Running Aimlessly Down Under - From 54 to 53 sec 400m

IvoryTower

The reasons I heard from people, too far to travel is one, particularly at this time of season when people just want a race. Secondly the races are not competitive enough for the better athletes, they'll go to Imc events instead for the higher standard and better organised races.

For me it's too far. If it was the end of the season I'd have no problem travelling for it.

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

The reasons I heard from people, too far to travel is one, particularly at this time of season when people just want a race. Secondly the races are not competitive enough for the better athletes, they'll go to Imc events instead for the higher standard and better organised races.

For me it's too far. If it was the end of the season I'd have no problem travelling for it.

Yes, but....

1) The event has always been in Tullamore
2) The event has always been on the bank holiday weekend
3) The better athletes never come any year (at least in recent years)

None of that explains why numbers were so much lower this year than the 4 previous years I did it.

IvoryTower

Yes that's true, I went to it once 2 years ago and decided since it's too far for what it is, there are plenty of races this time of year without having to lose your Sunday

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

Yes, but....

1) The event has always been in Tullamore
2) The event has always been on the bank holiday weekend
3) The better athletes never come any year (at least in recent years)

None of that explains why numbers were so much lower this year than the 4 previous years I did it.

I would say the weather had an impact on it. Is there a link to all of the results. Like to see how a few from home did, if they traveled for it.

Murph_D

average_runner wrote: »

I would say the weather had an impact on it. Is there a link to all of the results. Like to see how a few from home did, if they traveled for it.

Results here: http://live.athleticsleinster.com/menu.html

I’d like to do this at some stage but it always clashes with something else - Cork marathon or holidays. Maybe next year. But yes, the numbers are shockingly low. Only 13 masters runners across all the age categories in 800m for example. I’d have been the only M55, and one of two in the 1500. At least at the nationals there’s four or five in each - but that’s low too.

Oiriallach

The fact that it's a provincial championship, though, should mean that the Leinsters is a meet in which people want to compete if it all possible - regardless of the distance (max. 2.5 hours drive from any part of Leinster), the weather, or who else is or isn't there. It should be second only to the Nationals on people's priority list for the track season.

Having said that, I do realise that a lot of people don't view the Leinsters like that, which I think is a pity. I think there is a somewhat more positive attitude towards provinical championships in Ulster. What about Munster and Connacht Championships - how are they viewed by athletes in those provinces?

IvoryTower

Isn't the ulster champs in August? There's your answer there

Oiriallach

IvoryTower wrote: »

Isn't the ulster champs in August?

Ulster Senior Championships are this Saturday (and have normally been the Saturday after the Leinsters in recent years).


NI Masters' Championships are on Saturday, 29 June. They used to be on the last Saturday in August (or thereabouts) but have switched to the last Saturday in June (or thereabouts) in recent years, as late August was considered too late in the season by some.

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

Isn't the ulster champs in August? There's your answer there

No. The Ulster/NI Championships are this weekend, as are the Munster Championships.

IvoryTower

I guess then if you had them in santry what would the turnout be like. People in NI hardly have as far to travel?

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

I guess then if you had them in santry what would the turnout be like. People in NI hardly have as far to travel?

Belfast is a fair drive from a lot of Ulster, particularly on the roads up there, which are pretty awful.

Tullamore is only a little over an hour from Dublin. It hosts the National Schools which have a huge attendance.

IvoryTower

Maybe a combination of things so. The races are never on time, too far to drive for some, many other race options in Dublin, the standard is low and the already poor turnout makes the medals feel meaningless which in turn probably made it worse again.

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

Maybe a combination of things so. The races are never on time, too far to drive for some, many other race options in Dublin, the standard is low and the already poor turnout makes the medals feel meaningless which in turn probably made it worse again.

Yes. But again, all of the above has been the case for years. None of this explains why there was a sudden significant drop off this year compared to the 4 previous years I competed in it.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

Yes. But again, all of the above has been the case for years. None of this explains why there was a sudden significant drop off this year compared to the 4 previous years I competed in it.

Maybe finally people have just said enough is enough. Maybe the Champions league final had an impact this year.

Timmaay

I don't think anything significant changed this year, it simply was a tipping point after several years of very high standard imcs and improving Dublin graded, and combine that with a much improved indoor season thanks to AIT and NIA, and people simply have too much choice. It's a shame that people don't take the Leinsters more seriously, but as was said, the irratic timetable and low numbers with very soft medals and poor compitition doesn't inspire people to go, and in my opinion it will need a significant boost next year to bring back enthusiasm for it. The current committee are very hard working but simply are swamped with too much work and other commitments to be in a proper position to drive it forwards in my view. That's easy for me to say though, I'm not gonna lie I don't have the time or interest in volunteering for them to help try move it forward, but more help needed is the only way forward.

