If you really like the track run the 400m 
You will likely PR again
I know, I decided to go
Today: (outside - 40s…pretty chilly)
5 lap warm up
dynamic stretching
drills
2 50m strides in shoes
2 5m strides in spikes
2*200m at 95% with 2min rest between
1 lap cool down
P.S. Didn’t lift all last week, and not planning to lift this week either. I think it helps me out. I will start lifting again for outdoor track.
A couple of questions, if I may,
- What were the 200 m times? And,
- How did you come to this decision about lifting?
Thanks!
I didn’t time the 200s, because I didn’t really want to :rolleyes: . I came to the conclusion that they were 95% because I did them outside and it was cold, and I can never run “all out” in the cold, although I tried to do them pretty fast. Nomatter how long my warm up is, my muscles just tighten up,and I could feel it, since I was really forced to slow down at the last 30m or so… (and more so in the second 200…)
Lifting wise…my coach in Greece strongly encourages me to cut down on weights, she thinks I’m way too strong for a 400m runner and the “lighter >> the faster”, and obviously muscle adds weight…she says I already have the strength that I need from lifting since September and now that I want to run well at these meets, cutting down on weights will make me go faster.
I kinda see it myself. When I lift heavy, running seems more “forced”. Last summer when I completely stopped weights and ran a couple of track meets (in Greece), I ran my season’s best times.
Then coming back to this year, I cut down in weights during winter break in preperation for the Athens meet, PR’ed (59.4), then when I came back here I started lifting again twice a week and ran a 61.0 and then a 61.8…then lifted only once during a week and ran a high 60, then stopped weights for Amer.East week and ran 59.9 and 59.2 and pr’ed in my open 200 by almost a full second.
I’m not saying weights are not important of course, if I thought that, I wouldn’t be squatting 235lbs during the pre-season 
10min warm up
drills (I hate it when a distance captain leads the drills…we get NO rest whatsoever… :mad: )
255m strides
255m sprints
cool down
Ughh…I feel kinda bad…I was doing this session with my fellow sprinter (he was basically doing what I was doing), fastest kid in our team, and he pulled a hamstring during a sprint…he says he heard a “pop”… 
will he be fine by Friday? He has like a 6.44 in the 55m…he could win New Englands.
Tomorrow: nothing
Backkkkkkkkk from New Englands
I ran Friday, I PR’ED, ran a 59.14, I wanted to go under 59 sooo badly…buttt I shouldn’t be greedy, since I pr’ed again…
It felt like the first part of my race was sooo slowww cause the girls in my heat went out fast, but my 200 split was a 27 flat, which is not really slow for my standards. I still think the weakest part of my race is that backstretch…
I’m really anxious to take a week “off” with only pool work and cross training. That will get me excited for training again for outdoors.
And just for the heck of it, I’ll set some goals for spring outdoors since I’m at the end of indoors:
Well, my peak time should be June, and I want to run 57s by that time for Greek nationals.
For college spring track, I want to be running 58s (and at the big meets maybeeeee a high 57???) I dont’ know how unrealistic that sounds, but heck…why not write it down? :o
For the 200, my pr this season (and ever) was a 26.2, soooooo I would hope to run some 25s outdoors. The thing with the 200 is, that a few people have told me that in the past they were able to run faster indoors on the BU track that on outdoor tracks…so we’ll see what happens
Since my focus of peaking is May-June, I’ll try to run some open 100s (for the first time in my life) during March-April so I don’t get burned out with too many 400s. Which means: practicing blocks seriously (which I haven’t done yet either :rolleyes: )
Eeeeeh…I might throw in an open 800 sometime too, just for “fun” :eek:
Well done, Stef!
Enjoy your active rest!
Oh forgot to mention another goal for this spring: lose 10-15lbs!! I’m really carrying weight that I DON’T need during those 400s and dropping my weight will SUFFICIENTLY help me reach my goals. I just have to be careful, because in the past, sudden weight loss has caused me injuries. I will try to be smart about it 
(hmmm lets see how that goes :rolleyes: )
Just a reminder:
this is my off/ easy week
Monday: 25min elliptical
Today: pool:
10min warming up (fooling around, swimming, running in deep and shallow water)
Then I made up this workout that me and 8 other girls did:
(1 lap kickboard, 5 wall push ups, fast sprint and back at the shallow end, 5 wall push ups)*3
rest for about 3min
The do it again
Then swam a few laps
Then 2* 1min running in deep water
Sauna (mmm…)
BE CAREFUL! Losing too much weight too fast is almost certainly the cause of my foot injury…
Yeah I know actually, that was the reason for 4 stress fractures for me two years ago…(over a period of 6 months). I’ll try to work my brain this time and not become obsessed about it.
Today: 25min elliptical, abs
Tomorrow I will do a long warm up, drills and just a few sprints so my legs don’t forget how to go fast.
