idea how well he ran in those early races, and he may have run a blinder on Sat, but it is encouraging for me to see somebody who I've been very close to, run a time like that. Would love to get to race him again this season. More importantly, hopefully I can nail a good run in good conditions and get that PB down.

Chivito550

Tuesday: Hills

Chivito550 wrote: »

Given my lack of winter buildup, and a couple of disappointing 57 second runs, (which given other factors such as fatigue after 200m, and then for the second race what I think is a slow track, gives the suggestion that I have been in 56.something shape of late), I decided today to throw in an extra session this week, as a top-up on fitness. I did a hill session, the exact same one as quoted above, from when I was home at Christmas. 8 x 150m, with a walk back recovery, which ranged from 2:24 to 2:35. Times were:

24.6 - 25.3 - 25.0 - 24.8 - 24.9 - 25.3 - 25.6 - 25.1

Average was 25.1 which surprised me a bit, as it was considerably faster than when I did the session last, which was about 2 weeks after my 55.00 PB, and 3 weeks before I ran 55.59 at the Vic Country Championships. It must be said though that the weather was far warmer today than it was when I did it back in early January, which would definitely make a difference. But overall, I'm liking the look at those times today, and the fact I didn't die through the session.

Had a stressful day, so despite Tuesday usually being a day off, I felt I needed to get out and destress, so while I was at it, I thought I may aswell do something useful. I did a similar session as above, on the same hill. The session quoted above was from early June last year, the last time I did this session on this hill. On this occasion I just did 6 reps, though could easily have done another 2 if I wished, but decided on 6 x 150 because of the session the next day. Recoveries slightly longer than above at around 2:50 to 3:00. Times were:

23.8 - 23.8 - 23.7 - 23.4 - ? (23/24) - 24.4

Messed up the timing for the 5th rep but it was on 24 when I looked at the watch, which is after I would have attempted to stop it. Average was around 23.8. I know it was only 6 reps, and it was with about 20 secs extra recovery, but this was a massive improvement on this time last year. When I did this last year, I averaged 25.1 over 8 reps, and it was about 1 week after I ran a 57, and a week before I ran 55.88 in perfect conditions, so I was probably in 56 shape when I did that. Great confidence has come from this session, and I felt great doing it, and was really pumping the arms well going up those hills.

Wednesday: Grass

Same session as 2 weeks ago. 8 x 100 at about 70% effort, with 10 pushups after each one. After each set of pushups, we'd take 10 seconds break, and then head off again. Each run was approx 18 seconds. Tough session, with the run being the easy part, but on this occasion I felt stronger throughout, and got through the full 8 x 10 pushups in the conventional fashion. Last time I did the second last set using "girl pushups".

Thursday: Gym

With a race this weekend, I went easier on the gym on this occasion. Instead of 4 sets for the Front Squats, and 3 sets for all the other exercises, I did 2 for everything.

A: BB Front Squat (with faster descent): 2 x 6 @ 60kg, 62.5kg
B: Lunges off step: 2 x 6 on each leg @ 6kg, 7.5kg in each hand
C1: Incline BB Bench Press: 2 x 6 @ 47.5kg, 50kg
C2: Wide Grip Pull Ups: 2 x 6 @ bodyweight
Floor One-Legged Hip Thrusts: 2 x 12 on each leg

Saturday: Track

2 x 200m from blocks on a stunning morning in Greystones. About 17 degrees at least. Great training weather. 10 minutes recovery between reps. Each rep was to be run like the first 200 of a 400. For the first one I achieved this, but for the second one it felt a lot harder than the first 200 of a 400, but that's understandable given I already had a 200 in my legs. Felt I was moving well this morning.

Munster Championship 400m in Templemore tomorrow afternoon.

Chivito550

56.09 in the Munster Championships in Templemore today, a season's best, and now just 0.05 down on my best from indoor season in February, so things going in the right direction. But still 1.2 slower than my PB, and while it was breezy all day, the temperatures were decent, so would have expected a good bit better. 25th time under 56.50 which is a nice milestone, but all the 56s are frustrating. Hopefully some 55s and 54s to come as the season progresses.

Chivito550

The first time I've ever been in Templemore in my life, to the best of my recollection. This tiny town was a curious choice for this year's Munster Championships. Only the 8th biggest town in Tipperary, but the only one with a track in the entire county. I had never heard about this track until I saw that the Munsters were scheduled to take place here. Within the town, the track could not be located in a better spot, about 2 minutes walk from the main street. All in all, it's good to see small towns get an opportunity to host events like this.

