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

Chivito550

Sunday: Track

A real character building session at Irishtown. Because of some of the group racing, and others down the country/ not able to make it, there were only 2 of us at the track for this. Truly miserable conditions. It was 12 degrees, with a strong cold breeze, and persistant drizzly rain to accompany it (horizontal rain). It was worse than most days I've trained in during winter, and for the first time since early May I wore my running tights, and had my long sleeve over my t-shirt. Pure misery.

Session was 5 x 200m with a slow walk around recovery (which ranged from 4 and a half minutes to 6 minutes). I used lane 3 for most of these, wore sprint spikes and didn't time the reps as was starting from a three point start. I felt I ran them well, and fortunately I seemed to avoid the wind as it was at my back coming around the bend and neutral in the straight. Found the session very tough though, both physically and mentally. Certainly not one of the glamour days of being an athlete!

Looking ahead to the graded meet on Wednesday, and I'm caught in 2 minds at the moment. I had chalked it down to be a chance to run an 800, but since my long jump at League, I've been considering entering it at Nationals on the Sunday (won't clash with my 400 which is on the Saturday), so I might do it on Wednesday to get more practice in, and will get 6 jumps due to the usual lack of numbers for field events at Graded Meets. One option will be a good endurance work out, and the other a good way of developing explosiveness, so both will have relevance to my 400m. One option will be a couple of minutes of misery, while the other will be about an hour of great fun, so I'm siding towards long jump at the moment. Of course there's the issue with my calves post work, but I'm hoping that due to it only being short sprint bursts it wont be an issue. Pressure free event though, so if it happens I'd have a plan B and do a fartlek or something around the local area. 800m on the otherhand, due to the flat footed running, shouldn't cause any calf issues.

Chivito550

Monday: Gym

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 3 x 4 @ 72.5kg, 75kg, 75kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 3 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 1 x 6 @ 42.5kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 1 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C1: Plank (Front/Left/right): 2 x (3 x 30 secs continuous)
C2: Calf Raises: 2 x 6 on each leg @ 14kg

Chivito550

Had originally planned on running the 800m at gradeds this evening, but yesterday decided that I wanted to enjoy myself instead, so I entered the long jump. Really enjoyed it. Had 6 jumps, my best being 4.65m on my last jump. Was very consistent throughout. All jumps were into significant headwinds. Thinking of getting some coaching in this for next year as there is so much to improve with my technique. Considering doing this event alongside my 400s next year. The single minded, competing in one event only approach is not all that enjoyable to be honest. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

Chivito550

I had originally marked down this meet as an opportunity to run an 800m. But being honest, I wasn’t overly enthused about the idea. I’m out of the routine of running them since moving home, and with no points for my club at stake here, the incentive just isn’t there to put me through 2 and a bit minutes of agony. When you are not trained for the distance it is agony. A bit like when a 100m runner jumps into a 400m. I thought to myself that I am going to get an opportunity to run 800m at the Bird’s Nest next month, so a cold evening in windy Tallaght was never going to compare.

Instead I opted to do something different, shake things up, and have some fun. I entered the long jump, the first time I have ever gone to a track meet to do just a field event. At this late stage, losing out on an endurance track session is going to make no difference at all, and a full long jump competition doubles up as a good speed session, working on explosiveness, so it definitely has relevance to my main event.

Checked in upstairs, and they now have a new swanky computer system, so no more writing your name down on a sheet. This only seemed to slow proceedings down, rather than speed things up, and the results didn’t come out any sooner than usual. I’m sure in time it will prove to be a good move though. It did seem like a waste of time having my name entered into the computer as they asked for our names and numbers again when we were at the long jump pit.

Long Jump:

During my warm up I asked one of the officials what the protocol was for long jump, if it starts on time, do we get time for practice jumps etc. He told me that field events don’t get the same attention as track events, and they have to wait until they find officials, and don’t expect it to start on time. Pretty much what I expected. I’m pretty certain the vast majority of track runners at a graded meet don’t even know that field events are going on, and the numbers competing are tiny, so they really are going to be way down the list in terms of priority sadly.

For my warm up, I did shorter strides than normal, given I would be running less distance in this event, and to protect my calves, given my history of trying to sprint after work.

There were 6 of us in total, 4 men and 2 women. We had the pit for warm up for ages before they actually started the event, as they were struggling to find officials. Eventually we got going anyway, and we were given 6 jumps each. This is one of the benefits of such few numbers, it allows for more than the 3 attempts which is all I would get at Shield meets in Australia, due to large numbers competing there.

I did a few run ups in the warm up and my wrong foot was reaching the board, so I adjusted the run up slightly, and got it spot on the next time.

The weather was cold, at about 12 degrees, shocking for this time of year, and between jumps I would put on a couple of layers to keep warm. Given the low numbers, there was only about 5 minutes between each jump anyway, so it wasn’t too hard to stay warm. It was also windy, and each of my jumps had a headwind. It died down for my 4th one, but the rest were all significant headwinds. They weren’t taking wind measurements though.

The wire used for electronic timing for the 200m was coming right across the long jump runway. This was distracting a few of the jumpers, but it was pointless getting upset about it.

My first attempt was 4.41m, which the official called out as 5.41 initially, before immediately correcting himself. He got my hopes up very briefly. Second attempt was an improvement of 4.56m. I was told I wasn’t driving my knee up enough off take-off, something that I will only be able to achieve off specific training I feel. I improved to 4.63m on my third attempt, and consolidated this with 4.62m on my fourth attempt. I’m not sure what happened on my fifth attempt as my wrong foot reached the board instead, I fouled, and didn’t event attempt the actual jump as I was all over the place. I didn’t do anything differently that I was aware of so I’m not sure why this happened. Normality resumed for my last jump, and a 4.65m, my best of the evening. On all my 5 successful jumps I was told I was good on the board.

So to recap on the series of jumps: 4.41 – 4.56 – 4.63 – 4.62 – x – 4.65

4.65m into a headwind in cold temperatures I’m sure is worth a good bit better. The last day I jumped 4.80m with a noticeable tailwind. I don’t know how much wind impacts jumping, but I’m guessing it has an effect, otherwise there wouldn’t be wind limits for horizontal jumps. My PB remains at 4.83m from my last meet in Melbourne before I went home. This was achieved with a tailwind too. Though it must be mentioned that I jumped 4.77m over there with a -1.7, one of the only times I can recall getting a wind reading when doing long jump.

The reality is that I’m always going to be jumping in that 4.50 to 5.00 range unless I do some specific work for it. I’m toying with the idea of doing jumping sessions next year. I really do enjoy the event, even if I’m not all that good at it. Perhaps if I keep it as a secondary event, rather than actually focusing on it. But I need to look at specific exercises in the gym that will improve jumping, and do some jump sessions. I’d have easy access to a long jump coach in my club so no problems there. Long jump sessions can double up as speed sessions too, so I don’t think it would harm my 400m, as long as I’m not missing endurance sessions for it. I’ve a lot to think about the next year, but I do want to shake things up a bit. I don’t really want to go through another 10 and a half month cycle of doing the exact same thing. I also feel the long jump can bring in an element of fun which has been lacking since I moved home from Australia. It was also really nice to do an event and not have those awful nerves beforehand. I guess the nature of the event, with it going on for so long, you aren’t going to be on tenterhooks like you are just before a track race. There’s also less of a post event adrenaline rush too, which is the other side of it.

I had a lot of fun though, and had fun bantering with the other competitors. One of the guys represented Spain in the London 2012 Paralympics. Was good to meet new people.

Body felt the same after this as it would after am intensive speed session, so I’m sure I got good benefit out of it. The calves held up fine too which is a positive. Perhaps graded meets can be when I do long jumps, and have the weekend’s for 400m.

That’s all for the future. Nationals are in 8 days, so one last push to finish the season hopefully in style.

Chivito550

Thursday: Gym

A: BB Front Squat (with faster descent): 3 x 6 @ 60kg
C1: Incline BB Bench Press: 6, 6, 3 @ 50kg, 52.5kg, 55kg
C2: Wide Grip Pull Ups: 3 x 6 @ bodyweight
Floor One-Legged Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 on each leg

Last time I tried 55kg on the Incline Bench Press I only managed 1 rep. This time I got through 3.

Saturday: Track

200-250-300 with 6 minutes recovery. Wore the sprint spikes and these were to be run fast. Unfortunately there was a desperate headwind in the homestraight which impacted the times, particularly on the 300m when the wind really got up and I felt like I was running on the spot. Times were:

27 low - 35 low - 45.3

The first 2 are estimates as I didn't stop the watch until about 1.5 seconds after, as the button wouldn't press for me. The real times may have been quicker than above.

Despite the wind, it was a nice day. Pretty sunny and nice temperatures.

Sunday: Track

Back to back speed endurance sessions. 5 x 200m with slow walk around recovery, which ranged from 3 and a half minutes to 5 minutes, so an average of 1 minute less recovery than when I did this session last Sunday. Started from a three point start so no times. Wore the sprint spikes for these. Tough session, but felt I got through it better than last week, despite the shorter recoveries, though the conditions were nicer than last week which certainly helped. Last Sunday was a shocking day. On this occasion it was spitting rain, but it was very humid, so the rain felt fine. No discomfort at all.

Two tough sessions this weekend. Hopefully it will set me up well for Nationals next Saturday.