Chivito550

Timmaay wrote: »

I don't think anything significant changed this year, it simply was a tipping point after several years of very high standard imcs and improving Dublin graded, and combine that with a much improved indoor season thanks to AIT and NIA, and people simply have too much choice. It's a shame that people don't take the Leinsters more seriously, but as was said, the irratic timetable and low numbers with very soft medals and poor compitition doesn't inspire people to go, and in my opinion it will need a significant boost next year to bring back enthusiasm for it. The current committee are very hard working but simply are swamped with too much work and other commitments to be in a proper position to drive it forwards in my view. That's easy for me to say though, I'm not gonna lie I don't have the time or interest in volunteering for them to help try move it forward, but more help needed is the only way forward.

I’m not sure how involved Athletics Ireland are with the provincial bodies, but a revamp of the national league to incorporate the provincial championships could work.

Have 4 zones in the National League (Leinster, Connacht, Munster, Ulster).
Have one big round, instead of two rounds.
Run the provincial championships side by side with national league (e.g. Leinster Championship 400m will also double up as the league race for 400m)
No limit to the amount of athletes per club who can compete in an event. Simply have the top one or two per club in each event as scorers.
Weight more spots in the National League final to the stronger/higher populated provinces.

Do this, and the provincial championships will become a bloody big deal!

Mulberry

Our club would often bring close to a dozen sprinters to this event. This year we had just one! Around half the rest, including myself, are injured. A couple have moved away from sprints for a variety of reasons and another couple were just unavailable.

Chivito550

I did this meet back in 2014 and 2015, but skipped the next 3 editions because there are always strong headwinds there it seems. One year I went to Belgium the same day this meet was on. I ran a PB, while at Leixlip everyone ran into -3 and -4 winds. I couldn't have felt more vindicated in a decision.

All that said, I always liked this meet, and it always had a nice atmosphere at it, so when the decision was made this year to introduce wind sprints to the programme, I was delighted to give this meet another go, opting for it over NI Championships in Belfast which I had done the past two years. The 100/200 races finished on the back straight, meaning instead of running into the usual strong headwind, we had strong illegal tailwinds instead. This isn't perfect either, but I'd rather run fast than slow.

200m: 25.88 (+3.1)

I was in lane 4, and finished a distant third of three, with the other two running low 24. The tailwind was strong, but wasn't as favourable as it suggests, as there was a strong headwind over the first 60m or so. I felt this was my best run this outdoor season and I was rewarded with my first sub 26 this outdoor season, and just 0.04 down on my indoor season's best. I still don't feel great over 200m though. Hopefully I can chip away at this time over the next 7 weeks as I continue to work on my speed endurance. This is almost exactly 1 second off my PB from 2 years ago, and 0.4 down on last season, so lots of work still to do, but going in the right direction at least. The 200m definitely has been more of a struggle than the 100m this year. In the past, the longer events were my stronger distances.

100m: 12.42 (+3.1)

I was in lane 7 and again finished last of five, but it was a good competitive race and I was only half a second down on second place, so it wasn't a case of being completely out the back door here. This is my best 100m run this season. Pity about the illegal tailwind, but adjusting all my 100m races to zero wind, this one is the fastest.

Half way through my season now. Hoping to do AAI Games, League Round 2, IMC in Drogheda and then Nationals.

Chivito550

This was my first time competing at the AAI Games since 2015. I’m not a big fan of the event as it is pretty lifeless, but the move to June from May this year suited me. In addition, with the event merged with the Tailteann Games for juniors, and the National Combined Events, there was a good buzz about the place early in the day, though by the time I was racing, all the kids and parents had cleared out and the event was back to its usual lack of atmosphere.

Conditions were very nice. Sunny and very pleasant. Wind was light but swirling a bit.

200m: 25.80 (-1.0)

I was drawn in lane 6, and I actually thought I had run faster as I felt closer to the Lucan athlete than when we raced in Greystones, yet the time gap was the same, so I must have crawled the closing stages. Nice following wind on the bend and then a light headwind on the straight, so overall decent 200m conditions. Season’s best which is pleasing, though I was a bit disappointed it wasn’t faster.

