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703

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Wow, time FLIES !!!

I forgot about my titles for each day… so here I go again:

This might sound too technical, but

Trusting My Center of Gravity

This comes from technique, and important pointers, that seem to repeat themselves by crucial people:

Case A: When I trained with Charlie for that one day, one of the key things we concentrated on, was stepping right underneath the body, and not trying to create a larger-than-comfortable stride (the typical over-stride). He said that I might feel like I’m actually making smaller steps and going slower, but it’s not the fact, as the maximum force can be applied down there (center of gravity), and one ends up being up higher in the air for longer.

Case B: One year ago, in nationals. Preliminaries: Nikoluski watched my race, and told me that after the 300m mark when I am pretty much ‘toast’, I tend to try to over-stride when trying to push through.

Case C: I asked my sicilian teammate during last Saturday’s 200’s what he thought my technical flaw is, and he said that after 150m, I tend to over-stride, and that I should ‘trust my center of gravity’… I like how he put it…

So today’s focus was this =) (during tempo)

  • 20min warm up run

  • quick stretching (dynamic and static)

  • 3 x 20m A skips

  • 3 x 20m running A skips

  • 3 x 20m B skips

  • long tempo
    100+100+100+
    100+100+200++100+
    100+200++200++100+
    100+100+200++100+
    100+100+100

  • 5min cool down

704

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
The end of the Sicilian phase One, and the pleasant realization of the weak feet.

(- 30min fast walk)

  • 4 laps warm up

  • quick stretch

    I say ‘pleasant’ in the title , because when I keep trying/training in a similar way, and times remain pretty consistent, it’s always refreshing to find out what kind of crucial element may be improved to speed up times.

  • As it was drizzling today, we went to the bleachers (which are covered) and we did double leg hops upwards, for a total of 26 steps in a row. While my friend was doing this all winter, and was comfortably doing 2 sets of 7 flights, I was dying with 2 sets of 5 (x26 upward double leg hops). (walk down recoveries, and 3 min between the two sets)
    Good stuff !!!

  • 5min jog

  • 300m relaxed (@ low 46)

Gym: (cut it a bit short, as I felt tired)

  • Leg press: 8 reps of 60, 80, 90 kg (improvement)

  • Bench press: 8x36, 5x46 kg (worse)

  • Lat. pull downs: 8x50 (fairly steady)

  • Chin downs : 8x50 (fairly steady)

  • Seated rows: 8x45, 6x50 (improvement)

  • triceps pulldowns: 8x20, 8x20 (diff. machine than last time)

  • Few abs

  • 30min fast walk

(dead)

(Thessaloniki on Friday)

705

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
OFF

Thursday, March 17th, 2011
EMS active recovery and relaxing massage on hamstrings and calves

  • 20min easy run

Friday, March 18th, 2011

  • no sleep whatsoever the night before. Travel at 4am, then slept two hours

  • jog, stretching drill

  • 250m (1min rest) + 150m (not timed but fast. felt ok)

  • cool down

I like being in Thessaloniki, but I do miss my Sicilian group. My Greek group is not paying so much training-attention to me, as I’m not officially part of them :frowning:

706

this may sound much harsher than meant but you you have a very high social connectedness need don’t you?

I confess to being a bit lost re the Sicilian connection, so they are 2 brothers and their coach you train with in Milan and don’t have a Milanese (is that the word?) group ? :confused: Did you join up with them because they made you an offer you couldn’t refuse? :stuck_out_tongue: :rolleyes:

Top post re CF comments.

707

It’s a matter of receiving some motivation, sharing goals, and accepting training tips.
In Greece, there is a lack of ‘communal-interaction’ among different groups, and athletes in general (especially sprinters). in the U.S., experiences were completely different. I feel completely alienated in my own city in Thessaloniki, (on the track). While I have track-acquaintances and a few friends, I haven’t been able to get the help that I would want to. As if each little group is a little ‘maffia’ on its own.

In Milan, I’ve had the same problem, it might have been partly my fault, as I always went to the track on random times, and didn’t care too much for social relations. And also from the people who I talked to, no-one really ‘attracted’ me. It’s an instinct thing. I don’t bond with just anyone, if you knew me even a little, you’d understand. Need for social -connectedness? Me? Are you nuts?? :rolleyes:

Sicilians: yes, two brothers, very nice, intelligent and likeable. Their coach approached me in the first place (something that in Greece just never happens; people just look and gossip or try to extract information from third sources, there’s a ‘fear of directness’ in general, for whatever silly nonsense reason). I liked them right away, and stuck with them. They offer positive attitude and I offer it back. It’s as simple as that.

708

Stef, sorry if I offended you, as I started that post this may sound much harsher than meant.

Maybe your US experience was unusual as what you describe in Milan and Thessaloniki appears to resemble here …don’t know.

