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Running Aimlessly Down Under - From 54 to 53 sec 400m
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Did you ever have any issues stomach cramps when you were first starting out at 400m? On paper, I should be capable of low 60s, but cramps from 250-300m onward seem to be holding me back for now.0
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Did you ever have any issues stomach cramps when you were first starting out at 400m? On paper, I should be capable of low 60s, but cramps from 250-300m onward seem to be holding me back for now.
Nope, has never been something I've had to deal with. Wouldn't be able to advise on that area unfortunately.0 -
Did you ever have any issues stomach cramps when you were first starting out at 400m? On paper, I should be capable of low 60s, but cramps from 250-300m onward seem to be holding me back for now.
I used to train with a guy that suffered from acid-reflux whenever he did a tough lactic workout. I don't think it would affect him while running but he'd always be getting sick/dry-heaving after sessions. Nasty.0 -
They moved the last graded meet from Irishtown to Santry.
This might prevent me from going, I am trying to sort out how I can get to Santry and home! If I do get there I predict a 58 as I do not have the same speed that I had last year. Also i'm not prepare to rest up for it so I may leave it till the indoors to get it a fair go. Hope your trip is going well. 0 -
thewolf_ie wrote: »They moved the last graded meet from Irishtown to Santry. This might prevent me from going, I am trying to sort out how I can get to Santry and home! If I do get there I predict a 58 as I do not have the same speed that I had last year. Also i'm not prepare to rest up for it so I may leave it till the indoors to get it a fair go. Hope your trip is going well.
Santry is a great track. Irishtown is not. This is good news if you want to run a quick time.0 -
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All set for tomorrow's media 800m race at the Letzigrund. The entries were closed off at 72, so probably 9 heats of 8, seeded based on time. I should be in the first or second heat I'd imagine. Ireland set for European media domination. I suspect a 1-2, and hopefully I can get myself into the top 10.0
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Not the worst way to end off my season, running in the iconic Letzigrund stadium. While my performance was rubbish, the event was a lot of fun.
800m:
I hadn't run an 800m all season, due mainly to the scheduling, but partly to there being less incentive than I had in Melbourne to run them. I also had eased off the intensity of my training since Nationals, so the reality was that I was probably not as fit as would be required to run under my PB of 2:15.2 from last November.
The entries were closed off at 72. In the end 65 people showed up, split across 7 heats. I assumed they would seed them, but instead they drew them at complete random, meaning there was over a minute gap between first and last in most heats, and indeed one guy even got lapped after 300m in one heat.
I was drawn in heat 2, while the other 3 Irish lads were all in heat 6. It was frustrating not being in the same heat as them, but being on early also meant I could watch the other heats, rather than being stuck in the call room.
There was full call room procedure in place which was funny given the fact most people involved aren't runners. We got to do a bit of a warm up in the call room, which is a long stretch of track, about twice the size of what they have at Santry. Then I found out I was in heat 2, when I assumed I'd be in a later heat and had to rush my warm up a bit.
Got chatting to a few of my competitors beforehand. There were 3 British lads, all of whom were amazed when they heard the first heat was won in a time as blistering as 2:19! There was a Finish guy I got chatting to who said he was a 2:23 guy. I had a quick look around at the rest and only one other lad looked like a runner in all honesty.
We got time for a few strides and then it was up to the curved line start. The track is fairly soaked, and it is also a very hard track, almost uncomfortably hard, not like anything I've run on before. Probably very good for sprinting.
The gun went off and I pushed hard for the first 50m to get into position and use than few seconds of free energy before settling. However I feel I eased a bit too much after this. I settle into second place behind the bloke from Sweden, with a small gap back to the Finish lad in third. I go through 200m in 32.5ish, which was slower than I hoped, and the Swedish guy is getting away from me now. With about 300m gone, the Finish lad makes a brave move and comes ahead of me. I hit the bell in third place in a slower than hoped 68 seconds. With 350m to go I surge past the Finish guy easily, and he ended up struggling home to a 2:25, and something like a 78 second last lap. I'm well clear now as I head towards the 200m to go point, but the Swedish fella is miles ahead. I hit 600m in 1:44, and I feared I may not even break 2:20 which would have disgusted me. With about 150m to go I decided to look up and take the venue in. Up until now I had forgotten I was running on a track where so many world records have been broken over the years. So I spent 3-4 seconds looking up at the blocks of empty read seats inside a wonderful venue, and I really enjoyed this. I pushed for home hard down the final 200m, and when I crossed the line I saw 2:19. The Swedish guy had won in 2:11.xx and my time was 2:19.70. The Finish guy was 6 seconds back, but the rest were way down, with a lot of times ranging from 2:40 to 3:10 if my memory serves me well.
It was hard to run well in a race like that to be honest, but being honest I wasn't that bothered that I was 4.5 seconds off my PB. This was about having fun and enjoying an experience that most runners will never get to experience, running in such an iconic venue. I even got to wear and official Irish t-shirt (not vest though) for the race.
After my heat I was in 3rd overall. My hope was to snatch a top 10, and I just about managed this. I finished 10th of the 65 runners. Feidhlim and Cathal claimed the top two spots with 1:55 and 1:57. The Slovakian guy who won in Moscow ran 2:04 for 3rd.
There was a lot of banter throughout. A couple of French lads did the Bennabbad, and were given a yellow card. Maurice Greene was watching on. After my race he was the first person I saw and I said to him ''how's your 800m time Maurice'', and he replied ''not as good as that!''. Thanks for that Maurice!
There were gasps when the Irish lads literally took off from the rest of the field after about 20m. I think the Slovak lad assumed he had this in the bag with his 2:04 and then along come the JumpingtheGun lads and whack out some times which are well above the media race. Funny stuff. Afterwards they played Amhran na bhfiann in honour of his win, even though they didn't do it for the French winner of the women's, so somebody Irish must have told them to play it for the laugh.
