This is my heat…
You’re doing good.
The ‘good’ start in the semi did cost you your PB.
Well done today 
Well today has been another successful day, it was the UK Championships and European Trials at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
The race layout was 4 heats of 5, with the 4 winners plus 1 fastest loser to make a straight final of 5.
I won my heat in 21.62 (reaction time 0.249) from lane 5, which was on par with the times I ran last weekend, especially as my first run is never my fastest.
I was given lane 3 for the final which put me off a bit after running the inner lanes at London a few weeks ago, but I’d got too far to back down over a lane draw.
I crossed the line 4th in 21.62 (reaction time 0.239), an identical time to my first heat which wasn’t too bad considering I was 2 lanes further in, beaten by only 0.02 by the guy infront. However he was then DQ’d for a ‘lane infringement’ so I was given 3rd place and the bronze medal. He was actually the second person on the day to be DQ’d for apparently stepping on/over the line, I think the very close competition and slightly undulating track were catching people out unfortunately.
I really need to work on my starts/reaction times as 0.249 is just too slow for a sprint start, a lot of the guys in the 60m final yesterday were clocking around 0.150 off the blocks. And as reaction time is basically ‘free time’ off the race I really need to see if I can knock off that extra tenth of a second.
But considering I only did indoors this year as something to keep me going until outdoors started, I’m pretty pleased with how it’s gone.
And here’s the reward…
Thanks Nice to see all the hard work paying off.
Congrats mate - nice job with the bronze!
Got a picture from one of my races the other weekend, any comments on technique/form?
3rd at a senior national championship is superb - congratulations. I don’t think your current slow reaction times are necessarily a bad thing. If you fix them, you’ll be able to record faster times without actually having to run faster. In your 21.67 heat, you lost approx 6 frames (at 25/sec) to the guys inside you, which is about 0.24sec slower than them (not 0.24 RT). Do you currently have a coach? If so, I won’t ask or suggest ways of improving your RT.
Not on the picture, but I have a couple of comments on the video of the Birmingham final: I like what I see until you enter the 2nd curve. Your stride looks nice to me. As you go into the curve, your stride length decreases, as if the extra effort of making the turn through the bank doesn’t leave you with enough strength to keep going at the same pace. It’s very obvious from your knee & hip height that your stride length is lower (but this doesn’t meant that trying to keep it higher will help you - I think the decreased length is the result of something else and if you improve that then you’ll keep your stride length from decreasing the way it does). Possibly your specific endurance isn’t quite there due to it being early season right now, or possibly the banks cause you more problems than someone who runs more from their power. Speculating, I wonder if you’ll experience less of a slowdown when outdoor due to wider turns and no bank, but you might just be SE related.
Your 200m PB is way better than your 400m PB. How often do you run the 400m and have you ever run one while you were in 21.5 shape?
These are just ideas though - listen to yourself or your coach before you listen to me. Maybe someone else here will chime in on what I’ve said. I really miss it when Charlie would come along and tell me if I was right or now. 
By that last race I was fairly fatigued so I can understand why that would have happened. Hitting that second bend really does test your stamina, this is my first indoor season of doing 200s so I’m still learning how to run them technically as you have to consider the bank of the corner and also the up/down slopes. At the moment I’m still getting a feel for how each lane feels as you enter/leave the bends, so hopefully I’ll be able to hold my form better with more practice
My raw power certainly isn’t my strongest asset so I would say that the tighter indoor bends would affect me more than an athlete with a similar outdoor PB but who has more power and relies less on technique.
I do have a coach yes, but I’m always open to suggestions on training and technique advice. I think only learning from one source will limit your scope for improvement so I like to do my own research too.
200m does seem to be a distance that matches my strengths though as the 100m and 400m are still a long way off being the equivalent speed. But that 400m was the first one I’d done in several years, and I only really did it because it was an open competition and they weren’t doing 200s on that night so I thought I’d do that as my only other run of the night was a 100m (which I ran 10.90 in)
Just realised I’ve been posting all my competition updates in my training log by accident, so I’m just going to quickly copy and paste them all below and continue using this so it all stays together…
20-04-2013
Just had my first outdoor competition of the year, a Division 1 SAL match for Radley AC.
10.9 in the 100m with what I thought was a bad start, as I seemed to stumble on my first foot strike out of the blocks, but it equals my PB and is by far the fastest opening run I’ve had to date.
21.7 in the 200m, although I was screwed over by the time keepers on that one. I was timed at 21.47 which should have been rounded up to 21.5, but the goldfish of a timekeeper managed to forget my time, but then remembered there was a 7 in it, so wrote down 21.7! Bloody useless. I would have made a complaint but it was hand timed so it doesn’t really count for much on the Power of 10, but I know for my own reference that it was 21.5 really so I still know where I’m at after my WWT which is the main thing. And again, by far the quickest opening 200m I’ve ever had.
We then ran 42.5 in the 4x100 which was only 0.3 off the division and club record, not bad considering that was the first time the 4 of us had ever run in a relay together.
