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Running Aimlessly Down Under - From 54 to 53 sec 400m
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After a super first day where I set big PB's in the 400 and 100, and set minor PB's in the Shot and High Jump, I began day 2 very exhausted. Not enough sleep and my body was in bits after a big effort the day before. I only decided for certain a couple of hours after the 400m that I would do day 2. I did so well on day 1 that I felt it would be a waste to not see it through and see how many points I could accumulate. I also felt on some level that I would be letting all the other lads down, who I got on with very well over the first day. I enjoyed the camaraderie and wanted to experience some more of it.
Day 2 however consists of events which I am poor to awful at so I was expecting to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for points.
110m Hurdles:
The height of these hurdles terrifies me. I have never tried to jump one, not to mention 10. I haven't had the balls to give it a go. Too afraid of falling and gashing my knees again like I did earlier in the year after a 100m. So I just ran to the first hurdle and walked off the track. In order to continue in the decathlon I had to start the event, which is what I did. There was no obligation to finish it. So 0 points.
Discus
My first attempt at this event since September. For some reason they held this event outside the stadium in the practice cage. My first attempt was 14.17m. My 2nd attempt was an awful 12m+. For my last attempt I tried to implement some advice from one of the decathletes, but trying to put all my strength behind the discus I ended up letting it slip out of my hand when throwing and it smacked pathetically into the cage. I asked my coach "where am I going wrong" and his answer was "you're not a discus thrower".
He edged me in this event by 7cm. The only event on day 2 that I had a realistic chance of beating him in (after beating him in 3 of the 5 events on day 1). So 14.17m and 165 points. As much as I expected really.
Pole Vault:
I had only done this event twice before. The first time in training last September when I cleared 1.75m. The following week, in the decathlon, with my body in a heap, I couldn't manage to clear the first height, 1.50m. Well the exact same thing happened again. Warming up I actually cleared a height but it was probably around 1.20m (a height which I could high jump easier!!), but come the first height of 1.50m, I failed on all 3 attempts. Shocking stuff really. One other guy no heighted aswell but he came in at 2.50m. The top performance was 4.80m. This was an event where the men were very much seperated from the toddlers! 0 points!
Javelin:
So I was having an awfully quiet day, and there was a lot of waiting around for me in between events. My body was shattered. This decathlon truly was gruelling physically and mentally. There was a big delay before we eventually got the javelin underway. Another event where I really don't know what I am doing. My first attempt I threw 10.83m, with the correct end of the javelin touching the ground just about ahead of the other end. This was something which I struggled with so I was just relieved to even get a legit throw in. I hurt my elbow in the process though and sat out attempt 2. However by attempt 3 I was feeling a bit better and thought I may aswell have another shot. I fouled as the wrong end hit the ground first. I really hope they don't put my throws onto the highlights video they are currently putting together! 43 points. I'd scored less points in 4 events than I did in my lowest scoring event on day 1. Really poor, but exactly what I expected.
1500m
I knew this event would provide the bulk of the points on day 2 and thankfully the sun had gone down by the time we ran the race. My PB for 1500m was 5:16 set back when I was 18 at Santry in the West Leinster Schools Champs. In 2010 I ran a few mile time trials in 5:56 and 5:48. None of these times come close to my shorter stuff but in the decathlon the points for 1500m are extremely generous, and I knew that a 5:30 would give around 400 points, so this was what I was hoping for.
So the gun went and all 18 of us went off. 1 guy was injured and was just jogging so really the race consisted of 17 of us. Very quickly I was at the back end of the field. Perhaps I went off a bit too slowly but it has been so long since I have run this distance so a bit unsure of pacing. After about 400m one of the lads from Collingwood went past me, and at that moment he gave me an encouraging "come on". I dropped 10 metres behind him but after that didnt lose any more ground. I decided to try pace off him. With 500m to go however I find myself passing him, at which point I repaid the compliement to him, at which point he made a comment "I think I'm going to spew". I laughed, and away I went. In the end I took 35 seconds out of him in the last 500m.