All in all a great way to finish off my season. A lighthearted run out, in the world's best athletics venue.0 -
That sounds like some crack! The JTG lads hardly got anything for coming 1st and 2nd? :pac:0
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That sounds like some crack! The JTG lads hardly got anything for coming 1st and 2nd? :pac:
The prize fund was fairly poor compared to Moscow. There was a nice enough bag for the men's and women's winners and that was it. In Moscow the top 3 got an expensive watch, and the winners of each heat won a voucher of a decent value.0 -
Now that the banter of the media race is behind me, I'm now on a full break. The plan is 6 weeks off. I'll probably count this from my last 400m race in Lausanne on 9th August, as I did very little in the week after that leading up to the media race. At the moment I'm looking at going back to training on 20th September, but of course this could change. Not only am I giving my body full recovery, but mentally I need a big break aswell, to get out of the mindset of training. If I come back too soon, the hunger may not be there. Usually after long breaks I'll be hungry to get going again. If I came back after 3 weeks I would feel like I didn't get the rest I deserved, so I'll head back to training when I'm ready to. There's no rush, as the winter is long, and the fitness will build up quick enough.
The next month or so I'll be doing things I don't get to do as much of when training. Things such as hiking, weekend trips abroad without the worry of missing 2 sessions, a few more nights out than usual etc.
Over the next while I think back over my season and see where I can improve on, and set some goals for the coming season. The target will most likely be 53. I also plan to have a full indoor season. I've never run on an indoor track before so this is something which will keep me motivated over a long winter, and a chance to set some indoor PBs.
I'll come back with a season review at some point.0 -
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19:43 for the Marlay Parkrun 5K.
Fairly chuffed with that off 400m training, and in the middle of a pretty inactive break, on a slow course. Nice to tick off that sub 20 box.
That time is what I had on my watch, so the official time could be 1-2 seconds slower, as I was pretty slow starting my watch, but in any case, I'm well under the 20 mins.
Will do up a report tomorrow.0 -
Chivito550 wrote: »19:43 for the Marlay Parkrun 5K. Fairly chuffed with that off 400m training, and in the middle of a pretty inactive break, on a slow course. Nice to tick off that sub 20 box.
That time is what I had on my watch, so the official time could be 1-2 seconds slower, as I was pretty slow starting my watch, but in any case, I'm well under the 20 mins.
Will do up a report tomorrow.
Ah lovely jubbly!
You should try training for it you could be a decent middle distance guy.0 -
thewolf_ie wrote: »Ah lovely jubbly!
You should try training for it you could be a decent middle distance guy.
Haha cheers. But the IAAF tables equate this to a 67 second 400m, so I wouldn't be doing the Jerry Kiernan just yet!
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Background:
So with the season over and being on a break from training, I've a bit more time to be doing things which I normally don't consider. I've long mentioned how I think the sub 20 min 5K is by far the softest target on that 10 Round Numbers table. However, despite this, I had never actually run under that time, so a small part of me (only a small part mind you!) didn't feel qualified to make such comments until I had actually run the time.
I also was interested to see just how fast I could go off 400m training. You have to be fit to be a 400m runner, and I've run decent 800m and 1500m times off it, but just how far could I go before getting found out? I was unsure whether I could bluff my way under 20 minutes without any sort of specific work.
History:
My 5K history is not illustrious. My first race was back in March 2008 at the MSB 5K here I ran 21.46. My second was the Rathfarnham 5k in September or October 2009 where I ran 21:02. To be honest I'm not even sure that should even count as it was a heavily downhill course which was blatently over the 1m per 1km criteria. And since then I had never raced a 5K.
Training:
I peaked for the nationals 5 weeks ago, and since then things have gradually winded down, first mentally, and then physically. It's quite hard to get back up after achieving a goal in such a big event, and I gradually lost my sharpness over the coming weeks. 3 weeks ago I ran a 4:53 for 1500m, but then 2 weeks ago I ran 56.03 for 400m in Lausanne in excellent conditions, which signaled a dip in form. Then 8 days ago I ran a poor 2:19 in Zurich for 800m. Since then, nothing! In one way, it's not the perfect experiment of "can I run under 20 mins off 400m training", because the last few weeks, I haven't really been even doing 400m training. The longest runs I did throughout the season would be an 800m jog to warm up before a session. That is, until a few weeks ago when my 1500m race became my longest run. The last time I ran anything close to 5K in distance was during winter training in Melbourne, around May/June 2013.
5K
The park is so close to my house, so I left at 9:20 and jogged up very quickly. Did some stretching, then a few drills and strides and I was ready to go. Not an extensive warm up but good enough.
The weather was pretty perfect. Only 10 degrees which suits me when running long distances, as I hate running in the heat.
We started off in a big line, which was pretty cool I thought, not having to worry about joggers and walkers getting in the way. A friend of mine, who is not a runner, was beside me, but then I got chatting to this guy beside me who was also a 54 400m runner in his day, and then went onto become a sub 2:30 guy for the marathon in later years. This conversation ended up being a curse, as I missed the horn being sounded, and had to sprint past some people who I should have been ahead of from the start. I was also a few seconds starting my watch, but decided not to worry about this for the moment.
My sprint was a bit aggressive, and within about 200m I was up into the top 15 or so of the field. Gradually people started coming past me as I settled into a more comfortable pace. We did the small loop and I felt absolutely great. I was so comfortable, and then came through the first kilometre in 3:45, which was 18:45 pace, and couldn't believe how easy it felt. At this point one of my training group (who I had no idea was there) came past me and said hello. We had a brief chat for about 10 seconds, and I felt so comfortable to be able to do this. Again this surprised me, as normally I find talking and running at the same time to be so tough.
The second kilometre was pretty much the same as the first. I felt good and settled into my position in the field, with less going past me now. However the terrain here wasn't the best, which I felt would impact my speed a bit. Also I probably eased off a bit too much, and when I came through the 2K mark, the time was 7:51. Still on track, but the second kilometre was outside the required pace, at 4:06.
Shortly after this, the race blew open. I was greeted by a disgusting gradual hill, which really pushed me out of the comfort zone. It wasn't super long, but long enough to result in me feeling like dirt for the rest of the race. It did the damage, and I wouldn't be feeling like I did in the first 2K again. Despite this, I passed a few people going up the hill which was encouraging. However at 3k my time was 12:08, with a 4:19 third kilometre. I didn't panic as I knew there was lots of downhill to come.
