Tracking it

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261

Sleep
8 1/2 hours :smiley:

Track
300 @ 47.13

rest 30 mins

200 @ ??? bloody fool :mad: pressed the button twice so missed time but it would have been 30. something :cool:

Hang Power clean
2 mins rest
40 x 3, 50 x 3, 60 x 1, 65 x 1, 70 x miss (had height just never caught it :o )

Box Squat
3 mins rest
70 x 3, 80 x 3, 90 x 1, 100 x 1, 120 x miss

why go to 120? I know I can get 110 with no real issue and I wondered if me usually going 100, 110 120 was too draining… oh well. :cool:

Bench
3 mins rest
60 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 1, 90 x miss

Abs
prones x 3 mins
5 sets 30 sec on 30 sec off

Recovery
will have bath and use foam roller later

Rating
6.5

Weight was 180lbs (81.65kg) which was up 2lbs on a couple of weeks ago but I still feel good and look lean for me (maybe it was muscle gain :cool: well one can hope :stuck_out_tongue: ) It is still a drop of 3lbs (1.5kg) in 5 weeks.

As you can see I went with the 300 / 200 but it was most definitely a last minute decision (as in I was in spikes all set to go and decided as I was walking to the start). Conditions were cool (7-8 deg C) and a bit windy, not a strong breeze but certainly above legal.

Reflections…firstly why do I even rest and test? Partly because, well, that’s what you do… the week though is probably 65% rest and 35% test.

If I look at the results they show an interesting thing, they actually aren’t that different at all from a normal training week, in fact they were slightly worse. So if the tests aren’t much different from training what about the rest part? :confused:

Well if the tests and training are the same then perhaps I am pretty well rested as standard :cool: Certainly I don’t feel shagged out as a matter of course, I eat very well and am pretty particular about my recovery. Sure sleep may not be that long at times but I don’t think it is a sign of overtraining as the quality feels pretty good.

I now need to ask do I need a rest and test week at this stage? Perhaps not, maybe a few lower volume days will suffice.

One thing I know for sure is that my speed needs to improve. Maybe I’m being too hard on myself re that first 200 looking at the time from today maybe me going much under 30sec right now isn’t realistic. Looking at my 200m times from last season the vast majority were in the mid 28 sec range with one outlier in the mid 26’s.

I feel strong when I run, much stronger than last year and my first and last 200m differential is not too bad so perhaps I need to bring things forward a bit of where I had planned and do a lot more speed work. Yes I’ll do some endurance work but not as much as I had planned and I’ll change my weights plan slightly.

With that in mind I’m going to change things slightly for the next 3 weeks as follows. NOTE this may change due to work stuff but it is the plan right now and wont change much.

Monday
tempo

Tuesday
rest

Wednesday
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m

Ins & outs x 4 (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)
Rest 15 mins

3 sets walkback between reps 5 mins between sets
Tire drag 2 x 22m
Skips 2 x 50m

Thursday
3 x 4 x 150m fast relaxed (straight 150m in flats on grass 1 min between reps. 10 mins between sets)
+
weights (total body focus)

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m
Ins & Outs x 3r (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)

Rest 15 mins

300
rest 10 mins
200
rest 10 mins
150

Med ball throws

Sunday
Long Hills x 4 15 mins between

Monday
Weights
(lower body focus)
+
tempo

Tuesday
Rest

Week 2

Wednesday
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m
Skips 2 x 50m

Ins & outs x 3r (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)
Rest 10 mins

(In Sequence: 3 point, standing, Flying)
Walkback between reps 5 mins between methods.

3 x 30m, 3 x 40m, 3 x 60m

Thursday
4 x 150
tempo
fast
tempo

walk back recovery
+
weights (upper body focus)

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m
Skips 2 x 50m

Ins & Outs x 3r (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)

Rest 15 mins

2 x 300 (30 mins between sets)
+
weights (total body focus)

Sunday
5 x 200 fast relaxed (straight 200m in flats on grass 2 mins between reps)

Monday
Weights (lower body focus) + tempo

Tuesday
Rest

Week 3

Wednesday
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m
Skips 2 x 50m

Ins & outs x 3r (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)
Rest 10 mins

(In Sequence: push up, 3 point, standing)
Walkback between reps 5 mins between methods.
3 x 30m each

  • weights (upper body focus)

