Friday Jan 24
Off day
Saturday Jan 25
4x10m.
6x30m.
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.
Sunday Jan 24
Tempo 2x4x100m.
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.
Monday Jan 25
Pullups 1x4, 1x6, 1x8
Dips 3x12
Biceps curls 1x8 1x10 1x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 20kg. 1x12 24.5kg. 1x12 29kg.
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.
Wednesday Jan 27
Pullups 1x4, 1x6, 1x8
Dips 3x12
Biceps curls 1x8 1x10 1x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 24.5kg. 1x12 29kg. 1x12 33.5kg.
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.
Thursday Jan 28
Warmup
2x20m. speed
6x110m. tempo
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.
Wow, I can’t believe I’ve reached 1,000 posts. I hope I’ve contributed something useful to the community in some of my posts.
Friday Jan 29
Pullups 3x8
Dips 3x12 2.25kg.
Biceps curls 3x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 29kg. 1x12 33.5kg. 1x12 38kg.
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.
Saturday Jan 30
Hills
6x40m.
2x170m.
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.
Tuesday Feb 2
Pullups 3x8
Dips 3x12 2.25kg.
Biceps curls 3x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 29kg. 1x12 33.5kg. 1x12 38kg.
Ready to go up in weight a bit next session.
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.
Thursday Feb 4
Pullups 3x8
Dips 3x12 4.5kg.
Biceps curls 3x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 33.5kg. 1x12 38kg. 1x12 42.5kg.
Well, couldn’t get any track in this week. But I feel good for Saturday. Can’t wait to know exactly where I am.
Monday Feb 8
Pullups 3x8
Dips 3x12 4.5kg.
Biceps curls 3x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 33.5kg. 1x12 38kg. 1x12 42.5kg.
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.
Tuesday Feb 09
1x4 24.5kg. 1x4 29kg. 1x4 33.5kg. hang snatch
1x8 29kg. 1x8 33.5kg. 1x8 38kg. back squat
Felt real good. I think I can begin moving up in weight in squats and maybe introduce front squat next week.
Thursday Feb 11
Pullups 3x8
Dips 3x12 4.5kg.
Biceps curls 3x12 20kg.
Bench press 1x12 33.5kg. 1x12 38kg. 1x12 42.5kg.
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.
Saturday Feb 13
4x40m.
2x150m.
All untimed.
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.
Saturday Feb 20
1x60m.
2x150m.
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.
Running 100m. next Sat, now for real.
Wednesday Feb 24
2x40m.
2x120m.
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.
Saturday Feb 27
Ran 100m.
12.48 (+2.0) 2h4
Sunny, 26ºC aprox.
I guess this was right around what I thought I was at, mid 12’s or so. I actually estimated 12.3-12.5 manual, and this was 12.2 manual, so that was a good result. I felt average, was really flat on acceleration. I hadn’t recovered at all from Wednesday’s session and a tough week in general. I’ve felt much quicker then this on the sessions I’ve been well rested.
I think I’ll be close to 12 flat in the next race. I should move up my training session to Tuesday instead of Wednesday, to get to next Sat well rested.
After next week there won’t be any races for two weeks apparently, so I’ll try to move up to three speed sessions a week those weeks.
The weather was great, but the max positive wind is weird, the times were pretty poor this comp even for the winners.
In conclusion it felt great to be back, would be better if I go the race rested, I felt heavy legged, not smooth and not fast today, so I think luckily there is much I can improve quickly. All in all it was great to be back, really enjoyed the race and running again, which is what this is all about.
Next week my wife will probably be there so I might get some film of the race, which would be great to see.
So, after many chaotic years of my life, I’ve finally pulled things together and am on a solid comeback pace. For the first time in I can’t remember how long, I have genuine motivation, I’m not running just “to do something” or “for old times sake”. I’ve gotten back with my old athletics friends, with my old coach. Just feels great to be back.
I’ve been doing hills for 8 weeks now. Next week I’ll be starting track work. Still not doing that many sessions a week, I guess I’ll keep it at 3 a week for now, don’t want to do too much too soon. My idea is to have a light prep and compete from mid September to mid December (which is summer here).
My main goal is to compete a lot this year, I just feel like running a lot. I’m not overall worried about times. But I guess I’m aiming for something like my 2002 season, when I started track after 3 years doing nothing, I went from 13.3 to 11.7 and 23.5 in three months of competitions. I’ll just be aiming to improve in every competition.
Everything keeps looking good, I keep adding training sessions, when I’m training nearly daily I’ll start keeping track of my daily workouts in my journal, till then I don’t think it’s worth noting down any of my scrappy training, which has been mosly acc. dev. I’m beginning to see clear progress the last two weeks. When I started the hills 9 weeks ago, even then girls in the training group were beating me, now only the best three men in the training group are accelerating faster then me (I’m not competing against anyone or anything like that, I’ve been doing the hills at a constant 95% effort since week 1). This obviously has to do with how out of shape I was, so I guess it’s expected to see such quick progress after such a long layoff. I estimate 9 weeks ago I couldn’t even run 13.0, now I’m probably closing in on 12.0 range, in a good full month or two of speed I’ll surely be in at least decent shape.
Next week will probably be the last week on the hills. Knowing my old coach, I assume they’ll be doing special endurance or speed endurance on Saturdays on the track, probably 120s and 150s reps in the intensive tempo range right now and then getting faster in a couple of weeks (yeah I know not ideal, but it’s the price of having people to train with, no one even knows CFTS here in Argentina), so I’ll move short speed/acc. dev. to a week day and add a third speed day with longer speed (60’s 80’s). I’ll only do longer special endurance like quick 120s and 150s very near or when I’m competing, and might add some 200’s if I feel good in the 200, otherwise I’ll focus only on 100 this season and traing with 200 in mind for the February season.