During the 4th kilometre myself and some bloke got into a brief battle as we each surged passed the other at points, only for the other to respond. I've no idea who won in the end, as most people are basically just objects. It's very hard to indentify one from the other when in such pain. And by now I was really not enjoying this. I got a mild stitch for about 400m, but this subsided. I passed the 4th Km marker in 16:03, meaning a 3:55 kilometre. This gave me hope. Just do what you have done for the last 4 minutes!
As I enter the final loop I am hurting badly, but I also know I can dig deep and find that bit extra. This is where I need to use the few weapons at my disposal: my speed, and my leg turnover. In a way they can be considered the same thing, but for the first half of the loop I didn't focus on sprinting, as it was too soon, so instead focused on trying to increase my leg turnover without increasing my effort levels very much. I managed this well and passed a few people. A look at the watch as I passed the gravel bit and I knew I would be safe if I could push as hard as possible from here on in. So for about 350m I kicked as hard as I could. It was torture. I wanted it to be over. But I'm also passing people, which is always fun. Nobody came past me in the final 400m. I crossed the line, stopping my watch in 19:43, for a final kilometre of 3:40! I'd done it! Relief, and satisfaction.
Then came the pain. I felt like death for the next 5 minutes, making extremely loud and appalling noises, not caring who heard me, contemplating how much was a sub 20 worth this level of pain. Thankfully it subsided soon enough and I enjoyed the banter afterwards chatting to a few friends.
My official time ended up being 19:46 to finish 26th out of 498. It's not the type of result to be getting too carried away with, but it is satisfying to see how much 400m training helps your general fitness. I've gone from 21:02 on a fast course, to 19:46 on a slow course, based solely on being a 400m runner.
Despite knowing very little about running 5Ks, and not having a clue how to pace them, even I could figure out that this was not a fast course. Starting and finishing on grass, running on some gravel, and a bit of bumpy trail for a small bit. A few people reckon that I could take 20 seconds off that time on a normal course. I reckon if I ran on that Rathfarnham 5K course (not sure if they have changed the route since 2009) I'd be knocking on the door of sub 19. But it's a bit pointless contemplating my potential, because I know right well that I have no interest in doing the training. Being a 5K runner doesn't appeal to me. But it was fun pretending to be one for an hour or so.
The event is magnificent. It's great to see free events like this that encourage people to get out and run. But it also isn't one of these "everybody's a winner" rubbish. There's a huge emphasis on where you finish, your time, and how it compares to your best. This is great and teaches people to be competitive. I didn't notice many walkers. The only negative (which doesn't affect me), is that the winning times are only about 16-17 minutes (17 today). I think if you're a runner at this level, it could be easy to get into a false sense of security, and develop big fish in a small pond syndrome, rather than jumping into races against the best. But I would like to think that most runners at this level would use Parkruns sparingly, and not show up each week just to grab soft top three placings.
So that's my brief insight into the world of 5K racing. Now that I have the sub 20, I have absolutely no desire to come back to do another any time soon. I can't see myself wanting to put myself through that again next week. Maybe this time next year.0 -
Nice report. I have run a good few of these Parkruns. I have moved to this side of the city, and Tymon and Marlay are pretty convenient for me. I never ran a Parkrun prior to moving. I use these Parkruns as a session. Much easier to do a LT run with company than on your own. Marlay is great for these given the depth of runners.Chivito550 wrote: »Background:
So with the season over and being on a break from training, I've a bit more time to be doing things which I normally don't consider. I've long mentioned how I think the sub 20 min 5K is by far the softest target on that 10 Round Numbers table. However, despite this, I had never actually run under that time, so a small part of me (only a small part mind you!) didn't feel qualified to make such comments until I had actually run the time.
I also was interested to see just how fast I could go off 400m training. You have to be fit to be a 400m runner, and I've run decent 800m and 1500m times off it, but just how far could I go before getting found out? I was unsure whether I could bluff my way under 20 minutes without any sort of specific work.
History:
My 5K history is not illustrious. My first race was back in March 2008 at the MSB 5K here I ran 21.46. My second was the Rathfarnham 5k in September or October 2009 where I ran 21:02. To be honest I'm not even sure that should even count as it was a heavily downhill course which was blatently over the 1m per 1km criteria. And since then I had never raced a 5K.
Training:
I peaked for the nationals 5 weeks ago, and since then things have gradually winded down, first mentally, and then physically. It's quite hard to get back up after achieving a goal in such a big event, and I gradually lost my sharpness over the coming weeks. 3 weeks ago I ran a 4:53 for 1500m, but then 2 weeks ago I ran 56.03 for 400m in Lausanne in excellent conditions, which signaled a dip in form. Then 8 days ago I ran a poor 2:19 in Zurich for 800m. Since then, nothing! In one way, it's not the perfect experiment of "can I run under 20 mins off 400m training", because the last few weeks, I haven't really been even doing 400m training. The longest runs I did throughout the season would be an 800m jog to warm up before a session. That is, until a few weeks ago when my 1500m race became my longest run. The last time I ran anything close to 5K in distance was during winter training in Melbourne, around May/June 2013.
5K
The park is so close to my house, so I left at 9:20 and jogged up very quickly. Did some stretching, then a few drills and strides and I was ready to go. Not an extensive warm up but good enough.
The weather was pretty perfect. Only 10 degrees which suits me when running long distances, as I hate running in the heat.
We started off in a big line, which was pretty cool I thought, not having to worry about joggers and walkers getting in the way. A friend of mine, who is not a runner, was beside me, but then I got chatting to this guy beside me who was also a 54 400m runner in his day, and then went onto become a sub 2:30 guy for the marathon in later years. This conversation ended up being a curse, as I missed the horn being sounded, and had to sprint past some people who I should have been ahead of from the start. I was also a few seconds starting my watch, but decided not to worry about this for the moment.
My sprint was a bit aggressive, and within about 200m I was up into the top 15 or so of the field. Gradually people started coming past me as I settled into a more comfortable pace. We did the small loop and I felt absolutely great. I was so comfortable, and then came through the first kilometre in 3:45, which was 18:45 pace, and couldn't believe how easy it felt. At this point one of my training group (who I had no idea was there) came past me and said hello. We had a brief chat for about 10 seconds, and I felt so comfortable to be able to do this. Again this surprised me, as normally I find talking and running at the same time to be so tough.