This was a bit of a landmark moment for me. It’s my 40th time running under 26 seconds. My first time was back in January 2013 in Melbourne. For a long time, I’d manage sub 26 without much effort, but of late I’ve been finding it harder to run them. Hopefully I can make it to 50 over the coming year or two. That would be a nice milestone to reach.

100m race one: 12.75 (+0.1)

I had a howler of a start here. I was left sitting in the blocks. There’s no recovering from that really. Frustrating as the wind was still.

100m race two: 12.73 (-2.1)

This was infinitely better. I got a good start and I ran much better in general. What a pity I couldn’t have done this in the first race, as I got landed with a dirty -2.1 headwind in this race. Adjusting for 0 wind, this is a 12.51 run, and adjusting to +2.0 wind, it’s 12.37. If I can reproduce that and get a legal wind there’s a low 12.40s, or even sub 12.40 clocking there for the taking. That’s the frustrating thing about 100m. If the wind is blowing strongly in your face, you just aren’t going to run fast. There’s no such thing as wind adjusted PBs in the record books sadly!

Chivito550

Back to Santry for the second weekend in a row, this time to guest in the National League.

Temperatures were nice, track was dry, but the wind was strong and blowing in the wrong direction. I knew this would be the case having seen the forecast, and sadly it delivered the promised headwinds.

200m: 26.19 (-3.8)

I was drawn in lane 1 and had a great battle with the lad in lane 2. I got out well, and closed the stagger on him, but by the time we hit the straight he was a metre or so ahead. I was certain I’d get him, but I just couldn’t close the gap down the straight, and he maintained the gap to hold me off by 0.17 seconds. I felt I ran really well, particularly from lane 1, but I was not rewarded with a good time. The headwind was huge at -3.8 and it wasn’t even blowing from the direction that would help you around the bend. Frustrating, but I couldn’t have done any more on the day.

100m: 12.72 (-3.2)

I haven’t felt this frustrated in athletics in quite a while. I ran a brilliant race. I got out really well, drove well, and had the legs to bring it home. I knew after the race that I had nailed it. Then I see the time and the wind reading. 12.72 into a -3.2 headwind equates to 12.37 in zero wind. My PB of 12.20 (+1.8) equates to 12.33, and my fastest ever wind adjusted time is 12.31. If all the 100m races I’ve ever run are adjusted for wind this is my joint 4th best run ever. On one had I was amazed I ran this fast into a strong headwind, and I never expected to get close to my 2017 times. It is very encouraging. On the other hand, I’m incredibly frustrated that I ran so well, and I got absolutely no reward for it. 12.72 is sh1te. Wind adjusted times are never discussed in this sport. People forget the wind reading very quickly and all you’re left with is the time.

I really hope I can nail a performance like that again this season, and get fairer conditions. This run has raised my expectations a bit, but I don’t want to get carried away and put too much pressure on myself as that can be counterproductive.

I’ve run 8 100m races this season and 6 of them have been either headwinds or illegal tailwinds. It’s not easy getting good sprint conditions in this country.

Drogheda IMC and Nationals are all that’s left for me in the final 4 weekends of the season. However, if the forecast looks good for the Graded in Santry in 10 days time I’ll jump on that. If it’s forecasting South Westerly winds again like yesterday, forget it.

Chivito550

What a great day at the Irish Milers Club meet in Drogheda. First up, 25.36 (+0.8 ) for 200m. A big season’s best by nearly half a second, and while it’s half a second down on my PB, it’s the fastest I’ve run in 2 years. Followed that up with 12.18 (+1.8 ) for 100m, a new PB, bettering my previous best from 2017 by 0.02, and with an identical wind. Absolutely over the moon and in a bit of shock! Really thought my PB days were behind me, particularly after a poor 2018, and with motivation flagging badly around November leading into this year’s indoors, and even at the start of the outdoor season I wasn’t running very well. But it’s all come together nicely over the last month. PB beers tonight, the best kind of beers!

I don’t really do full race reports anymore, but there’ll have to be one for this. To follow in next day or two.

IvoryTower

Delighted for you my man, welcome to Drogheda

Chivito550

Lack of motivation

After my 2017 season, where everything went perfectly, I had a big down year in 2018. My season was interrupted by a plethora of stags and weddings, which eventually affected my motivation, and inevitably my performances. My 100m PB from 2017 was 12.20 but the best I could manage was 12.45 last year. Likewise, after running 24.87 PB for 200m in 2017, the best I could muster in 2018 was 25.47.