I cant remember splits very well but I was at around 4:03ish at the bell, and I sprinted the last lap as hard as I could. I was very tired though but pushed as much as I could. I ended up making it under the 5:30 barrier, with a time of 5:27.98, almost 12 seconds off my PB. Given how tired I was going into the race I was very pleased. I finished 15th of the 18 of us though so even though I managed 409 points, I was still easily beaten by people who don't train for 1500m. But then again neither do I so what can I expect.
The aftermath:
So overall I finished with 2290 points, in 18th place. The results are here:
http://www.athsvic.org.au/cache/NewsFile/5780Vic%20Open%20Multi%20Event%20Results.pdf
I don't think I have ever felt more immediate pain than what I did after that 1500m. My legs just seized up afterwards. Walking was torture. My shins felt horrendous. We were all brought to the podium where after the medals were given out we were all invited to stand on it together for a paparazzi amount of photos. A good feeling of togetherness as everybody shared the moment. Indeed there was a lot of hand shakes before many of the events, and particularly after the 1500m. It really was sportsmanship at it's finest.
Afterwards we managed to get into the ice and hot bath room. We stood in the cold bath for 1 minute, then the hot bath for 1 minute, and repeated this about 6 or 7 times. My lower body felt a lot better for it. After we all said our goodbyes, myself and the 2 lads from Collingwood decided to go for a beer in a local pub to celebrate. We deserved it. It had been a long 2 days, where I spent about 20 hours in total at Lakeside Stadium, but it was completely worth it. I enjoyed the entire event immensely, in spite of the pain that a decathlon brings. The fond memories from these 2 days will stay with me for a long time. So many moments that have almost left me emotional thinking back: My name being called out before events, my name appearing on the big screen, the camaraderie among the competitors, the sportsmanship, the banter. In particular I was extremely impressed with Stephen Cain (who won in a new PB of 7844 points). Even though he had kicked some serious ass he was incredibly modest and made a huge deal about my PB, my teammates PB's and indeed everybody's performances. He didn't want the limelight to be on him and very much championed everybody's performances. I'd love to see him qualify for London. Fingers crossed, but Australia are even worse than us for sending B-Standards (which he hasn't got yet) so it looks unlikely.
My upper body was a mess the next day. I needed to get a sports massage to ease the pain. Thankfully now I am almost back to normal.
The decathlon. Give it a shot. It's a lot of fun.
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Nice short documentary here on the Victorian Country Championships, where I ran sub 60 for the first time. It gives a little idea of grassroots track and field down here.
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A super session this afternoon. Went down to the track with the intention of doing 4x200m reps, but there was a mixed touch/tag rugby team doing training on the track, and part of their session was 4x200m sprints with around 3.5 minute breaks. Perfect. I wasn't ready in time for when they did their first one, but I was ready for the rest. They were sprinting 2 a breast in lane 1 and 2, with 2 seconds between each pair. So I just went into lane 4, and gave the first pair of them a 6 second headstart and tried to chase them down. I managed to do so on all 3 occasions, usually with 20m to spare. It was very enjoyable and the fact I had others to chase down made me go faster than if I was doing the reps on my own. Times were:
30(low) - 30(low) - 30(low)
Rather than do the last rep on my own, I asked could I join in on their next exercise, which was a relay, where each of us would have to sprint 100m on 3 occasions. I didn't bother timing myself for this.
Core session followed, and I feel great after today's session now. Thursday's nightmare session fully behind me now and I'm getting very excited about the Championships this weekend. 0 -
A super session this afternoon. Went down to the track with the intention of doing 4x200m reps, but there was a mixed touch/tag rugby team doing training on the track, and part of their session was 4x200m sprints with around 3.5 minute breaks. Perfect. I wasn't ready in time for when they did their first one, but I was ready for the rest. They were sprinting 2 a breast in lane 1 and 2, with 2 seconds between each pair. So I just went into lane 4, and gave the first pair of them a 6 second headstart and tried to chase them down. I managed to do so on all 3 occasions, usually with 20m to spare. It was very enjoyable and the fact I had others to chase down made me go faster than if I was doing the reps on my own. Times were:
30(low) - 30(low) - 30(low)
Rather than do the last rep on my own, I asked could I join in on their next exercise, which was a relay, where each of us would have to sprint 100m on 3 occasions. I didn't bother timing myself for this.