The second kilometre was pretty much the same as the first. I felt good and settled into my position in the field, with less going past me now. However the terrain here wasn't the best, which I felt would impact my speed a bit. Also I probably eased off a bit too much, and when I came through the 2K mark, the time was 7:51. Still on track, but the second kilometre was outside the required pace, at 4:06.
Shortly after this, the race blew open. I was greeted by a disgusting gradual hill, which really pushed me out of the comfort zone. It wasn't super long, but long enough to result in me feeling like dirt for the rest of the race. It did the damage, and I wouldn't be feeling like I did in the first 2K again. Despite this, I passed a few people going up the hill which was encouraging. However at 3k my time was 12:08, with a 4:19 third kilometre. I didn't panic as I knew there was lots of downhill to come.
During the 4th kilometre myself and some bloke got into a brief battle as we each surged passed the other at points, only for the other to respond. I've no idea who won in the end, as most people are basically just objects. It's very hard to indentify one from the other when in such pain. And by now I was really not enjoying this. I got a mild stitch for about 400m, but this subsided. I passed the 4th Km marker in 16:03, meaning a 3:55 kilometre. This gave me hope. Just do what you have done for the last 4 minutes!
As I enter the final loop I am hurting badly, but I also know I can dig deep and find that bit extra. This is where I need to use the few weapons at my disposal: my speed, and my leg turnover. In a way they can be considered the same thing, but for the first half of the loop I didn't focus on sprinting, as it was too soon, so instead focused on trying to increase my leg turnover without increasing my effort levels very much. I managed this well and passed a few people. A look at the watch as I passed the gravel bit and I knew I would be safe if I could push as hard as possible from here on in. So for about 350m I kicked as hard as I could. It was torture. I wanted it to be over. But I'm also passing people, which is always fun. Nobody came past me in the final 400m. I crossed the line, stopping my watch in 19:43, for a final kilometre of 3:40! I'd done it! Relief, and satisfaction.
Then came the pain. I felt like death for the next 5 minutes, making extremely loud and appalling noises, not caring who heard me, contemplating how much was a sub 20 worth this level of pain. Thankfully it subsided soon enough and I enjoyed the banter afterwards chatting to a few friends.
My official time ended up being 19:46 to finish 26th out of 498. It's not the type of result to be getting too carried away with, but it is satisfying to see how much 400m training helps your general fitness. I've gone from 21:02 on a fast course, to 19:46 on a slow course, based solely on being a 400m runner.
Despite knowing very little about running 5Ks, and not having a clue how to pace them, even I could figure out that this was not a fast course. Starting and finishing on grass, running on some gravel, and a bit of bumpy trail for a small bit. A few people reckon that I could take 20 seconds off that time on a normal course. I reckon if I ran on that Rathfarnham 5K course (not sure if they have changed the route since 2009) I'd be knocking on the door of sub 19. But it's a bit pointless contemplating my potential, because I know right well that I have no interest in doing the training. Being a 5K runner doesn't appeal to me. But it was fun pretending to be one for an hour or so.
The event is magnificent. It's great to see free events like this that encourage people to get out and run. But it also isn't one of these "everybody's a winner" rubbish. There's a huge emphasis on where you finish, your time, and how it compares to your best. This is great and teaches people to be competitive. I didn't notice many walkers. The only negative (which doesn't affect me), is that the winning times are only about 16-17 minutes (17 today). I think if you're a runner at this level, it could be easy to get into a false sense of security, and develop big fish in a small pond syndrome, rather than jumping into races against the best. But I would like to think that most runners at this level would use Parkruns sparingly, and not show up each week just to grab soft top three placings.
So that's my brief insight into the world of 5K racing. Now that I have the sub 20, I have absolutely no desire to come back to do another any time soon. I can't see myself wanting to put myself through that again next week. Maybe this time next year.
I would say that must people who run these regularly, do so as they are convenient to where they live. As a teacher in the area, I meet lots of parents (and some students) at these events.0 -
paddybarry wrote: »Nice report. I have run a good few of these Parkruns. I have moved to this side of the city, and Tymon and Marlay are pretty convenient for me. I never ran a Parkrun prior to moving. I use these Parkruns as a session. Much easier to do a LT run with company than on your own. Marlay is great for these given the depth of runners.
I would say that must people who run these regularly, do so as they are convenient to where they live. As a teacher in the area, I meet lots of parents (and some students) at these events.
Yeh I can imagine. I'm not sure yet how my winter training will be structured, and whether I will be doing a long run each week or not. But if I am, I'd much rather run a parkrun each week, than go out and run 5K on my own. In any case, Saturday morning is one of our session days, so I won't be able to use parkruns as a long run anyway.0 -
I notice you came from a background of longer distances? How important do you feel your longer distance cardio base was to your 400m training and performance? Do you find yourself falling off a performance cliff at any point in the 400m, or does your cardio fitness take over to some extent? I incorporate a weekly 2.5km run, though I wonder if its a waste of time because (a) not long enough to improve my fitness, or (b) not an important enough contributor to 400m performance...... ?
Nice job on the 5k ... do you see your pace going sub-4min/km as your 400m training continues, or do you think you'd have to do longer runs specifically if you want to improve this?0 -
I notice you came from a background of longer distances? How important do you feel your longer distance cardio base was to your 400m training and performance? Do you find yourself falling off a performance cliff at any point in the 400m, or does your cardio fitness take over to some extent? I incorporate a weekly 2.5km run, though I wonder if its a waste of time because (a) not long enough to improve my fitness, or (b) not an important enough contributor to 400m performance...... ?
Nice job on the 5k ... do you see your pace going sub-4min/km as your 400m training continues, or do you think you'd have to do longer runs specifically if you want to improve this?
Haha. I think saying I came from a background of longer distances makes me sound like an accomplished distance runner who made a move to sprinting. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes I did a few 5K and10K races, a half marathon, marathon, and a couple of triathlons, but I don’t personally count this as “running”, not so much because of the times (which were pretty terrible anyway) but because I didn’t train properly for them/ know how to train for them. By the time I took up 400m running, it had been many many months since I did distance running. I would say my distance past had precisely 0% benefit for my 400m performances to come.
My performances don’t fall off any cliff over 400m, as I train my body to be both fit enough and fast enough to get the best out of myself over 400m. My 400m time compared to my 200m time shows that my speed endurance is strong. From 800m onwards there is a big fall off in performance, which is to be expected as I don’t train for those distances.
