The 2016 Irish domestic track and field thread

Chivito550

I thought this would be a good idea to help build some excitement around the track season here in Ireland which will be starting up around the country this month. This thread is for any domestic track and field topics, whether that is commenting about Thomas Barr running a fine time at nationals, your performance in your local county championship 800m, or simply asking for training tips for a track distance you are not familiar with. Anything and everything related to track and field goes here, whether elite, club standard or beginner, as long as it is domestic related. Topics about international track and field, and doping related topics should go elsewhere.

It would be a good idea if anybody posting fixtures posts them into this thread as the season progresses. I'll do a more detailed post later on what type of competitions are available, and which standard each one caters towards, but there will be meets I will miss, so do please post them throughout the year. Also do post up meets closer to the time along with entry deadline dates (even if they are already listed earlier in the thread) to generate more awareness.

Don't be shy to take up track running. It's a lot of fun and is not as intimidating as many think it is.

Happy running in circles!

Sacksian

First Dublin graded in Morton on the 20th, so the week after next:

100m
High Jump
Pole Vault
Hammer
Shot
800m
3000m

Chivito550

There are a wide range of track and field competition available throughout the country from April until mid-August. Firstly, make sure you are a paid up member of an Irish club, as this is a requirement to compete in almost all of the below meets. I have divided these into 6 categories:

1 - National competition
2 - Provincial Championships
3 - County Championships
4 - Dublin/Cork/Drogheda/Lagan Valley Graded Meetings
5 - Irish Milers Club
6 - Other

1 - National competition



http://www.athleticsireland.ie/

These are the meets organized by Athletics Ireland and range from Nationals which attract the best athletes in the country, to National League which has more of a “have a go” attitude. I’m going to leave out juvenile and junior meets under the assumption that all posters here are of the senior and masters age-groups.

National Senior Track and Field Championships – Santry – Sat/Sun 25/26 June

Probably not the place to dip your toe into track and field, as being the highlight of the track season it attracts the highest standard of Irish athletes. More of an event to strive towards as you become more proficient in track running. The Sunday is always a great day to be a spectator, so come down to support our best athletes as they get ready for Amsterdam and Rio.

National Masters Track and Field Championships – Tullamore – Sun 21 August

If you are 35 years of age and over you are eligible to compete here. Categories are divided in 5 year segments, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 and so on. The standard at the top level in each category is very good (though it obviously varies from event to event), but it has a bit more of a welcoming vibe to it than National Seniors, so I wouldn’t be afraid to compete here even if you are a complete novice.

AAI Games – Santry - Sun 29 May

In theory this is supposed to be a high quality meet to kick off the Irish season for many of our top athletes. The reality is that it is a fairly drab affair, almost as dull for athletes as it is for spectators. Events are graded so in reality it is far removed from an elite meet, though the standard is good. It’s good for an early season hit out, but if you were looking for meets to pass up, this would be one in my honest opinion.

National League Round 1 – TBC – Sun 12 June
National League Round 2 – TBC – Sun 17 July
National League Final – Tullamore – Sun 7 August

This is a team based event to determine the National champion club for both men and women. There are two ways you can compete here. If your club picks you to compete to help them score points in the hope of making the final in Tullamore, or as a guest (though guest entries are not allowed in the League Final). Only one person per club can compete in each event, so if you are with a strong club, then the guest entry might be the way to go. These meets are also a great way to try out some events you don’t usually do (jumps, throws, hurdles) as quite often a club will be looking for people to fill these slots for the team. In general, the vibe at these meets is less serious with more camaraderie, and therefore a better atmosphere.

National Combined Events Championships – Santry – Sat/Sun 28/29 May

For anybody out there wanting to try the heptathlon or decathlon there are not a huge amount of opportunities. The Nationals is the best one to do. Day 2 doubles up with the AAI Games this year.