While I we haven’t met I do think I know you a bit and it was genuine question and as I said not meant to offend.

and yes, I am at times :stuck_out_tongue:

709

I’m not offended John. I was just surprised with your ‘need for social connectedness’ comment, as I often appear to be the opposite (people tell me this, it’s not just my mere opinion), and I honestly don’t feel that way. It’s interesting if I give the opposite impression here on CF (from a psychological perspective, if you know what I mean)!

Are you coming to Europe this year? Maybe we could finally meet somehow :cool:

710

maybe it wasn’t the best possible phrasing but the impression I get is you are often struggling emotionally with your surroundings and missing people / groups which to me indicated you were unsettled and didn’t have the types of people around you that you need / want. Again no offence intended, just an observation.

No trip to Europe in the near future. I’m off to Aus in November to watch http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/presidentscup/ and catch up with family. C & I are thinking of a trip to Africa in 2013 and then Europe in 2015 or 2016.

711

That’s my reality at this point of my life!:slight_smile: But it’s ok.

Saturday, March. 19th, 2011

found the track locked, so did EMS instead

  • 20min explosive strength on hamstrings
  • 25min relaxing massage on hamstrings

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

  • 20min warm up, quick stretch

  • 6 x 30 double leg hops up-stairs, walk back recoveries
    3min rest

  • 6 x 30 double leg hops up-stairs, walk back recoveries
    4min rest

  • 4 x 100 stairs (doubles), walk back recoveries
    8min rest

  • 2 x 150m hill, walk back recovery

  • 5min cool down

Then my sister took me on her back in the house and I knocked my left kneecap on a door-frame (hard) . It still hurts, for a while I thought that I cracked my kneecap, but I think it will be fine (I hope).

Then I went to an MMA tournament (the first one hosted in Greece). Do these people test for contagious blood diseases before they start rolling around in each other’s blood?? :rolleyes:

712

too much relaxing massage on Hams…do 10-15 minutes…

713

Got it :cool:

714

Monday, March. 21st, 2011

  • 20min warm up

  • good stretch

  • 3 x 20m A skips

  • 2 x 20m B skips

  • 1 x 20m running A skips

  • 3 x 30+m scissor kicks

tempo (on soccer field)

  • 10 x diagonals (110m), 60m walk recoveries
    5min rest
  • 6 x diagonals
    (total: 1760m)

Gym:

  • SLDL’s: 3 x 8 reps (bar+20, bar+30, bar+30) new bar (different country and all), so I’m not sure if this one is 16kg as it was in Milan.
  • bench press: 2 x 6 reps (bar+20, bar+30)
  • swiss ball glute raises: 3 x 12
  • lateral pulldowns: 3 x 8 (45, 50, 55kg)
  • chin downs: 2 x 8 (55, 55kg)
  • donkey kicks: 2 x 25 each leg
  • fire hydrants: 2 x 25 each leg
  • leg curls: 1 x 8
  • abs here and there

(some parts of this city are just lovely. And the parts are many)

p.s. It looks like I did not crack my other kneecap from that door jam after all. Pfeww… !! >> For my sister mostly, who said that she would have purposely broken her own kneecap if mine proved to be hurt :eek:

715

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2011

Starting to get a bit worried with my productivity status since I came to Thessaloniki.

Moving around all the time, brings one to the uncomfortable position of imagining the one place where all the positives of different places merge together into one location. It becomes a bit disappointing to realize that the ideal does not exist, but it’s mostly irritating when one is experiencing bits and pieces of it here and there :stuck_out_tongue:

Training:

  • 4 laps warm up on grass

  • good stretch

  • 2 x 20m A skips

  • 2 x 20m B skips

  • 1 x 20m running A’s

  • 2 x 30m scissor kicks

  • 1 x 60m stride on grass

  • 1 x 60m stride on track

  • 2 x 60m strides with spikes

  • 1 x 300 @ 85% (or whatever, today I felt very flat and tired), at 46 secs

(10min rest)

  • 1 x 300 @ same as above, 47secs. Bliahh times. I sat down to think.

And realized that I’m really out of plan… I’m doing whatever suits my surroundings (group, etc), so this needs to change and use the things that help me make that little difference that I’ve experienced at totally random times.

So I’m using the EMS again, and I hope this time consistently:

  • 20min explosive strength on hamstrings (I went up to 170 today =) )
  • 25min active recovery on hamstrings
  • 20min relaxing massage on calves
  • 20min strength on abs

p.s. I forgot my titles again… today I will name: “Stopwatches inside pockets, and synchronized beeps” (this is the case when I train at the central stadium of Thessaloniki, and other coaches who want to know other people’s training times (why don’t they just ask?? :stuck_out_tongue: ), hide their stopwatches in their pockets and time you, and you can tell when they do this, because you all of a sudden hear the ‘beep’ at the finish line. Flattering? But it stresses me out :stuck_out_tongue: !