Doing a weekly 2.5km run is not a waste of time for 400m, particularly in winter time. But make sure to run it as hard as you can, otherwise you won’t get the required aerobic benefit out of it that will help over 400m. Many coaches tend to have at least 1 long run a week during winter, usually around 5km.
Although running in Marlay had a benefit in that I know the park like the back of my hand, that 5K time was still run on a pretty slow course, a couple of weeks into my break from training. I’m pretty confident that on a normal/fast course, when actually in proper 400m shape, I’d go below 19 minutes. But I have no great desire to find out to be honest.0 -
Background:
The 2013/14 Athletics Victoria season had been a huge success. In what was my third full track and field season, I improved my 400m PB from 56.26 to 55.00, my 200m best from 25.62 (+1.3) to 25.44 (-0.3), my 100m PB from 12.82 (-0.7) to 12.58 (+2.7), and over 800m I made a big improvement from 2:19.3 (time trial) to 2:15.2 (race).
Like the previous season, I had a full winter build up in the gym, track and on the hills, but on this occasion I started from a stronger position, and so by the end of the winter I had made huge strength and fitness gains on where I was when competing the previous season.
Despite knowing from about a month before the season started that my third season would more than likely be my last in Melbourne, I carried on training and racing as normal, and athletics proved a valuable distraction from outside stresses.
I missed my target of 54.99 by the narrowest of margins, but this was the only black mark on an otherwise fantastic season. I ran 55 seconds on 8 occasions, a level of consistency which brought as much satisfaction as the actual PB. I raced a lot, and got involved in club competition also, and finished the season as the silver medallist in our club championship.
Saying goodbye:
I was awfully emotional saying goodbye to all the friends I had made through athletics, the great club I had become a part of, and the fantastic variety of competition available for an average athlete like myself. I knew moving back that I would struggle initially with the completely different athletics setup in Ireland, and for a good while nostalgia would constantly set in, and I would miss desperately little details of my athletics experience in Melbourne. This was a challenge which was inevitable, and there wasn't a huge amount I could do about it, except accept that things would be different and get on with it.
I felt I had lived my three seasons in Melbourne to the absolute max and without my time there I am absolutely certain I would not have become a 400m runner to begin with. I competed in every competition available to a 400m runner, along with meets designed for 800m runners. The only thing I missed out on was the AV Shield Final. My club failed to qualify during my first 2 seasons, but against the odds made it in my final season. However the final took place after I left. Being honest, missing out on this hurt. Over the time, I had built up a real club attitude. I put myself first, but once I was taken care of, I always wanted to see the club do well, and would do my bit to help that happen.
Challenges:
After leaving Melbourne I planned a 5 week trip around Europe. My plan was to train through most of it, after taking a week and a half off, and follow a winter structure, to keep my fitness levels decent, so I could hit the ground running when I arrived home. Moving from summer season straight to summer season was sure to present issues, and this was my intended way of dealing with it.
However, all the walking around cobblestoned streets really took their toll, and my right heel was in unbearable pain. I ended up having to scrap the training for the final 3 weeks of my trip and simply do nothing. As a result I arrived back with a pretty low fitness level.
Targets:
Because of the lack of winter base, and the stress of moving back home from half way across the world, and trying to settle back, I kept my main target the same as last year, a 54.99 for 400m. If I could find that pesky one hundredth of a second and nothing else, I would be pleased. My secondary goals stayed the same, 24.99 for 200m, 12.49 for 100m, and 2:14.9 for 800m.
Resuming training:
In late April I got stuck back into training. I joined up full time with the group I was training with when I was home for Christmas. I pretty much just followed what others were doing. However as they were out of winter phase, they were doing a fair bit of speed work, so I didn't get a mini winter which I felt I needed. The problem with moving hemispheres rearing it's ugly head again.
With regards gym work I decided to just do what I had been doing the previous season. With the season about to start, now wasn't the time to start new exercises.
I opted to skip any race opportunities for the first 3 weeks, and it wasn't until mid May that I finally decided to race. I felt I needed a few weeks to begin with to focus fully on getting the fitness levels up.
May:
An early season test presented itself in the form of a 200m at the Dublin Graded Meet 2 at Tallaght. The conditions weren't great and I managed a disappointing 26.13 into a -2.3 headwind. It helped blow the cobwebs off but I wasn't overly pleased with the result.
11 days later was the first big test. The AAI Games at Santry, and an optimistic decision to run both the 200m and 400m. The 200m went well. From lane 1 I recorded a new PB of 25.42 (+0.9), and improvement of 0.02. This result surprised me, but all joy was short lived, as I ran a shocking 57.00 in the 400m later that day. I put it down to fatigue after the 200m, and assumed I'd see a big improvement a few days later.
However, the Graded Meet 3 at Irishtown hinted that the previous day was no blip. Despite winning the Grade C race, the time of 57.33 was extremely disappointing. It was clear, based on how my 200m, that I simply was not fit enough to run a good 400m. The lack of winter work was catching up on me.
After this race I pulled out of the Leinster Championships and focused on two weeks of hard endurance type work, to get myself back to the 55 second level as quickly as possible. Not until I got back to 55 could I begin thinking about 54. I was starting to doubt the likelihood that I would reach my goal.0 -
The first month of the 2014 Irish season had not gone to plan. After back to back 57 second 400m runs, I needed to go back to basics. While my speed seemed fine, my fitness was not where it had been back during the Australian season. What followed was 2 weeks of hard training, with a strong focus on endurance.
Lack of races:
An issue which I started noticing was that there were not as many racing opportunities as there was in Melbourne. Due to the nature of the meets, the season took on a different look to that in Australia. The 100m and 800m were pretty much cut from the racing plan. The 800m clashed with the 400m at the graded meets, and the 100m would always be on too close to the 400m. Also, with not as many 400m opportunities available, I didn't want to waste these by running a 100m beforehand anyway, unlike in Melbourne, where I would do this frequently in the early part of the season. At times I would worry and wonder where the races were going to come from, but thankfully a couple popped up at the last minute, such as getting a lane at the GV Ryan meet, and the late decision to put on a 400m at Le Cheile International.