2 - Provincial Championships



http://www.athleticsleinster.org/
http://munsterathletics.com/
http://www.athleticsni.org/

Each of the four provinces hold their own provincial championships, which usually have seniors and masters on the same day, which creates a lot of atmosphere. The Ulster Championships doubles up as the Northern Ireland Championships, so with it being a sort of national championship it has more of an elite feel to it, but the Leinster and Munster equivalents are another perfect opportunity for a novice to get stuck into some track and field competition (I haven’t done the Connachts but it would be similar I imagine). The dates of the provincial championships are as follows:

Leinster Championships – Tullamore – Sun 5 June
NI/Ulster Championships – Belfast – Sat 11 June
Munster Championships – Waterford – Sun 31 July
Connacht Championships - No info available yet

3 – County Championships



Many counties run their own county championships. Some allow guests from other counties, some probably don’t. I won’t list all these as there would be too many. Details of some of these can be hard to find sometimes, but the county boards that have websites (Kildare, Meath, Louth, Galway, Cork and many others) should have this information up about the location and date. So if you fancy competing in a particular county championship do a quick google search. Keep in mind that many of these county championships take place early in the seaon (April/May). This is another ideal opportunity to have a go at track events as the standard is not all that high relative to other meets.

4 - Dublin/Cork/Drogheda/Lagan Valley Graded Meetings



A few areas in Ireland organize a series of graded meets, which is a great way of throwing yourself into track events for the first time. The races are graded so you will not be thrown in with the fastest people. The atmosphere at these meets is very chilled out and enjoyable, and while there are many excellent athletes competing, the atmosphere feels a lot less serious than some of the more important meets. The most popular and well known are the Dublin Graded Meets which run from mid April to early August, with 8 rounds in total, taking place on average every second Wednesday evening, alternating between Santry, Tallaght and Irishtown. Not every distance is on offer each night, so check out the programme for each meet at the following link:

http://www.dublinathletics.com/dublin-county-board-graded-track-and-field-plan-for-2016-season.html

Meet 1 – Santry – Wed 20 April
Meet 2 – Tallaght – Wed 11 May
Meet 3 – Irishtown – Wed 25 May
Meet 4 – Santry – Wed 8 June
Meet 5 – Tallaght – Wed 22 June
Meet 6 – Irishtown – Wed 13 July
Meet 7 – Santry – Wed 20 July
Meet 8 – Tallaght – Wed 3 August

There are also graded meets in Cork, with 6 rounds, all taking place on weekday evenings, on the CIT track. Again not every event is available at each meet. I can’t find a link at the moment which lists what events are available at each particular meet. Here is the link to the Cork Athletics website though. http://www.corkathletics.org/Fixtures.html

Meet 1 – CIT – Wed 18 May
Meet 2 – CIT – Fri 27 May
Meet 3 – CIT – Thu 9 June
Meet 4 – CIT – Mon 20 June
Meet 5 – CIT – Tue 12 July
Meet 6 – CIT – Mon 25 July

Drogheda & District AC also have some graded meets throughout the summer:

Meet 1 – 28 April
Meet 2 – 19 May
Meet 3 – 2 June
Meet 4 – 30 June
Meet 5 – 7 July
Meet 6 – 11 August

Lagan Valley AC up in Northern Ireland also put on graded meets, which might suit people based up that direction:

http://laganvalleyac.co.uk/

Meet 1 – 14 April
Meet 2 – 28 April
Meet 3 – 2 June
Meet 4 – 23 June
Meet 5 – 11 August
Meet 6 – 25 August

5 - Irish Milers Club



http://www.irishmilersclub.org/

The Irish Milers Club who put on a series of graded 800 and 1500m races, operate their meets in conjunction with various athletics clubs. The standard at these is high. For example over 800m you’d probably want to be running no slower than 2:05 in the men’s or you’d be running on your own. These meets also have sprint races available which are also graded. These are brilliantly organized meets, which always run on time, usually with a good atmosphere. The quality is very high though so not really a place to dip the toe into straight away.

Meet 1 – Greystones AC Meeting – Greystones – Sat 30 April
Meet 2 – Belfast International – Belfast – Sat 7 April
Meet 3 – Bertie Quinn Memorial – Tullamore – Mon 6 June
Meet 4 – GV Ryan – Irishtown – Fri 17 June
Meet 5 – Morton Games – Fri 22 July
Meet 6 – Le Cheile International – Leixlip – Sat 30 July

6 - Other



And finally, some other meets which do not fit into any of the other categories:

Leevale Open Sports – CIT – Sat 7 May – An open graded meeting organized by Leevale AC in Cork

Ton na Gaoithe – Waterford – Sat 14 May – A great concept. A meet entirely for sprinters, with the races operating in the direction the wind is blowing to help secure fast times. A meet organized with the athlete in mind. All races are graded.