Core session followed, and I feel great after today's session now. Thursday's nightmare session fully behind me now and I'm getting very excited about the Championships this weekend.
That is one of the better sessions you have done in a while. IMO you have been doing your intervals too slow and I think this is one of the reasons you are stuck on 59secs0 -
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Ok I hear you about spikes but it does not make a huge difference to me. I do most of my intervals on spikes. Spikes would probably make me faster of about .5 sec over 200m. My running shoes would ds racers but I wore Kayanos also last year and I could still run a low 26 on the track with them. Not much of a difference.
If your 200m time is high 26? I'm not sure, I would be thinking your 200 intervals should be around 29 at least.
Your 5 seconds improvement is good, no dispute there but I am guessing that most of that was aerobic improvement compared to raw speed improvement.
If you focussed a bit more on speed developement like trying to get low 26 or break a 26sec 200m next season, it would make a much bigger difference for your 400(I mean to get it closer to 55sec). To break that 26sec , you would have to get stronger.
Just my opinion as I dont think you have much of a problem with speed endurance, you need to get your basic speed faster.
Fully agree with you there, and in fact if you look back earlier in the year I had raised that point and introduced some flying 30s to improve this area. Then I listened to all our distance running guys who convinced me to drop that and focus more on getting in 500s and 600 reps to improve endurance in the last 100m. To be honest it didn’t make much of a difference. I think my 3x300 sessions are the key to my speed endurance and I didn’t find much benefit to doing the longer reps.
The difference between spikes and road running shoes is huge though. The other day I ran a 300 rep in 51 low, and then ran the next rep in spikes, and despite not running as hard the first 150 of that rep I came out with a 48 high. I think I need to find a better shoe to allow me to sprint, but at the same time not have to use spikes all the time (they are rough on the legs!).
In any case, I’m only young. Plenty of years of improvement to come hopefully. I’m delighted to be running multiple sub 60s this year. Next year the bar will be raised higher again.0 -
Fully agree with you there, and in fact if you look back earlier in the year I had raised that point and introduced some flying 30s to improve this area. Then I listened to all our distance running guys who convinced me to drop that and focus more on getting in 500s and 600 reps to improve endurance in the last 100m. To be honest it didn’t make much of a difference. I think my 3x300 sessions are the key to my speed endurance and I didn’t find much benefit to doing the longer reps.
The difference between spikes and road running shoes is huge though. The other day I ran a 300 rep in 51 low, and then ran the next rep in spikes, and despite not running as hard the first 150 of that rep I came out with a 48 high. I think I need to find a better shoe to allow me to sprint, but at the same time not have to use spikes all the time (they are rough on the legs!).
In any case, I’m only young. Plenty of years of improvement to come hopefully. I’m delighted to be running multiple sub 60s this year. Next year the bar will be raised higher again.
Yes, the 300s are important. My daughters coach who used to run 49sec 400s in his day told me that that the 300s were essential in his training.
DS racers are good for me in training and then I wear a middle distance spike for my intervals. The DS Racers are not flat and they give some good shock absorption while being very light. I have only ever worn a sprint spike once, which was on my last 60m race, they arrived 2 days before the race. I have not worn them since but I will start to use them in training next month. They are very light 150g but my shins suffered quite a bit after that race.
Yes you are young, so get the finger out and start lifting while you still can 0 -
Yes, the 300s are important. My daughters coach who used to run 49sec 400s in his day told me that that the 300s were essential in his training.
DS racers are good for me in training and then I wear a middle distance spike for my intervals. The DS Racers are not flat and they give some good shock absorption while being very light. I have only ever worn a sprint spike once, which was on my last 60m race, they arrived 2 days before the race. I have not worn them since but I will start to use them in training next month. They are very light 150g but my shins suffered quite a bit after that race.