Today I felt like I haven’t ran or exercised in a year. Could it be my “cautious” nutritioning since Monday?
10min jogging
drills
380m fast striders
1300m strider (for these, I was basically pacing a teammate who was doing a workout of 400s and 200s)
2* 35sec mountain climbers (those felt so hard…)
I’m dead 
You are on an active recovery week, treat it as such! Re-charge!!
About the diet, the reason behind it and how much it can affect your training -you know your self better than anyone! If it negatively affects your training/performance, it’s not worth it. If it’s absolutely necessary to do this in order to improve your performance (?), seek advice/reccomendations so you can do it safely and effectively!
Relax! 
Thanks
No, it’s not absolutely necessary , but I still think it will help me out later in the outdoor season. But you’re right, I won’t worry about it if it has negative results of course…I’ll see what happens, it’s still March
Today: 15min run outside
Then skips, drills, 1 stride
Couple hundred abs.
The run felt tiring, it was cold and I had trouble breathing, and besides, every time I end a season, “long” runs feel like crap… :o
Who needs them anyways… 
Sunday I did another easy 10-15min jog
Monday: back on the track.
10min warming up, just a few dynamic stretches, 155m strider
10165m (or 160m…I’m still arguing the distance… :rolleyes: ) with 3min in between, at about 75-80%, they all were 25 and 26secs, all on lane 2, so I was technically running more.
First 5-6 felt good, then the lactic acid started building and I felt like dying. :o
Shake ups
Then in the late evening did a campus loop with 3 other teammates, started REALLY slowly and finished at a good pace. The distance was 1.7miles. For some reason, that 1.7 miles brought the life back to me after being DRAINED for the whole day after the morning session. I wonder why…??
Oh: the plan for this season:
2 weeks GPP
2 weeks “special cycle”
2 weeks “pre-comp cycle”
and then I plan accordingly
of course, this is open to changes and adjustments according to how I feel.
This morning: practiced starts
Pretty frustrating…
Will I ever get it right??
All my indoor races (400s AND 200s) were without blocks, that needs to change…Also, I want to try some open 100s this year, but if my starts stink I’m not even gonna try it…
Then did weights…I’ll post details later…the trainer beat me to death. Gotta go.
Ok my weight session was something like this (I have trouble recalling weight sessions…)
First did med ball throws and med ball abs (mostly obliques) for about half an hour, then:
- squats: 5155lbs warm up, 12190lbs (2min rest),12200lbs(2min rest), 8225lbs(crashed)+5*185lbs
- RDL’s: 8*185lbs then back hurt, so we switched it up to:
- Manual Resistance leg curls (OUCHH): 2*12reps
- 2*(max push ups + max floor chin ups)
- step ups: 2*10each leg with 15lb DB’s
- i really dont know how to name these, so i’ll describe: on all fours (arms, knees), kick each leg back 20times while knee bent 90degrees at all times, and last 5 reps of each set done with manual resistance, 2 sets of those (last set with no MR)
- calf raises, 20 each
- hip adductors: 12 reps each leg (OUCH)
ummm I think that was it…I felt beat afterwards. Hamstrings are already a bit sore.
I am soooo soreeee from lifting yesterday…
Went in the pool this morning as an active recovery day, did 5min easy aqua jogging for warm up, then did my pool circuit invention of kickboard comblined with running sprints at the shallow end, wall push ups and 1min runs at the deep end. The whole thing took about 20minutes. Then cooled down for 5, and then went into the saune and did some stretching.
I’m done for the day.
Still pretty sore.
I still didn’t want to go on the track, the actual reason I’ve been doing pool is old stress fracture “bothering”, which has been happening for about 3 weeks now on and off, it’s mainly because we’ve had some of the coldest days these past weeks, and the foot starts to bother…I didn’t mention anything on the journal cause the less I talk about it and just take some “off” days, helps psychologically and makes it feel better faster ( no kidding).
I’m just anxiously waiting for springggg and some warmer weather so the red injury light goes off. I’m NEVER in pain or injured in the late spring/summer, unless it’s something from winter damage…
So to quit the blabbering, pool was nice: 10min warming up doing random stuff (mostly dog-swimming)
1030sec sprints with 45sec recoveries
3(1 lap kickboard, 5 wall push ups, 1 back-forth shallow end sprint, 5 push ups)
Weights almost right after:
- Bench press: 575lbs, 1295lbs, 4*100lbs+8 push ups
- MR seated row: 12reps, 10reps
- max rep explosive push ups: I think I did 15, then 10???
- med ball floor smashes: 8lb ball, 2*15
- larimore lunges: w/15lb DB’s, 1*10each leg
- 3-way shoulder raises w/5lb plates, 2 sets
- MR hip adductor, 12 reps
Night at home: 30min elliptical and quick stretch