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Running Aimlessly Down Under - From 54 to 53 sec 400m
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Chivito550 wrote: »Great day at the Ton Le Gaoithe sprinters meet in Waterford. First up 12.53 for 100m with a +1.2 tailwind, coming a very close second in my heat, a new PB, bettering a time that stood from my time in Melbourne. Then an hour later I managed to win my heat (very rare that I've won any races) in 12.54 into a -0.3 headwind. Just a fraction slower than the first race but a better run adjusting for the wind. Finished off the meet after that with a 25.26 in the 200m with a +1.6 tailwind, a new PB by 0.16 seconds. My first sprint PBs since running the sub 55 for 400m at Nationals almost 2 years ago. And all my Australia sprint PBs are finally all broken. Absolutely over the moon, and particularly satisfying after that awful injury back in November. Time for multiple PB beers!
Good days work well done. No poncy craft ****e now, real beer or 7up that's the deal with pbs.0 -
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My second meet of the summer season took me to the fantastic blue mondo track in Waterford for the Ton le Gaoithe meet. This was one which I had bookmarked as one of the key meets this summer, along with Nationals. Firstly because it is a tailwind meet, where the organisers set up the start and finish line on the side of the track which the wind is following the athletes. This being Ireland, and the fact the wind can just change any second at will, means it does not guarantee a tailwind, but it greatly improves the chances. 18 of the 27 races had a tailwind in the end, so the odds were good that there would be good conditions to run fast 100 and 200 times. The name of the meet translates to “Arse to the wind” which is very apt. Secondly the track is a fantastic Mondo facility, one of the best in the country. And finally because this is an all sprinters meet, with no middle distance events to share the limelight with. At things like the Irish Milers Club meets, sprinters are a token extra. Here it was all about sprinters.
Build-up:
I was feeling very good entering this meet. I knew I was in good shape. My speed and power has improved a lot, and I contribute some of that to the short steep hills I have been doing since early March. The weather forecast looked good, so I felt it really was a foregone conclusion that I would nab at least one PB. I asked a friend of mine to provide me odds on getting a PB. He had me at 1-4 to grab at least one PB, evens to nab a 100 and 200 double, and a 3-1 shot to get a PB in each of my 3 races. I liked the sound of those odds!
I was quite nervous and pumped up during the week, which got more intense the closer I got to the meet. I knew I would run well, but I just wanted to get out and do it. The waiting around during the week only helped to build up more and more nervous energy.
After the forecast all week suggesting a full day of glorious uninterrupted sunshine and 16 degrees, come the morning of the meet, I see they are now forecasting clouds for most of the meet. This was a bit disappointing after convincing myself it would be sunny.
PBs:
My PBs have stood for quite a while. Part of this is down to the fact I have not raced the 100 and 200 anywhere near as much since moving home. My 100m best was 12.58 with an illegal +2.7 tailwind in October 2013. I’m not all that anal about the whole 2.0 limit when it comes to my own PB. If I got a +4.5 tailwind or something I wouldn’t count it, but slightly over the limit I don’t really care, as I’m not exactly going to the Olympics. That said, my legal PB was 12.63 with a +1.1 in March 2014. I’ve run a few better races than these but the times were punished by strong headwinds.
My 200m PB was 25.42 with a +0.9 tailwind from May 2014. I had run between 25.42 and 25.49 a frustrating 5 times, but could never go quicker. One or two of these I would have had it not been for headwinds.
Conditions
Despite there being a lot of cloud cover, it still felt warm. Temperatures were 14 degrees, but it felt like a warm 14 degrees. A vague sunlight would creep through the cloud cover. Conditions stayed much the same throughout the 100m. However for my 200m the sun had properly come out and so it felt warmer again. By Irish standards it was a good day for racing.