Thursday
rest

Friday
warm up, warm down

Saturday
400m time trial

Sunday
rest

Monday
tempo + med ball throws

Tuesday
Rest

262

Sleep
8 solid hours :smiley:

Tempo

  • = 30 sec rest
    100+100+100++
    100+100+200+100++
    100+200+200+100++
    100+100+200+100++
    100+100+100++

Abs
30 sec on 30 sec off various exercises x 10 mins

Rating
8

263

This is in response to a comment was passed in the Starting Strength thread as to whether my wedding ring was welded on by my wife. No it isn’t in fact I wear mine more than my wife wears hers. :cool:

My wife C is one of the most amazing people I know, we have been together over 21 years. We started going out in February ’85 and were living together that November. We got married February 6 1988 and she is without doubt the greatest thing that ever happened to me, I love her very much and she is my best friend. :smiley: Neither of us believe in ‘soul mates’ and believe that we could have ended up with and probably been as happy with a number of other people. We hope we stay together forever but are realistic to know that it is possible that may not happen.

When we first started going out people didn’t give us 2 weeks together as we are both pretty strong willed and can be opinionated……I was waaaaaay worse when I was younger (amazing but true :stuck_out_tongue: )

C is a qualified Social Worker part way through her Masters and over the years has made me understand the importance of people and relationships. That isn’t to say I can’t still be a cold ruthless prick…sometimes I appear to be, when I’m not…C is most definitely left of centre politically and holds strong feminist views. She is most definitely not ‘girly’ or ‘ditzy’, that isn’t to say she is butch, just that she is practical and her own person. I marvel at her ability to converse with anyone and within minutes will know intimate personal details that people share with her…it is truly a gift. :slight_smile:

A few things illustrate our relationship.

I never did the flash proposal, it was more of a conversation that was like ‘I think we should get married’…’ok’ From there we went to tell my parents, what should have been a celebration turned into a disaster.

We are getting married

Congratulations, so you’re engaged?

Not engaged, we’re getting married.

Have you got a ring?

No, C doesn’t want one

:eek: But you have to have one…

No we don’t :mad:

Yes you do

Well we aren’t!!!

When are you putting it in the paper?

We aren’t

But you have to…

No we don’t., the people that need to know will get told, we aren’t putting it in the paper.

C’s wedding dress was bought off the rack and was a dress, not a wedding dress. It was nice and my daughter wears it sometimes to dress up flash :smiley:

We bought our wedding rings in about 10 minutes (if that) at the first shop we looked at….We’re off to buy our wedding rings…you mean start looking for them…no buy them.

We wrote our own wedding vows and although I can’t remember most of them I remember one bit about how we would support and encourage each other to be the best they can be (or something like that) and we have both done that. We lead separate but joined lives. We most certainly don’t agree on everything and know that just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean we love each other any less. There are certain topics (like capital punishment) that we have learned just aren’t worth discussing any more because we will never agree and it will ALWAYS end in a fight. I have never slept on the couch or in the spare room.

When we got married C retained her maiden name. This may not be that unusual now but 20 years ago wasn’t as common and it certainly ruffled a few feathers…. most notably with my Mother. I couldn’t care less, I married C not her name. My 12 y.o. daughter M (who has my surname) told me the other day she is going to change her surname to C’s when she gets married. I suggested when she left school was a better time. If she leaves it till she gets married it will just create confusion. Leaving school is like starting a brand new phase of life and you meet a whole lot of new people, it is a much more suitable time. M asked if I was upset….No…good on her. She idolises her mother (she loves me but C can walk on water) and in the scheme of things what does her surname mean? I love her as M, my daughter and a neat person, not because she has the same name as me.

I love both my children and they are good kids, I have played a part in that yes, but having a great mother has played a bigger part.

C may not be suitable for everyone but she is just right for me. I wish everyone could be as happy. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

264

[QUOTE=John

Reflections…firstly why do I even rest and test? Partly because, well, that’s what you do… the week though is probably 65% rest and 35% test.

If I look at the results they show an interesting thing, they actually aren’t that different at all from a normal training week, in fact they were slightly worse. So if the tests aren’t much different from training what about the rest part? :confused:

Well if the tests and training are the same then perhaps I am pretty well rested as standard :cool: Certainly I don’t feel shagged out as a matter of course, I eat very well and am pretty particular about my recovery. Sure sleep may not be that long at times but I don’t think it is a sign of overtraining as the quality feels pretty good.