Yes you are young, so get the finger out and start lifting while you still can
Yes this is an area where I could improve. I'm naturally a few slim guy. 5'10 in height and around 10 stone in weight. Have never really lifted weights in my life, and when I look at the guys around me they are certainly a bit bulkier. It would have to be done smartly. A few people have said to me though not to get hung up on weights, and that improving core is the main thing (which I have been doing), along with squats and heel raises to strengthen those calves.0 -
Decided to do some shorter reps this evening for speed (albeit in my road running shoes as discussed above). Planned to do 8x100m with walk back break (around 1:45 mins) but my shins were a bit uncomfortable after the first 2 reps so decided I'd just do 6. Times were:
15(high) - 15(mid) - 15(mid) - 15(mid) - 15(mid) - 15(low)
Had a bit of a headwind for the majority of those reps. Pretty happy overall.
4 days til the Championships now so going to take it slow the next few days so my body is right for Friday evening. Day off tomorrow, light session Wednesday, day off Thursday, 400m race 8.15pm Friday. And my 200m race has been moved from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, so more recovery time between events. 0 -
Video quality not the best but here's my 400m race at the Vic Decathlon Champs where I ran a PB of 59.18. I'm in lane 8.
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3x300 session at the track this evening. As the State Championships are just 2 days away and because I had a very light niggle in my left shin (damage done during the decathlon!!) I decided to go very easy this evening. To compensate slightly I brought the recovery time between each rep down to 2 minutes instead of the usual 4. I messed up the timing of the first rep, which was probably the quickest. Times were:
61 - ? - 60
Core session after as usual.
So I'm now enjoying a nice dark beer. There's not much more I can do at this stage to prepare for the State Championships this weekend. I hope I can do myself justice and run a PB this weekend in the 400m, and hopefully get under that 59 second barrier, which would put the icing on a very satisfactory first full season of sprinting. The start lists have been published and there are around 30 of us entered in both the 400 and the 200. The top 8 make the final, with the following 8 making the B-final. I know I haven't a hope in hell of that. In fact if I am not in last place of all the entrants I will be absolutely delighted. This is a very high quality meet, with probably the biggest name being Tamsin Lewis (former world indoor champion over 800m) who goes in the 200, 400 and 800. Just being involved will be a great experience and I've no doubt that I will do myself justice, even if that means being miles behind the majority of the field.
In total there are 7 of us Richmond Harriers competing this weekend, 6 men and 1 woman. All bar myself and one of the coaches (who goes in the steeple, as preparation for the State Masters in 2 weeks time) will be reasonably competitive, but only one person has any hope of a medal and that is our girl who goes in the 800 and 1500. She has a real shot over the 1500, having claimed the bronze in the State Mile Champs last month. While she's off chasing a medal, I'll be trying to squeeze under her 59.07 400m time, to spare me the displeasure of being chicked in the 400m
Should be a fun weekend.0 -
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GET IN!!! 58.68 for the 400m at the State Championships tonight, a big PB, by exactly half a second Immensely satisfying to run my very best in the biggest meet of the year! And maybe I could have gone even faster had I not flat-footed my very last stride, but I had absolutely nothing left in the tank at that stage! Confidence is high now for a good run in the 200m on Sunday.
Race report once the championships are over.0 -
GET IN!!! 58.68 for the 400m at the State Championships tonight, a big PB, by exactly half a second Immensely satisfying to run my very best in the biggest meet of the year! And maybe I could have gone even faster had I not flat-footed my very last stride, but I had absolutely nothing left in the tank at that stage! Confidence is high now for a good run in the 200m on Sunday.
Race report once the championships are over.
Congrats, very nice PB.
What is your 200 PB to date?0 -
Congrats, very nice PB.
What is your 200 PB to date?
26.92 with a +2.2 tailwind. That needs some revision. Hoping I will get a tailwind and can take a reasonable chunk off that. According to the IAAF tables an equivalent performance to my 400m would be 26.06 over 200m. I'm not expecting to go quite that fast, but if I can get a mid 26 I'll be over the moon. The wind makes a difference though. Praying for a tailwind.