Northern Ireland Youth Development League (YDL) – Juvenille meets up in Northern Ireland which put on a selection of senior races at most of these meets:

Round 1 – Antrim Forum – Sat 23 April
Round 2 – Belfast – Sat 29 May
Round 3 – Belfast – Sat 2 July

So that’s everything I could find. No doubt there are random meets I am missing which can be listed under the “Other” section, so make sure to post up details of them on this thread if so. But the above should cover the vast majority of what is available this summer. Again make sure to join a club, and then get stuck into the wonderful world of track running. Once you do it a couple of times, you will wonder why you waited so long.

El Caballo

Here's the event list for the Cork Graded meets.

http://www.corkathletics.org/AAI-Events/Graded-Leagues-2016/John-Buckley-Sports-Graded-Track-and-Field-Leagues-2016.html

IvoryTower

Drogheda and District are delighted to announce the schedule for our Summer Graded Series as follows:

1 - 28th April 2016 - 100m/800m/3000m/Long Jump
2 - 19th May 2016 - 200m/1500m/5000m/Shot Putt
3 - 2nd June 2016 - 400m/Mile/Javelin
4 - 30th June 2016 -200m/800m/3000m/Long Jump
5 - 7th July 2016 - 100m/1500m/400m/Shot Putt
6 - 11th August - Events will be announced closer to the date.

Entry open to all clubs. Entry fee will be €5 per evening or €25 for all six events. All events will commence at 7PM, and running orders will be confirmed prior to each event.

Chivito550

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to try achieve them?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

And for somebody who hasn't raced on the track before:

If you haven't raced on the track yet but have thought about it, what are your reasons for holding back thus far?

What sort of distances/events would you most like to try?

average_runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to tory achieve them?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

And for somebody who hasn't raced on the track before:

If you haven't raced on the track yet but have thought about it, what are your reasons for holding back thus far?

What sort of distances/events would you most like to try?

Mainly do road races but did track twice 2 years ago in Santry over 1500.and 3000. Really enjoyed it, great experience.

Hopefully will do a few this year as given up the marathon ghost.

Pacing Mule

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to try achieve them?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

And for somebody who hasn't raced on the track before:

If you haven't raced on the track yet but have thought about it, what are your reasons for holding back thus far?

What sort of distances/events would you most like to try?

Hi J

Fair play to you for putting in such a big effort into drumming up some interest here.

The latter applies to me unless of course you count the beer mile at the national beermile stadium in Kilbogget Park.

Or indeed an ill advised "sure he will be grand throw him into the 100m" at the community games in Santry as a 10 year old because the people who had qualified for it from the local area didn't turn up and my mother was a helper. Yours truly having seen Zola Budd on the telly doing well running barefoot thought that would give me an advantage that might make up for never having ran a sprint before. It didn't. Finished dead last and some time after the winner who with no exaggeration was off the track before I got to the finish line :pac::pac::pac:

I'd actually be interested in having a go in the future. What's held me back so far was more of a personal fitness thing. I'm only getting to reasonable fitness level / weight now. Up until now running has been more about burning calories off for me rather than the shorter training that track would generally take. I do enjoy the longer runs and can't see myself concentrating on track at any stage but I would love to dip my toe in a 800 or 1500 race just to see what it's like.

I think it was floated before here about organising an informal boards track event for those wanting to give it a go. If that ever happened I'd be the first sign up !

IvoryTower

PM im not sure how far you are from Drogheda but they do 800 graded races that range from sub 2 standard right up to 4.30 minutes so anyone can have a go. The last time they had 5 separate races for the different standards. Might be worth keeping in mind for anyone who'd like to give it a go.

IvoryTower

For those who don't know.

I ran my first 400m last summer in 60secs. In August I ran 58, in the indoors I ran 56 and my aim this year is 54. I'll be slowly building towards peaking late July/August with a few races along the way.