While the 400m has always been the primary goal in seasons past, this time round it was pretty much the only goal. My season would be mainly 400m races, with the odd 200m race here and there. Field events went pretty much out the window. Without the interclub setup I was used to in Melbourne, there was no incentive to pick up a shot putt, or do a long jump, particularly at a graded meet, where you would be lucky to have 3-4 people doing these events. So the success of this season would be based solely on hitting my 400m target. Pressure on.
June:
The tough endurance sessions paid off and big improvements were seen in my next race, at the Dublin Graded Meet 4 at Santry, the Dublin Championships, where I recorded a season's best of 55.88 in absolutely perfect conditions.
Three days later I took part in the GV Ryan meet at Irishtown. Here I ran aggressively in the opening 200m before dying a death in the closing stages. My time of 56.06 in good conditions was encouraging given that Irishtown is not as fast as Santry.
I went down to Kerry for 5 days, but training while I was down there, but as a result missed out on an opportunity to guest at the National League Round 2. I came back to run the Graded Meet 6, Dublin Championships, at Tallaght where I clocked 25.49 (+1.4) for 200m. Conditions were ok but the track was damp. I got a good start but we got called back for a faulty start. My second start was poor, and this cost me the 25.3 which would have been a better reflection of my 200m speed.
Two days later I made the journey out to the new track at Leixlip to run the Le Cheile International. I ran my best race of the season to date, getting pretty close to two 52 second runners, but my time was butchered by cold and windy conditions. My result was a season's best of 55.82, not a fair reflection of how I ran. Now I started to really believe the 54 was on. Season back on track coming into July, the business end.
July:
Up to now the evening Graded Meets had not been a problem for me, as I would sleep in and relax on the day of the race. But at this time I started a new job, and was back in the world of getting up early. All of a sudden evening meets started to become less appealing. The adrenaline going through your body while trying to work is one thing, but the fatigue of being up for 12-13 hours by the time you are sitting in your blocks is something which really affects my energy levels. I really downplayed the affect of this leading into the Graded Meet 6 at Irishtown, assuming it would all come good, and I could muster up enough energy to last 54-55 seconds. However, my body wouldn't allow this to happen, and in the 400m race I got calf spasms the whole way around, and ended up running well within myself to a 56.32. Never mind taking the positive of effectively jogging a low 56, something I could barely manage at full pelt a year before, I could only think of the severe disappointment of it all. I built up my chances of hitting 54, and it was taken away in cruel fashion.
I picked myself up and trained well over the next weekend, with no calf issues, then the following Wednesday I went off to Tullamore to run in a meet which I can't remember the name of. This was the lowest moment of the season, and so I deleted pretty much everything about it from my head. I was due to run a 400m which didn't start until 9pm. This time the other calf started acting up during the warm up, and despite my best efforts, it wasn't going away. I started the race but when the calf spasmed again after 70m I pulled out, my first ever DNF over 400m. I was incredibly down again. This was worse than the week before as I had worked hard to build myself back up, only to be knocked down again. With only 3 days until Nationals, I was in a bad position mentally, and my calf was also very sore.
A massage from ecoli started the healing process, and then a lunchtime tester on the track the day before Nationals proved successful and I was mentally back where I needed to be, confident I would get through the race, which being on a Saturday would suit me. The good thing about these back to back Wednesday disappointments as it helped me to pin point the reason for the spasms. It was down to fatigue from being up all day.
The National Championships proved to be an unforgettable experience. Since taking up 400m I've always wanted to run at our showpiece event, so I soaked in every moment, and while naturally nervous, I enjoyed the whole experience immensely. Everything came together in perfect conditions, and I finally recorded that sub 55, with a PB clocking of 54.88. A frustrating and messy season had all been worth it when those numbers popped up on the result sheet. The greatest moment of my running life to date.
August:
After Nationals I sort of took my foot off the gas. So much emotion and physical exertion went into that PB, and it just didn't seem realistic for me to be able to recreate that in a lesser meet. Despite this I continued on training, and competing. With very little racing opportunities available in Ireland post Nationals (except League Final for those lucky to get a chance to run), I looked towards the National Decathlon as a final chance to race at home, before taking advantage of my trip to Switzerland and entering a couple of races there.
The decathlon was super fun from a social point of view, but was a complete disaster from an athletics viewpoint. The weather was beyond atrocious, with a deluge of rain for most of the first day, and the organisation of the event was fairly awful. However my friend from Australia came over and competed so there was a small sense of familiarity compared to my decathlon experiences in Melbourne.
My performances were poor, but the weather really meant that they could all be pretty much written off. 12.97 (-0.7) for my only 100m of the season, a dreadful 4.20m in the long jump, a drab 5.95m in the shot putt, 1.29m in the high jump, which was only 2cm off my PB which was a decent effort in a virtual swimming pool. Day 1 was rounded out with a 58.36 stroll over 400m, due to not having a chance to warm up. Day 2 was no better. A DNF in the hurdles, followed by an uninspiring 15.31m in the discuss, a no height in the pole vault, and a modest PB of 14.66m in the javelin. I restored pride with a good run of 4:53.84 in the 1500m to come 2nd out of the 7 of us. My total score 2546 points was only my 3rd best out of my 4 decathlons, but the weather would have knocked a good 300 points off my score so it wasn't worth thinking about it.
I then travelled to Switzerland and with my head trying to hold off the holiday mode thoughts I managed an average 56.03 for 400m at the 2eme Meeting National de Courses in Lausanne. Conditions were super and the track was of Diamond League status, but my body and mind had had enough. 5 days later I finished off my season with a fairly average 2:19.70 for 800m in the European Championships media race in the Letzigrund in Zurich, to finish 10th out of 65.
What went well?
I'm immensely proud to have come out of this season with a 54. The build up was anything but ideal, with the move home, lack of winter, change of training group and coach etc. Many athletes go backwards initially when moving to a new group and country, so to actually manage to get a PB out of this season is hugely satisfying.
I've settled in really well into my training group now. I'm very fortunate to be part of such a great group, both as athletes, and people, and have the advice of a great coach available to me.
What could have been better?