I now need to ask do I need a rest and test week at this stage? Perhaps not, maybe a few lower volume days will suffice.

One thing I know for sure is that my speed needs to improve. [/QUOTE]

John, don’t punt the Rest/Test Week. Maybe the reason your training and trial times are the same is that you actually do need to freshen up more from your training.

When emphasising speed development, you do need to be well rested, and preferably fresh coming into competition/trials.

The Rest/Test Week is a circuit-breaker. It is a build-in self-protection mechanism to prevent athletes burying themselves.

I realise on occasion it seems like awaste of valuable trainingtime, but experience informs.

When you get into the competition period, then you can dump it because presuambly you’ll be freshening up a lot more so as to give yourself a chance to race well.

In the meanwhile the R/TW is also a convenient way of rounding out a phase of training without crashing up against the next and risking overload, injury and poor performance.

265

hey john - congrats on the pb’s - looks like training is goin great for you. keep it up.
One question though about glutamine. You say it worked wonders for you esp on recovery.
I’ve read elsewhere that its not very effective and may be more placebo than anything else. Can you go into more detail on it please?
Thanks
Good luck
john

266

Thanks John, to be honest re the glutamine I never did any research on it as I had credits at the supp shop that covered it and it came with pretty strong recomendations from Rapsmvp. It may be a placebo effect but to be honest I couldn’t care less :smiley: the cost isn’t great and I have felt noticebly better since I started taking it. It is hard to describe apart from the term ‘less tired’ …hope that helps.

KK,
I totally agree I may well need a bit more rest but wonder if right now (6 weeks out) is the appropriate time. If I stay with 4 weeks (3 + 1 R&T) that leaves 2 weeks to change anything further. I think we are in agreement that max speed is the issue and my 3 week plan does have a rest and test phase of 5 days rather than a whole week.

Once that is done I will go to a 2 week plan with much less total volume which will leave me a week before first race. The Tuesday and Wednesday before htta race I am at a conference so can’t train. I am in no way peaking but will be resting more than at present. In season I will try and stick to a 2 week plan along the lines of (note this isn’t finished)

Sat 400m / 200m races med ball throws???

Sun rest

Mon weights and tempo

Tues rest

Wed short speed and med ball throws

Thurs endurance (long hills?)

Fri speed endurance (4 x 150 ???) and weights

Sat rest (helping with childrens)

Sun 300, 200, 100

Mon weights and tempo

Tues rest

Wed short speed and med ball

Thurs rest

Fri warm up warm down

Sat 400m / 200m races med ball throws???

As I said it isn’t finished but that is the sort of thing I am thinking of.

It will be interesting to see how things go this week as I think the benefit o the rest and test is actually after it rather than in the middle of it :cool:

267

wouldn’t really recommend long hills eight days before a 400m. What else might you do - or not do - on that Thursday?

268

5 x 200? :confused:

Wed 30 Aug

Sleep
6 1/2 solid hours

Track
3 mins between sets
Med ball dive to mat 2s x 5r
Hills 2s x 5r x 10m

Ins & outs x 4 (40-20-20 10 mins rest between)

Rest 15 mins

3 sets walkback between reps 5 mins between sets
Tire drag 2 x 22m
Skips 2 x 50m

Rating
8

Had first day of season confirmed as October 14 so that is 6 1/2 weeks away.

269

Thnkig further about this as I posted above 5 x 200m?? or even something completely different like a GPP day of jump rope and calisthenics? :cool: Would be some variety and possibly better for recovery :cool:

270

John, how much abdominal work do you do? i lot i hope!
Just thinking about what it is that is holding you back…
Have you seen this calculator on 400m?
200m best time, multiply by 2, add 4 sec = 400m time.
if you want to run a 400m in 60sec.
thats a 200m in 28.00
so from there you can say, well, my speed sucks or my endurance sucks! or both.

have you tried running say a 600m in training? like, 200 easy 200 fast 200 easy
or 200 fast 200 easy 200 fast
you could make a progression out of it if your endurance needs it. ie,
100 easy, 50 fast 100 easy 50 fast ect
then after mastering that
100 easy 100 fast 100 easy ect
then after mastering that
150 easy 150 fast 150 easy 150fast
then after mastering that
200 easy, 200 fast 200 easy
then after mastering that
200 fast, 200 easy 200 fast

that could be a progresson of intensity over maybe a couple of months? and its goal orientated. as you succeed, you get rewarded by a new program.