I also plan on running my first 800m and hopefully beating my 200m/mile/5k pb's at some stage throughout the year(after track season for 5k anyway)

Slow_Runner

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to try achieve them?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

And for somebody who hasn't raced on the track before:

If you haven't raced on the track yet but have thought about it, what are your reasons for holding back thus far?

What sort of distances/events would you most like to try?

Great idea for a thread, been running for about 5 years myself and gave the 800m at the Leinster masters indoors a bash this year to take a break from distance training (Marathons/halfs). Didn't know what to expect and could have gone a bit faster than the 2:37 I posted (a slow time but the clue is in my name:D). Have to say I really enjoyed the training for it - first time I felt like puking from exercise in a long long time!) and plan to do some more during the summer - graded meets/masters.

My biggest worry about racing on the track was, as a mid pack runner, I had nowhere to hide and knew I'd be last (goal 1 at the indoors was not to be lapped!) but I have to say, even tough I was last I really enjoyed it and didn't feel intimidated/unwelcome/inferior at all. Only downside is the waiting around which can't be helped I suppose. I would like to run against people with similar abilities tough to actually race people instead of trying not to be lapped.

And as an added bonus I took 1 min off my 5k pb and 2 mins of 10k pb off no real training

Timmaay

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to try achieve them?

Good questions and ones that I need to sit down with myself and decide, but very limited on time these days! However sub2/4/9/16 for 800/1500/3k/5k are all within me, and I'm very close with most of them, alongside that the steeple is an event that I keep meeting to target more, and this year might well be the year as we are doing quite abit more of it in the club with the older teens. Sub 10 is a very average goal at 3k steeple this year, but it would be progress at least. That's a wide net I'm casting there I'll admit ha, and I'll definitely need to focus on one end of it in the early part of the season, right at the minute considering how training has gone, I'm thinking the top end, and scrap the 800m for the second, but focus back on afew 800s later in the summer. So training wise that means keeping up the tempos, k reps etc. In general this had served me reasonably well even for the shorter stuff, as I'm generally not lacking speed or strength. Actually I've definitely worked on my strength this year, hammys/glutes/core etc, will be interesting to see how it helps. 1st proper race up is a 5k Road race 20th April, then straight into afew track races, where I've the choice of 15 and 3k. I should have the chance to run 3 or 4 3k steeples during the middle of the summer also. Much more hurdle work and improve my steeple technique needed!!

Mulberry

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

Delighted to see this thread, thanks Chivito!

I started training track in Jan/Feb for the first time ever: previously (when not injured!) I ran 5K up to marathon road races and cross country.

My first track race was the Leinsters in Athlone in February and I ran 60, 200 and 400. Did all right in the 60, knew I could have done better in the 200 and useless in the 400 (still not fit enough, not long enough back from injury I think).

Tried the 200 again in the Nationals a couple of weeks later and managed to knock a second off (31.96 down to 30.93). More to come there I hope with another bit of training. Will try the 100m as well, and we'll see how the fitness goes for the 400. I'm female M40 btw.

I'm loving the track training. I find it all encompassing, there's so much to learn. The training is very hard on the body however, harder than anything else I've done. Getting used to it now though and I'm not broken yet so hope to keep going to the Leinsters and maybe nationals later this year. I find it's like a sport within a sport. It's completely different to road racing and great for a change and competing in Athlone was just a privilege - that place is amazing.

Timmaay

On track fixtures, the Co. Wicklow clubs is a 3day event, on Fri evening 29th April, Fri evening 6th May, and all day Sunday 8th in Greystones. Alongside this we have a very successful "mini league" for kids under 16 to get in afew extra races, 4 rounds in the league, (3 of which have taken place already). Mid June sees the annual Bray sports, including an invitational mile, and finally at the tail end of the season we usually have an adult "have a go" day, to try and encourage beginners/non track athletes to try out afew events in a low key no pressure environment.

Chivito550

Mulberry wrote: »

Delighted to see this thread, thanks Chivito!

I started training track in Jan/Feb for the first time ever: previously (when not injured!) I ran 5K up to marathon road races and cross country.

