Stefanie's journal

Members Area My Training Journal
1

Hi everyone,
I’m pretty new at this sport, started competing last February my sophomore year in college after deciding that I don’t want to play college tennis any more. Last year I ran the 400m (61.46) and occasionally the 200. This year I’m aslo getting ready for the long jump, and indoors (starting January) I will be running the 500m and the 4by4 relay. My goal is a 58s in the 400 for outdoors (never ran the 500m, so I don’t know what my goal is there). I’m in much better shape than I was last year at this time, so I’m hoping for good results.
This is what the last two weeks’ workout looked like: (note: we run on an indoor 165m track)

Mon (nov.10) 3660m, 1400m, 2-3min rest between every run
(660s ranges from 2:08-2:12, 400 about 73sec)
Weight room: 53 hang lean
45 lunges, super set with 410 split squat jumps
48 curl and press, super set with 45 pull ups
310 glute and ham raises

Tue plyometrics/ jumping
4.5mile run

Wed 10200m (30-32 sec) with 100m walk between
Weight room: 45 squats, super sets with 410 box jumps
46 front jerks, super set with 48 rows
315 hip extensions, super set with 3*8 3-way arm rises

Thu 4*330m, 2-3min rest between

Fri 300-200-100-200-300, about 2min rest between
Weight room: 53 hang lean
4hallway lunges(about 25m forward and backward)
super set with 45 chin ups
38 DB press on the big ball, super set with
312 side arm rises and 38 single leg hypers

Mon (nov.17) 200-200-200-400
200-200-400-400
200-400-400-400(but coach gave us the last 400 :slight_smile:
(walk 150m between runs, 5min between sets)
(the 200s were at about 30-32sec, 400 at about 73-75)
Weight room: same as previous week

Tue Plyometrics/jumping
5 mile run

Wed 5*500m (2-3min rest)
Weight room: same as previous week

Thu Plyometrics/ jumping
12*150m hills (walk 150m between)

Fri hard 1 mile
Weight room: should be same as last week’s but i didn’t go!!
(too tired from the stupid mile )

I’m waiting for your comments. This is my first official post, so please impress me :cool:

2

This is what I did this week:

Monday: 7*300m, and one “spontaneous” 165m at the end. The 300 were at an average 50-51sec pace, with 165m walk in between. The last 165m was 22sec.
After about two hours, i went to the weight room and did the same workout as all the other mondays. We should be getting a new lifting program next week by our strength trainer.

Tuesday: 5165m, 5150m, 2*120m.

3

Looks pretty good :slight_smile: Good luck with your training :slight_smile:

4

Even though you are not getting any kind of quality speedwork, your fitness seems really good for someone new to the sport and early in her season. 10x200m at 30-32 seconds and 7x300m at 50 seconds are both tough workouts if your pb is 61.4. When you get around to speed and special endurance I think you may surprise yourself how quickly you can reach your goal for the year.

5

This morning I went to the indoor track to work with my coach and another teammate, but the track was getting ready to host an assembly for a high school, so I woke up at 5:20 and drove there for nothing… :mad:
So I put on some warm clothes at 3pm and went to the outdoor track near my house to do my workout:
2*(400+200+200+400), where + is a 200m walk and 5min rest between the two sets. I didn’t time myself, but they felt pretty good. Luckily, it wasn’t too cold :slight_smile:

No gym this Wednesday and Friday, due to Thanksgiving break (strength trainer is on vacation and gym is closed).

6

4 mile run this morning, but I ended up walking the last 3/4 mile or so, because of shin splints :mad:
I also did abbs, and now I’m all set for Thanksgiving dinner :smiley:

7

Are you doing ur slow long stuff on grass road or track Stefanie ?

8

Are you doing ur slow long stuff on grass road or track Stefanie ?

My long run (4miles) was on the road, and it was hard on my shins. All my other workouts (tempo and stuff) is done on an indoor 165m track, which is not a very good surface either, cause it’s pretty hard too (a rubbery kind gym floor…, plus the turns are too sharp). I think that’s where my shin spints came from :frowning: , but that’s the only facility available to us…
Icing has helped with the shin splints though, and I try to stretch my calves more.

9

Last Friday’s workout was moved to Saturday, cause I had to do it outside and Friday was rainy. Saturday was windy and cooold - I was wearing my heaviest pants throughout the workout, which was 4*600m, with 200m walk between reps. It was hard to breath but it went pretty well: I was almost fully recovered before each rep.
I just can’t wait till Monday, to practice indoors with my coach and teammates again - much more fun!!! :smiley:

10

Wow, those are some very good workouts. What’s your 200m. PB? 10x200m. with 100m. walk back recovery (less then 2 minutes rest) in 30-32 seconds is really very high level work. Sounds like you’re up for a shattering of your PB’s, you should be below 23 and 51 with work like that. :eek: 7x300m. with 165m. walk back recovery (3-3:30 mins) is also some mad work if your PB is 62 secs, your resistance level and lactic threshold must be in the clouds, in particular if you did a 165m. after all that in 22secs, that would also signal your technique is excellent, you’d need to be beyond relaxed to complete work like that without a complete breakdown. Keep up the good work! Are you sure that track is well measured?