Embarking on 2019, I asked myself was I willing to get back to the consistency of 5 days a week intense training like I did up to and including 2017. After all, in 2019 I'd be 34. What hope would I have of breaking my PB even if I did put all that effort in.

I decided I wouldn't be investing so much time into it, and would aim for 4 days a week instead, so that other areas of my life wouldn't be affected.

2018 really killed my motivation, and I felt I wanted something new. I decided I'd go back to 400m, after 3 full years away from it. This would end up being a decision which would bring my motivation back, but not in the way I expected.

Haphazard training

Anyway, training was haphazard for October and November. I'd get a good solid few weeks in, then distractions and a lot of trips abroad (I was at the Ryder Cup in Paris, U2 in Milan, Christmas Markets in Germany and a trip to Romania too) broke up training, and for about 6 weeks I was averaging about 1 session a week. Hardly the stuff that would lead to good results.

However, once I went on my Christmas holidays from work I started to get lots of training in, and thought I'd be able to bluff my way through the 400m during the indoors.

Turning point

Wrong. I ran a 400m race and it was misery. I couldn't even break 60. My time was 60.9. The time was a real stinger, given I was a 54 runner outdoors and a 56 flat runner indoors a few years back, but what was particularly noticeable was how much it hurt afterwards and how much I absolutely hated everything about the experience. I retired on the spot from 400m, and approached the rest of the season with a renewed love for 60, 100 and 200. I needed that hellish experience to revive my focus over the shorter distances.

So, from mid January I started focusing on the 60m and 200m. Hardly ideal time to start, but I didn't want a single day more doing 400m training. The season was slow and unspectacular to begin, with my first 60m being not much under 8.20. But I kept at it and by Nationals I had got back to 8.03, which was pleasing, albeit miles off my 7.80 PB from 2017.

Then came a real season turner. I shocked myself by running 7.95 in the 60m media race at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, finishing 5th overall, my fastest time in 2 years. Notwithstanding a poor indoor season over 200m, I felt I was getting back into some kind of form and was excited about the outdoors.

My training since indoors has been so much more consistent. I've been getting 4 days training in most week, with some weeks being just 3. While 2 years ago, I'd do 2 gym and 3 running, now I do 1 day of gym and 3 days of running.

My outdoor season was progressing pretty unspectacular until a few weeks ago. I was running much better over 100m than 200m. In the latter I wasn't able to break 26 to begin with, and then started to creep under it a couple times into the 25.8 range. Over 100m, my early season was dominated by illegal tailwinds. My legal best was 12.59, while a 12.42 with a +3.1 in Leixlip showed some promise.

Sudden return to form

Then everything changed at the AAI Games. After running a 200m, and a very poor 100m, I surprised myself by recording 12.73 into a -2.1 headwind in the second 100m that day. This converts to 12.51 with 0 wind and got me thinking.

Then a week later at the National League I ran 12.72 into a -3.2 headwind, which equated to 12.37. My PB of 12.20 equates to 12.33 with no wind, and my best ever wind adjusted time is 12.31. Suddenly I'm close to PB shape. Where on earth did all this come from. Suddenly I was feeling absolutely fantastic over 100m. My motivation was now at the highest it's been since 2017. I couldn't wait for the next meet, which would be the IMC Drogheda.

Drogheda

Conditions for the first time this season were perfect. I deserved that bit of luck after so many strong headwinds and illegal tailwinds all season. It was mostly sunny, reasonably warm and there were tailwinds coming at the perfect angle, following us around the bend and into the straight.

200m

I was in lane 3 and felt I ran very well. However I was further down on the Lucan guy than in previous races this season which had me thinking my time would be another high 25. Turns out he nailed a huge PB, and I had run a near half second season's best of 25.36 seconds with a +0.8. This is the fastest I've run since 2017, and excluding the 2017 season, it's my 4th fastest run ever. Overall it's my 11th fastest time, and it's 0.49 down on my PB. I was delighted.

100m

I was floored after the 200m, and even threw up very slightly, which has never happened to me before. However, I recovered quickly and was ready to go come to the time of the 100m. I was in lane 2 and to my right was a single leg amputee who had a PB entering the day of around 12.39. I expected to be beating him. I had aspirations of dipping under 12.30 if I got a very nice tailwind.