Woke at 9:20am, and was out the door at 10am, to get the bus and LUAS, arriving at Heuston well in advance of my 11:25 train. I wanted to get the next train at 1:25, but the organisers said that the event may run well ahead of schedule, so I didn't want to take the risk. As it turned out, I arrived at the track at 1pm, and I didn't end up racing until very close to 5pm, as the programme ran very slightly late, so there was a lot of sitting around. I had a bit of a nap at the track to pass the time. I didn't watch any of the other events before mine, as the view was not good from where I was sitting, and it's hard to enjoy them when you are thinking about your own race.

Conditions were the best I've had for a 400 this year. Not perfect at all, and it was a very breezy day. But the temperatures were at a very comfortable 18-19 degrees or so. It was partially sunny. When the sun came out it would feel very warm, but unfortunately for my race, it had hidden behind the clouds.

400m:

There were 17 of us entered, but only 9 showed up. The official seemed to be quite upset by this, as he wanted to run just one race. He then asks us do we want to do a staggered start, or have a curved line start. He was deadly serious. Hilarious. Could you imagine having 9 lads with blocks all beside each other, trying to run into lane 1 immediately from the gun. Myself and the other competitors had a good laugh about this, and the ridiculousness of the suggestion. This helped ease the nerves. I had been feeling pretty nervous about this one beforehand. I built up expectations in my head that, with a nice day, I could hit a 54, based on what one lad who I have been very close to in races this season, ran last weekend, a 53.8.

We were split into 2 heats. I was in the second one, and was given lane 4, with 2 athletes inside me, and 2 outside me. I knew nothing about any of them. As I'm in my blocks ready to go, we get based to stand up. The lad in lane 6 is not staying steady in his blocks. Take 2. We get away this time, and I drive hard for the first 50-60m. I felt I had a decent start, and keep up a fast pace as I round onto the backstraight. At this point, the lad in lane 3 eats up the stagger on me, and just as he has done that, he pulls up abruptly. This was a little distracting, but I kept focused on my own race. I kept relaxed, keeping the guy in lane 6 in my sights. As I hot the half way mark, I up the effort levels and am pulling back the guy from lane 6, who got a few metres on me in the first half of the race. I enter the straight about a metre down on him, but know at this point I am much stronger than him, and power past easily, and ended up opening 1.2 seconds on him in the final stretch. I kept relaxed well enough I feel in the closing stages, but the first 2 guys were way out in front. This didn't necessarily mean my time would be slow I thought, but I'd be hoping that they would run 50 at worst, given what felt like a big gap back to me in 3rd place.

Times were announced within 2 minutes of finishing. The top 2 lads were only high 51 and low 52. This wasn't a good sign, and my time was eventually confirmed as 56.09 seconds, 7th place overall out of the 8 finishers, and of the 9 starters.

I felt I ran a pretty good race so I was disappointed with the time. It's a season's best though, and I don't think Templemore is a particularly great track. It's your run of the mill kind of track. I'd say the time would be worth a few extra tenths on a mondo. So it's probably worth a high 55, so I have still 1 second to find between now and the end of the season if I am to achieve a PB.

A few milestones were achieved during this race. This as my 25th time under 56.50, which is a nice one to achieve, and shows the consistency since my very first one back in December 2012. Other milestones, which don't particularly mean all that much to me, but worth noting from a completeness point of view, it was my 40th time sub 58, and 50th time sub 60.

Next up is the 400m at the graded meet in Tallaght on Wednesday, and then after that all remaining races look set to be on mondo tracks (Santry and Belfast).

Dubgal72

Hi, a question borne of ignorance I'm afraid You seem pretty focused on time as a benchmark for improvement. For middle distance running and longer, I've been told there are two types of races: ones where you go for a time and the other - a team event and/or championship race - where you go for position.
Is the focus on time a 'sprinter thing' and if so, is that down to the nature of the event ie short? Sorry if this is really obvious...

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Hi, a question borne of ignorance I'm afraid You seem pretty focused on time as a benchmark for improvement. For middle distance running and longer, I've been told there are two types of races: ones where you go for a time and the other - a team event and/or championship race - where you go for position.
Is the focus on time a 'sprinter thing' and if so, is that down to the nature of the event ie short? Sorry if this is really obvious...

Not a silly question at all. The difference between sprints and distance races though is down to the nature of the events. In sprints we all have lanes, and there are no pace makers. As a result fast times, and high finishing positions tend to come together. If you look at the World Records for 100, 200 and 400, 110m Hurdles, and 400m hurdles on the men's side, they have all been set in either an Olympic or World final, by the gold medalist. This doesn't happen in distance races (Rudisha being an incredible exception, and that's why I think he's one of the greatest athletes I've ever witnessed). There's no such thing as tactics in sprints, while in championship distance races, it is all about tactics, and times are rarely fast at all.

