Hello everyone,
Thank you all once again for your suggestions.
So here’s an update to how the indoor season went. I went in with PB’s of 7.98 in the 60m, 25.67 in the indoor 200m from last year. Last year my 200m time only improved by .02, and I was hoping to take a chunk off this indoor season.
The season got off to a brutal start, as there was a fire at the Metro Track and Field Centre at York University. The indoor facility was closed until December, and we had to run outdoors in converted party tents(!) that only allowed about 35m of full out running.
We started out with 3x4x60 and I think this was a HUGE mistake- as PhilG warned me! Once the fire hit, I was forced to move to 3x4x35m with 3x6 power cleans afterward, with bench and squats as well.
I obviously was very limited in my ability to run longer SE (no 150’s until December really). I made use of a hockey arena for indoor 150 tempo runs, and made great use of bike tempo once a week. The bike tempo is such a terrific option for masters athletes, it really contributed to me not being beat up this season. Also, I really enjoy freaking people out at the gym who have no clue what the hell I’m doing when watching me work the bike + floor exercise combo.
I headed down to Texas for two weeks at Christmas which allowed me to train outdoors and get some quality sessions in. What a difference it makes when there is no work stress! I dropped 5 lbs. in two weeks because I was able to spend more time planning meals, taking naps, and relaxing in general.
I did a 2x4x60m session in Austin, and I thought it was going well. Rep times were as follows:
Set 1: 7.93, 7.81, 7.70, 7.68
Set 2: 7.65, 7.60, 7.55, 7.6x (stumbled)
I figured from the above that 2x4x60m was just right at the time- the final rep would have been fastest if not for a stumble. I stayed with 2x4x60m for a couple more sessions, then dropped to 2x3x60m, but I didn’t see the improvement I was hoping for. Perhaps too much volume early, plus lengthening the accel distances too quickly was to blame.
There were a lot of problems:
-Tuesday speed day from January on was unsupervised
-didn’t feel nearly as good technically from the time I came back from Texas
-coach here wants me to relax, but I didn’t feel technically sound (look at my times- I’m not!), which makes it hard to relax
-very little quality block work (maybe 3 or 4 sessions total)
-lots of accels were done in flats. No hills and not much resisted work
-SE work was 150’s only, nothing over or under that distance
-needed better dietary control
Overall, my results were disappointing. I had a lot of problems with my starts, where as last year I was very comfortable in the blocks even though I was weaker.
This year my 60’s were as follows:
8.15h, 8.15f (yikes!)
8.07h (stumble), 8.05f
8.08 (flinch, bang! oh shit)
8.04SB (big stumble)
The 200’s were not bad:
26.15 (lane 5, ran this as a 150 flat out + pray, great race if not a great time)
25.75 (lane 4, ran race just right)
25.82 (lane 2, good race til the last 25m when I “chased” and overstrided which cost me)
25.73SB (lane 5, crap start, and let the guy in lane 4 alter my race plan- pushed too hard from 60-100m instead of floating and letting myself catch him at 150m- tied up at 180m)
Overall, I really enjoyed the 200’s a lot more than the 60’s. I was just brutal technically in my 60m races.
I’m annoyed that I allowed someone else to affect me in my last 200m race, because I felt ready to run faster, and could have even with the poor start.
It’s time to start planning for SPP 2. It’s all about breaking 25.00 this year outdoors. I suspect going with the mixed program as I wanted to for indoors would create some nice results.
Here is a basic outline:
-4 week outdoor GPP starting March 12
-8 week SPP ending June 12 (big meet #1)
-4 to 6 week competition block (big meet #2 June 24, big meet #3 mid-July)
Tues- SPEED (StoL): 0-60m (some hill work), SE1 (80-150m)
Wed- tempo: big circuit, CF medball / GS / abs
Thurs- off
Fri- SE (LtoS): wk 1 300-300, wk 2 300-300, wk 3 300-250, wk 4 250-250, etc…
Sat- tempo: small circuit, CF medball / GS / abs
Sun- general fitness, explosive throws.
I’m going to Austin during the spring break, so I’ll be able to start SPP2 with 8 days of outdoor training there. I’ll stay on the grass for all tempo sessions, and get on the hills. I think the hills will help my mechanics without inducing paralysis.
I’m flying into Dallas early on Saturday, March 11th. Is anyone based there? I would love to grab some breakfast / lunch with a couple of members if anyone is up for it.