My first track race was the Leinsters in Athlone in February and I ran 60, 200 and 400. Did all right in the 60, knew I could have done better in the 200 and useless in the 400 (still not fit enough, not long enough back from injury I think).

Tried the 200 again in the Nationals a couple of weeks later and managed to knock a second off (31.96 down to 30.93). More to come there I hope with another bit of training. Will try the 100m as well, and we'll see how the fitness goes for the 400. I'm female M40 btw.

I'm loving the track training. I find it all encompassing, there's so much to learn. The training is very hard on the body however, harder than anything else I've done. Getting used to it now though and I'm not broken yet so hope to keep going to the Leinsters and maybe nationals later this year. I find it's like a sport within a sport. It's completely different to road racing and great for a change and competing in Athlone was just a privilege - that place is amazing.

Great stuff Mulberry. I didn't realise we had another boardsie sprinter. You should set up a training log.

You'll be under the 30 seconds this summer for sure!

El Caballo

Chivito550 wrote: »

So we've got the fixtures all sorted, but what about experience, goals and training?

For the experienced track runner:

What events are you targeting this year and what are your goals?

What kind of training are you doing to try achieve them?

And for the occasional/inexperienced/beginner track runner:

What distances have you run before?

How did the experience of a track race compare to that of a road race?

Not sure which category I'd be in as I have only one full track season under my belt last year with a few random encounters before that so I'll answer both. The big goal this year is the steeple, the plan is to gain some much needed race experience in the run-up to Munsters as I've only run it once before so I hope to get in a few races over the barriers before eventually peaking in Munsters. I'd also like to squeeze in a few 1500 and 3000 races as well and maybe a 400 if I can.

I've tried out a lot of the events in T+F at least, everything from 400m to 5000m and briefly flirted with the LJ and HJ in school mostly because they had the most practice time to doss class!:pac: looking back, they were actually great craic to take part in though.:)

My experience of track has been really good, actually even more welcoming than road racing as the fields are smaller and everyone is gathered around the same place and it's a fairly friendly athomsphere. The graded meets are brilliant with a wide ranging levels of ability and a great introduction to track and far from intimidating in my opinion. Even at Munster Championship last year while I was holding up the whole show:pac: The crowd and other runners were brilliant to help me push through the last few laps.

Mulberry

Chivito550 wrote: »

Great stuff Mulberry. I didn't realise we had another boardsie sprinter. You should set up a training log.

You'll be under the 30 seconds this summer for sure!

Thanks Chivito, sub 30 it's gotta be.

Training+work+kids+club work=no boards log

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread though.

Are we really the only two sprinters on boards? Come on people, give it a go! It's fun! Switch training now, do the graded meets in April and May, Leinsters (or wherever) in June - and watch your times tumble. Stick to 100+200 and there's barely enough time in the race to feel the pain - what's not to love!

Chivito550

Mulberry wrote: »

Thanks Chivito, sub 30 it's gotta be.

Training+work+kids+club work=no boards log

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread though.

Are we really the only two sprinters on boards? Come on people, give it a go! It's fun! Switch training now, do the graded meets in April and May, Leinsters (or wherever) in June - and watch your times tumble. Stick to 100+200 and there's barely enough time in the race to feel the pain - what's not to love!

I like your sales pitch!

There's a few other sprinters. Ivory Tower and Oregano State both have training logs and are both 400m runners. happygoose runs 400m but doesn't have a log. Randymann had a log here and focused on 100 and 200, but sadly he doesn't post anymore. Other than that I can't think of any. dna_leri runs some 400m races but is predominantly an 800m runner. There have been a sprinkling of distance runners who have jumped in the odd 400m races over the past few years, since sub 60 was added to the 10 Round Numbers challenge.

Oiriallach

There'll be a few more meets in Ulster, which I don't think have been mentioned so far. These include:

Sun 1 May - Tír Chonaill AC Meet - Donegal
Mon 2 May - Lifford Strabane AC Meet - Lifford
Tue 24 May - North Down AC Meet - Bangor
Tue 14 Jun - North Down AC Meet - Bangor
Sat 25 Jun - NI Masters' Champs - Belfast
Tue 26 Jul - North Down AC Meet - Bangor
Tue 16 Aug - North Down AC Meet - Bangor
Sat 27 Aug - Team Trophy - Antrim

There will be no overlap between the events in the Donegal and Lifford meets - any given event will be in either one or the other (if at all), but not in both.