Chivito550

Monday: Gym

Last gym session of the season:

A1: Back Squats (very low depth, and faster descent): 3 x 4 @ 70kg
A2: Rebound Jumps (Standing on bench): 3 x 4
B1: Standing Goodmornings: 1 x 6 @ 42.5kg
B2: DB Split Squats (Front foot on step): 1 x 6 on each leg @ 16kg in each hand
C1: Plank (Front/Left/right): 2 x (3 x 30 secs continuous)
C2: Calf Raises: 2 x 6 on each leg @ 14kg

Tuesday: Massage

Wednesday: Track

3 x 120m from blocks starting at the 400m start this evening. Wore the sprint spikes, and had a slow walk back recovery between each. Happy with how they went.

Day off tomorrow, and then, like last year before Nationals, I will go down to Irishtown on my lunch break on Friday, to do a warm up routine and a few strides. Then it will be Nationals, and hopefully a good end to the season.

dintbo

Best of luck at the Nationals man. Hope you get decent conditions to give it a good rattle!

Chivito550

Last session of the season this lunchtime. Popped down to Irishtown on my lunch break, and did exactly the same as what I did the day before Nationals last year. My thinking is that it turned out very well at Nationals last year, so why not do the same. I was at the track for 30 minutes in total. I did a warm up, including a few strides. Then I did 2 x 50m fast on the straight, 1 x 50m on the bend from 400m start, and finished it off with 1 x 100m on the bend from the 400m start. Just a bit of a leg loosener before tomorrow.

So that’s all the training done for the season. Not much more I can do now. Whatever happens tomorrow, I’m very proud of the effort put in over the last 10 and a half months. I’m not putting myself under any pressure tomorrow with regards time. I’m just going to soak up the atmosphere of the day, like I did last year, take it all in, and run the best race I can on the day. The 400m is going to be a great event this weekend with all the relay spots up for grabs, so to be part of it is an honour.

Chivito550

56.65 at the Nationals today. Very happy with how I ran, but again the time doesn't reflect that, with there being a very strong headwind in the home straight. Most people in my heat appeared to be 1 second down, so taking that into account it was a pretty good result. It sort of sums up the season, poor conditions almost all summer, so finished up with a best of 55.61, which is 0.73 down on last year. Don't think I got quite what I deserved out of the season, but this is an outdoor sport, and Ireland is a windy country, so expectations might need to be adjusted going forward. Still very proud of the effort put in over the last 10 and a half months regardless. Will give the long jump a bash tomorrow, followed by several pints to celebrate.

Chivito550

Had entered the long jump at nationals on the spur of the moment last week. Wasn't sure if I would do it as I knew I'd be way behind the others. But decided to give it a craic and really delighted I did. Enjoyed every second of it. Managed to jump a PB 3 times during my 6 jumps, with a best of 4.95m. My only PB of the entire summer season believe it or not. I really want to do specific training for this next year, alongside my 400s. I've put so much into the 400 and when you don't get the results to reflect that work it can be very disappointing. Having a second event can mean not putting all eggs in one basket. So much improvement to be made with my technique in the long jump. Here's to 5.50+ next year.

Chivito550

The main event of the year. The one you want to run well in the most. If you can nail a PB here, then all races that have gone before it become largely irrelevant. At last year's National Championship, my first time competing in the event, I nailed a 54.88 PB for 400m, the greatest day in my athletics life to date. On this occasion I couldn't quite scale those dizzying heights of 12 months ago, but it was still very much an experience to remember.

Lead-in:

I felt nicely rested and ready going into this event. I felt that if I could get good conditions, I would knock out a strong season's best, and get well under my best of 55.61 this summer. Truth be told, I didn't expect to get under my PB, but I also wasn't thinking about times much on this occasion. I wanted to just soak up the experience. This is the biggest event in our sport in this country, and I was competing in unquestionably the most stacked off all the events over the weekend, so it would be a complete waste to not enjoy it. There are some meets which can be a drag, and you don't tend to enjoy the pre race nerves, but it's different at Nationals. It is so easy to be 100% up for this.

Traffic was fairly bad heading out to Santry due to the games at Croke Park, so I was 90 minutes sitting on the bus. Not great for the nerves or the bladder. I arrived though in good time, at 4.15pm, well before my scheduled start time of 6pm. I checked in and got myself sorted. I watched a couple of 1500m heats and then it was straight into the warm up, earlier than usual, due to the call room procedure.

Warm up:

The indoor warm up area feels different on Nationals day. The call room is at the end, and the registration is at the start, so the stretch is only about 70% of it's usual size. This creates a bit more intimacy. Athletes are more squashed in together. This can add to the tension beforehand, depending on how you deal with it. For me, I loved it. I really embraced being able to warm up at the same time as all the best guys, Murphy, Kervick, Morrissey, Crowe, while at the same time, feel extremely comfortable with the situation where I don't feel like I should not be there.

Then brief disaster happens. The heats of the women's 400m are cancelled, and one official makes an announcement that we will start 20 minutes early, at 5.40pm. It is 5.15pm at this moment. I, along with a couple of others, told him that this was nonsense, and we won't accept this. I informed a couple of the other runners about this. David McCarthy, who has clearly seen it all before, replied calmly to me "nah don't worry about that nonsense". You really can't put a price on experience! As it transpired, it was all a false alarm, probably down to a mix up in communication, an we would be starting at the appointed time as planned.

Call room:

We are brought into the call room 20 minutes before the start of the first heat. I was hoping to be in the first heat or two, so I'm not hanging around too long, but like last year, I was again in the last heat. I was in heat 5, and drew the outside lane 8. It's an unfortunate lane draw, but at least knowing that the other guys inside me are quicker, I can still feel like I'm close to them in the first half of the race. Lane 1 would have been much worse.

There was a bit of chat going on, but nothing major, then Timmy Crowe appeared, and started having the craic, which actually eased the nerves significantly. I prefer to have a bit of a chat too during the call room. Others like to say nothing. It's very much an individual thing. The contrasts are fascinating. In my heat was Crowe, along with Eanna Madden, who won the 200m last year.

Conditions:

Conditions were not great. It was very windy, with a strong breeze blowing into the runners' faces in the home straight. Also, temperatures had dropped from 18 degrees earlier in the day, to about 15 for the 400m. It summed up the entire summer to be honest, just a very poor summer for sprinting conditions.

400m:

As I was preparing myself out in lane 8, I came across my coach and a training partner in the crowd, who threw me a wave, to which I repaid the compliments. It's always nice to know you have people in the crowd supporting you. Nationals is a special day. There are more people watching than at any other meet, and you really just have to embrace it.

I don't think my reaction to the gun was great. I was waiting for a load noise, but the electronic gun was quite low in volume. In any case I got away, drove as hard as I could for the first 50m, why which time, the lad inside me was already passed me. This is a completely different ball game to most races I run in. As I hit the back straight, another couple have eaten up the stagger on me. At this point I'm not paying any attention to anyone else. I'm just focused on myself. However I got slightly distracted by the ridiculous stickers we had to put on either side of our shorts indicating our lane numbers. We had good banter in the call room about how awful they were, and how the least bit of moment would knock them off. As I'm cruising quickly down the backstraight, my hand is brushing off one of the stickers as I am running. This was unusual, and a minor inconvenience. At one point I smacked it off unintentionally, and that was the end of that.

I'm moving quickly down the backstraight, but despite this as I reach half way, everybody has now eaten up the stagger on me. I kick hard at 200m to go, and really felt like I upped the gears well here. The guy in lane 2 I have raced a few times, and has run 52 low in the race I ran my season's best, so I thought I will just try stick close to him now. At one point I felt pretty near him, but as the stagger fully unwinded, the true extent of the gap became more obvious. In the straight we got pounded by the wind, and it really was a long lonely struggle to the finish, trying to stay as relaxed as possible. The guy nearest to me was way out in lane 2, so it really felt like I was on my own. I kept my eye on him though and tried to stay as close as I could. This last 50 was tough due to the wind, and when he finished, it felt like an age before I then finished, although the reality was about 3 and a half seconds.

I knew when I finished that the time was not going to be fast, but I was also very pleased with how I executed the race. I hoped I would receive a fair time to reflect the performance, but this did not happen. My time was 56.65 seconds, 1.04 down on my season's best. The lad closest to me ran low 53, and another lad ran 51.9, and he's gone mid 50 this year. Madden ran low 49, and he has run sub 48. The times were slow through no fault of our own, and when you take that into consideration it was a good result. But I feel like all year long I have been having to adjust times in my head.

Final Thoughts

The experience of competing in the Nationals was again fantastic. It's a great occasion to be part of, and I am proud that I have got to the level where I feel like I belong in it. As an added bonus, I managed to avoid finishing last overall. Last year I was dead last. I'd rather have the PB, than get ahead of one guy to be honest.

It's been an incredibly frustrating season, and I do not feel like I got what I deserved, but I will leave that for a future post.

Nationals 2015 certainly lacked the highs of 2014, but it was nonetheless a satisfactory end to the season.

Chivito550

Having done a couple of long jumps competitions recently I made a spur of the moment decision to enter it at Nationals, knowing that it was being held on the Sunday, and wouldn't clash with my 400m. After entering I started to think more about it, and kept going back and forth on whether I should do it or not. A part of me thought it would be great experience, while the other part was thinking I shouldn't be there if I haven't trained specifically for it all year. Eventually, after the anti-climax of running a wind inhibited 56 in the 400m, I thought, sure I may as well just go for it, and that I have nothing to lose by doing it. And I would much rather be competing than up in the stands. It would be a nice way of being involved on the Sunday, when literally every one of the top athletes in Ireland are competing.