And to finish off the day, we won the match overall too! So it’s looking like it could be a very good season ahead!
11-05-2013
Had my first BAL match as a higher claim athlete for Southampton AC today.
I ran 10.98 and 21.90, which aren’t great times, but then the conditions weren’t great either, especially in the 200m where there was quite a strong headwind on the bend. We did break the 4x100 club record though which was good!
Definitely a different experience to SAL matches though, you really have to be on top form to be competitive at these matches, those times put me third in both events, although we won the relay by miles.
Certainly plenty of room for improvement on the times, but I’m still much faster than I was this time last year which is promising.
14-05-2013
Continuing from my above comment, here are the videos of my races on Saturday. The 100m and the relay went okay. But I felt like I really tied up at the end of the 200m, I think I was surprised to have someone coming up behind me at that point in the race and just lost form a bit. Plus there was a very strong headwind all the way round the bend, which wasn’t recorded on the results as that race ended up being manually timed as the electronics were playing up.
18-05-2013
Had another league competition today at Milton Keynes.
The 100m was a bit on the slow side considering the 2.0m/s tail wind (11.06), but I’ve realised that my hamstrings are too tight/lacking in flexibility and are limiting my top speed. So I need to add in some exercises to my warmup/training sessions that will correct that.
Having spent about 45 minutes purely warming up/stretching my hamstrings I finished the 200m in 21.58 (1.4m/s) which is okay, 0.19 off my PB, but still quicker than the 21.75 I ran this time last season (first sub 22 of that year) so I’m on the right track.
I then ran second leg in our 4x100m relay team who clocked 41.53 which was a new division, league and club record, so that was a good end to the day.
I now need to rest and try to recover before I compete at the Internationales Pfingstsportfest in Germany on Monday!
27-05-2013
Well it was the Oxfordshire County Championships this weekend.
Bit disappointing for me as I was 2nd in both my events which doesn’t happen very often at county level! I’m still recovering from all the competitions I’ve been doing recently and as before, my hamstrings were hindering my top speed again.
I ran 10.88 in the 100m, which while technically a PB was run with a +2.1m/s tailwind so it doesn’t really count.
So having lost the 100m on Saturday I was fairly confident I could win the 200m today, however with my lack of top end speed and the fact the guy who won somehow managed to run a 0.56s PB (probably down to the +2.5m/s tailwind again). My 21.67 wasn’t quite enough. Which is annoying because if there was less wind, or even a headwind, it would have made my top end speed less important and my endurance probably would have pulled me through to 1st. But unfortunately races aren’t won with ‘ifs’
Given the wind assistance in both runs, I should have been faster over both events though, especially the 200m. So I’m just going to concentrate on recovery and trying to regain some of the hamstring flexibility I appear to have lost over the past couple of months in preparation for my next BAL match for Southampton.
I’m not overly bothered though as I’ve never been particularly quick at this stage in the season, I tend to build up to my PBs gradually and have always run my fastest times later in the season at bigger competitions like UK Championships and CAU Championships etc.
09-06-2013
So yesterday was my second Division 2 BAL match for Southampton.
First event of the day was a non-scoring 100m, came up far to early out of the blocks and lost some ground at the start. But I managed to make up some of the distance over the remainder of the race to finish in 10.96.
I could really feel my hamstrings tightening on every stride in that race, definitely going to have to go to a physio soon and just get them to check it’s not something else causing the tightness, as I’d really like to get that sorted before we get too far through the season.
I then had about a 4 hour wait until the A string 200m, I did a fairly extended warmup for this after my tightness in the 100m and was feeling much more limber this time. I had caught up the stagger after about 80m and held the lead until the finish clocking 21.69, and while the wind gauge showed a 1.2 tail wind, there was also a strong headwind most of the way round the bend that it didn’t pick up. So the time wasn’t too bad considering.
I can feel that the speed is there, and I’m sure once I get my flexibility issues sorted I’ll be running PB’s in no time, it’s just frustrating that I haven’t been able to get near the 21.45 indoor time I ran yet.
The 4x100m didn’t go too well however, I was running second leg against Adam Gemili, and in my eagerness to keep up with him down the back straight I ended up outrunning the 1st leg runner, which was doubly annoying as our team could easily have beaten the winning time of 42.8 had we got the baton round. But these things happen…
12-06-2013
Here are the videos of my races last weekend…
15-06-2013
Had another SAL match for Radley today.
Ran 10.85 into a -1.1 headwind, so I’ve finally managed to break past 10.90!
Definitely starting to feel like I’m getting into better form now, hamstrings felt a bit more relaxed during the runs today. Still didn’t get the best start, but I was able to make up for it more in the last half of the race this time.
I then ran 21.57 in the 200m. Wind indicator wasn’t working for my race but the one before was -1.7 and the one after was -2.1, so definitely a headwind again. Eased off with about 5 metres to go so certainly would have been a seasons best if I’d run through the line, probably not enough for a PB though.
