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201

Easy tempo session :
7x150m. 1 min rest

Upper body circuit 2x2(8 pullups, 12 pushups, 30 abs)

Massage at the end of the day.

WOW, time is flying. :eek: Olympics are nearly over and there are barely 3 weeks to the important competition. Today was an inspirational day in the olympics, seeing all those near world record performances was awesome, and Xiang was simply outstanding. What execution, intensity and determination. The guy looked possessed! I hope one day I regain that type of competitive fire I’ve seemingly lost years ago.

202

HELL of a training session today. My form is really beginning to round up just in time for the sub-23 Cup, now just three weeks away.

Hurdles mobility
200 23.5
25
200 23.3 (SB!)

Jumps
5x3 box circuit
10 jumps to high box
Total ground contacts : 25

Weights :
2x2 hang clean 60kg
2x3 deep squat 110kg

What a solid training session, everything felt great and like all stimulus were in the right place and amount. Ran a season’s best in 200, with two more weeks of SE runs I’ll sail under 23secs 200m. by the sub-23 Cup. Felt solid and ran some excellent bends, in particular the second, but still could run even better in the bend, and the last 100 will improve quickly with a few good sessions. The track was destroyed after no rain for a week, so this is probably worth a few tenths less on a proper track too.

On Monday I’ll have another sub-max session similar to what I did Tuesday this week. Now I just need to keep working technically on my 100 and I’ll be absolutely ready to run a new PB there too. It also helped that today was the first hot day in months, not sunny, but beautiful temperature and heat. I think winter is finally over, the forecast is for 25ºC tomorrow! And 20’s throughout next week, so this is great news, just when I need good weather the most for the last stages of intensification. What a feeling, for once it feels like all factors are coming together at the same (and right) time … now let’s see what happens in this competitive period!

203

Hurdles mobility
2xmedicine ball starts
6x10m. reaction blocks
2x20m. blocks
4x30m. submax focus on driving
2x50m. submax drive then relax
7xmedicine ball throws above head
7xmedicing ball throws from chest
2x5 medicine ball situps
1x8 medicine ball twists
7x3 box circuit
9 vertical jump onto box

Not really much to note about today. It was cold as hell again and very windy. The track is wrecked as it hasn’t received rain in weeks, luckily, hopefully, it rains Wednesday and on Thursday the track is well for a quality session. My starts today were plain average, maybe too cold and windy. In the last one I had excellent concentration though, it was very weird by the time I opened my eyes I had flown the 20m.

204

AM
Weights
2x2 hang snatch 50kg
2x3 deep squat 110kg

PM
Tempo
4x(200, 100)

Had a nice easy tempo session today. Feeling better every day now that I’ve been training regularly for almost 6 weeks, in particular because of the tempo, I’ll try not to miss more tempo session from here out.

I also feel another technical improvement brewing. Each time my arm swing and how it helps feels more different. The feeling I’ve been getting since I first did this a few days ago is that by emphasizing the armswing or getting the momentum … not sure how to explain it … during the downswing it helps my stride so much. I first noticed when doing a slow progression, it’s a feeling I had never felt before and that dramatically influences how one advances. Now I understand why I see fast guys locally it seems like they pump their arms so hard.

205

Massage session and stretching

Yikes, it’s september already! 2 weeks to my first big meet of this comp period! Luckily it rained today, so the track will be in optimal shape tomorrow for a good speed session … though what I’m really itching for is for Saturday’s SE and the possibility of breaking 23 on 200 for the first time. I’m thinking about it all the time. It’s becoming a psychological barrier, I need to break it and get over with it. In particular what bothers me is that last year right before I got injured I was primed to break 23 by a lot (last session I did was 4x200 @ 90-95% at 23.0-23.8) … so breaking 23 is now like a long overdue bill and also to scare away the last ghosts of my past training. The image and feeling of doing those 200’s in 23 WITH EASE always lingers in my mind.