Warm up:

I checked in early, and then went over to watch the women's high jump, as 2 of my training group were competing in that. Once that was over I made my way over to the warm up zone. With 2:30 being the start time, and having to be in the call room at 1:50, I started my warm up a bit earlier, at around 1:20. However I didn't need a complete warm up, as I knew we would have the guts of 20-25 minutes out at the long jump pit to continue our warm up. I did my usual warm up of jog, dynamic stretches, drills, and strides in flats. I waited until outside until I put on the spikes. It was pretty cool to be warming up at the same time as the likes of Thomas Barr, I'm not going to lie. And unlike the previous day, I wasn't feeling any real nerves. I was really enjoying being in the warm up zone on Super Sunday as they were calling it, a new experience for me.

Call room:

I expected to get just 3 jumps. There were 12 entered, and only the top 8 after 3 rounds get 3 extra jumps. However, close to the time we are called there are only 8 names signed in on the sheet. I know it's a bit selfish, but I was secretly hoping nobody else would show up. I knew I'd be coming last, so if it stayed at 8, I would be certain of 6 jumps, which would hugely change the nature of my competition.

We got called in, and sure enough, only 8 of us were there. Unlike for the 400m, the call room for the long jump was a mere formality. Within 2 minutes we were brought outside. I knew one of the other competitors personally, from the last day I did long jump at gradeds, and we had a bit of banter on the way out. The rest I knew nothing about, with the exception of Adam McMullen of course.

Conditions:

It was very windy, but it worked out well for a change, with it being a tail wind for the long jump. With there being 2 pits, the long jump tends to usually have a tailwind, as they will simply pick the one with the tailwind. At graded meets they don't bother, but at most well organised events, they usually do. Temperatures were nice also, at around 18 degrees, and the sun came out at random times. It was a nice day to do long jump. I only put on a t-shirt over my singlet in between jumps, and there was no need to put tracksuit bottoms on, as it was not a cold day.

Introducing the athletes:

This was a bit of banter. For the announcements introducing each competitors, we had to stand in a line, wait for our name, and give a little wave to the crowd, most of whom were probably not even paying attention anyway. Formalities, but felt a bit surreal to be part of such a thing.

Long Jump:

I spent a bit of time getting my run up right. I did about 4-5 strides through, and the official would tell me where I was on the board when running through. I settled on just a tad bit over 31 metres. It was very windy, and the wind speeds changed regularly, so it could possibly play havoc to the run up. Some of my warm up run throughs were good on the board, while others were a bit over. After doing a few, I was happy with where I wanted to start from, and was ready to go.

Entering this event, my PB was 4.83m from my last track meet in Australia in March 2014. At the League meet recently I went close with a 4.80m. The target on this occasion was to break the PB and to hopefully go over 5 metres, which would be a nice platform to take into next year.

My first jump was a solid opener of 4.61m, but with a slightly illegal tailwind of +2.1. I wasn't going to get bogged down with wind readings though. From what I've heard, it doesn't help nearly as much as it does over 100m and 200m. After my jump, expecting to see them measure it using tape I stood in the way of the guy operating the sensor. I was told nicely to move or I would not get a reading. They were using the equipment you see in major championships, and my result would pop up on the electronic board, rather than them shout out the distance. This was pretty cool, and felt really professional.

My second jump also went 4.61m, but this time with a legal +1.0. For my third jump I managed to fall forward onto my hands after I landed, so I knew I had got more out of it. The distance was 4.89m, a new PB, although with a +3.6 following wind. I was naturally delighted, but unlike after hearing of a track PB, there was still plenty of competition to come, so it was important to keep focused.

The order then changed after round 3. I had been the 7th person jumping each round. Now being last, and going in reverse order, I went first, so I got less recovery going into this jump. This was no issue though, and there was a clock that counted down 60 seconds for each jump, so you had plenty of extra time you could squeeze out if you really wanted to.

My fourth jump was a funny one. I landed in a funny manner, lost balance, started to fall backwards, but somehow managed to adjusted one of my feet in time, and held steady. One of the officials told me that it was a nice save. At it was very much worth the effort. Another PB, 4.90m, and this time with a legal +1.9.

My fifth jump saw yet another improvement, a 4.95m, with a +2.9 wind. Over the limit, but I was certainly going to be claiming the PB. Agonisingly close to 5 metres, with just one jump left to go.

I gave it a good bash, but my last jump wasn't quite as good as the previous 3, as I leaped 4.82m with a +2.2. This was still a nice jump. After my first 2 jumps, where I was still feeling my way into the competition, my final 4 were very consistent. If I only had 3 jumps, this may not have happened, so I did have a slice of luck on the day.

Thoughts:

I had a great time. I really enjoyed every second of this competition. Sure it lacks the same adrenaline rush that a 400m brings, and the joy when you run a PB on the track is hard to top, but on the flip side, I didn't get the type of nerves beforehand that usually makes the pre-race routine unenjoyable. It's very much a different type of competition setting.

I was pleased with my performance. I was way behind the others, a good 1.5m down on second last. 1m in long jump is probably about 4 to 4.5 seconds over 400m, so this is enormous. But having said all that, none of my competitors cared. Most weren't even watching me anyway, they were focused on themselves. I think I only watched about one quarter of other people's jumps, so I guess it was the same for them.

I'm glad I gave it a go now, and the experience was completely positive. It has reinforced the thoughts that have been in my head about me wanting to try long jump next year alongside the 400m. I need to find a way to balance both events, and do it in a way where it will help, not hinder, my 400m, but I really do want to do this event, because I find it a lot of fun. 6 metres may be asking a lot, but I think 5.50m is very doable. One of the guys said to me that I have the speed for it, I just need to improve my technique a lot, as I'm not getting enough lift off the board. So there is plenty to improve upon. I'm jumping 4.95m simply off my 400m training.

Enjoyed watching the races on the track after, particularly seeing my club mate win the women's 400m, and an absolute belter of a men's 400m. Pints in the Clonliffe Bar followed, then a house party, and finally McGowans until after 3am. A dirty hangover ensued but it was completely worth it.

Nationals proved to be a great weekend, and it was nice to finish the season on a high with a PB. It's not the PB I wanted, and not in the event I wanted, but I guess I've got to take what I can get.

Chivito550

With the season over now, I am taking a good long break from training. Approximately 7 weeks. I am physically tired, and mentally exhausted from it all. With the exception of the media 800m race in Beijing in 2 weeks time, I don't anticipate another track race until the indoors starting in January. For the first few weeks of my break I will do no exercise at all (except the media race), then when I am back from China, I will do things like Parkruns, swims, hikes etc. Once the drive comes back, then I can start thinking about the winter, but I don't want to see a gym, hill or track until the very end of September.

I fly out to Beijing on Friday, and will be in China for 2 and a half weeks. I've 4 nights in Pingyao, before heading back to Beijing in time for the World Championships.

I'm disappointed that all the hard work over the last 10 and a half months came to nothing, in terms of improvement. It kind of hit me Sunday evening, that the season was over, and that I hadn't reached my goals. I'm frustrated that I got fairly awful weather throughout the summer, and didn't get a fair shot at things. But I'm also happy in the knowledge that I couldn't have done much more, and proud of all the effort I put in, despite it being such a challenging year in terms of training and racing.

When the dust settles, I'll do up my usual season review. But for now, I've updated my 400m chronology below to include my performances from this summer season.

