Wed. 5/18/11 - Resistance and plyometrics, looking ahead

Today:

dynamic stretching, a few drills.

1 set Resistance bands - quads, hams, and hip flexors: 4 separate exercises each leg. Sets of up to 60 reps, executed explosively.

plyometric leaps - 1 x 15 - each of 4 different exercises (as shown in the video in the previous post)

rest

2nd set Resistance bands - like the first

upper body: pull ups w/ leg raises, dumb bells, pushups, etc...

At some point, I may video post my resistance band regime. It has brought me back from injuries at least 3 times this season. I think it's working for me.

Tomorrow, a track workout. Still have to be cautious. Soreness is pretty much gone but the left ham feels pretty tight and vulnerable.

Looking ahead to the Masters National Championships in July...

Should I attempt a triple? 100m/200m/400m ?? I think so. Two considerations.

1) I'll only have 3 days recovery from the TN Senior Olympics whose last event - the 200m - is Sunday July 24. The first round of the 400m at the Nationals is Thurs July 28. Unlike the triple I did last weekend, all in the space of 3 hrs, and the triple I'll do at the SE regionals, the TN Senior Olympics are very well spread. 400m Sat morning. 100m Saturday night. 200m Sunday morning. So with that spread out, there may not be the stress or need for recovery.

2) My #1 goal at the Nationals is to be healthy enough to compete. One injury during the TN Senior Olympics could put me out. (Why it's good Southwest airlines has no change fees). The second goal is to make the finals in at least one event. Depending on who shows up, it is unlikely that I could medal. The schedule is like this:

7/28 Thurs. -400m first round

7/29 Fri. - 100m first round followed by the 400m final

And there is the rub.... if I make the finals in the 400, should I risk running the 100m at all? Last year, the time in between was more than 90 min. I think adequate time.

7/30 Sat. - 100m final followed by the 200m first round

7/31 Sun. - 200m final

It's hard to say if I'll be competitive in the 100m or 200m. I have 2 more meets to decide. Last 3 years, these were the slowest qualifying times for the finals M50 (which is not an adequate predictor since new guys are always coming into the age group):

2010:
100m - 12.28
200m - 25.11
400m - 58.88 (an outlier - the rest were under 57.26)

2009:
100m - 13.45
200m - 25.73
400m - 59.86

2008:
100m - 12.58
200m - 25.87
400m - 59.75

The deal with the 400m prelims seems that it's dependent on the quality of the heat. It looks like the top 2 in each heat automatically go to the finals then the next fastest time. So.... every year, there are a few unfortunate runners who get better times in the prelims than some that qualify for the finals because they end up in a fast heat. In other words, if there are 3 fast guys in your heat, doesn't matter how fast you run if you can't beat one of them. Also, these times do not represent 'best performance'... most runners will not give 100% in a prelim.

Personally, I wish they'd just go by times and have just one race and no final.

I don't know why 2009 was such an exceptionally uncompetitive year. There were 3 guys over 13 that qualified for the 100m final!! I could have medaled in the 400m that year. Unless I start logging some much faster times in the 100 and 200, it looks like the 400 is my best shot. But, as these results prove, it depends on who shows up. I recognize that winning a medal in this event is pretty much out of the question, especially in the 100 and 200 where medalists generally run under 11.70 and 24.10.