100m Race 1:
We each got two 100m races, which is great value for the €5 entry fee, and was something which would be a completely new experience to me. You often see in major championships athletes running a semi and a final in the space of 90 minutes or so. I remember Derval running out of her skin to squeeze into the world final in 2009 with a 12.73. You would have assumed she’d have nothing left for the final, but she comes out and runs 12.67, even faster than before, and just misses a medal. I was looking forward to having a shot at trying to run consistently fast times in such a short space of time, with just 70 minutes or so in between both my races.
For race 1 I was drawn in the 6th of 6 heats. I had done a bit of a google check on the others in my race, and reckoned I’d have a serious shot at winning this heat. There were athletes in heats 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. The guy in lane 5 didn’t show up, so being in lane 4, I had an empty lane beside me. In lane 6 was a lad I raced back in the Connacht Indoors over 200m. He beat me on that occasion by about half a second, but I was only returning from injury then and was not near my best. I expected to beat him this time.
Gun went off and I got out ok I thought, though I found myself a metre or so down on the young lad in lane 2 and the previously mentioned guy in lane 6. There was another lad in lane 7 who was also in contention but I didn’t really notice him. Around half way into the race I get into my groove and start to close on the two ahead, and with about 20m to go I go by the lad in lane 6, and very slowly close the small gap to the guy in lane 2 but I ran out of track. We were virtually level, but my instinct was that he just held me off. I looked straight over at the clock and saw 12.52. This is a new sensation for me. I’m used to seeing the time after and then trying to calculate my rough time based on that. Actually seeing my own time on the clock was a pretty cool experience. I knew I had PBed. The results were announced almost immediately. He had indeed held me off with a 12.51, while I took second in 12.53 seconds, a new PB. The lad in lane 6 took third in 12.63, and the guy in lane 7 ran 12.70. It was a very close competitive race, one which I thoroughly enjoyed being part of. The wind was confirmed as +1.2 m/s. I felt afterwards that I had more there and hoped to go faster in the second race. It was a good run but there were elements of sloppiness in it and didn’t feel smooth the whole way.
100m Race 2:
I rested for a 30-40 minutes or so, and then got back into a lighter warm up. Keeping myself ticking over, as I’m already warmed up from earlier. The draw for heat 2 was based on the results of heat 1, and I again ended up in the slowest heat. Had I won my first race I would have ended up in the second last heat, as the guy who pipped me got bumped up, and then proceeded to run much slower in his second race. Other than that there was no change to the line up. There were 4 in my heat. I was in lane 4 this time, with the lad I had raced before at indoors, and who I pipped in the first race, beside me in lane 5.
Around this time the tailwind turned around and became a headwind. One of the heats before me had a -0.5. This was a bit frustrating.
I felt I got out better this time, but the lad beside me really caught a flier and had gained a metre on me pretty quickly. At first I was a bit alarmed by this, as my thoughts were that he shouldn’t be ahead of me based on the last race. I kept focused on myself and started to reel him in over the second half of the race, and with 10m to go I felt I was going to take him, and just squeezed past him in the nick of time. It was extremely close. I wasn’t certain, but felt I had won it. I felt a headwind during part of this race. It wasn’t super strong or anything, but there definitely was a small bit of resistance there. After finishing I looked immediately over to the clock to see 12.56, which was a bit frustrating, as I knew the change in wind direction butchered my PB assault, in what felt like a better run. My time was confirmed as 12.54 seconds into a -0.3 m/s headwind, just a tiny 0.01 outside my PB, but a better run adjusting for wind. I got the win, which is the first time I’ve won a race since claiming a graded 400m victory in 2014. Second place was 12.56.
I was delighted with the consistency of these runs, and to manage to step it up even more in the second race, which was a sign that my endurance is pretty good.
200m:
The gap between my second 100m and my 200m was probably only 45 minutes or so. At this point I’m starting to feel tired. Not just physically, but also mentally. Going through the pre-race routine, and getting pumped up with adrenaline 3 times in about 2 hours is exhausting. I was in heat 5 of 5, and was drawn in lane 7, the outside lane, with 6 of us in the race.