|Date|Competition|Season|Time||Venue|Country|Rank|No. Participants|Age
1|12 Mar 11|End of Season Meet|2010/11 Victorian|63.9h|PB|Collingwood|AUS|1|5|25
2|24 Sep 11|Magpie Multis|2011/12 Victorian|61.8h|PB|Collingwood|AUS|3|5|26
3|22 Oct 11|AV Shield Round 2 - East Region|2011/12 Victorian|60.90|PB|Box Hill|AUS|4|8|26
4|8 Dec 11|AV Shield Round 8 - East Region|2011/12 Victorian|60.35|PB|Albert Park|AUS|5|8|26
5|14 Jan 12|Victorian Country Championships|2011/12 Victorian|59.44|PB|Bendigo|AUS|7|8|26
6|4 Feb 12|AV Shield Round 12 - East Region|2011/12 Victorian|59.96||Box Hill|AUS|7|8|26
7|21 Feb 12|Essendon Track Classic|2011/12 Victorian|59.86||Moonee Ponds|AUS|5|5|26
8|25 Feb 12|Victorian Multi-Events Championship|2011/12 Victorian|59.18|PB|Albert Park|AUS|4|6|26
9|9 Mar 12|Victorian Championships|2011/12 Victorian|58.68|PB|Albert Park|AUS|6|6|26
10|6 Oct 12|Magpie Multis|2012/13 Victorian|60.3h||Collingwood|AUS|3|4|27
11|13 Oct 12|AV Shield Round 1 - East Region|2012/13 Victorian|59.24||Box Hill|AUS|6|8|27
12|27 Oct 12|AV Shield Round 3 - East Region|2012/13 Victorian|58.01|PB|Box Hill|AUS|6|8|27
13|17 Nov 12|AV Shield Round 5 - East Region|2012/13 Victorian|58.17||Doncaster|AUS|8|8|27
14|1 Dec 12|AV Shield Round 7 - East Region|2012/13 Victorian|58.18||Box Hill|AUS|6|8|27
15|16 Dec 12|High Velocity Club Meet 2|2012/13 Victorian|56.28|PB|Geelong|AUS|6|6|27
16|6 Jan 13|High Velocity Club Meet 3|2012/13 Victorian|56.26|PB|Knox|AUS|2|4|27
17|20 Jan 13|High Velocity Club Meet 4|2012/13 Victorian|57.26||Knox|AUS|3|5|27
18|26 Jan 13|Victorian Country Championships|2012/13 Victorian|56.57||Geelong|AUS|5|7|27
19|9 Feb 13|Victorian Multi-Events Championships|2012/13 Victorian|56.39||Albert Park|AUS|4|5|27
20|21 Feb 13|High Velocity Club Meet 5|2012/13 Victorian|57.18||Albert Park|AUS|2|2|27
21|1 Mar 13|Victorian Championships|2012/13 Victorian|57.56||Albert Park|AUS|8|8|27
22|26 Mar 13|High Velocity Club Meet 6|2012/13 Victorian|57.93||Knox|AUS|6|6|27
23|5 Oct 13|Magpie Multis|2013/14 Victorian|57.4h||Collingwood|AUS|3|4|28
24|19 Oct 13|AV Shield Round 1 - Red Zone|2013/14 Victorian|56.45||Doncaster|AUS|8|8|28
25|9 Nov 13|Geelong Championships|2013/14 Victorian|56.70||Geelong|AUS|3|4|28
26|16 Nov 13|AV Shield Round 3 - Red Zone|2013/14 Victorian|55.91|PB|Albert Park|AUS|4|8|28
27|1 Dec 13|High Velocity Club Meet 1|2013/14 Victorian|56.39||Albert Park|AUS|7|7|28
28|14 Dec 13|AV Shield Round 5 - Red Zone|2013/14 Victorian|56.48||Epping|AUS|6|7|28
29|21 Dec 13|High Velocity Club Meet 2|2013/14 Victorian|55.00|PB|Knox|AUS|3|5|28
30|25 Jan 14|Victorian Country Championships|2013/14 Victorian|55.59||Ballarat|AUS|5|6|28
31|1 Feb 14|High Velocity Club Meet 5|2013/14 Victorian|55.43||Albert Park|AUS|3|3|28
32|7 Feb 14|AV Shield Round 9 - Bendigo Zone|2013/14 Victorian|55.58||Bendigo|AUS|5|5|28
33|15 Feb 14|Geelong Unofficial Meet|2013/14 Victorian|55.7h||Geelong|AUS|4|6|28
34|28 Feb 14|Victorian Championships|2013/14 Victorian|55.56||Albert Park|AUS|8|8|28
35|1 Mar 14|Victorian Multi-Events Championships|2013/14 Victorian|55.34||Albert Park|AUS|4|6|28
36|8 Mar 14|AV Shield Round 11 - Red Zone|2013/14 Victorian|56.15||Epping|AUS|8|8|28
37|25 May 14|AAI Games|2014 Irish Outdoor|57.00||Santry|IRL|7|7|29
38|28 May 14|Dublin Graded Meet 3|2014 Irish Outdoor|57.33||Irishtown|IRL|1|5|29
39|11 Jun 14|Dublin Graded Meet 4 - Dublin Championships|2014 Irish Outdoor|55.88||Santry|IRL|6|6|29
40|14 Jun 14|GV Ryan Crusaders AC Meet|2014 Irish Outdoor|56.06||Irishtown|IRL|5|5|29
41|27 June 14|Le Cheile International|2014 Irish Outdoor|55.82||Leixlip|IRL|3|4|29
42|9 Jul 14|Dublin Graded Meet 6|2014 Irish Outdoor|56.32||Irishtown|IRL|5|6|29
43|16 Jul 14|Bertie Quinn Memorial|2014 Irish Outdoor|DNF||Tullamore|IRL||5|29
44|19 Jul 14|Irish National Championships|2014 Irish Outdoor|54.88|PB|Santry|IRL|7|7|29
45|2 Aug 14|Irish Combined-Events Championships|2014 Irish Outdoor|58.36||Tullamore|IRL|4|7|29
46|9 Aug 14|2eme Meeting National de Courses|2014 Irish Outdoor|56.03||Lausanne|SUI|7|7|29
47|24 Jan 15|Welsh Indoor Championships|2015 Irish Indoor|56.97i|PB(i)|Cardiff|GBR|2|2|29
48|31 Jan 15|National Indoor League Round 2|2015 Irish Indoor|DNF||Athlone|IRL||4|29
49|01 Feb 15|AAI Indoor Games|2015 Irish Indoor|56.04i|PB(i)|Athlone|IRL|4|5|29
50|15 Feb 15|Leinster Indoor Championships|2015 Irish Indoor|56.60i||Athlone|IRL|5|5|29
51|21 Feb 15|Irish National Indoor Championships|2015 Irish Indoor|56.04i|=PB(i)|Athlone|IRL|4|5|29
52|01 Mar 15|Connacht Indoor Championships|2015 Irish Indoor|56.93i||Athlone|IRL|3|4|29
53|02 May 15|IMC Greystones|2015 Irish Outdoor|57.71||Greystones|IRL|5|5|29
54|17 May 15|AAI Games|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.42||Santry|IRL|4|6|29
55|31 May 15|Leinster Championships|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.69||Tullamore|IRL|4|6|30
56|06 Jun 15|Northern Ireland/ Ulster Championships|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.53||Belfast|IRL|7|7|30
57|28 Jun 15|Munster Championships|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.09||Templemore|IRL|3|5|30
58|01 Jul 15|Dublin Graded Meet 6/ Dublin Championships|2015 Irish Outdoor|55.96||Tallaght|IRL|7|8|30
59|11 Jul 15|IMC GV Ryan Crusaders AC Meet|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.10||Santry|IRL|8|8|30
60|19 Jul 15|National League Round 2|2015 Irish Outdoor|55.61||Santry|IRL|4|4|30
61|25 Jul 15|NI YDL Meet|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.40||Belfast|IRL|5|5|30
62|08 Aug 15|Irish National Championships|2015 Irish Outdoor|56.65||Santry|IRL|7|7|30


A small side-table counting the amount of times under certain times:

Sub 54|0
Sub 55|1
Sub 56|13
Sub 57|37
Sub 58|45
Sub 59|50
Sub 60|55
Total|62

Chivito550

Video of my 400m race at last weekend's Nationals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfpl1IbSYPs

martyboy48

Chivito550 wrote: »

With the season over now, I am taking a good long break from training. Approximately 7 weeks. I am physically tired, and mentally exhausted from it all. With the exception of the media 800m race in Beijing in 2 weeks time, I don't anticipate another track race until the indoors starting in January. For the first few weeks of my break I will do no exercise at all (except the media race), then when I am back from China, I will do things like Parkruns, swims, hikes etc. Once the drive comes back, then I can start thinking about the winter, but I don't want to see a gym, hill or track until the very end of September.

I fly out to Beijing on Friday, and will be in China for 2 and a half weeks. I've 4 nights in Pingyao, before heading back to Beijing in time for the World Championships.

I'm disappointed that all the hard work over the last 10 and a half months came to nothing, in terms of improvement. It kind of hit me Sunday evening, that the season was over, and that I hadn't reached my goals. I'm frustrated that I got fairly awful weather throughout the summer, and didn't get a fair shot at things. But I'm also happy in the knowledge that I couldn't have done much more, and proud of all the effort I put in, despite it being such a challenging year in terms of training and racing.

When the dust settles, I'll do up my usual season review. But for now, I've updated my 400m chronology below to include my performances from this summer season.

Hey Chivito just catching up a bit here... As I said before I'm no expert so take it all with a pinch of salt

First of all, I was going to say 7 weeks without doing anything is way to long, until I saw you on about parkrun/hiking ect... That would be nice and informal/relaxed enough to keep you ticking over a bit.

Next up I think you are being hard on yourself over your performance over the last 10 mts.. Various factor affect results, and rate of progress slows in all disciplines eventually. There are many factors which effect results including personal issues/over training ect... -Not saying these were issues for you, but just saying there are issues which you may not think much of, but will effect performance... The one constant from you log is consistency, so that's not an issue

Love the have a go attitude with regard to the long jump. You now seem to have a rival ( ) in the form of Barry o nell/ wild garlic

It got me thinking about maybe how a "Non specialist have a go hero" thread would work. Where one could try something new(T&F) and maybe post result and maybe challenge another boardsie to have a go??
I reckon TRR would have a fantastic hammer action

Enjoy the break anyway, well deserved

Chivito550

martyboy48 wrote: »

Hey Chivito just catching up a bit here... As I said before I'm no expert so take it all with a pinch of salt

First of all, I was going to say 7 weeks without doing anything is way to long, until I saw you on about parkrun/hiking ect... That would be nice and informal/relaxed enough to keep you ticking over a bit.

Next up I think you are being hard on yourself over your performance over the last 10 mts.. Various factor affect results, and rate of progress slows in all disciplines eventually. There are many factors which effect results including personal issues/over training ect... -Not saying these were issues for you, but just saying there are issues which you may not think much of, but will effect performance... The one constant from you log is consistency, so that's not an issue

Love the have a go attitude with regard to the long jump. You now seem to have a rival ( ) in the form of Barry o nell/ wild garlic

It got me thinking about maybe how a "Non specialist have a go hero" thread would work. Where one could try something new(T&F) and maybe post result and maybe challenge another boardsie to have a go??
I reckon TRR would have a fantastic hammer action

Enjoy the break anyway, well deserved

Thanks for the kind words.