716

F**k them! :smiley:

717

hahaha easy now… !! :slight_smile:

718

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Today’s title: The power of the attitude.

Sometimes we can affect the environmental attitude, but if the environment is too strong (population versus one), then things become iffy and the environment has a strong effect. Afternoon track sessions at the central stadium are an iffy-situation for me. I think that from all the people in there, I could only be friends with 10%. The air affects my mood and confidence, and I rarely enjoy a session there. Nick says ‘f**k’ them (:eek:)
I went there at noon today, and the air was much more relaxed. Just one ‘champ’ running there, the rest totally non-serious about what they were doing. I felt happy. I even gave my brightest smile to the Champ who I could potentially like, and she smiled and said hello back. We’ve been sitting next to each other for years now on the track, during training (when I’m here), and this was our first communication-exchange. The attitude that the environment caused, did this to us. (or me).

I also met the university coordinator here. It went really well. I was so positive and bright, that anyone should know that it’s the most secure recipe of being liked (while feeling the sensation :rolleyes:)

I’m so very sleepy…

Oh, training: (all on grass)

  • 20min warm up, good stretch

tempo:

  • 18 x 110m grass soccer field diagonals, 55m recoveries (one big set)
    (total 1980m )

(shin splints, but they get better when I think about ‘trusting my center of gravity’)

EMS:

  • 25min strength on abs
  • 20min relaxing massage on calves

p.s. half the random stuff I write on my journal, on the second time I read them, I’m like “what on earth…”

719

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

title of the day: The fight for the lactic

  • 20min warm up, quick stretch

  • 7 x 35steps double leg hops, walk back recoveries

( 8min rest)

  • 6 x 150m steep hills, slow walk back recoveries. Strong pace

(trying to get lactic acid, I finally got it on the 6th).

EMS session might follow, I’ll edit later if it does.

720

I’m with Nik

721

and for what it’s worth so am I

722

Friday, March 25th, 2011 Chasing adventures?

Today is the national holiday of Greece !
Went on a walk with friends and their dog, saw some of the parade, remembered my junior high school days when I also used to participate. Goodness, I really still feel pretty young, but that last happened 13 years ago :eek:

I started reading my journal today from the beginning (I got up to page 14), and I was both pleased and disappointed!! Pleased for all that has been going on (life adventures, experiences, learned lessons and acquired wisdom) , and mostly for the quality of training-footage that I have taken down over the years.
Disappointed because I feel that partially, there’s a special spirit that has been lost.
I think it all started with the phd, as it became a phase in my life where one single thing started to weigh a great deal of importance for the status figures of my person’s existence, and it is also a phase where I experienced for the first time the kind of attitude by people who try to ‘break’ you, in order to build you up again, in an academic environment. Or other levels as well… This is totally wrong for my moral beliefs because no knowledge in my opinion is worthless. And no life-philosophies are un-suiting for any environment.
Even astrology has something to teach. On whatever level.

Maybe it’s also due to the seriousness of an intimate relationship. Maybe it does take your eyes away from many other experiences at first, especially when it ends up being mostly long distance, and every move and every thought tends to parallel with the concern of whether or not it would be right or hurtful towards the other; not talking about cheating of course, but just other things in general, that fill up life on a daily basis. Like being carefree, and inconsiderate (in a good kind of way), completely independent and self absorbed.

Anyway :), I also think that tons of things could not have been accomplished if things had taken a different toll, and if I had to do things again, I’d do them the same! I need to chase adventures again, that’s all. That is the bottom story of this post. And adventures depend on daring moves and interesting people (in my opinion). The first has been hard to do because of this phd which keeps me busy so often (which is good of course), and the second is (in my opinion) just a matter of luck and circumstances. Interesting people come and go like waves in life (sometimes tsunami’s). You could spend a whole long period without any (in close distance-proximity, that is…)

I started reading Speed Trap again today (for the 3rd time?) I am hitting my head on the wall for missing that (2009?) chance to go to Toronto for a week and continue training with Charlie, after his suggestion. For the classical question “if you were to live your life all over again, what would you have done differently”, this is the one and ONLY thing I would have changed; I would have gone as soon as I could, after that one session we had in Florence. The period was very busy for me, but I could have managed something.
Damn damn damn…!

The weather has been nice here. 20 degrees. Change of weather to the better has always caused an enlightening feeling within me.
Training:

  • 20min warm up, quick stretch

  • 10 x 100stairs, walk back recoveries (singles-doubles-doubles-singles-doubles-doubles-singles-doubles-doubles-singles)

Today I think I will go to the central stadium and find a training partner for the day (there are a few possibilities). If my bicycle gets fixed.

Edit:
EMS followed later:

  • 15min hamstrings explosive strength
  • 25min hamstrings active recovery
  • 20min calves relaxing massage