I got a bit distracted beforehand. Throughout the day we had to wear stickers on each side of our shorts signaling what lane we were in. However these stickers are totally useless, and just fall off with even the mildest pre-race stride. They even fell off while I was getting into my blocks for my first race, and one came off as I crossed the finish line of my second one and somehow ended up under my spikes. They were a right nuisance, and completely pointless and I did not want to wear them, but the official was very much by the book, even though I told her it is a complete waste of time, and actually a distraction.
Anyway, at first I set up my blocks in lane 8 as that was the lane I had originally been assigned during the week. Then I set up my blocks in lane 7, did some srides out of the blocks, the stupid stickers came off and I just threw them away. Then they call “on your marks” and I end up sitting into my competitors blocks in lane 6. So up we stand. Then I see my other sticker sitting in lane 7. I put my hand up, run over, grab the blasted thing, and throw it away. The whole episode calmed me a good bit and I had a small laugh about it.
In my heat were 3 lads who I knew would be well ahead of me. In lane 6, just inside me was the lad I had beaten already in both races, just pipping him in the second race. I expected to complete the treble over the longer distance. In lane 4 was my training partner who is a top masters runner, and who had run well in his 100m races earlier, in the heat before me on both occasions. I had a feeling both would go out hard and I’d then have to go past them on the straight.
I decided I’d try something different in this race. Usually I just go flat out and try hang on. This time I opted to go flat out to 50, float to 100 and then kick down the straight. I felt a bit tired from 2 races already and wasn’t sure I had the gas to run the usual style. It’s also good to try different ways of racing. I got out well, but the lad inside me again got off to a stormer, and had eaten up the stagger quickly. I stayed calm, and floated hard around the bend, staying in contact with him. As I come towards the straight I see than my training partner has also eaten up the stagger on me, but I kick hard coming onto the straight, and felt great. I started to close on the two ahead quite quickly. I went past the guy beside me with 40m to go and he seemed spent, and then with about 20m to go went past my training partner, and finished a comfortable 4th. I was about 9m or so down on the other 3, and saw a high 23 come up on the clock, and reckoned I had to have PBed. I felt great during that race. Perhaps I should have pushed a small bit more from 50-100 as I had a lot in the tank for the second half of the race.
At first they allocated the times wrong. I saw 25.74 or something beside my name and was confused. Then I saw they had me last which I certainly wasn’t. I wasted no time informing them and they corrected the error. I recorded a clocking of 25.26 seconds with a +1.6 m/s tailwind, a new PB by 0.16 seconds. I was absolutely buzzing. It wasn’t a perfect race, and I think there might have been another tenth there, but I was delighted with that after a compact afternoon of racing.
Reflection:
I’m delighted with the afternoon’s work. I got good conditions, the track was good, I was in competitive races, and I ran well, nabbing two PBs and just missing out on a third. These were my first sprint PBs since I ran 54.88 for 400m at the 2014 Nationals. Having that PB feeling again was something I really embraced and I was on a high for the rest of the day. It’s also nice to finally have all my Melbourne PBs now broken (well from 100 to 800m anyway). The 100m one stuck around for awhile, but it is now consigned to history.
I’m particularly satisfied with these PBs when I think where I came from. An awful groin tear back in November which took ages to heal. Barely being able to walk the next few days. Then a dreadfully slow first jog back at the start of January, covering 1.5km in just 10 minutes. Frustration at being destroyed in training by guys I should have been up with in sessions. And the disappointment of slow times during the indoors, which came too soon for me to run well. But things have progressed well since early March, and training has gone well, so it’s great to get the reward for it.
I also hope this can be a form of motivation for others who have suffered dreadful muscle tears and feel like they will never get back. There were times I wondered would I ever get back to my best, so slow and frustrating the process of recovery was. All that frustration makes days like this all the more satisfying.
What next?