Firstly 7 weeks isn't really too much. I was chatting with an Irish representative in sprints recently and he said even he is looking at 5 weeks off. He said that for the first half of that he does no exercise at all, then he starts doing stuff like jogs which wouldn't be considered "training" as such. I'm looking at the same, except a little longer as I feel mentally shattered from it all. I put everything into this, and I had some personal difficulties which I am not using as an excuse. In fact it was something which actually spurred me on in training (might explain more in my season review), and there were also unexpected challenges with regards training itself, which weren't anticipated at all, but which I had to adapt to.

I wouldn't see the season as a failure. 55.61 is 1.3% down on 54.88. It's not an enormous amount, and if I got the perfect weather I may have got closer. I had a fairly solid season. It was just disappointing to not have improved my PB after giving it so much this year. It is really hard to envisage myself putting so much into it next year like I did this year (going home early on nights out to be ready for training the next day, rarely going away for the weekend for fear of missing important sessions etc). At my age, I feel I'm making big sacrifices doing that, and it didn't result in a PB.

A smarter, more balanced approached will be needed going forward. Not just balanced between events (adding in the long jump for example), but also with life. If I want to spend a Sunday hiking with friends, I should just do it, rather than skipping it for fear of injury.

Maybe by making athletics less important, I might run faster. If I don't, well then I know I gave it everything this season gone.

Chivito550

So the media 800m takes place in Beijing tomorrow in the magnificent Bird's Nest Stadium. Since Nationals I have not run a single step, except the other day when literally running between press conference, mixed zone and stadium in quick succession, trying not to miss anything. I've been drinking a lot of beer too, so I'm lining the excuses up nicely. To be fair I've walked a lot on this trip. I covered 28km one day when doing the Forbidden City, so I'm sure I'm still in grand shape.

I've only run 2 800m races since I moved home from Australia a year and a half ago. One was a poor 2:19.70 in Zurich last year, and the other was a PB of 2:14.98 at Athlone indoors.

I was 19th at the World's in Moscow, and 10th in the Euros last year. I'm hoping for a top 10 but not sure how realistic it is. I've put 2:18 down as my estimated time and am hoping to be in the B heat, but I'm sure I'll get turfed in the A race with Denners who will drop a 1:55 or better.

The letsrun guys will be competing, rojo and wejo, so even with the absence of former Flotrack guys Alex and Ryan, the event should get good coverage hopefully.

Denners forgot to bring the damn Irish singlets so looks like I'll be running in my club colours tomorrow.

I'm currently enjoying a nice Tsingtao, in a bar on a hutong (narrow street) in Beijing. As you can see, I take this thing seriously.

AuldManKing

Enjoying your FB updates - really super stuff - great pertinent updates.

I can recall doing a case study for my MBA on Tsingtao - interesting company, but better beer.

Chivito550

So after over 2 and a half weeks of no training, I embarked on a race in the greatest venue I have run in to date, and likely ever will, the magnificent Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing. The event was the World Championship Media 800m, the most prestigious event on the journo-running calendar.

It would be a lie to say I did no exercise during that time. In fact despite being on a break, I did not feel rested. I was walking non-stop on many days, sightseeing first in Pingyao, then in Beijing, in temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. On one particular day I covered 28km. I definitely wasn’t going to be out of shape from this trip, though out of peak running fitness was a certainty.

In addition to all the walking, working in the media is an exhausting endeavor. I’d be up early many days, and be at the stadium all day until around 1am. Then we’d go for food and beers, and not really get to sleep until late. I was working off around 5 hours sleep on average. Eating habits would be poor too on the days I’d be in the stadium all day (which was about 4 of the 9 days I think), and you’d eat at fairly irregular times, and absolute crap like kebabs, snacks, KFC, McDonald’s etc just to keep yourself going. Hydration was poor over there too. I drank a lot of beer, and was fairly lax with water. Not being able to drink tap water does make it harder to ensure you are always hydrated.

So given the above I knew I’d have no hope of running near my PB of 2:14.98. My 2 previous media 800s showed that I’d always be well down on my best, so my expectation this time was similar to my previous times. In Moscow I finished 19th at the World’s in 2:21.77. Last year at the European’s in Zurich I came 10th with 2:19.70. On this occasion I was hoping for a top 10, but knew I’d probably need to be close to my PB for that.

In total there were 128 participants, spread over 16 heats. However, despite asking for our times, they chose not to seed the heats, so it was complete pot luck who you’d be up against. I was drawn in the very first heat. This was bad in one way as it meant I needed to get warmed up quickly enough, but good in that it allowed me to just have the craic when the other 15 heats were going on. I was due on at 2pm, so started my warm up at 1:30. Unlike at home, my pre race nutrition was all over the place. 2 kebabs for breakfast, and some Oreos to keep me going after that. I had a lot of water though to ensure I was hydrated in the very hot and sunny 32 degree weather. The warm up was funny. Most of the stadium was in shade, but the all but the backstraight was completely exposed, and you’d hit a wall of heat as you’d approach it.

Official starters for the event were Allen Johnson, former Olympic hurdles champion, and not really a lot of craic, and John Regis, who won a world 200m title, and is tremendous banter.

I knew nothing about anyone in my heat except one of the lads from Letsrun who said he was looking for sub 2:10, and the lad from Germany who conducts all the press coneferences, who was in lane 9, just outside me in lane 8. However during my warm up a few other runners were saying that I looked so professional. I had spikes on, and I was wearing my club singlet (Cathal forgot to bring the Irish vests). Needless to say this was not an elite event! I definitely went with the intimidation tactics to instill fear into the competition!

Gun went off and I was past the German lad in lane 9 within about 2 seconds. I saw absolutely nobody until I hit the backstraight and as I break I am in third place, behind the US guy from Letsrun, and a GB runner. I go through the 200m mark in 32:xx, about 1 second down on the leading two. It felt faster than 32, so I clearly wasn’t in great running shape. 32 should have felt like a jog. I continued to push from 200-400, harder than I usually do here, and I reach the bell in 67 seconds, about 3 seconds down, with the gap starting to really open now. I was fairly tired at this point and lost a lot of ground in a poor third quarter, reaching 600m in 1:44, meaning a 37 second 200m. The other 2 lads were still together, and it was only in the straight when the Letsrun lad powered away to win in 2:09 (eventually finishing 4th overall), and the GB guy died to a 2:14/2:15, practically walking over the line. I found the spirit to finish strong, having lost some concentration from 600-700. I should have kicked earlier, but the tiredness distracted me. It was only on the straight that I was going flat out, and I got home in 2:20.12, which is not a good time generally for me, but in terms of media 800s it’s a decent enough run. It was hard given all the above factors, and also basically running a solo time trial. The 2 lads ahead I was too far back from, and the 4th place guy in my heat ran 2:45!

After that it was a case of watching the other heats to see where I finished up. I think I got the hardest heat, as I don’t think I would have finished worse than second in any of them, and in about 5-6 of them I would have won, and came home with a nice voucher valued at over 100 euro. Overall I ended up in 14th place, which was satisfactory. I was 5 places better than Moscow, while running 1.65 seconds quicker.

Cathal claimed the overall victory, (Or Cat-haal as most seemed to be pronouncing it as, including Allen Johnson) after going out in 54.21, and back in a car crash 65, to still easily win in 1:59 low. Second place went to a Belgian lad who ran 2:02. He competed in the decathlon at the 2008 Olympics. Another notable person competing was Andrew Cotter, BBC Golf and Athletics commentator, who I gladly got ahead of by 2 seconds. Steve Cram and the incredibly stuck up Allison Curbishly were down at the track for the media race, so this explains why.

Had some brief banter with John Regis. I asked him what his 800m PB was. He told me he ran a 2:11 on superstars in the 90s. I asked him what sort of 400 shape was he in at the time. He told me 45 seconds! That is some serious drop off. If you see him in person even now, he’s some unit of a man! I asked him was he not tempted to compete, and he said that it is 650m too long for him at the moment!

Afterwards I got interviewed by Flotrack which was a bit of fun, and the general banter and chats with the other particpants was top notch. Cathal was like a celebrity. Loads of locals asking for photos with him. I tell ya, there’s more fame to be got from winning this than there is from blasting out a 1:55 at a graded meet!

Certainly far from a great day at the office in terms of athletics accomplishment for myself, but one of the most enjoyable ones.

Chivito550

Background:

After three full track seasons in Melbourne, I moved home in April 2014, and embarked on my first Irish track season. Moving hemispheres was a challenge, but I managed to come away from the season with a PB in the 400m of 54.88, an improvement of 0.12 from Australia, and in the 200m, with 25.42, a 0.02 improvement. The season was a very different experience to Australia. I raced a lot less, with the vast majority of races being in the 400m. I was always a 400m runner but had other events to keep things fresh. Now I had tunnel vision towards the 400m. I didn't like this element of things, but thought, new country, new track setup, so I rolled with it. The less enjoyment I got from the track meets was more than made up by the immense joy I got from running that 55 at Nationals, a goal which I had been trying for for a long time.