11

I’m pretty sure the track’s well measured :slight_smile: ; coach also remeasures it every now and then for special distances, such as 120s and 140s.
Hey, thanks for all the good comments! I don’t think I’ll be breaking 23 in the 200 and 51 in the 400!! That’s too much to ask. My 200 last year was a 27 and my 400 a 61. I’m hoping to improve by a lot though, and I just can’t wait to see the results :wink:

We just finished our morning workout, and now i’m taking my 2 hours break before weights.
We did 5400m with 300m jog between, and then 2165m. For the 400, we were supposed to start at 60% pace and get faster after each one.
If I remember correctly, this is what I did:

  1. 76sec (after this, I was told to go a little slower…)
  2. 80sec
  3. 73sec
  4. 73sec
  5. 68sec

I felt really good doing these 400s.
The last 2*165m were at 25sec, and those HURT…I might need a little more speed work, but it’s still very early in the season.
I think tomorrow we’re doing short sprints at jumping practice.

Today we’re getting a new lifting workout too. I love being surprized :cool:

12

that would also signal your technique is excellent, you’d need to be beyond relaxed to complete work like that without a complete breakdown.

Being relaxed is actually something I need to work on. That’s all my coach yells at me “relax Stef!!!”… :frowning:

13

Ask your coach what “being relaxed” means to him. I often hear this from coaches, whereby the athlete(s) haven’t a clue on how to acheive this state.

Verbal cues to reduce strain at the shoulders, head and during lower body rotation tend to be more helpful than bellowing out “relax”!

14

Ask your coach what “being relaxed” means to him. I often hear this from coaches, whereby the athlete(s) haven’t a clue on how to acheive this state.

Thanks TMSSF, I’ll clarify that tomorrow.
But I’m assuming she means my upper body (shoulders/arms), cause I’m generally kinda stiff there… My tennis coaches used to comment on the same thing.

15

In beginning of October, I could only do one pull pull up on my own for each set (three sets of 5). On Monday I did 4 by myslelf on the first set :slight_smile: . On the other two sets, I did 3.
Also, in a circuit with 4 sets of hallway lunges and 5 chin ups, back in October I could only do 2 chin ups by myself. Today I completed all 4 sets, all by MYSELF :smiley:

16

I haven’t written anything in a while:
Monday’s workout was 8330m, with 3min rest between, untimed. Then weights. I’m still following the same weight program, and it will change during my winter break (in two weeks or so).
Tuesday was a long jumping workout: we did 530m sprints, 10 sprints and jumping on the mat (sooo much fun :smiley: ), 860m repeats and one hard 165m at the end. Sorry, but i have no information on my times for any of these…
Today was 5500m with 3min rest between. If I remember correctly, these were my times:
1)1:30
2)1:32
3)1:38
4)1:40
5)1:35
(a little all over the place, but what can you do :o ).
Then I hit the weight room. I had an accident with box jumps last Wednesday: On my first one, after doing 5 squats, I didn’t quite make it to the top, and smacked my shins. I actually left my skin on the box :frowning: and have two nice almost identical wounds now :stuck_out_tongue:
So today i couldn’t overcome my fear and did the shorter box :confused: I hope I become friends with box jumps again; they were my favorite thing in the weight room!
Tomorrow jumping again :smiley:
Friday our coach promised is going to be extra hard cause next week we have finals and won’t be practicing. Can’t wait for Friday :o …

17

Again, it’s been a while…
I want to show you my new lifting program, which I do three times a week following track work, from Dec 21 till Jan 10. Then I’ll be in season, and weights will be twice a week.

MONDAY

  1. Hang Clean (52)
    2a. Front Squat (5    3)
    2b. Chin Ups (55) hey, I can do all of those now :smiley:
    3a. 3-way shoulder raises (3    8 each)
    3b. Forward step ups (3*8 each)
  2. Glute/ Ham Raises

WEDNESDAY

  1. Wave squat (412)
    2a. Forward Lunges (5    8 each)
    2b. DB Jerks (56)
    3a. DB Curl & Press (3    8)
    3b. DB Bent over row (3*8)
  2. RDL (4*6)

FRIDAY

  1. Hang clean (80% of max)
    2a. Back Squat (53)
    2b. Lat Pull Down (5    8)
    3a. DB Bench Press (312)
    3b. Single leg squat (3    5 each)
  2. Partner hamstrings (3*10)

Todays weights went well (Friday). I squated 165lbs for the first time, and can handle even more. I just didnt want to do too much the first week.
Gotta strengthen that left leg too…Can feel the difference with single leg squats…hehe

18

Today it was raining. I was supposed to do 10200m repeats, but went to the gym and did a treadmill tempo workout instead.
I put it on a 3 degree incline, and did 101min runs at 10mph with 2min jogs in between at 5mph. It was pretty tiring :o
I cheated on the last one, and put the treadmill at 0 degrees…It felt so much easier, I thought I was going downhill.
Coming out of the gym, the rain had stopped and the day was beautiful. Treadmill torture for no reason :mad:

Can anyone tell me if my treadmill workout would be equivalent to the 200m repeats that I didn’t do? The 200s would be run at about 33-35 seconds (I think), and the 200m jog would take about hmmm…2minutes??

19

Stephanie, I do an exercise that eliminates my shin splints. Whether it works for you, I have no idea. (Some people’s shin splints have different causes.)

I lay on my mattress face forward and push my feet against the mattress (like push and release slowly) until my shin muscles start to burn. Then I stretch my calf muscles and voila, no more shin pain. :slight_smile:

20

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it next time I have shin splints. I haven’t had them in a while now :slight_smile: . And since I dread having them again, I try to stretch my calves a lot, despite my impatiency with stretching… :o