271

I do a fair bit of abs but will be increasing it anyway.

IMO the number 1 issue is that I am not fast enough max speed wise which is why I am giving it and acceleration increased emphasis. Keep in mind I had never ever run track till 18 months ago and last year was my first season :cool:

272

Or the running session I did last night :cool: In that case I would change the Friday one to maybe 5 x 100m :cool:

Thurs 31 Aug

Sleep
6 1/2 hours

was a bit tired when I woke (should have taped Prison Break instead of stying up and watching it :o ) but felt much more betterer as day went on. :slight_smile:

Running on grass
walkback between reps, 10 mins between sets
3s x 4r x 150m

Warmer weather helps can’t remember last time I trained in a Tshirt after work.

Full extension shrugs
2 mins rest
40 x 3, 50 x 3
3 mins rest
60 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3, 85 x 3

DE Box Squats
60 sec between sets
2s x 3r x 60
2s x 3r x 67
2s x 3r x 75
1s x 3r x 85
1s x 3r x 92

Eccentric chins
90 sec rest
3s x 8r

Overhead squats
90 sec rest
2s x 5r x 35

Bulgarian squats
90 sec rest
2s x 5r x 22db

Abs
10 mins 30 sec on / 30 sec off various exercises
2 mins prones

Rating
9 :smiley:

273

Really nice story mate.

Interesting take on things too!!!

(Sorry I had to post this - 'cus everybody else seemed to ignore it especially after you took the time to type it all!!!)

274

Not ignored! Silence is gold… John could tell us more on this! :stuck_out_tongue:
(sorry John :o )

275

:confused: sorry that’s a bit cryptic for me :o

Fergus thanks :smiley:

276

OK, sorry! I didn’t comment, because silence is gold, of which you should know, because we just never argue with women -it’s a lost fight! :stuck_out_tongue: (joke, a bad one…)

277

riiight …ok :rolleyes:

:stuck_out_tongue: :smiley:

278

nice story there about the wife and kids.
Its great you’re so happy!!
Very hard to find the right one. Im still lookin :wink:

279

Thanks, I hope you find them.

Now this isn’t meant to be arrogant, condesceding or aimed at anyone in particular (which is unusual for me :stuck_out_tongue: ) but IMHO people sometimes expect too much. :eek:

There is no perfect partner, no one will ever be exactly what you want. I have friends who have looked for years for ‘the right one’ and no one has ever been as good as they thoughyt they should be. No relationship is everything you need, I have a HUGE amount of faults and C has plenty as well :cool: …well a few (although if asked she would never admit it :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley: ). Sometimes it is deciding this person is pretty neat and is someone I really enjoy being with, they suit me better than the vast majority of other people. That isn’t settling for second best, just being realistic, making a commitment and working at things. I’m certainly not advocating someone stay in a love less or abusive relationship just that like alll things that are satisfying it takes work, effort and a decision to last the distance.

While I’m on my pulpit :stuck_out_tongue: I’ll share my views on temptation :eek: I can honestly say I have never ever been physically unfatihful, now I use the term physical as some would argue unfaithfulness starts in the mind and to a point I agree…but I digress…Have I been tempted? Yes, I am human, but the key IMO is to try and avoid those situations. I have had jobs when I have been away fro home a great deal (one was an average 2 x pw) and have plenty of chances to get it on with other people (I’m no hunk but there is always the opportunity even if have to you pay for it). As much as possible I actively avoid those situations. When away I would have dinner alone and certainly never in the company of just anothe female…NEVER!!! In conversations as much as possible I try to keep a certain distance, both physically and in topic. That isn’t to say I don’t joke or laugh (no one could ever say that about me :smiley: ) but I try not to flirt or give any impression that I am interested. I see and know plenty of beautiful, intelligent, great woman but they are off limts and as I said as much as possible I try and ensure I am never placed in a situation where I may falter.

280

Enough of the self righteous pontificating, the story below has been in the headlines here and breaks my heart especially as if we were the parents we would probably have done the same thing.

Liam revelled in the pirate’s life

Saturday September 2, 2006
By Patrick Gower

His mates on the North Shore didn’t call him “Crazy Liam” for nothing.