Mind you, I'll be up a fair bit the night before watching Derval in the world indoors (assuming she makes the semi final and final). Anyway, pressure is off now. 0 -
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26.92 with a +2.2 tailwind. That needs some revision. Hoping I will get a tailwind and can take a reasonable chunk off that. According to the IAAF tables an equivalent performance to my 400m would be 26.06 over 200m. I'm not expecting to go quite that fast, but if I can get a mid 26 I'll be over the moon. The wind makes a difference though. Praying for a tailwind.
Mind you, I'll be up a fair bit the night before watching Derval in the world indoors (assuming she makes the semi final and final). Anyway, pressure is off now.
Ok well, I'm saying 26.4X 0 -
Ok well, I'm saying 26.4X
Lets hope. It really all depends on how the body recovers from the 4. Thankfully the 200 has been changed from Saturday to Sunday, giving me more recovery time.
I'll be back at the track tomorrow to cheer on my clubmates, including our sole female representative, who is our only realistic shot at a medal. She has a real chance, but will probably need to go sub 4:30, which would be a big PB, but she can certainly do it. Got a bronze in the State Mile in 4:54 about a month ago.
Incidently, I have now beaten her 400m time of 59.07, and assuming she wont run another this season, I have spared myself the annoyance of being chicked. Also had a look at the results of the women's 400m tonight, and my time would have squeezed me into the final in 8th place. Hmmm... maybe a Caster Semenya type experiment could be in the pipeline. 0 -
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You seem to have taken a leaf outta Derval's book by running your best on the big occasion
No better role model. Fingers crossed she can deliver the goods again tonight. She ran poorly in the heats but there is no reason why she can't beat these girls (Pearson aside). The standard is far from earth-shattering.
Today was spent as a spectator at the State Championships. Firstly I went out to the warm-up stretch of track and did about 10-12 strides, at varying paces, to help run that lactic acid out of the legs from yesterday. Legs felt very heavy but hopefully I will feel better for it tomorrow for the 200m.
I may have overstimated my clubmate's chances in the 1500m. She was never really in it, finishing 7th in 4:37 after a very very slow pace for the first 800m. 4:30 medalled, a time she definetely can do, but not in a race like that. She doesn't have the sprint finish that some of the other girls have (sure her 400m is slower than mine!). She had to dodge a faller with 600 to go, got detatched slightly at that point and that was that. She came back after to run the 800m, but with 2 rounds of 1500m in the legs, only managed a 2:14, to finish 10th, half a second down on qualification, and well off the National qualification mark of 2:12.00 (she already has the 1500m standard).
Victoria Mitchell was running in the 1500m final today. She represented Australia in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Beijing Olympics. She won her heat easily yesterday, and I assumed she would be a runaway winner. I guess she must have taken the race for granted as she was well beaten in a final 200m sprint finish, and finished in 4th place. An Olympian failing to medal in a state championship. LOL. Muppet!
When looking at Richmond's medal chances I very much overlooked one of our athletes, a lad in the 400m Hurdles. He qualified easily for the final and should medal tomorrow. It's his first 400m Hurdles race all season long, so was hard to know what to expect, but he looked great in qualifying so fingers crossed tomorrow.
The gold medal in the men's 400m was won in 47.69, but he was very lucky that he wasn't DQ'ed for running out of his lane. I was standing right along the final bend and it was as clear as day that he stepped on the lane inside him for a few strides. I said it to the official who said she missed it. The poor woman had to watch all 8 runners at once. An impossible task. I'd have informed AV about it but for the fact that he was far and away the best athlete in the race, and it wouldn't have made the blindest bit of difference really.
The women's 400m was won in 55.35.
Tamsyn Lewis was a runaway winner of her 800m heat in 2:05. Why there was such need to go so fast in the heats I do not know. She is trying to get the 1:59 Olympic A-Standard, but as 1:59 is her lifetime best I don't think she has a hope of getting it in races down here. She needs to get to Europe into high class races before that time becomes realistic I think.
Time for some sleep as I will be waking up twice during the night, for Derval's semi final, and then (hopefully) her final.0 -
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