The meets in Bangor are similar to open graded meets anywhere else - selected events each night with races graded by ability and athletes throwing an appropriate weight (for their age group) in the throws.

The NI Masters' Champs is open to all (aged over 35 of course) - you don't have to be from NI.

The Team Trophy doubles up as an open meet and an inter-club championship for Northern Ireland (or maybe it's the whole of Ulster?) clubs with all the usual track and field events. Athletes compete as individuals but, where appropriate, also score points for their clubs.

Back in Black

I am planning to do the 3k at the Dublin Graded meets on Wednesday night and notice that there is an A grade and a B+C grade - how does this work?

Also, it states that you should have your AAI registration number with you. I know I am registered with AAI through my club but how would I get access to my number - do AAI have a central database?

Thanks in advance.

Chivito550

Back in Black wrote: »

I am planning to do the 3k at the Dublin Graded meets on Wednesday night and notice that there is an A grade and a B+C grade - how does this work?

Also, it states that you should have your AAI registration number with you. I know I am registered with AAI through my club but how would I get access to my number - do AAI have a central database?

Thanks in advance.

Generally when you enter online you select what grade you want to run in, but you still need to sign in on the evening, and put your name down in the appropriate grade. I'm guessing if they have it as B+C grade then they are running them both together.

You can get access to your number by contacting your club secretary, or by contacting AAI, but not once have I ever been asked for it at the graded meets, but good to have it for entering AAI events where they sometimes ask for it.

Back in Black

Chivito550 wrote: »

Generally when you enter online you select what grade you want to run in, but you still need to sign in on the evening, and put your name down in the appropriate grade. I'm guessing if they have it as B+C grade then they are running them both together.

You can get access to your number by contacting your club secretary, or by contacting AAI, but not once have I ever been asked for it at the graded meets, but good to have it for entering AAI events where they sometimes ask for it.

Thanks for that. What is the criteria for each grade?

Chivito550

Back in Black wrote: »

Thanks for that. What is the criteria for each grade?

There's no criteria. Just enter the one you think suits you best. If it's your first ever graded meet then enter the weakest grade, and you will then have a better idea for next time.

Timmaay

Back in Black wrote: »

Thanks for that. What is the criteria for each grade?

No set criteria, useful to look up last yrs results, but if I remember correctly grade A around 9.15 or under, B and C over this then obviously.

Mulberry

So who went to the Dublin Graded meet tonight?

I did the 100m and came in a second quicker than I'd expected (it was my first 100m) to finish in 14.89 so I'm a happy camper tonight. A good marker set for the rest of the season. It was a perfect night for racing.

How did everyone else get on? How much do you expect to improve on your times tonight in the coming weeks and months?

Chivito550

Mulberry wrote: »

So who went to the Dublin Graded meet tonight?

I did the 100m and came in a second quicker than I'd expected (it was my first 100m) to finish in 14.89 so I'm a happy camper tonight. A good marker set for the rest of the season. It was a perfect night for racing.

How did everyone else get on? How much do you expect to improve on your times tonight in the coming weeks and months?

Nice work. Wouldn't have been perfect at all for sprinting. Cold temperatures don't allow for fast times, so you can expect to see that time continue to come down once it warms up.

adrian522

Chivito550 wrote: »

And for somebody who hasn't raced on the track before:

If you haven't raced on the track yet but have thought about it, what are your reasons for holding back thus far?

Numerous, generally shy about entering races with so few entrants given the chances of finishing about 200m adrift of everyone else.

Also currently dealing with injuries so not really fit for a track race, finally the potential impact on general training though that shouldn't really be an excuse.

Chivito550 wrote: »

What sort of distances/events would you most like to try?

Not sure about this, probably middle to longer distances. I was thinking about running something at the BHAA Trinity event but saw that it is the same week as Dunshaughlin 10K so not 100% on that either.