Also from a personal point of view, 400m running is fairly top loaded in Ireland. Outside of the graded meets, which do get plenty running around 60 seconds, in most meets, the vast majority run 52 or quicker. So being a high 54 second runner at my best, I'm not really in a position to challenge for places. Though I've beaten a few athletes around my level this season which is always pleasing. In distance running on the road, the events are bottom loaded. I was hitting the top 15% in road races with truly awful times, back 5 years ago. I was top 5% in a Parkrun last year, which I most certainly had not trained for.

So I do place a lot of emphasis on time, but things like track surface, temperatures, wind, rain, play a huge part in sprint times, so I try to keep these in mind if I run a time I don't like the look of.

Dubgal72

Thanks for that, yeah it makes sense when you explain it like that How long do you think you'll stay at 400 and what then?

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Thanks for that, yeah it makes sense when you explain it like that How long do you think you'll stay at 400 and what then?

Hard to know really. This is my 5th full outdoor season (3 Australian and 2 Irish) since 2011 when I made the decision to focus on this event. Each season I’ve progressed up to now. I’m hoping that will happen again this season, despite all the difficulties we’ve had with Irishtown not being available, and other things. I’ll probably have another 5 races this season, so there’s still every chance I can run a nice PB come Nationals, or before then. Even if I don’t run faster this year, that doesn’t mean I won’t next season. And now having an indoor season under my belt, it means I have 2 PBs to chase, rather than just the one when in Australia, so that is the type of thing to keep one motivated.

Not sure how I will approach the event though going forward. I’ll see how the rest of this season goes, and then I’ll have to think about what level of sacrifice I’m willing to put in. I’m at 5 days a week currently (very occasionally 6), which takes up a lot of my time, and I make a lot of sacrifices for it. Sometimes I wonder do I make too many sacrifices for it, and despite trying not to let it take over my life, sometimes it does a bit. It’s the lack of flexibility among start times of track sessions which can really disrupt your social life. Since becoming single again, I’ve noticed how much more of my time this takes up than I thought beforehand. I’ve declined a fair few invitations, or showed up much later, because I need to get my session in first. But I do try to keep a balance, it’s just hard at this time of the year, with it being the track season. But I did choose to do this, so I’m not complaining. It’s just some of the drawbacks of it. Many of the guys I compete against are probably doing 6 days a week, some being in college, and with nothing better to do but train and chill. That can be hard to compete with (nothwithstanding the fact they are way more talented than me anyway).

But I want to keep at the 400m for as long as I have the appetite for it. I want to keep chipping away at my indoor and outdoor 400m PBs. I want 53 beside my name before I move on to something else (whenever that is). If I manage to hang on for 5 more years running the sort of times I am now, I could pick up some soft medals in the M35 masters category, but that really isn’t a motivating factor.

What after the 400m, whenever that is? I’ve no idea. I could do the 800m, but not sure I have the appetite for that type of training. I prefer running fast, so maybe try the long jump for fun. I’ll always be involved in athletics, one way or another.

Dubgal72

The very best to you, your dedication would put others to shame. Here's to 53.xx

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

The very best to you, your dedication would put others to shame. Here's to 53.xx

Thanks for the kind words Dubgal. Much appreciated.

53 feels like a big ask for this season. But you never know. I set sub 56 as a goal for my second season in Oz, but after getting stuck on low 58 for 3 races I had mentally adjusted my target to sub 57. Then all of a sudden, mid season, I ran 56.28, and chased that 55 for the remainder of the season. I didn't achieve it until the next season, but I did get extremely close, after at one point, not really believing it was on. Maybe there will be another jump like that to come. Time will tell.

Dubgal72

It's a bit like a nervous animal isn't it, sometimes you have to pretend to walk away in order for it to come jumping into your lap
On a serious note, we get so used to gains being made in terms of tens of seconds, minutes even, in middle distance. I suppose to go from 54 seconds to 53 in the 400 is the equivalent of a 2:50 to 2:30 marathon or similar?

Chivito550

Dubgal72 wrote: »

It's a bit like a nervous animal isn't it, sometimes you have to pretend to walk away in order for it to come jumping into your lap
On a serious note, we get so used to gains being made in terms of tens of seconds, minutes even, in middle distance. I suppose to go from 54 seconds to 53 in the 400 is the equivalent of a 2:50 to 2:30 marathon or similar?

Haha, ah no, not at all. I'd say 1 second over 400m is like 3 minutes over a marathon, judging by the IAAF tables. It might be a bit more in reality. But like every other event, the first few seconds of improvement come quickly, then each following second takes longer and longer, the same way a marathon runner might take the same length of time to get from 2:40 to 2:35 as he/she did going from 2:55 to 2:40, for example.