New targets:

The goal I set for the 2015 season was simple: Sub 54 for 400m. A 53.9. I didn't set any goals for 100, 200 and 800 like I used to. It was all about the 400m and nothing else. But I did acknowledge I needed to be running sub 25 for 200m to have any chance of a sub 54, but did not expect to be racing the distance much.

Back to training:

I changed things up hugely. Not that I didn't give my previous 4 track seasons a real go, of course I did, but I had decided at the start of this training cycle, that I was going to give absolutely everything towards trying to achieve this sub 54, and have no regrets afterwards. This meant changing things up. My gym routine was good, and had served me well, but I felt if I stuck with it, I'd probably get the same results. So I went for the juggler, and paid a Strength and Conditioning coach. I enjoyed the variety of the new programmes a lot and while I don't think I was any stronger in specific exercises, I was probably stronger in a more rounded sense due to this change.

This would also be my first full winter training in Ireland. I feared dreadful weather but to be honest it was fine training in the colder Irish conditions. I thought to myself that I managed a 54.88 last season with no winter behind me, having moved from summer in Australia to summer here, so I convinced myself that with a full winter in my new group back home, along with the new gym routine, I was bound to give that sub 54 barrier a good rattle.

Just as I was about to start off my winter training in late September of last year, I went through a really tough personal experience. Without going into details here, it was the hardest thing I've ever gone through. So I threw myself into my training and my sub 54 goal even more so, to help me keep my mind off it. This would be the case for many many months to come. Training served as a real positive distraction.

In total through the winter I trained 5 days a week, 2 days gym, 3 days running. Early winter I also did a 20 minute long run on top of this, to make it 6 days, but not for too long.

Irishtown shambolics:

We started off our winter with just one track day out of the three running days. This was no problem though given the time of year. However it soon became apparent that Irishtown was not going to be completed by October, and indeed we'd be waiting until the following summer. This heavily impacted our training, and all the way through to indoor season we had just one day a week on a track. We would do speed work on this day, and then all our endurance work would have to be done on grass and hills.

Indoor season:

I didn't know what to expect with the indoor season. I had never run indoors before so I had no real idea what I was capable of, and consequently no real targets or pressure. I wanted a full indoor season for experience though and hoped to race over a range of distances, unlike outdoors where 400m would account for about 90% of my races. I had an idea in my head though that I'd need to be running well under 56 indoors if I wanted to attack that sub 54 outdoors.

December:

The indoor season began early with a pre-Christmas blow out at the AIT Baseline Meet in Athlone. I ran my first ever 60m, recording 8.05, and followed this up soon after with a 40.47 for 300m. I was slightly disappointed to not break 40, but considered this a very promising run for so early in the training cycle.

January:

The season proper began after Christmas, and first up was the National League Round 1 in Athlone. There I took on the 60m again, slightly slower on this occasion with 8.16, and then recorded a PB in the 800m with 2:14.98, having gone through in 29 and 64 for 200m and 400m! This was faster than any 800m I'd ever done outdoors, so I felt good heading into all the 400m races to come.

Next up was the Welsh Championships in Cardiff. On a very tight track I managed 56.97. Disappointing time, but I put this down to the poor enough track, and expected much quicker come Athlone.

The following weekend was a real mixed bag. It started off with real disappointment at the National League Round 2. I got a calf spasm at half way and did not finish the 400m. I put this down to dehydration, still being not used to running indoors, and perhaps not having done enough long reps on a track, due to Irishtown being out of action, and lack of availability on other tracks.

February:

The next day however, I managed redemption very quickly, recording a 56.04 indoor PB at the AAI Games, in what I felt was a very good performance in what were very unfamiliar racing conditions for me. Getting used to racing indoors was taking some time.

Two weeks later was another 400m, this time at the Leinster Championships. It was a bit flat, and I recorded a solid, but unspectacular 56.60. A few hours later I performed well in the 200m with a 25.66, just 0.22 down on my outdoor best, and I really enjoyed racing over one lap indoors.

Then there was the Nationals. I raised my game again, and felt that this time I had to have nailed a 55, so was frustrated that I had set an identical time to AAI Games, with another 56.04, and equal indoor PB.

March:

I went back to Athlone yet again, for one last bash at that indoor 55 for the Connacht Championships. It was a race too far, I wasn't fully up for it, and managed a lacklustre 56.93.

Where did I stand after indoors?:

I was happy with my first indoor season, and enjoyed the novelty of it, although I was getting sick of the constant trips to Athlone by the end of it. I convinced myself that 56.04 indoors equated to sub 55 outdoors, or certainly no slower than 55.2. So I felt I was in a good position entering the next phase of training to really attack the PB outdoors, and ultimately that sub 54. But how much did I really know about indoor to outdoor conversions?

IvoryTower

I've never ran indoor but would you not be quicker with the lack of wind or is it harder cause the track is smaller(is it?). I'm starting the cross country training to build up some strength then ill have a stab at the indoors

I assume a pb indoor is considered seperately to your outdoor pb

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

I've never ran indoor but would you not be quicker with the lack of wind or is it harder cause the track is smaller(is it?). I'm starting the cross country training to build up some strength then ill have a stab at the indoors

I assume a pb indoor is considered seperately to your outdoor pb

if you get good conditions outdoors, warm with little wind, then outdoors is definitely quicker than indoors, due to the bends not being as tight. For sprinting anyway. The longer the distance, the less difference it makes.

However, when you live in Ireland, and get muck conditions quite often, you'd nearly be quicker indoors!

Chivito550

Severe Challenges:

After a solid indoor season, where I gained good experience of a completely new type of racing environment, I felt ready to attack the next phase of training, in the hope of kicking on towards that sub 54 goal. We took a short week and a half break, to recover after all the racing. However, at this time, unforeseen circumstances resulted in our coach moving back home. It was all a bit of a shock, and very sudden, and quite emotional of course, and it was tough saying goodbye to somebody who helped us all so much. The group could have fallen apart, but one of the more senior guys kindly took up the mantle as coach, and did a fantastic job of keeping most of the group together, and is bringing a lot of good new ideas. The real difficulty in all of this for me was that, despite most of the group sticking together, the best 400m runners ended up moving to other groups, so I went from always having somebody to chase in training sessions, to virtually running alone on some days. This was not easy at all. Getting back into the training after this was difficult at first, but things started to come together, and the training became consistent again. During all of this, Irishtown was still out of action, and we were stuck with grass sessions on a Wednesday right the way through until late July. But at this point we managed to get access to some other tracks, and now had 2 days track work a week, as opposed to one before indoors.

April:

I travelled out to Santry on a Wednesday night to run a 200m at the first Graded Meet of the season. However, after a long day at work, my body was clearly fatigued, and my calves spasmed in the warm up, and I pulled out of the race. I made a decision there and then, to do my racing on weekends only.

May:

The season proper began for me at the IMC meet at Greystones. In what were the most deplorable conditions imaginable, with persistant heavy rain, and 8 degree winter like temperatures, I opened my season with a 57.71 for 400m. Nothing could be taken from this experience.

A couple of weeks later I recorded a 56.42 at the AAI Games in Santry, in 13 degrees, overcast and very windy conditions. It felt like a very good run, and I was competitive with a few other guys around my level, so I was left frustrated by the time.

Two weeks on, and conditions were no kinder at the Leinster Championships in Tullamore. Again 13 degrees or so, with high minds, and a soaking wet track from a hail storm 15 minutes earlier meant I could do no better than 56.69 despite being pleased with my performance.

June:

The following weekend, the miserable Irish summer continued, up in Belfast for the Northern Ireland Championships. Around 14 degrees or so, and extremely windy again, and another similar result, a 56.53 clocking.

One week on, and finally some good conditions, but unfortunately there was no 400m on the programme. The IMC Le Cheile International at Leixlip was the event, and in sunny conditions and 17 degrees, I recorded strong times in the 100m and 200m into headwinds. Over 100m I clocked 12.68 (-1.2) which was my fastest ever wind-adjusted 100m time. An hour later I ran 25.45 (-1.6) for 200m, just 0.03 off my PB, and again, my fastest ever wind adjusted time, though adjusting for wind is not as straight forward for 200m as it is for 100m. A truly shocking performance followed at the National Beer Mile Championships that evening.

At the end of the month, I made the journey down to Templemore for the Munster Championships, and in much warmer conditions of 19 degrees or so, and intermittent sun, although still a breezy day, I recorded a season’s best of 56.09 on a poor track. I was disappointed not to have kicked on by more from my early season runs, and it was around this point that I pretty much gave up hope of hitting 53.9. The goal then became sub 54.5, and then ultimately merely to better my PB of 54.88,

July:

A few days later, and the one day of perfect conditions I got all season. I took the day off work specifically so I would be able to give the Graded Meet Round 6 in Tallaght a good go. It was around 22 degrees, completely still, and very humid. I actually don’t think I ran my very best race, and was feeling a little tired from sitting around all day doing nothing. Despite that, I recorded my first sub 56 clocking of the season, 55.96, on a poor track. Things were looking up.

Next up was the GV Ryan at Santry 10 days later, and a rare mixed race, which was nice for a change. Conditions were not that warm, at about 16 degrees, and it was extremely windy once again, and the time was only 56.10 as a result. This left me frustrated as I knew it was worth a mid 55 in good conditions.