Because of where I came from back in November, this season has already been a success no matter what happens. However, I have no intention of stopping there. I want to get my 100m time down to sub 12.4 and my 200m down to sub 25 this season. I’ll need luck with the weather and win direction of course, but there is definitely plenty of improvement to be made. I now have a 3 week block of training, before a busy June of racing where I plan to race 4 weekends in a row, at Leinsters, National League, NI Champs and Nationals, when I want to be peaking. Three of these four meets are on Mondo tracks which is an added plus.
The meet:
A final word on the meet. A great concept and very athlete friendly. I haven’t a bad word to say about it. It was thoroughly enjoyable and a really well organized day of racing. We even had a lad come all the way over from Sweden especially for this meet, which is pretty mad, but equally awesome. I remembered what Eoin Everard said after winning his double at the National Indoors this year. Something along the lines of “this is a great thing to be involved in”, and those were words I kept with me in the lead up to this event and throughout the day, to help me from getting over nervous. It really was a great event to be involved in.0 -
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Time for an update since last weekend's races in Waterford. I took Sunday off as my body was feeling sore after all the racing on Saturday, so thought it best to have a full day off, enjoy the PBs, and then get back into it on Monday.
Monday: Gym
For various reasons (sick and upcoming race) I haven't got to do the Thursday gym routine of this phase of training for a few weeks, so decided to do it on Monday and Thursday this week.
A: Front Squats (with very low depth): 3 x 4 @ 67.5kg, 70kg, 70kg
B: Split squats (no step): 2 x 6 on each side @ 16kg in each hand
C1: Bench Press: 3 x 4 @ 60kg, 62.5kg, 65kg
C2: Chin-ups: 4, 4, 3 @ 8.75kg, 10kg, 10kg
Myrtl Routine
E: Skipping
F: Heel Raises: 3 x 8 on each side @ 16kg
Tuesday: Hills
Over to my local hill for some short sharp strength work. 6 x 60m (20m steep - 20m flat - 20m steep). Times were:
10.8 - 11.0 - 10.9 - 11.0 - 10.6 - 10.9
Recoveries were approx 1:45.
About 16 degrees. Warm and intermittently sunny, and dry, but very windy. The wind was sort of diagonal to the direction I was running, so was more a cross wind than a full tailwind. My average was 0.8 seconds faster than the one other time I did this session, back on St Patrick's Day, in very nice weather on that occasion too.
Wednesday: Track
5 x 200m with 1 min standing recovery + 200m jog. Recoveries were pretty much 3 minutes on the button, give or take a few seconds. I ran these in the distance spikes, running the first 3 reps on the balls of my feet, and the last 2 flat footed. Times were:
30.7 - 31.0 - 30.1 - 30.0 - 30.7
Was pretty happy with those times. Warm and dry at around 14 degrees. Very nice weather for training.
Thursday: Gym
A: Front Squats (with very low depth): 3 x 4 @ 70kg
B: Split squats (no step): 2 x 6 on each side @ 18kg in each hand
C1: Bench Press: 3 x 4 @ 62.5kg, 65kg, 67.5kg
C2: Chin-ups: 4, 4, 3 @ 10kg Myrtl Routine
E: Skipping
F: Heel Raises: 3 x 8 on each side @ 16kg
Saturday: Track
Relay practice. Passing and receiving the baton.
5 x approx 70m + passing the batton
4 x receiving the batton + approx 70m
After the relay work we finished off with 2 x 100m with walk back recovery. Baton changeovers went well. Started off sloppy and there was a bit of trial and error involved, but nailed some very good ones as the session went on.
Lovely warm and sunny weather. Perfect for a session.
Sunday: Track
400-300-200-100 with 4 mins, 3 mins and 2 mins recovery. Wore the distance spikes for this and run them all flat footed except the 100 at the end. Times were:
66.0 - 48.8 - 30.6 - ?
Didn't time the 100 at the end. Back when I was a 400m runner I would have been disappointed with those times, but not all that bothered now. Got a good endurance session in and am not hung up on times for long reps. Strange morning for it. It was sunny and very warm during the warm up. Then the rain came out at the start of the session and it was quite cold rain. Didn't last long and it was mild and overcast for the rest of the session.0 -
After a 6 day week last week, Monday to Thursday this week has continued a heavy block of training leading into a month of racing in June.
