Saturday Jan 20
1x4 20kg. 1x4 24.5kg. 1x4 29kg. hang snatch
1x4 1x6 1x8 back squat 20kg. Felt real stiff during the squats, kept the weight down there.
First time I’ve moved in over an year. Tried to do some tempo, wasn’t too successful. Due to mud, I had to do 30m. turn around 30m. to barely do 60m. Was really not ideal. The park I’m going to doesn’t really have any long, straight, flat places without obstacles or trees. After the session I did kind of figure out a circuit for next time, around the place I did the session today, but doing a circular path around some trees I can do a 100m. lap or so. So I’ll have to settle with that till the track opens and I can use the tracks’ infield. Mixed in a couple of 95% 10m. sprints at the end to test myself out. Surprisingly I’ve still got some jump. I’m nowhere near as rusty as I thought I’d be. I’d even risk saying I felt light and quick.
Weights after the tempo
3x4 hang snatch 20kg.
1x4 1x6 1x8 back squat 20kg.
Felt really tired for weights after the tempo, kept the weights real easy.
Began taking BCAA’s after weights on Saturday, some I had left from years ago (they’re not expired yet). Need to go buy a multivit in the next week. Have creatine left too which should be enough for this phase, but won’t start taking it till at least another week when I have no more adaptation pains. Don’t want to be cramping up.
Been reading my 2004 posts on the journal. It’s amazing how into athletics I was at that time. I think I should make a note to self : work on top speed. That should be my focus, lots of flying runs, 60’s 80’s etc. I definitely failed in the top speed department in those long gone seasons. Something I’m noticing is that for the first time in 5 years I actually feel like competing. I can’t wait to compete. During all those failed comebacks the past 5 years I never even really thought about competing, it wasn’t a goal. So I’m pretty sure the comeback is for real now.
First speed session in years. Since the park close to my work isn’t really ideal, I’ve decided to switch some sessions over to one closer to my current home. I’ll hopefully be training every Saturday and Sunday over there till the track reopens. The grass is perfect, although the terrain is slightly inclined.
Felt good, and the grass is real nice in this park. Pretty much died toward the end of the last rep, so I estimated well how much volume I could do this first session.
So, this is a great start and I’m on my way. There is a meet on February 6th. Just two weeks away. These early season meets normally have 60 or 80m. and that would be ideal, to fit in with my current stage. If the comp is 100 or 200 I’ll have to think about it. I’m not sure the injury risk is worth it.
Physically I’m feeling fine. My left ankle has been hurting after each of the last two sessions (only after). I think a hole I stepped in yesterday on one of my reps, tweaked my ankle a bit. Today I felt like that mild strain in the upper quads one always feels when unrusting after a layoff. I’m sure it’s nothing and besides I won’t be doing anything runningwise till Thursday or next Saturday I think, so that will be plenty of time to recover. Regardless I’m really feeling well. I think I’ll have no problem into jumping right into some track sessions when the track is available.
I was pretty much shot today. Couldn’t push it at all in weights. My quads were like jello, I almost fell down the subway stairs this morning unknowingly going down as normal, as soon as I tried to take the first step, man my quads were like all wobbly lol. I guess that’s good. Means the work was effective.
The schedule of the first comp of the season has been posted. 100m. @ 5:10 PM. Saturday Feb 6. I’ll be running there. Already decided, and I already got into contact with my old coach and told him to enter me into the comp.
Gawd I hope I make it to the finish line, 100m. is long for right now!!! I’ll have to do a pair of 60’s or 80’s this weekend to be sure I can make it. Sub 13 would probably be good for this comp. But really the only goal is to know where I am.
I’m dropping Creatine, or rather I won’t even begin taking it. I definitely don’t want to cramp up or get injured with all this crash speed work + the stiffness of taking creatine.
Really hard, long day, I barely had the energy to pull myself into the session. Did feel better towards the end slightly increased bench press weight.
Bought my multivit yesterday and took it today for the first time. So I’m good with supplementation for now, multivit once a day, and BCAA’s after workouts. Laying off creatine for now.
Legs were still sore today, my quads were still like jelly going down stairs, but towards the end of the day I finally started recovering. I think I can do a legs session tomorrow.
Tried to do a speed session, but my quads are still wrecked, after doing just two short accel reps my upper quads were super tight and sore, so I decided to change the session to tempo. Did the round circuit I saw the other day, the terrain is complicated and the turns are tight. I think I’m going to drop training in this park till the track opens. The spaces are decisively not usable. I was worried all the time about stepping into a hole and twisting my ankle in particular considering I was having to do tight turns. There is also dog shit EVERYWHERE :eek: in the park, I don’t know how I didn’t step into any.
Was so wrecked and tired afterwards I couldn’t get myself to do lower body weights.
Felt great today. Felt real strong, finally moved up a but in weights. I hope I feel this good for speed tomorrow.
I have a dilemma, either go to the park I went to last weekend, go to baseball practice and do track before baseball, or go to hills with my old training group. I’m leaning towards the hills because they’d be the work I need the most right now.
Oh, I had been forgetting, yeah I’ve been playing baseball the last year. It’s a pretty hilarous and informal team of american players here in the argentine league. We really never practice and just go to the games, then play poker, etc. So although it’s nothing serious I think that contributed to me not being in as bad shape as I thought I was before starting track.
EXCELLENT workout, and felt good. Not very fast, but good, with good form, maintaining form. Let’s see what I can do next week. Sub 13 at least.