Take the time Liam Ashley stole a car from his father’s work and went on a joyride, pulling a series of burnouts on a grass verge before its windows were smashed out.

But his fun with the car wasn’t over yet - with some friends watching on, he drove it off a boat ramp and dumped it in the sea.

“His parents probably wouldn’t want me telling you about that, but that was Liam,” Daniel, one of his pallbearers, said yesterday.

“He would do anything for fun, and even though it could be totally crazy, he never meant anything bad by it. It is not like he would hurt anyone.”

Liam’s pursuit of fun ended in the back of a Chubb prison van nine days ago, when the 17-year-old was murdered, allegedly by an adult prisoner he was sharing a cage with in the vehicle.

His parents, exasperated by his latest antics that included the stealing of yet another car from his mother, had wanted him to experience first-hand the penalties for breaking the law if an adult. It was a last resort after a years of dealing with his Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).

Daniel, Liam and their mates led what they called the “Pirate Life”, a slogan since emblazoned on the back of “Crazy Liam” T-shirts.

“Liam loved that saying,” said Daniel, also 17, who did not want his last name used. “It was because we lived life like pirates, cruising around, doing what we wanted. Drinking rum and having fun.”

They would hang out at the Birkenhead skate bowl, drinking, smoking cigarettes and weed. There was trouble with police, but “nothing major,” said Daniel, “just disorderly behaviour and drinking in public”.

Daniel was on bail when he spoke at Liam’s funeral on Wednesday, on a minor theft charge for which he was given diversion when he appeared in court the following day.

However, he is adamant the boys were just “doing normal teenage stuff”. Liam was a mischief man among mischief-makers.

"My parents didn’t want me hanging around him, but they didn’t understand. He was a victim of ADHD, his friends were everything to him.

“There are guys our age doing things a million times worse than Liam ever did. All the bad things he did, it was against his parents. And everything he ever did, he got snapped for.”

The last time Daniel saw Liam it was in the Honda CRV jeep he had stolen from his mother that he was to be arrested for. He knew it was stolen; they always were.

Liam ended up in the North Shore District Court on 10 charges, seven of which he pleaded guilty to on the day of his death, all stemming from offending against his parents.

The next he heard of Liam was a phone call from his mother, Lorraine Ashley. “His mum rang up and said there was bad news. I thought, ‘What has he done now?’ Then she said he was dead.”

Daniel, who first met Liam when they were about 6, is sure his mate would have been terrified in the Chubb van, despite his penchant for risk-taking. A 25-year-old man, who has name suppression, has been charged with Liam’s murder.

Daniel said if there was a man Liam idolised it was his father Ian, who runs Milano International, a car importing company, where his son had recently been working. Daniel said Liam thought everything his father did was the best, “the best car, the best bike [a Harley Davidson], the best this, the best that”.

And what were Liam’s hopes for the future? He once said he wanted “to steal a Harley-Davidson,” said Daniel.

“Liam didn’t live in the future. He didn’t live in the past. He lived in the now.”

Father tells of son’s struggles

By age 3 Liam Ashley was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and by age 5 he was prescribed Ritalin.

His father Ian revealed yesterday the family’s struggle with Liam’s ADHD, saying they had never heard of the disorder when Liam was diagnosed in 1992 and went in search of all the literature they could find. He described his wife Lorraine as “a true angel from heaven” for being Liam’s full-time caregiver, and managing three other children’s needs.

Liam lasted a short time at his first school before he was asked to leave.

He made progress with some specialised support at other schools but this was “taken away” and Liam went across Auckland to Waimokoia Special School in Half Moon Bay, a last-stop primary for the country’s most difficult kids. Liam’s return to mainstream education was a failure.

He was sent to board at Christchurch’s Halswell Residential College for boys with intellectual and social difficulties, Although Liam flourished, Mr Ashley said he longed to be with his family and they reluctantly brought him back to the North Shore just before his 15th birthday. He lasted only a year and went to work cleaning cars at Mr Ashley’s business.

Mr Ashley said Liam had begun to experiment with cars, alcohol, drugs and girls. It was not long before he started to take money or family possessions to trade and sell.

Mr Ashley said that despite the family trying all avenues of teenage support, the offending escalated and they decided to “entrust” Liam to the justice system to show him where he would end up once he turned 18.

“The rest has been well documented.”

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10399353