A week later and I finally got that mid 55. While not perfect conditions by any means, temperatures in the high teens, and only lights winds, and a great battle with a guy at my level, pushed me to a 55.61 season’s best, and the best race I ran all season at the National League Round 2 at Santry. I followed this up with a 13.23 for 100m, into a crazy -4.7 headwind, the wind picking up again since my 400m. I finished the day with my first long jump in a long time, leaping out to 4.80m, just 3cm down on my PB from Australia.

The following weekend I made the journey up to Belfast for a low key 400m race at a YDL meet. I wasn’t fully up for this one, and the weather again was ridiculously windy and not very warm, and I only managed 56.40.

A few days later, at the 8th and final Graded Meet of the season in Tallaght, I opted to compete in the long jump for fun. With strong headwinds, my best was 4.65m.

August:

The National Championships at Santry summed up the season. I feel I ran well, but conditions were really poor once again. Not warm, and very windy, and another 56 second run, with 56.65. The following day I took part in the long jump, and due to low numbers I got 6 jumps, managed to PB 3 times, with my best being 4.95m in the 5th round, a truly enjoyable experience.

While not really part of the season, as I was on a break at this point, I recorded 2:20.12 in the media race in my only 800m race of the summer at the World Championships, to finish 14th overall.

What went well?

It was a very challenging year with our coach leaving, the Irishtown track being closed, and the terrible weather, which impacted my ability to get remotely close to my goal, and despite all this, I kept working through it right to the end. I know I couldn’t have given much more, and am proud of the efforts and dedication I displayed throughout the 11 months.

I was also extremely consistent in my race performances. My best was mid 55, and while most runs were in the 56 second range, I’ve no doubt they were all of mid 55 quality, taking into account the conditions on each day.

What could I have done better?

Mentally, I was struggling a lot this season. I simply wasn’t enjoying it like I used to, and I was looking forward to the break a long way beforehand. I think I let this take over my life too much, and it was starting to feel like work. A moment when it really hit me was when I was in Paris in July for the Diamond League. Two of my three mornings I went out to a public track to get a session in, instead of going for breakfast by Notre Dame, and doing other normal things you do when away. This is the type of drive that is needed to run PBs in my opinion, particularly when you’ve been at this a few years, and the gains are becoming harder to achieve. But this type of drive is not sustainable in the long term. I’m currently taking some time to think about what way I will be proceeding with athletics. I will 100% be competing next season, but in what capacity, and in what events, that is for a future post.

Final words:

The season didn’t work out the way I wanted, but I am still proud of my performances, and know I left it all on the track in each race. I don’t feel like I ran poorly by any means, and there were a lot of external factors, mainly the weather, which got in the way of me seriously attacking my PB. But I am delighted I gave the last year a good crack, and despite not really getting what I think I deserved from it all, there are absolutely no regrets.

Myles Splitz

Hope you don't mind me chiming in here.

I know you were disappointed with the season as a whole but I think you ran a solid and consistent one. Despite the wind and track conditions being a hamper I still think you were well capable to PB in many of those conditions this year. Personally I think the two big things holding you back this year were

1) Form, having seen you race in person and video's you are way to tense and upright, you are fighting your own mechanics and as a result the work you are putting into each stride is not matching up with power output. I would probably aim to do 30-40 minutes of drills and plyo's before each gym session next year. Many of the S&C sessions you were doing last year were built on muscular endurance rather than explosive power so no harm in going into them not 100% fresh (i.e the other stuff won't compromise the gym work benefits). Get your coach to try and spend a bit of time here even if it means try running one or two reps on your own so that he can watch and advise

2) Strength, I know you will probably dismiss this as a distance runner mentality and maybe it comes back to my first point but the drop off between 400 and 800 is huge. I generally think you should be able to hang with a 2 min 800 guy for at least 600m and should be able to hit a 2.06-2.08 comfortable enough based off your training over past year and was surprised with the few you did as the consistency this year over 400m shows your a lot stronger.

Think I said it to you before but in terms of the mental commitment I don't think its actually the training per say but the logistics. I think a bike/car and maybe early morning gym sessions could help hugely here in terms of freeing up time spent travelling if you could do that I think you could probably restore balance and kick on. Training shouldn't feel like a sacrifice.

Chivito550

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Hope you don't mind me chiming in here.

I know you were disappointed with the season as a whole but I think you ran a solid and consistent one. Despite the wind and track conditions being a hamper I still think you were well capable to PB in many of those conditions this year. Personally I think the two big things holding you back this year were

1) Form, having seen you race in person and video's you are way to tense and upright, you are fighting your own mechanics and as a result the work you are putting into each stride is not matching up with power output. I would probably aim to do 30-40 minutes of drills and plyo's before each gym session next year. Many of the S&C sessions you were doing last year were built on muscular endurance rather than explosive power so no harm in going into them not 100% fresh (i.e the other stuff won't compromise the gym work benefits). Get your coach to try and spend a bit of time here even if it means try running one or two reps on your own so that he can watch and advise

2) Strength, I know you will probably dismiss this as a distance runner mentality and maybe it comes back to my first point but the drop off between 400 and 800 is huge. I generally think you should be able to hang with a 2 min 800 guy for at least 600m and should be able to hit a 2.06-2.08 comfortable enough based off your training over past year and was surprised with the few you did as the consistency this year over 400m shows your a lot stronger.

Think I said it to you before but in terms of the mental commitment I don't think its actually the training per say but the logistics. I think a bike/car and maybe early morning gym sessions could help hugely here in terms of freeing up time spent travelling if you could do that I think you could probably restore balance and kick on. Training shouldn't feel like a sacrifice.

Not at all. All input is welcome.

I agree with the first point. My form is a lot better than it was, particularly in my first 2 years of sprinting, but there is still a long way to go. My coach has mentioned this quite a bit, and is working on getting it more efficient. It definitely takes a long time though. It doesn’t correct overnight.

I don’t agree with the second point though. Firstly, I wouldn’t read anything into the media race 800m and the 2:20. I hadn’t trained for 2 and a half weeks, and was completely out of routine in China, eating crap, drinking loads, not sleeping much, running around after athletes in the mixed zone. I never run fast in these races. I’d say all of the above would cost me as much as 5 seconds. I’ve only run one proper one this year and it was 2:14.98 indoors. I guess had I run one outdoors, and got good conditions, I’d probably run around 2:13 mid. This drop off from 55 is very similar percentage wise to a guy I trained with in Australia who ran 50.5 and 2:01. I actually believe my endurance to be my strength. My weakness is my speed. Most people who run similar times to me in the 400m have run under 25 for 200m. I have never come close to managing this. I always seem to be overtaken early in a 400m race, despite trying to go flat out, and tend to reel people in over the final 100m.

Also John Regis told me the fastest he ever ran for 800m was 2:11, and he was in 45 shape at the same time. Granted he was a 200m runner but that’s a massive drop off. I think all 400m runners are going to have drop offs when it comes to 800m, due to the nature of the training. You could reverse it around and question why some 2 flat 800m runners can’t go quicker than 56 for 400m. In the end of the day I’m not training for 800m. 54/55 equates to about 2:07 on the IAAF tables, so they are fairly equivalent performances, so how could I manage that time for 800m off 400m training? It is a distance mentality, and I have come across quite a few distance runners who grossly overrate how fast somebody can run 800m based on a 400m time, forgetting the fact that a sprinter is never going to be able to have the same 400-800 conversion as a middle distance runner.

I haven’t found it as fun recently, and I do find it hard to fit things around the training. Saturday and Sunday mornings every weekend is a complete pain. No two ways about that. At the moment I’m siding towards having next year as a break from 400m, being more flexible with when and where I do sessions, and focus on my weakness, my speed and form. I think I will focus on 100m and 200m, and develop speed, and if the hunger to embark on 400m comes back, I can take that into the following season. I also want to try the long jump this season coming, and do specific training for that, which I believe would have benefits to my explosive power too. Most importantly I want to have some fun with it. The fun element hasn’t been the same since Melbourne, as I’ve ended up having tunnel vision towards the 400m. Having 3 different events, all with legit chances of PBs, is something that I think would be good for me in the short term. Particularly the 200m, going sub 25 would be a great goal for me to achieve, and not far off my sub 55 goal, which I thankfully I have under my belt.

Myles Splitz

Chivito550 wrote: »

I agree with the first point. My form is a lot better than it was, particularly in my first 2 years of sprinting, but there is still a long way to go. My coach has mentioned this quite a bit, and is working on getting it more efficient. It definitely takes a long time though. It doesn’t correct overnight.

Completely agree it is a slow process definitely thing this is where you can make huge gains next year. Staying relaxed in upper body and trying not to tense up when you are working hard, I reckon can yield you couple of tenths of a second, not to mention more force generation.

Chivito550 wrote: »

I don’t agree with the second point though. Firstly, I wouldn’t read anything into the media race 800m and the 2:20. I hadn’t trained for 2 and a half weeks, and was completely out of routine in China, eating crap, drinking loads, not sleeping much, running around after athletes in the mixed zone. I never run fast in these races. I’d say all of the above would cost me as much as 5 seconds. I’ve only run one proper one this year and it was 2:14.98 indoors. I guess had I run one outdoors, and got good conditions, I’d probably run around 2:13 mid. This drop off from 55 is very similar percentage wise to a guy I trained with in Australia who ran 50.5 and 2:01. I actually believe my endurance to be my strength. My weakness is my speed. Most people who run similar times to me in the 400m have run under 25 for 200m. I have never come close to managing this. I always seem to be overtaken early in a 400m race, despite trying to go flat out, and tend to reel people in over the final 100m.