Because I ran a PB at Nationals I had a good season. But it was a sort of Derval O'Rourke type season. Managed to run brilliantly in the one race that really really mattered, but didn't really produce a lot elsewhere. An area I was immensely proud of in Melbourne was my consistency, and my ability to bang out good times week in week out. This season I did not manage this. Part of this was to do with the lack of race opportunities, the weather not being quite as optimal for sprinting at times as it is in Melbourne, and also down to my far from ideal build up to the season. Overall it was a funny type of season. One great performance, a few good runs, a lot of frustration, and nowhere near as many races.
I'm not a fan of the Wednesday night racing. The meets themselves are good, but I just don't like racing at that time. Next season I'm going up build in as many weekend races as I can, and not rely on weekday meets. Over the winter I will need to build up strength in my calves so I don't encounter the type of issues I have this season.
My gym programme has gone stale I feel, and to get to the next level I will need to make some changes, so that's another area I can improve on.
With a full winter ahead of next season, along with an indoor season, I'm hopeful I can make that next step up and get my time down to 53, which will be my target for next year.
First thoughts on first season at home:
The season was fun, but more so due to the banter with my training group, which is as good, if not better, than in Melbourne. However I haven't enjoyed the racing as much as I did in Melbourne. Because of the individualistic nature of most meets, I'd tend to show up, run my race, and then leave. This is different to my previous experiences where AV Shield would be as much a social occasion as an athletics meet. I haven't met as many people through racing as I would have anticipated, but I get the feeling that Irish athletics really comes into its own come the excellent indoor season at such a world class facility, and I'm really looking forward to next Januray and February. A part of me is more excited about Indoor next year than about Outdoor. But this could be the novelty factor. I'm sure the more I get used to the Irish outdoor setup, the more I will enjoy the meets.
Final thoughts:
I still miss the athletics community in Melbourne a lot, that is only natural after spending 3 seasons there, but I've now nicely settled into a great group here. Before leaving Ireland in 2010 I never in my wildest imagination have pictured myself running in that type of group, so in a way it is a sign of how far I've come. There is hopefully more to come, but whatever happens, it's nice to say "54" when somebody asks what my PB is, because "55.00" is still "55", just like "55.99" is. It's nice to put this bugbear to rest.
As always thanks to everybody who has given advice over the last season, and a special thanks to ecoli for managing to keep me in one piece. Thanks for reading.0 -
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A quick update on what I've been doing since the Parkrun 5K. I don't plan on running another step during the rest of my break. Instead I'm keeping active through other forms of exercise, just to keep some general fitness before starting winter training:
Sat 23rd August: After the Parkrun, I did a 10km hike through the Dublin Mountains that same day.
Thurs 28th August: Swimming. 22 lengths in total (550m). I did a few TT's starting from inside the pool, rather than with a dive start. 50m front crawl = 49 seconds (24 + 25), and then 50m Breaststroke = 52 seconds (24 + 28)
Sun 31st August: Hiking the white trail at Glendalough. The hike was 9km in total with 380m of actual climbing. We probably did another 3km of walking on top of that.
Mon 1st September: Swimming: 32 lengths in total (800m). Included in that was 200m breaststroke at about 85% effort levels. Time was 4:28.0 -
Went for another swim yesterday. 26 lengths (650m) this time, with the following time trials, without a dive start:
50m Front Crawl: 45 secs (21 + 24) - 4 seconds faster than last week
200m Breaststroke: 4:19 - 9 seconds faster than Monday
50m Butterfly: 76 (32 + 44)
50m Backstroke: 65 (32+33)
I did the Butterfly and backstroke at the very end of my 45 mins in the pool, and was tired at that stage. Those times were fairly appalling but was happy enough with the first two. Then I looked at the World Records for short course (25m pool):
50m Free: 20.30
200m Breaststroke: 2:00.48
50m Butterfly: 21.80
50m Backstroke: 22.61
Good fun doing something where my performances don't matter in the slightest. Just a bit of fun experimentation, and a good way of keeping the fitness levels up.0 -
An update on the last 2 weeks:
Sat 6th September: Was in Edinburgh for the weekend, and on the first day clocked up about 20k of walking throughout the city. Some of these K's were done at three in the morning on the way back from the pub!
Sun 7th September: Not as much general walking, but did a good bit of hiking throughout Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.
Wed 10th September: Swimming. Total of 30 lengths (I think). Did a few time trials. 50 front crawl in 46 (23-23), 50 breaststroke in 50 (24-26), 100 breaststroke in 1:58, and 100 Individual Medley towards the end in 2:16.
Sun 14th September: Cycling. Went away to Co. Clare and the Aran Islands for 5 days. On this day I rented a bike and went cycling through The Burren. I started in Doolin and got to a small town called Fanore. Looked at the clock and knew it would be tight to get back before dark if I didn't come back the way I came, but where would be the fun in that. So I opted to take a longer route back. However it was a lot longer than I anticipated, involved an elevation gain of about 200m up to the highest point, and it wasn't even particularly scenic (compared to the coastal route I had taken out). I made it back just before it got pitch dark, but it was very very dark. This is the first time I have ever cycled in the dark. Didn't enjoy the last 10km but had no choice but to keep going as I knew no taxi would pick me up with a bike and bring me back to Doolin. A total of 40km cycled from 5:15pm to 8:30pm.
Mon 15th September: Cycling. Had a good 6 hours on Inis Oírr and rented a bike to explore this stunning small island in its entirety. I went down almost every nook and cranny, some roads being very rocky. In total I estimate I cycled 30km on this day.
Tue 16th September: Cycling: Spent 7 hours cycling around most of Inis Mór. I covered about 75% of the island on this day. I've no idea how many k's I racked up but I'll guess about 50km. The island is bigger than you'd think. Absolutely stunning place.
Wed 17th September: Cycling: Finished off the last 25% of the island today after staying the night. Perhaps about 15km covered at a guess.
2 points of note after all of that:
1) The Aran Islands are astonishingly beautiful. I'm talking Salar de Uyuni, Machu Picchu, Bungle Bungles, Iguassu Falls. That kind of league. We really are blessed to have such a beautiful landscape, and the sun really brings out the brightness of the rugged greenery.
2) I had planned to start back training this weekend, but after all that cycling (an activity I rarely do) my quads are in absolute bits! All those inclines have taken it out of me! I'm now looking at starting next Wednesday, and letting my body recover for the next week, with maybe just a light swim between now and then.0 -
I have a sneaking suspicion you're turning into a triathlete...