Away we go and I stormed out past the lad beside me and I didn't expect to see him again. Low and behold at half way he glides past me. I didn't have time to process this as the race was such a blur, and I just focused on executing the race to the best of my abilities. I felt I ran well, but afterwards I was asking myself how did he move past me so dramatically in the second half of the race to beat me by about 2 metres. Then I remembered that amputee runners are slow out of the blocks but can then hit their top speed for longer, or something to that affect.

His PB entering the race made me wonder would my time be good at all. I told him he HAD to have run a big PB there, and he didn't seem certain.

I went over to check my results about 10-15 minutes later expecting to see maybe a 12.4 or something, and I got an almighty shock. 12.18 seconds with a legal +1.8 tailwind. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'd just run a PB, bettering my 2017 mark by 0.02, with an identical tailwind to then. My first reaction was that there had to be something wrong. I legged it to the photo finish guy as I needed to see it verified in front of my very eyes. Sure enough, I had run 12.18, the most surprising PB of my life. I was over the moon. Was I as over the moon as my PBs from days gone by? Not quite, as I don't invest as much emotionally into my running like I used to, but I was absolutely thrilled, and was in a state of shock as much as anything else. I thought I could get close to 12.30, maybe even under it. I didn't for a second think I'd run a PB. In fact I thought I would never run another PB again. I thought my PB days were gone.

How wrong I was. A PB in the 100m aged 34 is something which is immensely satisfying.

Afterthoughts

There's a lot to be said about quality over quantity as you get older. Consistently getting 4 days a week in as opposed to 5 can yield good results if the quality is there for those sessions. It's just about being consistent with the quality. I was not consistent at all in the winter, but I got my act together and was eventually rewarded. The past 4-5 months have revived my athletics. I was fed up with it not long ago, now I'm really motivated again. This time, however, I'm motivated but with a balance, without being so mentally invested. That, I feel, is no bad thing at all.

Chivito550

4 days after running a PB at Drogheda, I was back racing again, on a Wednesday night....in London!! At the start of July, knowing I was in shape to run well but with so little left in Ireland, I searched Power of 10 in a desperate search for races in London. There was nothing at a weekend that suited me but I found the Lee Valley wind sprints meet for a Wednesday evening. Work half day in the morning, 35 euro flights, fly out at 3:30pm, arrive at 5pm, train to Tottenham Hale, taxi to the track, race, head back to Tottenham Hale by taxi, train to airport, stay in hotel out near Stansted, up at 5am, on the redeye at 6:30am, back into work for 9am.

Sounds like madness…….and it was!

Despite warm conditions and guaranteed tailwinds, I did not run fast.

I’ve never liked racing on a weekday evening, so I’ve pretty much (except in a very rare circumstance) written off Graded Meets for the last number of years. However, I thought given I’m only working the morning that this would be different. I’d only be sitting on a plane and train. How tiring can that really be right? In addition, this would be a fantastic huge meet, organised impeccably, unlike the utter farce the graded meets often are. Apples and oranges. So I convinced myself I wouldn’t be my usual sluggish self in an evening race and I’d race well. I was really up for it after all.

The meet had around 22 100m races for each of the 2 rounds (everyone got 2 races), with men and women mixed and everything graded on PBs.

I arrived at 6:10pm with the meet not starting til 7pm. I had arrived in plenty of time. In the end I didn’t race until 7:55pm (I was in heat 15), with my second race at 9:05pm (heat 16 on this occasion), the latest I’ve raced in about 7 years.

When collecting my number, there was a familiar face in the queue behind me. Dwain Chambers. He ran 10.6 in the C race, but was there mainly because he had a huge amount of young athletes that he coaches competing. Still not sure how I feel about him. He’s a disgrace to the sport, but he’s also shown genuine remorse, which is not the case for most returning drug cheats. I guess if he coaches young athletes and hammers home to them from an early age the importance of staying clean, then that’s as good a way to make amends as any.

100m Race 1: 12.49 (+2.1)

Not an excuse for a slower than hoped run but the blocks I was given seemed faulty. They weren’t firm under foot, but rather quite squishy and hollow. My blocks for my second race were normal, as were the ones I used in warm up. These should not have been used for a race. I was in lane 7. Wasn’t pleased with my start at all, and I was never in contention with the leaders. I finished 7th in my heat, which was won in 12.00. I knew my time wouldn’t be good as I was a few metres back. At the same time, it was good to be in a competitive race where there wasn’t a huge amount between 1st and 8th. Sadly in Ireland we do not have the depth so I don’t get to enjoy these kind of races.