Now that I think about it that’s another deficiency of a long to short program, how there is so little time of intensification, that if anything goes wrong the athlete doesn’t even get a taste of what he was in shape to do (ie in my case we were at the 90-95% stage and in a few weeks would at least begin to go all out in the comp period, but since I never got to the comp period healthy I was never able to get any satisfaction or concrete results from all the work I had put in).

206

WHAT A SESSION!!!

Hurdles mobility
4x10m. reaction blocks
2x20m. blocks
50 (6.0)
60 (7.1)
70 (7.7) :eek: :eek: :eek: PB!!!
80 (8.8) PB!!! :cool: :cool: :slight_smile:

Jumps
6x3 box circuit
8xjump onto high box

After a less then prodigious start to the training session, the last two runs were absolutely incredible. The 50 and 60 were sloppy and I accelerated poorly on both. The 70 was perfection, the focus, feeling, acceleration and overall run were the best I’ve ever done. Then in the 80 the only difference was that I didn’t accelerate as well (legs felt weak and fried). I was about to drop the 80, but concluded on the first session after an unload week there was no reason to not complete the volume. Not really much to add. The main difference was the top speed, I think the jumps were the missing link to top out my top speed, there has been a definite improvement in the top speed department compared to two weeks ago. The feeling was also something new, in those last two it was as if I were stationary and the ground was flying away from me, it was very strange and an effortless feeling in the run. Both the 70 and 80 were timed by two coaches, so although I couldn’t believe it when they said 7.7 I think one can assume two experienced coaches wouldn’t both time wrong. One timed the 70 at 7.72 and the other at 7.74. What sort of scares me now, is the question, now what? I doubt I can possibly run faster the 7.7 this season. 7.7 meets my most optimistic goals, and what’s most ridiculous is that it was on a cinder track (7.5-7.6 on synthetic!?!? :eek: ) To be fair there was a nice trailiing breeze, probably close to perfect legal wind, and the track was in the best shape I can remember after the rain yesterday, so I guess this was simply one of those times where all factors added for an excellent time. Now I can’t wait for Saturday to burn those 200’s! Sub 23 without a doubt! Nothing can stop me now!

207

Easy tempo session
6x100
7x100
Pushups one end, situps the other, 2 min between sets

Upper body circuit
2x2 (8 pullups, 12 pushups, 20 abs)

208

Finally have the dates and events of each meet to make a final competition schedule.

Totals : not counting the two early season training meets
100m. = 7 (could be 15 if I reach all the finals)
200m. = 6 (could be 12 if I reach all the finals)
4x100m. = 2-4
4x400m. = 1-2

August 7 (GEBA Buenos Aires) - 100m. (training meet)

August 21-22 (CeNARD Buenos Aires) - Metropolitan Champs (sub-18), 100 and 200 (training meets)

September 11 (CeNARD Buenos Aires) - 200m. (150m. time trial 25-30mins. after)

September 18-19 (Santa Fe) - Sub-23 National Cup of Clubs, will compete in 100 and 200, possibly 4x100 if we get a 4th athlete to go (will possibly run heats, semis and finals for 100 and 200)

September 25-26 (CeNARD Buenos Aires) - Metropolitan Champs (for adults) 100, 200, 4x100m. (possibly heats and finals for 100 and 200)

October 2 (La Plata) - 100m.

October 9-10 (Rosario) - Semana de Rosario “International” Tournament, will run 100, 200 and hopefully we can travel with the 4x100m. squad. (possibly heats and finals for 100 and 200)

October 16 (La Plata) - 100m. (120m. time trial 15-20 mins after)

October 30-31 (CeNARD Buenos Aires) - National Cup of Clubs (adults), will compete in the 100, 200, 4x100 and 4x400. (possibly heats and finals for 100 and 200)

November 6-7 (Mar del Plata) - Semana del Mar “International” Tournament, will run 100 and 200. (possibly heats and finals in 100 and 200)

*Might run a 400 the next week, or decide to end the season and rest to be able to train though all the good weather period

209

Hurdles Mobility
200 23.2 (SB)
25
200 23.5
Jumps
6x3 box circuit
8 jumps to high box

