drills + stretches
hurdles - walk over and snap jump
slam ball throws
2x70m - 12.45 and 12.51
on the second 70m run she yelled out at about the 60m mark and slowed down. she said that she had lost her balance and pulled a muscle. upon closer inspection I found no specific place where it hurt, so it was most likely a combination of general tightness and adjustment to her new heel lift. she was limping for a couple of minutes, but walked to the car afterwards with no visible signs of discomfort.
I should also note that this is the most cooperative she has been in any session to date. she started on her warm up without being asked and remembered all her stretches.
10-12-15
training cancelled due to M having a 40deg temperature.
very bad timing with the zone champs coming up. she has to at least finish top 4 to progress to regionals.
12-12-15
zone championship
60h: 11.75 - 1st
100m: 16.95 - 1st
she had me really worried with a false start warning in the 100m. the starter held them in set for ages, and eventually she tumbled forwards. as a result she started tentatively on the second try and only hit the front right at the 50m mark. she was forcing the issue a bit and running with bent legs, but was able to win by a metre or so.
13-12-15
70m: 11.50 - 1st
200m: 34.70 - 1st
she did a brief jumps routine to get her ready for the 70m today and it really paid off. her foot placement was under her body and she was able to run more relaxed.
the time of 11.5 is significant, because it is the same time that won the u9 regionals last season, and that was in februry on a rubber track…
training cancelled due to rain and family commitments.
18-12-15
60h - 11.45** pb
100 - 17.20
didn’t see the 100, but her dad said she was over-reaching again. the hurdles race was smooth as silk, on the other hand. she is a bit jekyll and hyde at the moment with her technique.
20-12-15
pro race
70m/7.25 - 10.15
not quite as good as the previous pro race, but that still converts to around 11.3sec.
she’s having a bit of a break over christmas. back again in about a week and with some new training partners coming soon…
Her foot is extending past the knee while her knee is at its highest point.
Passage of time and avoiding the causes. I have been teaching her to run more on the front of her foot as she was pounding with her heel. Also, no skipping/jumping on hard surfaces or stamping feet when she’s upset…
M has been on a break since christmas, with only one training session since then. she did go to a gala day where she had 16.3 for the 100 and 34.1 for 200. decent times, although they were on a proper track, not grass. she has lost a bit of her edge since her training attendance has dropped off.
she also ran a 60h, which was quite entertaining. she was about 10m in the lead coming over the last hurdle, when out of nowhere she tripped and fell onto her hands and knees. as the other competitors were bearing down on her she got to her feet and still managed to cross the line in first place!
in her absence I have also started training two other children of around her age, with one more joining in a fortnight. I took them (and my daughter) through some drills, throws and stretches. the girl (7) is very flexible and seems like she has some potential on the track. the boy (9) is a rugby league player who is strong but tight in the hips…
This is what I’m trying to get her to do, although she doesn’t tend to respond too well to verbal cues/instructions. I’m looking for drills or exercises that can lead her to it without her realising.
I’ve got a few things up my sleeve, but she’s been in bali, so I haven’t seen her for ages…
One thing that comes to mind is wicket drill, especially with short, fast stride. However, it can be a ‘risky’ (in terms of technique) drill because it often makes athletes overstride and/or drop their hips…
two sessions this time around. first one with the new kids doing jumps, drills, etc. also got them to run and jump in the sand pit. did the same with M when she arrived later.
having some behaviour issues with my new boy.
24-1-16
100: 16.3
60h: 11.5
got a message that M had bruised her right foot on a hurdle today. she hit the second last one with her trail leg, which put her into second place as she went over the last hurdle. in true style, she was still able to regroup and take the win. however, the bruise is apparantly swollen and painful, and the timing is terrible. she has a big race on tuesday and regionals are not too far away. her dad told me today that she still wants to compete tomorrow…
a really good effort by M as she ran faster than she has done before.
27-1-16
drills
throws
stretches
4x 100m run
trained the full group of 5 today. had some trouble at first but managed to settle them into a rhythm once the initial excitement wore off a bit. however, I will be splitting the group in the lead up to regionals as M will be needing personal attention…
Watching some show on tv over the new year break with my 13yr old grandson. There was a part where “people who have a first name starting with j always are the trouble makers”, I copped heaps.
looked great in the warm up, but fell back into the bad habit of skimming her feet low to the track.
after training her and her dad went over to a hill where she started running up. I noticed during this that her feet were coming through low and she was taking short steps, similar to the way she had been running. her dad then told me he had been getting her to run up hills recently. I suspect this might have messed up her technique a little, so we’ll need to focus back on getting her feet up over the knee again…
good session for the three new kids. got them started on some sled work, which they enjoyed.
M bailed out of another session as she had a 30min blood nose at school. it’s getting close to regionals and she’s been missing a lot of training. I know she has a tendency to rise to the occasion, but she still has a lot of ground to make up if she wants to make a state final.
5-6-16
M double false started in the 200. this is a tendency she had right at the start of training, and it is beginning to creep back into her game. we have possibly two sessions left before regionals to iron out these issues…
Another solid session with the three new kids, along with my daughter. S had some success at la with bp’s in discus and lj, also winning her 400m race. I have also been told that Ma finished 2nd in her 400m race, which is a good result for her…
she looked very good in her acceleration today, as she did last week. however, her upright running was much better than it has been. I have been trying all season to get her to be upright and light, and it finally clicked. last week her 10m splits were 1.69, 1.69 and 1.61 (20-30). this week she had 20m splits of 3.10 and 3.07 (20-40). she said she could hardly feel the track under her feet and that it was like she was “floating up to heaven”.
10-2-16
warm up
glutes and flags
hurdle walk overs and jumps
sand hops
speed drills
throw + catch play
another good session. fingers crossed for regionals on the weekend…
day 1 went very well. she won by comfortable margins in all heats and finals with enormous bp’s in every run. in particular, I was happy with how relaxed she ran, as indicated by her neutral head position. foot placement was also greatly improved, landing on the middle of the foot rather than the heel.
day 2 was the low that followed the high. she had a few confidence and emotional issues leading into the 200m heat, but she was able to get herself together for the final. she didn’t win the race, but I expected all along that she would finish second in the 200.
all in all, she made a bit of a splash. I am becoming more confident that she can make at least one state final…