100m Race 2: 12.47 (+2.2)

I was out in lane 8 on this occasion. For races at home I don’t care what lane I get in 100m, but in competitive races like this I’d have liked to have had a centre lane and felt closer to the action. I got a much better start and overall this felt like a better run. I felt closer to the business end of things, but the race on this occasion was only won in 12.14. I thought I was 4th but ended up being 6th. But you could throw a blanket over us and I was just 0.06 off 4th and 0.01 off 5th. I was disappointed to see that despite what felt a much better race, it was almost identical in time.

I was 0.3 down on my PB from 4 days beforehand. I guess the travel and long day (work etc) took it out of me. I really now know that my thoughts about the graded meets are not just excuses on my part. I really am not at my best at this hour of the evening. I was fully up for these races, and very excited to be part of a great event. Despite this, I was still below par.

Having looked at the results on Power of 10, I see that the majority in my races were well down on their PBs and SBs too. Not really sure why. Conditions were warm and we had tailwinds (slightly illegal). Maybe Londoners are used to better conditions but compared to Ireland it was bliss. Maybe the track isn’t the quickest. Who knows.

Delighted I attempted this. The meet is great and is part of a whole summer series of these Lee Valley wind sprint meets. There was a good buzz about it and the organisation of it was an example of how things should be done. When heat 9 are in their blocks for example, those in heat 11 get called over a loudspeaker. It’s all done by number, no names are announced at all. It runs like clockwork.

There was also a BBQ running throughout the night. The most bizarre part of the meet was when all the races were over, some athletes blasted up the gangsta rap music and started having a dance for about 20-30 minutes or so at the side of the track. Definitely the last thing I expected at an athletics meet. Not my kind of music though. Awful stuff in my opinion.

By the time I got a taxi, caught a train, and got to my hotel, it was 11:50pm. It was 12:30am by the time I showered and was ready to turn out the lights. I was up at 5am. I was in bits all the next day. Pure sleep deprivation.

I really enjoyed it, was delighted I tried it, and I will never ever do it again.

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

4 days after running a PB at Drogheda, I was back racing again, on a Wednesday night....in London!! At the start of July, knowing I was in shape to run well but with so little left in Ireland, I searched Power of 10 in a desperate search for races in London. There was nothing at a weekend that suited me but I found the Lee Valley wind sprints meet for a Wednesday evening. Work half day in the morning, 35 euro flights, fly out at 3:30pm, arrive at 5pm, train to Tottenham Hale, taxi to the track, race, head back to Tottenham Hale by taxi, train to airport, stay in hotel out near Stansted, up at 5am, on the redeye at 6:30am, back into work for 9am.

Sounds like madness…….and it was!

Despite warm conditions and guaranteed tailwinds, I did not run fast.

I’ve never liked racing on a weekday evening, so I’ve pretty much (except in a very rare circumstance) written off Graded Meets for the last number of years. However, I thought given I’m only working the morning that this would be different. I’d only be sitting on a plane and train. How tiring can that really be right? In addition, this would be a fantastic huge meet, organised impeccably, unlike the utter farce the graded meets often are. Apples and oranges. So I convinced myself I wouldn’t be my usual sluggish self in an evening race and I’d race well. I was really up for it after all.

The meet had around 22 100m races for each of the 2 rounds (everyone got 2 races), with men and women mixed and everything graded on PBs.

I arrived at 6:10pm with the meet not starting til 7pm. I had arrived in plenty of time. In the end I didn’t race until 7:55pm (I was in heat 15), with my second race at 9:05pm (heat 16 on this occasion), the latest I’ve raced in about 7 years.

When collecting my number, there was a familiar face in the queue behind me. Dwain Chambers. He ran 10.6 in the C race, but was there mainly because he had a huge amount of young athletes that he coaches competing. Still not sure how I feel about him. He’s a disgrace to the sport, but he’s also shown genuine remorse, which is not the case for most returning drug cheats. I guess if he coaches young athletes and hammers home to them from an early age the importance of staying clean, then that’s as good a way to make amends as any.

100m Race 1: 12.49 (+2.1)

Not an excuse for a slower than hoped run but the blocks I was given seemed faulty. They weren’t firm under foot, but rather quite squishy and hollow. My blocks for my second race were normal, as were the ones I used in warm up. These should not have been used for a race. I was in lane 7. Wasn’t pleased with my start at all, and I was never in contention with the leaders. I finished 7th in my heat, which was won in 12.00. I knew my time wouldn’t be good as I was a few metres back. At the same time, it was good to be in a competitive race where there wasn’t a huge amount between 1st and 8th. Sadly in Ireland we do not have the depth so I don’t get to enjoy these kind of races.