Not including the media race I honestly thought 2.10-2.12 was well in your realms over the winter. Might be a difference in the cultural set up but in my experience with 400m and 800m runners I would see strength based 400m runners of that level being 1.57-1.58 runners as a more common thing.

I agree with you that you are an endurance based 400m runner no doubt, but I don't think that strength is being fully utilized again as stated this could just be a case where power to force ratio is not transferring to time. Basically its like trying to fire a bazooka through a silencer, the power is there, the effort is being put in but its not coming out the other end if that makes sense.

Chivito550 wrote: »

Also John Regis told me the fastest he ever ran for 800m was 2:11, and he was in 45 shape at the same time. Granted he was a 200m runner but that’s a massive drop off. I think all 400m runners are going to have drop offs when it comes to 800m, due to the nature of the training. You could reverse it around and question why some 2 flat 800m runners can’t go quicker than 56 for 400m. In the end of the day I’m not training for 800m. 54/55 equates to about 2:07 on the IAAF tables, so they are fairly equivalent performances, so how could I manage that time for 800m off 400m training? It is a distance mentality, and I have come across quite a few distance runners who grossly overrate how fast somebody can run 800m based on a 400m time, forgetting the fact that a sprinter is never going to be able to have the same 400-800 conversion as a middle distance runner.

I think the with regards John Regis looking at his 200/400 drop off it seems more in line with regards compounded drop off when you compare the 800. Given that endurance is your strength I would expect to see a more linear drop off between your 3 reference points but it there is a significantly sharper decline between you 400/800 than your 200/400.

While IAAF tables are a guide it should be remembered that it is just that like any other, best to establish the parameters between 3-4 value points (distances and times) and how they correlate.

I am not saying that running x time over 400 will automatically correlate to 800 however I feel that your background and strengths and weaknesses that the issue lies in endurance side and getting best back for your buck out of your strengths if that makes sense.

For what its worth this is not a criticism in the slightest, I genuinely think that you have a 52/53 capability and endurance base there to be tapped into. As I said one hypothesis is that the form could well be the thing restricting this strength.

Just food for thought.

Chivito550

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Completely agree it is a slow process definitely thing this is where you can make huge gains next year. Staying relaxed in upper body and trying not to tense up when you are working hard, I reckon can yield you couple of tenths of a second, not to mention more force generation.



Not including the media race I honestly thought 2.10-2.12 was well in your realms over the winter. Might be a difference in the cultural set up but in my experience with 400m and 800m runners I would see strength based 400m runners of that level being 1.57-1.58 runners as a more common thing.

I agree with you that you are an endurance based 400m runner no doubt, but I don't think that strength is being fully utilized again as stated this could just be a case where power to force ratio is not transferring to time. Basically its like trying to fire a bazooka through a silencer, the power is there, the effort is being put in but its not coming out the other end if that makes sense.



I think the with regards John Regis looking at his 200/400 drop off it seems more in line with regards compounded drop off when you compare the 800. Given that endurance is your strength I would expect to see a more linear drop off between your 3 reference points but it there is a significantly sharper decline between you 400/800 than your 200/400.

While IAAF tables are a guide it should be remembered that it is just that like any other, best to establish the parameters between 3-4 value points (distances and times) and how they correlate.

I am not saying that running x time over 400 will automatically correlate to 800 however I feel that your background and strengths and weaknesses that the issue lies in endurance side and getting best back for your buck out of your strengths if that makes sense.

For what its worth this is not a criticism in the slightest, I genuinely think that you have a 52/53 capability and endurance base there to be tapped into. As I said one hypothesis is that the form could well be the thing restricting this strength.

Just food for thought.

That one 800m I did run indoors I ran like a donkey to be fair. 29 through 200m (may have been 28) and 64 through half way. Might have been a 2:12 there had I paced it properly. I lack the experience to do that well. I do recall intending to go out hard to use it as a training effort to see if I could hang on.

I think 600m is probably more relevant to a 400 runner than 800m. I think it is hard to keep the same drop off from 200 to 400 as from 400 to 800 when there's twice as much of a difference, and the nature of the event and running style differs so much. I think a 200 runner can run an ok 400 off 200 training. Far harder for a 400 guy to do likewise over 800, off 400 training. I think 600 would be a better indicator of endurance, but there are no 600m races out there, except one indoors at the baseline meet.

Chivito550

As I continue to digest my track season just gone, and start considering plans for the coming year, I thought I would update on what I've been up to since Nationals finished on 9th August.

The plan was to take a long break until the end of September/ start of October. The first 2-3 week I'd do nothing, and then I'd start exercising, but not training. However, due to being in China for 16 days, the whole 2-3 weeks of doing nothing went out the window. The only running I did was the media 800m, but I walked a crazy amount throughout the entire trip. The day I visited the Forbidden City I hit about 28km, but there were many days over 20km, and I'd imagine very few days under 10km. It was all go, and I certainly didn't feel rested.

So when I got back I took 9 days of doing completely no exercise. I started to get cravings for exercise so started doing some as of last thursday.

Thursday: Went for a 3.55km jog in 16:51. Felt like a bit of a shock to the system, and wasn't as easy as the slow pace would suggest.

Saturday: Marlay Parkrun

Nice morning for it, though quite breezy. Was out for several drinks last night, so felt a bit ropey waking up, but decided to head off to it anyway. It would be a good hangover cure.

Plan was to just run within myself, at around 85-90%. I did this last March and ran 20:49. It felt so ridiculously easy that day. PB is 19:46 from this time last year. I didn't fancy attempting the sub 20 on this occasion, given the long break from running, and the hangover.

Sprinted the first 40m, and found myself in the lead for a good 150m of the race. Nobody else using that free energy, and therefore costing themselves 2 seconds roughly. I then got passed by a fair lot of people over the next few minutes and then it settled.

First km was uphill, and 4:13. At this point I was thinking the sub 20 could be there if I wanted it. But I wasn't really willing to put myself through the hurt needed. I decided to see how the second Km went, and if I was close to 8 minutes flat, then I might engage the last 3km. My second km was
4:05, despite it being downhill, so there was too much to make up. I wasn't feeling terrible, but it certainly wasn't as easy as it should have felt. I took the foot off the gas a bit in the 3rd and 4th km (4:24 and 4:28), and at around 2.5km this 13 year old girl went past me. I remember here from the last time I did this 6 months ago. I didn't want to let her beat me, but I also wasn't feeling like running at her consistent pace, so I thought I'd just keep her in my sights, and use her as motivation over the last 1km.

She was about 20 seconds ahead of me for much of the latter part of the race. Then with about 600m to go I started to up the effort levels, and even more so with 400m to go, and then full out sprint with 200m to go. She's some runner I tell you, because I was only about 5m down on her with 200 to go, and I had to really push to get past her, and I only got her by 1 second in the official results. She had good speed, and I'm guessing, whoever she is, she must do track running surely.

Last km was 3:48. The last 400m was about 75 seconds, and I went past about 7-8 people during this stage to come 30th. Certainly not the way to pace a 5k, but it's always going to be like that for a sprinter, and as I was not truly racing it, I didn't care too much. My finishing time was 21:02.

The winning time was only 18:01, so maybe the wind slowed people down, as it seemed like everyone was way down on PBs on their results. Have to say I didn't really notice the wind when running though. Maybe that run is worth about 30 seconds faster then, which would make more sense, as that 21:02 felt a lot harder than 21:02 should feel.

Good fun anyway. Will probably do another couple over the coming weeks.

Chivito550

Tuesday: 3.12km in 14:10. Easy jog to explore the area around my new place.

Saturday: Marlay Parkrun.

Went off at a slightly slower pace to last week, and it felt so much easier. Despite that, when I got to 4km, about 8 seconds up on last week, I didn't particularly feel like putting in the same 3:48 final kilometre like last week, so I cruised in, with just a small late kick to get ahead of a couple of guys just in front of me. Mentally I didn't want to put myself through unnecessary hurt, just to run about 20 seconds quicker, and with a reasonably long walk around Howth to come later that day, it was a good shout. Finishing time was 21:09 for 42nd, 7 seconds down on last week, though 12 places off last week, so a better standard this time. Bumped into DrQ on the start line. Was good to have a quick chat after then too. He finished 3rd in around 17:40.

Splits from last week:

4:13 - 4:05 - 4:24 - 4:28 - 3:48

Splits from this week:

4:16 - 4:07 - 4:15 - 4:24 - 4:06

Like last week this was run at around 85-90%, but it felt a bit easier this time.

Tuesday: 9.55km in 45:07

Hadn't planned on running quite this long. Originally the plan was for around 7-8km, over the usual distance of any long run I do. But decided to keep going for a bit longer. Went at a very comfortable pace, and cardio wise it was pretty easy, though the long distance felt a bit tough on the legs. Longest run I have done since I raced a 10km in Mebourne back in June 2011! This won't be a regular occurance. But beautiful evening to be out this evening.

Chivito550

Thursday:

Total run of 6.51km in 28:52. Went for 2.14km easy, 3.55km steady (whatever that means. Hard but not flat out was what I did), and then 0.82km easy.

2.14km - 9:49 (4:35 per/km pace)
3.55km - 15:12 (4:17 per/km pace)
0.82km - 3:49 (4:40 per/km pace)

Horrified to see that such a strong effort was only 4:17 pace, but I guess running solo is always going to feel worse than in a Parkrun.