Disappointing. I couldn’t break 23! The positive is that it gives me extra motivation for next weekend. I’ll run to kill there. I know I’m ready to run a good 200. The big news here is that some kid broke the U-18 National Record in U-18 Nationals today, with 10.62! :eek: :eek: :eek: Really a completely shocking and unexpected mark. The kid had as his previous best 10.8 manual in altitude without anemometer from 3 months ago. Maybe I should retire, there is no hope for me in athletics, how can I not get that through my thick head! Problem is this gets me even more motivated, this has really brought up the “competition atmosphere” all of a sudden. I’m already expectant of the races to come. I’m beginning to feel some small traces of adrenaline thinking about the competitions and the terrific mark this kid just got. This kid is a hell of a talent and will be beating the crap out of all adults here in the next years (he’s number 3 in the National Ranking this year with that time!).

Back to my 200’s, as always, I have an elaborate excuse or explanation about my failure. I couldn’t recover from Thursday. I guess running 7.7 and 8.8 was no joke for my legs. My lower hamstring in both legs are still destroyed. I even had a hot bath yesterday and didn’t get any better. During the whole workout today I could feel my hamstrings sore and burning and I cancelled weights just in case. What really screwed me is that my massagist had a congress yesterday, so he didn’t work yesterday. Just the day I needed massage and regeneration so badly! It’s impossible to quantify what exact effect it had today, but it wouldn’t be surprised if I was a couple of tenths slower because of the fatigue. The first one felt average and like I was stronger in the last 100 then last weekend, second one was very poor, hip height felt very low but the last 100 again felt like I was able to maintain speed much better then last week. The first bend was average and the second one was very bad, I think I had nothing left in my legs, so 23.5 in that second one wasn’t that bad. I also got very badly burned and felt tired already in the warmup, the temperature went up to 29ºC today, the first real heat since March and quite a change from 0-5ºC two weeks ago.

Next week we enter the final straight into the season. The first real competition is next week, and now I begin to move block work out and SE in to become speed endurance. Overall I feel good about how the program is progressing, I’ll be in shape for fine times, I just need to execute what I do in training.

210

I don’t know what to think about today. I have no idea what happened to me and whether it was positive or negative. I did :

2x10m. blocks
2x20m. blocks
2x30m. blocks
1x50m. blocks

Here I was dead and ended with 2xins and outs 80m. (30m. 85%, 20m. 95%, 30m. 90%)

Total volume : 330m.

The 2nd 20m. and both the 30m. blocks were just shocking. They weren’t timed because on Monday there is only one coach and he was the one starting me, but there is no doubt these were all PB’s by A LOT. The intensity of acceleration I felt in all these starts, in particular from 10m. onwards was beyond anything I’ve ever felt. It also felt like I was producing power in amounts I’ve never gotten remotely close to. Then when I went to do the 50 thinking it would be my best ever too, my legs were just out of gas, they felt like jelly, no strength left in them. And I had to cancel the rest of the workout, I ended up doing some very poor quality ins and outs to complete the volume of the workout. What I have no idea is whether what happened was good or bad. Did I waste the workout by going at such an intensity during the block starts? Was the longer speed (60’s) I had to do after blocks more important? I’m clueless as to the answers of those questions. I just hope this workout was productive. Now I understand all those mentions Charlie makes in Speed Trap about cutting workouts when a big new PB is reached, I had never experienced it before, but it’s not just because you risk injury, it’s impossible to continue at the same intensity anyway. I was fried, wrecked, after those incredible 3 consecutive PB blocks starts. Now if I am just able to replicate this type of intensity and execution in a competition gawd knows what I can do. I think my original goal for this season of 10.84 is possible with that type of start, but I know how difficult it’s been for me to execute recently, I don’t want to predict anything and just hope for the best to happen. I do have to examine carefully what’s going on mentally, there must be a solution to my poor performances when it counts. If I can’t put together a performance according to what I can do this season I’ll have to look towards seeing a sports shrink for next season … which is plain stupid. I’ve always thought one is the only one that can control and change one’s own body and mindset.