But again, it felt like by far the easiest 200m I’ve had all season. Didn’t feel tired or like I was losing form at all coming off the bend. So given better conditions I’m sure I could have run a decent PB.
Typically I peak later in the season anyway, so this all fits with my performances from previous years. Still more to come before the end of the season!
24-06-2013
So I was at the SEAA U20/Senior Championships yesterday. Although I was hoping to do the 100 and 200, the recovery time on my hamstrings is just too long at the moment to do both. So I opted to just go for the 200 instead.
Conditions were okay, bit blustery, but nice legal winds for my runs. I ran 22.00, coming 3rd in my heat, then 21.61 for 3rd again in the semi-final. Then ran a seasons best of 21.47 to come 4th in the final, 2nd and 3rd were joint 21.42 and I basically lost it on the dip. Would have been nice to come away with a medal, but all I was really after was a good time, which I got.
Still having flexibility issue with my hamstrings so I’m feeling quite sore today, but I did feel like I was able to ‘open up’ a bit more yesterday than I have in previous competition. Although it didn’t feel anywhere near as smooth as the 21.57 I ran last weekend at the SAL match.
Well on Sunday I was at the UK Championships/World Trials. I was very aware that I would need to run out of my socks to be competitive in the heats with an entry standard of 21.45 for the 200m.
So I was equally aware that I would need to make sure I did a very thorough warm up to help reduce any hamstring tightness, which I did. And by the end of my nicely spread out 90 minute warm up I was actually feeling ready for the race.
The times had been great all weekend and the wind was favourable, so I was hoping for a PB.
Got a great start, ran a good bend and was actually most of the way off the bend before I saw anyone in the corner of my eye, so I must have been flying. However that’s where the good part ends, I felt some tightness/cramp in my left hamstring just as I was coming off the bend, hoping it would go away I carried on hard for another few strides but then really felt it pull. My mind wanted to carry on so badly as I was sure I was on for a good position and time, but my body just wouldn’t let me.
I just had to ease off and coast across the line a good 10m behind everyone else in a time of 22.36, bit gutted really. I don’t think I strained my hamstring too badly, as there was no bruising and very little swelling. And although it’s still a bit uncomfortable to walk on I can still stretch it to close to what I normally can, so hopefully I’ll be able to resume training soon, but I doubt I’ll be able to do any competitions between now and the CAUs at the end of August.
I’m really sorry to hear that. It sounds like you’re fit too.
Hey there David,
I really enjoyed following your journal this season. You are an excellent writer, and it was a pleasure to read about what you were doing all season long. I’m sorry to hear about your disappointing run at UK Nationals- I know you must feel really bad, but once you get over the disappointment, you will be able to take some great lessons by looking back over your workout notes and your journal to see what areas you can improve for next year. There are so many variables that I’m sure it will take a bit of time to digest, and to do some sober reflecting.
The reality is, you put in another solid year of training and with a bit better muscle tone were poised for another personal best. Understanding and managing muscle tone is so critical to success. This is where the superstars of coaching and therapy like Charlie and Waldemar were absolutely spot on. It is an area that many coaches have difficulty understanding.
Congratulations on a great season, and thanks again for keeping us all posted regularly!
T-Slow, can you elaborate on what you describe as ‘better’ muscle tone?
Thanks guys, and I’m glad you enjoyed reading it T-Slow
I’ll keep the thread updated with when I get back to training and whether or not my season is indeed finished yet or not.
It would be good if you could, as rainy.here asked, define what you mean by better muscle tone and how it could have helped me though? Is it just another name for conditioning? Or something different?
Charlie often refers to the state of the muscle and muscle tone or tonus. I found a great description from a book by John Jerome - The Elements of Effort: Reflections on the Art and Science of Running. It’s basically a book for the recreational runner/jogger, but has some great info in it. Jerome has also written a couple of other good books that are a must for your library: Sweet Spot in Time - and - Staying Supple (discussing stretching and flexibility). He is a fabulous writer (he’s a writer by trade, not a physiologist or sports expert) that does not get overly scientific in his writings, but is very concise with his descriptions.
Anyways, here is the quote:
"Skilled movement is possible only if the muscle can read its own state of tension: it must be informed, in contact with itself. The contact is maintained, the muscle kept at the ready – cocked, in effect – by muscle tone, a low level contraction maintained by signals from a neural loop call the gamma system. Keep the signal turned on and tone takes up the muscle’s slack, keeping it purring away at idle, ready to respond without lurching.
Good muscle tone works as a buffer against the shock of sudden action, absorbing forces that can, over time, prove harmful to the less elastic tissue of tendons and ligaments. But it is more than a shock absorber: it is part of our very liveliness, the simple underlying tautness that keeps us quick and responsive to the world.
Of course maintaining muscle tone requires nothing more than that we continue to move. But runners have always suspected something like that, haven’t we?"
From Derek:
I know what muscle tone is, and that neither too low nor too high are good, so I’m wondering if T-Slow was referring to that that.