100m Race 2: 12.47 (+2.2)

I was out in lane 8 on this occasion. For races at home I don’t care what lane I get in 100m, but in competitive races like this I’d have liked to have had a centre lane and felt closer to the action. I got a much better start and overall this felt like a better run. I felt closer to the business end of things, but the race on this occasion was only won in 12.14. I thought I was 4th but ended up being 6th. But you could throw a blanket over us and I was just 0.06 off 4th and 0.01 off 5th. I was disappointed to see that despite what felt a much better race, it was almost identical in time.

I was 0.3 down on my PB from 4 days beforehand. I guess the travel and long day (work etc) took it out of me. I really now know that my thoughts about the graded meets are not just excuses on my part. I really am not at my best at this hour of the evening. I was fully up for these races, and very excited to be part of a great event. Despite this, I was still below par.

Having looked at the results on Power of 10, I see that the majority in my races were well down on their PBs and SBs too. Not really sure why. Conditions were warm and we had tailwinds (slightly illegal). Maybe Londoners are used to better conditions but compared to Ireland it was bliss. Maybe the track isn’t the quickest. Who knows.

Delighted I attempted this. The meet is great and is part of a whole summer series of these Lee Valley wind sprint meets. There was a good buzz about it and the organisation of it was an example of how things should be done. When heat 9 are in their blocks for example, those in heat 11 get called over a loudspeaker. It’s all done by number, no names are announced at all. It runs like clockwork.

There was also a BBQ running throughout the night. The most bizarre part of the meet was when all the races were over, some athletes blasted up the gangsta rap music and started having a dance for about 20-30 minutes or so at the side of the track. Definitely the last thing I expected at an athletics meet. Not my kind of music though. Awful stuff in my opinion.

By the time I got a taxi, caught a train, and got to my hotel, it was 11:50pm. It was 12:30am by the time I showered and was ready to turn out the lights. I was up at 5am. I was in bits all the next day. Pure sleep deprivation.

I really enjoyed it, was delighted I tried it, and I will never ever do it again.

Hopefully you will have another running track in Dublin soon, as Lucan is almost ready, lane marking due to start next week.

Singer

Great report!

Chivito550

So the season will come to an end at Nationals tomorrow. I’m down for the 100m and 200m. Nationals is one of my favourite weekends of the year, and has been the scene of my 2 most memorable moments in this sport (my only sub 55 400m and my only sub 25 200m). After competing at it 4 years in a row, I was gutted to miss it last year and knowing from a long time out that I wouldn’t be available for that weekend really did affect my motivation last year. It’s the best track and field event to be part of in this country. If you can’t get up for this one then you may as well pack it in.

Pressure is off at it this year, given I nailed the PB at Drogheda. Just want to go out there and run the very best I can on the day. I’m less worried about the conditions given it’s not a last gasp hurrah at trying to run under a goal time.

Chivito550

My 5th National Seniors. It has been the event that has brought me my greatest personal achievements in the sport. At my first one in 2014 I ran 54.88 for 400m, the only time I ever got under 55. 2015 and 2016 saw solid but unspectacular performances (56.65 for 400m in windy conditions and 4.95m in the long jump in 2015, 25.37 (+2.1) for 200m and 12.71 (-1.1) for 100m in far from ideal conditions in 2016). 2017 was another high point, three years after the first; my only time to date sub 25 for 200m with a 24.87 (+0.9) and 12.25 (+2.0) for 100m, at the time my second fastest run.

Missing out last year due to family commitments made me all the more excited to be part of it again this year. There really is no event like it. The indoor warm up track is a cauldron of tension. The call room and registration zones cut off a sizeable portion of the warm up zone. That coupled with the large numbers competing, makes the place buzzing with activity. I absolutely love it. I could have warmed up outside and had so much more space, but then I’d be missing out on the uniqueness of the occasion. This is the type of stuff that this event provides that no other meet here can. This is what it’s all about. There’s nothing like the buzz in the warm up zone and the pure tension of the call room at National Seniors. At most meets, the warm up is just something you do to be able to race. At Nationals, I actually love the whole warm up and call room process. There’s just something different about the whole occasion.