Monday: Gym
I was due to start a new programme this week, but we had our club AGM nearby at 8pm, so I was tight for time, so didn’t want to waste any time trying to get my bearings with the new programme, so opted to stay on the old programme for one more week.
A: Front Squats (with very low depth): 3 x 4 @ 70kg
B: Romanian Deadlifts: 2 x 6 @ 57.5kg in each hand
C1: Bench Press: 4, 4, 3 @ 65kg, 65kg, 67.5kg
C2: Chin-ups: 4, 4, 2 @ 10kg Myrtl Routine
E: Skipping
F: Heel Raises: 3 x 8 on each side @ 16kg
Tuesday: Hills
Back to my steep hill. This time I did a longer session than normal, given I won’t be training this weekend. 12 x 40m steep with 1:30 walk back recovery. Conditions were glorious. Sunny, no clouds, and only a light cross wind. Times were:
? – 7.5 – 7.8 – 7.5 – 7.6 – 7.7
7.7 – 7.8 – 7.7 – 7.5 – 7.5 – 7.6
Absolutely delighted with that session. That is the fastest I have done these in, and to manage it in a session with 12 reps, rather than the usual 8-10 is particularly pleasing.
Wednesday: Track
With the graded meet being on we sort of had to rush through our warm up a bit, so we didn’t get to do our usual track warm up. Session was 6 x 120m starting on the bend with the last 30m being on the straight. Felt a bit sluggish for the first 3, but felt much better for the second 3. Was fairly exhausted afterwards. It’s far harder doing 120s on the bend than on the straight. Bend running feels more demanding. Afterwards myself and one of the lads did a small bit of relay baton practice.
Thursday: Grass
Snuck in a cheeky session in the Iveagh Gardens at lunch time. I got perfect weather for the session. I was hoping it wouldn’t be sunny as then the garden would be full of people sitting out, kicking football, throwing frisbee etc, which would have made things tricky. Instead it was clam, overcast and humid and I almost had the entire grass area to myself. It’s great for running on as the grass is cut very short. I did 6 x 100m with a 2 minute walk back recovery. Times were:
14.8 – 14.6 – 14.5 – 14.5 – 14.5 – 14.4
Very happy with those times, considering it’s on grass and I was wearing road running shoes.
I’m off to Paris this evening for 3 nights, so I think I might leave the running gear at home and afford myself a small break after training hard 10 of the last 11 days. I think I would struggle to find time to run out there this weekend, and I’m not staying anywhere near a park. Last year I went to Paris mid season and trekked out to a track 2 of the days to do sessions, which our very own brianderunner and Rainbow Kirby that weekend referred to as “utter madness”.
I’ve tickets to the French Open tennis at Roland Garros tomorrow and Saturday which I’m excited about, which will bring me half way to the “Spectator Grand Slam”, and then a sneaky trip to Disneyland on the Sunday. Then back into it on Monday, ahead of Leinsters the following Sunday.0 -
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Friday to Sunday: Three days off training for a trip to Paris. 2 great days at Roland Garros, where I got a full day tennis on the Friday, and a three quarter day of tennis on the Saturday, with just one 2 and a half hour rain delay. Can't complain with that given the total washouts that have followed since. Went to Disneyland Paris on the Sunday, and according to my phone I walked 27km throughout that 24 hour period. My feet were in absolute agony late in the day heading to the airport.
Monday: Gym
First day of the new gym routine.
A: Squats: 4 x 4 @ 70kg, 72.5kg, 75kg, 75kg
B: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg
C1: 30 degree Bench Press: 3 x 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg
C2: Wide Grip Chin-ups: 3 x 4 Skipping
E: Myrtl Routine-Hip mobility
F: Heel Raises: 3 x 6 on each leg @ 15kg
Tuesday: Hills
Short steep hills near my house in glorious sunny warm weather. Around 20 degrees. 9 x 40m steep with 1:20 min recoveries. Times were:
7.9 - 7.8 - 7.7 - 7.7 - 8.0 - 7.9 - 7.7 - 7.7 - 7.7
A slight bit slower than last week but not by much. Consistent running.