When are results from the graded's usually available? Can't find my way around the Dublin athleitcs site at all.

Dubgal72

Very useful thread thanks. I need a bit more help though. The commemorative mile event on Sunday has been cancelled and my schedule is crying out for a short race. The 5k, a decent substitute, has closed registration. Anyone heard of a 1500m-3k race this weekend?

IvoryTower

If you can wait until Thursday there's a 3k in Drogheda

Dubgal72

IvoryTower wrote: »

If you can wait until Thursday there's a 3k in Drogheda

Thanks, should have explained: I have a 1500m on Friday 29th and the mile on Sunday was perfect timing

RayCun

adrian522 wrote: »

When are results from the graded's usually available? Can't find my way around the Dublin athleitcs site at all.

They'll be on the front page today or tomorrow

Chivito550

2016 will be a funny season. Usually National Seniors are towards the end, or at the very end of the season, either late July or Early August. Everything builds towards that. You slowly build up through various races with the aim of peaking at Nationals. Once it is over, you’ve got no more than a race or two left (or in last year’s case, no races) and everything winds down from there, into the end of season break.

This season is completely different. Nationals are the last weekend in June. After Nationals there is an incredible lull for about 2 and a half weeks where there is virtually no track meets scheduled, as the European Championships take centre stage. Then there’s maybe 3 weeks of racing left, with not a huge amount of racing opportunities, relative to May and June, and then the Olympics start and the domestic track season ceases completely (except for National Masters).

So I think a lot of athletes will need to tackle this season differently. Peaking in July and August, unless you’re a master, then you’ve got it all wrong really. So I’m looking at racing very early, and getting straight into it early too, rather than easing into the racing. May and June will be chocker-blocked with races, with the goal being to peak at Nationals.

This year, I think July could be a bit of a “fun month”. It’s very hard to peak again after peaking for nationals, particularly when there’s only a few races left. The beer mile the week after nationals is at an ideal time, and then I’ll probably be off to Amsterdam for a week for the Europeans, where little training will be done, if history repeats itself. By the time I’m back, I’ll most certainly be over my peak, and it could be difficult to get it back for just a couple of races in late July, as the League Final in Early August is never a goer for me, being in a strong club, and thus never getting picked for it. I think the Beer Mile World Classic in London on July 31st might become the target, once Nationals are over.

So how are others approaching this very different of seasons?

IvoryTower

I'm going to get it all wrong and aim to peak at the end of the summer, more chance of hitting my goals that way. If I was competing it would be different but for now it's just about improving.

Chivito550

IvoryTower wrote: »

I'm going to get it all wrong and aim to peak at the end of the summer, more chance of hitting my goals that way. If I was competing it would be different but for now it's just about improving.

Well if you are peaking in late July or early August, you'd want to make sure there are races to run in. It's no use being in PB shape if there aren't many races to actually try run a PB in.

happygoose

I'm a Master, so I've a long season. I think it's 18 weeks remaining to National Masters and at that I'm not all that pushed about it. That particular day in Tullamore makes me feel old.

Even if I wasn't an oldie I wouldn't be of standard for championship, so I'd be looking at a long season this year...focusing on getting the times down and running a few PB's in late July early August.

Chivito550

happygoose wrote: »

I'm a Master, so I've a long season. I think it's 18 weeks remaining to National Masters and at that I'm not all that pushed about it. That particular day in Tullamore makes me feel old.

Even if I wasn't an oldie I wouldn't be of standard for championship, so I'd be looking at a long season this year...focusing on getting the times down and running a few PB's in late July early August.

For those looking to peak in late July, Le Cheile International 30 July and Munster Championships 31 July look ideal. There's not a whole lot else on in July other than the odd graded meet and round 2 of the League. All there is in August, other than the masters, is one round of graded, and the League Final, which is only useful if your club picks you to race, and of course if your club qualifies in the first place.

Just be careful, and have a good look at the fixture list before putting together a season plan. I'd hate to see you guys miss out on PBs because of a lack of racing opportunities. It's a strange season this year.

Oiriallach

Dubgal72 wrote: »

Anyone heard of a 1500m-3k race this weekend?