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I have a sneaking suspicion you're turning into a triathlete...
I did the 2009 Triathy Olympic distance. I finished 3rd last. But the way the waves were done, I ended up being the last one to finish. I started my run as most others were packing up their gear in the transition area. The marshals had even left and therefore I lost about 3 minutes trying to find where the run route started. I remember my splits being about 39 - 1:58 - 55, plus about 13 minutes for transitions. Overall time 3:45. I used a hybrid bike and got regularly passed by guys going twice the speed. I retired from the sport shortly after. I used to be big into the box-ticking. Now I choose to slate the idea. I'm like one of those ex-smokers who used to go through 4 packs a day, but now won't let you light up within a 20 mile radius of his house, car, kids etc 0 -
So my break has come to an end. I had a good 6 weeks off, where the only running I did was that one 5K Parkrun. Plenty of cycling, swimming and hiking has kept me generally fit, but I got myself out of the mindset of training which is exactly what I needed after a mentally exhausting summer track season.
Even though I don't live in Melbourne anymore, I don't particularly want to change the main title of my log as it has been set in stone for almost 4 years now. But I have changed the end of it to reflect my goal for next season.
Primary goal:
The goal is simple: to run a 53 second 400m.
With a PB of 54.88, I need to find an extra 0.89 of a second (about 6 metres or so). This will be a challenge, but one that I believe is achieveable.
Secondary goal:
Even though my 200m PB is 25.42, I believe I was probably in 25.3 shape when I ran my current PB. In order to get down to sub 54, I believe it is imperative that I run under 25 seconds for the 200m, so this will be my secondary goal.
Minor goals:
If I get the opportunity to run 100m and 800m races (depends on the scheduling) then I would like to run sub 12.4 and sub 2:13 respectively. These will therefore be minor goals.
Of course it is important to not get too hung up on times. Consistency is important also, and getting the little things right, which will lead to hopefully the achievement of the main goals.
Indoor season:
I also plan to have a full indoor season. I'm very excited about this as I have never run indoor before and it sounds like a lot of fun. I want to compete as much as possible during indoor season and run every distance (60m, 200m, 400m, 800m) at least once during the season, with the 400m on multiple occasions. I'm not going to set any time related goals for indoors as I wouldn't have a notion what to expect. At a rough guess, if I am looking for 53.9 in the outdoor season, then I'd like to be running a 55 indoors by the time of National Indoors, but I'll just take it as it comes. I've no experience of indoor running so it is all just guesswork.
Change of approach:
I have a strength and conditioning coach now who is giving me my gym programme. My old gym routine was good, but I was getting sick of it. Keep doing the same things and I'll keep getting similar results, so I thought I may aswell try something new.
With these hopeful improvements in the gym, along with a full winter build up, hopefully I can be knocking on the door of that sub 54 by next summer.0 -
Do you have anyone to look at your sprinting mechanics? I believe that you can only go so far with strength and speed endurance, your primary focus should be form to find those last few tenths.0
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I think your biggest focus should be bringing your 200m time down. To run a 53.9 400m you'd want to be going through 200m in about 26.0, then come home in 27.9, or something similar.
I know for me anyway, I'm going to be doing at least one speed session a week through the winter so I can keep working on top end speed.
Changing up the weights and having a good winter will help too.0 -
Do you have anyone to look at your sprinting mechanics? I believe that you can only go so far with strength and speed endurance, your primary focus should be form to find those last few tenths.
Technique is an ongoing thing. The coach is always looking at it and correcting it when necessary.Oregano_State wrote: »I think your biggest focus should be bringing your 200m time down. To run a 53.9 400m you'd want to be going through 200m in about 26.0, then come home in 27.9, or something similar.
I know for me anyway, I'm going to be doing at least one speed session a week through the winter so I can keep working on top end speed.
Changing up the weights and having a good winter will help too.
Yeh the 200m time needs to get down to 24.9 I believe. i'm not sure what time I went through 200 in when I ran 54.88, but I was at 40.xx after 300m. I'd suspect I was at a low 26 as I went through very aggressively. The goal is to try go through 1 second off 200m PB, so if I can get my 200m speed down to 24.9, and go through the first 200 of a 400 in 25.9 then I will be in good shape for sub 54.
My understanding is that there will be speed work throughout the winter.0 -
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First week of winter training. Starting off at 4 days a week for the first couple of weeks or so, and will then push it to 5 days.
Wednesday: Hills
The 400m runners were doing 300-200-300 5 mins 200-300-200. Because it was my first session back I went in with the sprinters instead and did 200-100-200 5 mins 100-200-100. Didn't time them, but felt surprisingly good after a sizable break. I was the first to the top in all reps except the first and second 100s.
Thursday: Gym
Walking Lunges with dunbells: 4 x 16 @ 10kg in each hand
Romanian Deadlift: 3 x 8 @ 20kg
Flat Dunbell Press: 3 x 8 @ 16kg in each hand
V Bar Lat Pulldown: 3 x 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 45kg
Floor Single Leg Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 in each leg
Front Plank: 3 x 30 secs
Dunbell Single Leg Calf Raises: 3 x 8 @ 5kg
Sunday: Cinder Track
Had pretty bad DOMS for the next few days but they were almost gone by Sunday. No hills on this occasion, but instead an endurance session on the cinder track. 400m runners were doing 2 x 800 off 4 mins, but I went with the sprinters again and did 3 x 400 off 4 mins. Times were:
69-69-76
I was a close second in the first rep, first in the second, and first by a long way in the last rep as everybody died badly. The times themselves are well slower than what would be run on a track, and I was wearing road running shoes also.
Monday: Gym
Dunbell Split Squats: 4 x 8 @ 10kg in each hand
Romanian Deadlift: 3 x 8 @ 20kg
Flat Dunbell Press: 3 x 8 @ 18kg in each hand
V Bar Lat Pulldown: 3 x 8 @ 45kg, 50kg, 50kg
Floor Single Leg Hip Thrusts: 3 x 12 in each leg
Russian Twists: 3 x 30 secs
45 degree Back Extentions: 3 x 8 @ 15kg0
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