The last week or so I’ve started to feel I’ve been hanging on a bit. Not mentally, as I’ve been very strong in that regard this year and haven’t been hanging on for the end of the season like I have in some seasons in the past. However, physically the niggles were starting to appear and I was beginning to feel tired after the exploits of the past month. I had a niggle at the back of my left knee the week leading into nationals, but once warmed up fully I would no longer feel it. I just had to remove a few drills that appeared to aggravate it (e.g. high knees).

Conditions were very nice. It was sunny, a nice temperature and there were tailwinds. For the 100m it was absolutely spot on, but for the 200m the wind was blowing straight into our faces for the first 60-70m of the race, definitely not the perfect tailwind I got 2 years ago.

100m: 12.45 (+1.1)

I was in lane 5 in heat 1 and it took 3 attempts for us to get going. The first time we were asked to stand up. Not sure the reason why. Then Simon Essuman false started and got DQ’ed. A real pity for him, but he’ll have many more Nationals to come. At the third time of asking, I felt I got away well enough. Maybe the pick-up wasn’t what it could have been. There were a couple of lads near me out in lanes 9 and 10, and I felt I crossed the line close to them, but the fact they were a few lanes away from me made the gap a bit deceptive. They were a bit further ahead than I thought. Eanna Madden in the lane to the left of me pulled up with an injury late on, which I noticed. I actually crossed the line just before him as he had slowed to a jog for the last 25m of the race. A few people joked that I can say I beat Eanna Madden, but you’d want to be fairly sad to go claiming that. Nobody likes seeing athletes injure themselves. He’s also been in great form this year. It’s nothing majorly serious I hear so hopefully he’ll be back soon.

As for my run. I thought it went well. I did the best I could on the day, but it just wasn’t good enough on this occasion. It took while for results to come up, so I watched the video from the stream back and handtimed it at 12.05, so based on that I thought I’d be around the 12.30 mark, which I’d have been very happy with. Alas it was not to be. 12.45 with a +1.1 wind. Adjusting it to +1.8, it would still be 12.40, which is 0.22 down on my run in Drogheda which had a +1.8. I was disappointed with the result, and had to take a bit of time to process it before getting my head back in the game for the 200m.

200m: 25.45 (+0.8)

I was in lane 8 in heat 3, and the heat I got was absolutely stacked. All the other heats had at least one 24 second guy or at the very worst a high 23 guy. My heat had Leon Reid burning up the tracks with the next slowest to me running 23.2, I was in a completely different race to everyone else, which was a pity, but that can happen sometimes at Nationals. I really had to focus on my own run. Again it took 3 attempts to get going. The first time the stadium announcer (won’t mention his name) stupidly started talking the moment we were sitting in our blocks and we had to stand up. This isn’t the first time he’s done this! Same thing happened before the men’s 60m final at National Indoors this year. Then there was a false start which seemed to go unpunished. At the third time of asking we were away. I felt I moved well out of the blocks and went flat out to 50, and then floated for 30. I felt perhaps I was a bit heavy with my footing, almost as if I wasn’t quite light enough. Once I got into the straight I felt better though. I’m definitely a better straight runner than bend runner these days. I finished miles down on everyone else andwas worried the time would be 26 which would be a sickener at Nationals. But the time was actually very pleasing. 25.45 (+2.8) is just 0.09 down on my season’s best from Drogheda, so I have to be pleased with that. Despite the +2.8 wind, it doesn’t tell the full story. We were running into a very strong headwind at the start of the race. Likely close to -4. Definitely not ideal conditions.

So that’s the end of my 9th season as a track athlete. I’ll do a review later. Nationals this year didn’t have the glorious highs of 2014 and 2017 but I loved being part of it again, and I hope I can manage a few more of them. I don’t want to be competing in it when I’m running poorly, but as long as I’m running well it will always be the number one meet of the season for me. That won’t change next year when I become a master athlete.

Nationals is a great weekend with fantastic finals on the Sunday, the craic in the Clonliffe Bar after and then the after-party in McGowans. One thing is certain though, all that other stuff is far more enjoyable when you’re actually competing in it. Competing at Nationals trumps spectating at Nationals any day of the week. Bring on 2020.

Chivito550

Better late than never, but here's a video of my PB of 12.18 (+1.8) for the 100m at Drogheda IMC in mid July.

Mulberry

I've looked at this a few times. If you compare your first few steps after the blocks, you don't have the same 'quick feet' as say the Clonliffe guy in the middle. You seem a tiny tad sluggish for those first few steps. Is this something you could work on, and maybe bring that pb down a touch more? Have you noticed it?