There's a YDL meet in Antrim on Saturday but I don't know if it includes a 1500/3000. See the Fixtures page on the Athletics NI website for contact details (http://www.athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Track-and-Field/Youth-Development-League).

There won't be much else happening because the AAI Congress is on this weekend.

shiibata

Oiriallach wrote: »

There's a YDL meet in Antrim on Saturday but I don't know if it includes a 1500/3000. See the Fixtures page on the Athletics NI website for contact details (http://www.athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Track-and-Field/Youth-Development-League).

There won't be much else happening because the AAI Congress is on this weekend.

Just seen timetable, Senior 100, 400, 800 and 3000 on...

Dubgal72

Oiriallach wrote: »

There's a YDL meet in Antrim on Saturday but I don't know if it includes a 1500/3000. See the Fixtures page on the Athletics NI website for contact details (http://www.athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Track-and-Field/Youth-Development-League).

There won't be much else happening because the AAI Congress is on this weekend.

shiibata wrote: »

Just seen timetable, Senior 100, 400, 800 and 3000 on...

Thanks for that. I've been in touch but my back is not playing ball so looks like nothing for me this weekend

Sacksian

For anyone in Leinster:

Kildare will be having their Senior T&F Championships on Sunday 15th May 2016 in Le Chéile AC all weather track. Senior events will be open to guests and all events will be electronically timed. This will be an ideal opportunity to get a timed event in the weeks leading up to Leinster and National T&F championships.

http://www.athleticsleinster.org/home/8-news/83-kildare-senior-t-f

Chivito550

First of the Irish Milers Club meets is tomorrow in Greystones, with the second one up in Belfast next weekend.

The Greystones meet deserves a bit of luck with the weather. Two years ago there were ridiculous 5 m/s headwinds, and last year was the most miserable conditions I've experienced for a race. 8 degrees, pouring rain all day long, windy, soaking track with puddles. Things can't get any worse than that.

The IMC meets are very well organised, so should be a good afternoon hopefully.

IvoryTower

i wouldnt be hopeful going by the last few days

Oiriallach

The Ulster Senior Championships have been rescheduled from Saturday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 June. The meet will still be at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast.

Chivito550

Oiriallach wrote: »

The Ulster Senior Championships have been rescheduled from Saturday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 June. The meet will still be at the Mary Peters Track in Belfast.

Great news. It had been scheduled to be on the same weekend as the League. Now I'll get to do both. It's the weekend before Nationals too which is ideal.

BeepBeep67

Chivito550 wrote: »

First of the Irish Milers Club meets is tomorrow in Greystones, with the second one up in Belfast next weekend.

The Greystones meet deserves a bit of luck with the weather. Two years ago there were ridiculous 5 m/s headwinds, and last year was the most miserable conditions I've experienced for a race. 8 degrees, pouring rain all day long, windy, soaking track with puddles. Things can't get any worse than that.

The IMC meets are very well organised, so should be a good afternoon hopefully.

Do you have a timetable, didn't see anything jumps out on the website, might head up for a look

Edit: Found it in the blog section, not the fixture section

BeepBeep67

Some pics from the IMC meet in Greystones, only made it for the last hour: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dominic67/albums/72157667780081055

IvoryTower

Are there any 800 races coming up that I could run as in ,not a high standard or at least where it doesn't matter if they have to wait an extra 15 seconds until I finish. Would like to run another while I'm still doing endurance training, I don't think I done myself justice last week

Sacksian

IvoryTower wrote: »

Are there any 800 races coming up that I could run as in ,not a high standard or at least where it doesn't matter if they have to wait an extra 15 seconds until I finish. Would like to run another while I'm still doing endurance training, I don't think I done myself justice last week

Sunday 15th May - 800s at the Kildare T&F championships should get you a decent race - nice track as well.

Weds May 25th - 800s at Dublin Graded No.3 in Irishtown. You have the choice between picking a grade where you'll get pulled along or where you're in the mix at the pointy end.

IvoryTower

Thanks saskian

BeepBeep67

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni0M6KNKD-c

Timmaay

Love the chap who shots out something like "come on Conor boy, your gonna win this". I showed him haha