Wednesday: Grass
With Irishtown closed and with no other track available to us we did a grass session, in more stunning weather. 4 x (30-60-30-60) with jog back recoveries within sets, and 5 minites between sets. It wasn't the world's hardest session, which is not the worst thing coming into Leinsters. Did a small bit of baton practice afterwards.
Thursday: Massage and Core & bodyweight
Massage in the morning. Had plans for Thursday evening so no gym session, but did a 25 minute session in the Ivy Gardens during my lunch break.
A: Skipping
B: Myrtl Routine-Hip Mobility
C: One-Legged Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 on each leg Front Planks: 3 x 60 secs
Saturday: Track
More lovely warm weather for a track session out in Greystones. A very light session with Leinsters tomorrow. We did baton practice. 4 reps where I was receiving the baton, where I didn't run on for long afterwards, then 2 reps where I was giving the baton and probably ran 60-70m each time. Then we finished off with a proper 4x100 for practice. Glad we did that as a dry run as there were a few sloppy changeovers which can be adjusted now. I ran one 60m from a three point start after the relay work.
Leinsters tomorrow now after 3 weeks of training since Waterford. The first 11 days were really intensive, but it has been much easier since returning from Paris. Looking forward to getting out racing tomorrow, the first of a lot of meets in June. Tomorrow I'm running the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Forecasted to be 25 degrees, so lots of suncream and water will be required.0 -
Awesome day at the Leinster Championships in lovely warm conditions in Tullamore. First a 25.55 (+0.7) for the 200m, 0.29 slower than the PB from 3 weeks ago. Felt I ran well so was disappointed with the time. Next up a 12.35 (+1.5) for 100m, a big PB, improving by 0.18 from my previous best. Shocked I ran that fast on not the quickest of tracks, and that's under my target for the season of sub 12.4. Finished up by winning the 4x100 relay with a great squad of athletes. More PB beers to come. I could get used to these! 0
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We were prepared to run well, but knowing that Drogheda were our only competitors sort of took a lot of pressure off, and I relaxed quite a bit in the lead up as a result. No disrespect to them, but I knew they had no chance of beating us
In fairness we would have a decent relay team if we entered one properly. Lee, sam, andrew, all running 22/23 seconds over 200. Lee ran 10.8 for 100 in the louth championships(wind on back). So dont be so quick to write us off
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IvoryTower wrote: »In fairness we would have a decent relay team if we entered one properly. Lee, sam, andrew, all running 22/23 seconds over 200. Lee ran 10.8 for 100 in the louth championships(wind on back). So dont be so quick to write us off
Haha, well yeh of course. Same with us. Loads of quicker guys than us in our club, but we picked the team from our own group. Nothing to do with the club, just the lads you had running didn't seem well prepared, but good on them for giving it a bash. Wish a few others did likewise.0 -
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Videos of my 100m and 4x100m Relay last Sunday:
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Tuesday: Gym
Dropping the volume back now with lots of competitions coming up.
A: Squats: 3 x 4 @ 72.5kg, 75kg, 77.5kg
B: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 45kg, 45kg, 47.5kg
C: 30 degree Bench Press: 6,6,4 @ 47.5kg, 50kg, 52.5kg Skipping
E: Myrtl Routine-Hip mobility
Wednesday: Track
3 x (40-60-80) with 5 mins between sets, and slow walk back within sets. Was very foggy and humid, reasonably warm. The air quality wasn't the best.
Thursday: Hills
7 x 40m steep with 1:50 recovery. Times were:
? - 7.7 - 7.6 - 7.6 - 7.6 - 7.6 - 7.5
Conditions were warm and humid, and very still. Around 20 degrees.