My ex-training group actually did 8x170m., but I decided to do only two, more would have been too much volume, thought I felt like I could have done 2 more at least. I was running next to someone that did 26secs. the 170m. Not sure what that translates to on a flat surface.
I’ve struggled yesterday and today to make some time to train at the tartan track, in particular starts, but it was impossible. I’ll have to settle for some type of session tomorrow at the rundown park close to me. Damnit I really need that track to open.
Wednesday Feb 3
3x4 24.5kg. hang snatch
1x8 20kg. 1x8 24.5kg. back squat
Rained all day today, that ruled going to the park out. Gonna try to go the tartan track tomorrow … no guarantees though. I also found the government doesn’t plan to reopen the track where I want to train till at least March, because they want to make a political act of it. FU-- THAT.
Finally didn’t do anything this weekend. In a freudian slip I left my spikes at my workplace Friday and couldn’t make time to get them Saturday (woke up kinda late). I guess that was my subconscious saying I wasn’t ready to run yet. No comp for normal athletes this week (there is a meet for “elite” :D:p hahaha athletes - that means like 10.80-11.10/12.30-12.60 for women - here in Argentina).
I have two weeks to get ready for my next meet. Hoping to try to train at the track tomorrow.
Took Wednesday off, legs Tuesday destroyed me. Was still sore today. Going to the track on Saturday to get some work in and will do some tempo Sunday.
Did a thorough recon of the park close to me today, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s useless. There isn’t a single straight of more then 50m. because it’s all crisscrossed by sidewalks and roads, and there is no even terrain anywhere. Nothing I can do at that park till the track opens, which in theory will be March. The track is perfect and finished, now I have to wait for the political ribbon cutting to take place. Till then they let no one in. Geez, what a fucked up corrupt country.
First comp is now Sat. Feb 20, 200m. @ 3:50 PM. I’m 100% positive I’m running there. Sub 25 would be miracle with zero training.
Went to the synthetic track where there was a comp and did some work. Wow, was the first time in like 5 years I put spikes on. Felt great … on the first 40 :D. Lol, I think I spent all my energy there, because the next three I felt flat on acceleration. 150’s weren’t bad, did them on a flying start, since it was pointless to try accelerating from a stop. I think I’m not in that bad a shape, I feel reasonably quick.
I also found out there is a track at another park close to me, but it’s only 300m. But who cares as long as it’s usable. I’ll investigate Tuesday when I should do track again.
I’ll be buying a stopwatch early this next week, don’t have anything to time recovery with right now.
The happening of the day, was that I saw a world record, yeah, lol, A WORLD RECORD. One really doesn’t expect in the midst of the mediocrity that is an argentine track meet, to see something like that (male 100m. winner 10.85, women 12.47). There is this 17 year old javelin throwing prodigy here, he got bronze in last years youth world champs - with another year in the youth category ahead. Today he threw 84.85m. 3m. clear of the old record, and 5m. farther then his PB of last year. Geez, you could tell from his warmup he was going to do something huge, his warmup throws were almost hitting the tartan at the end of the field. The infield probably only has 90m. in the national high performance center’s track. Then his first throw was that, WR, and I think he threw even farther on some warmup throws. He packed up and left after that first throw. I guess he wants to improve it again elsewhere. All things said, I haven’t seen anyone in any category throw even close to that far, in particular since javelin really doesn’t have many people practicing it here. So that was pretty cool, as a sprinter one doesn’t get very excited about field events, but when you think about it, this is the equivalent of like if I had seen Usain Bolt pop his 200m. World Youth record.
Tuesday Feb 17
Circuit
3 reps :
8 x pullups
12 x dips
20 x situp
12 x pushups
8 squat
All body weight.
Will do 2 sets of 3 reps next session. This week is unloading week. Thought I’d do something to vary, and hypertrophy some.
Wednesday Feb 18
Went to the track close to me which I found about last week. The great news, it’s only 8 blocks away and it’s in good shape. But it’s only 300m. I think the straights are like 80 and the curves 70 or something like that. It’s in the most inlikely of places, a run down park next to a highway close to where I am working right now.
The bad news, I warmed up and was unable to do anything. Major psoas/adductor tightness, in particular my right leg probably has a strain, it was hurting when I did strides and accels. Will keep on doing upper body weights and reevaluate what I can do Saturday. Will almost surely go to a baseball game on Sunday.
Felt really burnt out, but luckily with virtually no pain. Was planning to do 4x60m. but I felt so flat, I went directly to the 150’s. The weather was really shitty, like really high atmospheric pressure, lots of humidity, drizzle. I think that was the main factor in the poor quality of the work. I had the first hint of where I am at, I did the 150 reps with some other guys from my ex training group, and the were doing low to mid 17’s, and I was about 5-8m. behind. So I was doing mid 18. Considering how flat I was feeling I probably can do 17.5 on a good day = aprox. 24-24.5 secs 200m.
Sunday Feb 21
Preseason baseball game
1-4, 1 run scored, 1 SB
Was an average game, was lost at the plate the first at bat, I hadn’t grabbed a bat in like 4 months. The second I finally got the timing but unluckily hit a hard comebacker right into the pitchers glove, third at bat hit the ball with the tip of the bat for a weak groundout, last at bat lined one opposite field, stole 2nd, then scored on an RBI single. Absolutely no work in outfield today, I didn’t get a single ball batted my way the whole game.
Finally my first session on the cinder track close to me. Ratcheted down the volume because I hadn’t quite recovered from Sat/Sunday. Wanted to do 4x60 and 2x120 at least.
in the park, I don’t know how I didn’t step into any.