211

If you were totally out of gas at a meet a few days ago, shouldn’t you be going a little longer and sub-max for a bit?

212

LMAO - can’t see that happening - ur obsessed - don’t forget some juniors never continue their progression u might be scorching him in a couple of years, and others reach their full potential later -

ie Linford - he was a 36 year old olympic champ - u might have 20 years work ahead of u yet - take care of those hamstrings :wink:

213

Hehehehe … :smiley: :smiley: yeah I know, there’s no way I’m leaving this, I’m just itching for a result according to what I’m doing in training and try to put myself in the sidelines out of the pressure as much as possible.

214

Thanks for the tips! I didn’t know the master even looked at our journals! Ever since you posted in my journal in February or March telling me to unload I’ve been slowly getting used to the idea of unloading. In long to short there was never anything like that, since the whole cycle is just one big unloading period. I did an unload/submax week about 2 weeks ago (see all my training for this cycle without all the text :o in post 178 on page 12 of the journal).

At that point I was noticing I was getting stagnant in top speed, I reread CFTS and the 02 review for the 3rd time and noticed what I was missing, unloading and a change of stimulus. So I increased plyos and did an unload week. Now I see it’s no surprise that I’ve gotten PB’s in 70m., 80m., 20 blocks and 30 blocks in the last week, I was in bad need of refreshing my legs and the stimulus! I know I still have a way to go to perfect my selfcoaching and know when and how much to introduce but I think I’m beginning to get the grasp of another important concept, actually a vital one for continued gains which is unloading/going submax. Can’t wait for the new material you’re promising to further my understanding into your training concepts!

215

Tempo
7x200m.

I felt very energized in this session, it was weird. More like I was ready to do a speed session then tempo! I felt like running really fast but had to hold my horses. :rolleyes:

216

Massage and stretching session. Hopefully will be ready for some serious running tomorrow … and that doesn’t mean wasting myself in the blocks!

217

Very good training session.

Hurdles mobility
2x10m. blocks
2x30m. blocks
1x60m. blocks
1x80m. (8.98)
1x100m. (11.19 - PB!!!)

Jumps
4x3 box circuit
5xjump to high box

Quite an eventful session today. First thing, what I’ve been noticing since last week is how my mobility is taking a major leap. After 6 weeks of regularly doing mobility my hips are finally losening at a surprising pace. This is the peak shape I’ve ever been in terms of mobility … and I’m sure it’s having an effect on my sprinting. I feel like my hips are much freer when at top speed and that I’m each time less prone to tightening on speed endurance and longer runs, in particular in the hip area. Form is really coming together, I think I’m finally being able to properly plan and more importantly properly execute training for myself … yet there are still so many things I’d like to incorporate and feel this training period has been far from ideal … so if I’ve improved this much now I can’t imagine how much I’ll improve when I include all these things during my summer GPP/SPP.

In the blocks starts, in the first 30 something new happened. My first step was way more powerful and solid then I had ever done, and the coach also noticed it clearly that something new and different happened. I have no idea what I did just that the push was better then anything I had done till now. It seems like each session I experience new breakthroughs and feelings in my running … it just underlines how far I have to go and how far the roof is. If I am able to continue for 4 or 5 straight years I think there is little doubt I can reach a high level. The 60 from blocks was also excellent, the 80 was good but not perfect, the track was in very poor shape (dry, loose dirt) and I felt like I couldn’t get an effective grip or push on the ground at top speed. In the 100 I accelerated poorly, my legs felt weak and like jelly as always seems to happen by the last rep. The track was in very crappy shape and it was very cold … so 11.1x was definitely a very good time … on a good track and in good weather I won’t have problem to run in 10.7 or 10.8 manual. What everyone coincides with is that I’m in incredible shape. The coaches also say I think too much and that’s my problem, that if I was some dumb idiot able to just run without thinking I’d be running in 10.80 … I already know that. I think the main difference between know and even the previous competition cycle is that I’m now able to run relaxed. 6 months ago, even if I was running 80’s in 8.9-9.0 I wouldn’t have been able to run 11.1 because I would tighten up even in practice runs. So even though I was posting good times up to 60m., after 60 the decay was horrific because I was tighteninig so much. I remember distinctively, one day in September or October or so last year I was doing 60’s in 6.9 and I decided to do one 100 to see what I could do and did it in 11.8. I couldn’t understand at the time why the hell I couldn’t convert 6.9 into a proportional 100m. time. So I think, despite my cerebral style of doing things, because of the improved technique and relaxation I’ll be able to execute what I should be able to run in theory. Decreased volume of plyos to unload a bit ahead of the competition this weekend. The weather is scheduled to be cold though. But fortunately and unexpectedly the forecast for next weekend is 32ºC in Santa Fe on Saturday … ideal conditions!!! :slight_smile:

218

Not very much to say about today, it was a totally neutral day. I didn’t do well or do bad.

23.88 (-1.6) 3h2, lane 3

The positive is that I improved a good amount since the 200 three weeks ago. There I did 24.18 (+0.2), that converts to 24.20 with 0 wind, today’s 23.88 converts to 23.73 with 0 wind. A full half second improvement. 23.5 was around exactly what I wanted to run, though I was hoping for low 23 on a good run. Conditions were cold and I got lane 3 which is the worse on that track, it’s absolutely destroyed in that lane. All the lanes are worn down a lot, but that lane you can see the pavement underneath in many places and it’s full of broken pieces of the track, so the start has a very poor grip. Regardless, the start wasn’t my problem, I’m quite simply lacking endurance. The kid that won my heat ran in 22.95 and I came out of the curve next to him and then he strode away from me in the straight. Even though I felt relaxed and like I was doing everything I could the kid just pulled away badly. The weather was also very cold today and the wind wasn’t helping, so I guess that I should be able to shave off a number of tenths just from better conditions. I didn’t do the 150 after the 200, first of all I got cold because I got distracted talking and second of all I think the stimulus of the 200 was strong enough, I got mowed down pretty bad by that 200. I’ll get a big volume spike next week if I make it through the rounds, so I think the best thing was to take it easier this week and get the most of a quality stimulus instead of going for quantity just for the sake of completing the volume my plan says. What worries me is that I felt I ran around the best I could possibly run in that track right now, my start was solid and the bend was fast. If I were really running close to 23 flat on cinder I shouldn’t have a problem running 23 flat electronic on a synthetic track. I’m beginning to have doubts about the timing of the coaches in my club. I’m going to go to the National HPC for a session a week at least during the next weeks and see if I train with my old training group and get myself timed by another source.

Now that I’m clearly seeing where I am in 200 I’m adjusting my season’s goal to 22.94. Today I ran around 11.5-11.6 in the bend and 12.0-12.1 in the straight I estimate, the bend can be faster if I gain tenths at the start because of a better track and the straight can also be better with a track that gives some reaction. Assuming I run an 11.2-11.3 curve at best and I can do around 11.5 in the straight I can go sub 23 electronic. Less then that seems difficult. I’d need some perfect combination of conditions with a perfect race. But who knows how my endurance will react to the big volume shocks I’ll get with these packed full weekend-full program meets. Maybe it will work favorably … or maybe it won’t. That’s the big variable, I’m curious to see how it unfolds.

The forecast of 32ºC next Saturday in Santa Fe is still holding … wow … fingers crossed.

219

Just be careful not to let the intensity get too high during the week before the meet- let the meets serve as special endurance with, perhaps 2 easy 150s on tues as the longest work.

220

Thanks for the observation, I was putting speed endurance on the last speed day before the meet in my tentative schedule for next week, but since SpE is of a too high intensity it should be farther out. I had read this so many times in the books and 02’ review and it didn’t sink in till you mentioned it now. I see that last week I messed up, my Thursday session should have been Tuesday and vice versa :o

What about on the week between two major meets with 100 and 200 heats and finals on consecutive weekends? Would any type of speed be needed or should I just do a submax 150’s session too and look for stimulation of the CNS elsewhere (gym)?