Saturday: Track
Trained on the indoor track in Santry this morning for some speed work. 5 x 30m from blocks with lots of recovery. Got lots of feedback off the coach who was recording them on video. Very happy with how my start has progressed.
Racing at the National League tomorrow as a guest in the 100m and 200m. Conditions don't look all that brilliant at the moment. Hopefully the rain stays away.0 -
Another day, another PB, my 4th of the season so far. 25.10 (+0.5) for 200m at National League in Santry, an improvement of 0.16 on my previous best, and with a slower tailwind to what I had that time (+1.6). Was probably on to sneak under that 25 second barrier, but the legs failed me a bit in the last 30m. Then I ran 12.40 (+1.2) for the 100m, backing up my PB from last weekend, just 0.05 down on it. Really nice conditions for racing again today. Time for PB beers and some football! 0
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Chivito550 wrote: »Another day, another PB, my 4th of the season so far. 25.10 (+0.5) for 200m at National League in Santry, an improvement of 0.16 on my previous best, and with a slower tailwind to what I had that time (+1.6). Was probably on to sneak under that 25 second barrier, but the legs failed me a bit in the last 30m. Then I ran 12.40 (+1.2) for the 100m, backing up my PB from last weekend, just 0.05 down on it. Really nice conditions for racing again today. Time for PB beers and some football!
Wow, another PB! That was quick! Well done.0 -
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Monday: Took a day off on Monday after Sunday’s endeavours. With the Ireland game being on it worked out pretty well, and had a few pints instead.
Tuesday: Gym
A: Squats: 3 x 4 @ 72.5kg, 75kg, 77.5kg
B: Standing Goodmornings: 3 x 6 @ 47.5kg, 50kg, 50kg
C: 30 degree Bench Press: 6,6,4 @ 50kg, 52.5kg, 50kg Skipping
E: Myrtl Routine-Hip mobility
Wednesday: Track
Nice sunny evening for this. 120-100-80 5 mins 80-100-120 with walk back recoveries. Felt a bit heavy during much of this session, but felt my endurance was good and my pace didn’t drop off in the last couple of reps like it did with some of the others guys.
Felt myself starting to come down with a dose yesterday before training, and I woke up with a sore throat this morning and a headcold. It’s not too bad at the moment though. I’m going to knock this evening’s planned steep hill sprint session on the head and have 2 full days off to shake this cold. Saturday will be an easy session at the coach’s orders, so that I am fresh for the Northern Ireland Championships on Sunday. Hopefully I will have shaken this cold by then.
The next 2 weeks will be the last 2 weeks of my season from a high intensity point of view being realistic. This season was always going to be based around June, with Nationals being early. My coach was saying to me that I’ve already had a great season, and anything else is a bonus. If there are more PBs to come this season then they are going to probably have to happen in the next 2 weeks (9 days to be precise now at this stage), with NI Champs in Belfast this Sunday, and then Nationals Saturday week.
After that I just can’t see me maintaining this level of intensity throughout the remainder of the season. There is a massive lull after Nationals with very little racing on for a few weeks. I am heading off to Amsterdam for the Euros and that will impact my training. Then when I come back, the only weekend meets which are on the cards are National League Round 2 (which would involve a massive trek to either Belfast or Cork), and the Leixlip LeCheile meet on July 30. There’s a few graded meets but I don’t like racing those as I am never at my best after a long day or work, so there’s no real point targeting them.
In general July will be a fun month I think. Irish Beer Mile Champs, then Euros in Amsterdam (not sure if there is a media race or not given it’s a shorter championships), a few races here and there, I might even do one 400m race for “fun”, and perhaps a trip to London for the Beer Mile World Classic to close out my season. I’ll keep training, but the hard focussed training will probably end post nationals.
Whatever happens for the rest of the season, I am absolutely thrilled with how this season has gone, particularly given the nasty injury back in November. Now I’ll try to put the icing on the cake over these next 2 meets, and then have some fun in July.0 -
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxdaUE12sFI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDJzy-yNGEc
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