bike climbs, 6x100 hill sprints

Same workout as Tues, except I chose a different and longer hill.   One hill was about 325m, the other about 400m.   I did each 5x, 10 hills, sprinting on the bike with my butt off the seat.  

After a rest, did 6x100m hill sprints on the street.

Hoka Rincons on

Bike climbs - 5x400m and 325m

Stretches

6 x 100m hill sprints - 14.44 - 15.78

The first hill, I ran as a warmup in 19 sec, then sprinted the next 5.

Rain tomorrow and definitely no running.  I've run 6 of the last 7 days.

139.3 lbs after workout.  

Pre Nationals training plan:

After no running tomorrow, the next 12 days I'm going to try and replicate the training I did last year before I peaked with those 2 consecutive time trial days last year where I ran 57.7, 56.8.  I did notice that during that time I did two of the dreaded 'split 700s' and two hard tempo sets: 4x3 and 4x2.  That would be a tall order to cram into the next 10 days, but I may give it a shot.  I also ran an 800m on a recovery day and had 2 relatively light days and some weight pulls.  Have a 'plan A' if I race at Emory Sat, and a 'plan B' if I don't.  Built into the schedule are some consecutive workout days but also 2 consecutive off days next week, Wed-Thurs, and a couple low volume days, and a day off for travel.  It's a ball buster of a regime, we'll see how it goes.   So it starts on Sunday with a 'split 700.'

Although I didn't register for the meet, they gave me lane tomorrow at Clark's meet!   LOL...  I'm NOT going to race.  If I didn't workout so hard today, I'd be tempted and if the weather were better.  I have to decide if I'm racing at Emory on 3/16 by Wed. morning.  Depends much on the weather.  

Also, I was mistaken in a previous comment.  Roland G. is still in the M55 age group so the M60 WL is still 58.40, but that will likely change after European Championships.  It's a bigger meet than US Nationals.  I think mid 58 and maybe a WL is in my wheel house with my A game.  

The 4x400m M60 WR attempt isn't completely off but at this time, dubious.  Jerry asked me to join him and Oscar for an attempt but with those guys, very doubtful.  After pressing me on it, I just told him that 1) we'll see if it's possible based on times run in the 400m final; and 2) if we want to take a shot at it, we'll choose the 4 fastest guys and go with it.  Vadim is in for a 4x800 WR attempt and if he does it, he may not even race the 400m, and he is one of the only guys I think can break 60.   Without him, the 4x4 WR attempt isn't happening.   Otherwise, I'll just run with my team.  Frankly, club relays and medals are fairly meaningless to me at Nationals compared to a possible WR, but Penn is a different story.  Want my team to win at Penn.    

400m time trial, 2x200m tempo, 2x100m

Perfect day for weather at the Marist track.  70º, light winds, partly cloudy.  I brought the spikes today.  

Not too bad of a 400m, but a bit slower than 2 that I ran before Poland.   57.91

My splits: 13.34, 14.07, 14.40, 16.10 / 27.41, 30.50 / 41.81, 16.10

I tried to be conservative, maybe not conservative enough?  Hard to say.  My best time trial last yr. I went out very fast, and finished even slower, but broke 57.   

I'll do a comparison below.  I'm light now but I was ultra light then.  like 137.  

Hoka trainers on

Stretches, drills, bands, 100m

Hoka Rocket X2s on 

100m - 13.25

Adidas Prime SP2 spikes on

400m - 57.91 (13.34, 14.07, 14.40, 16.10 / 27.41, 30.50 / 41.81, 16.10)

Hoka Rocket X2s on 

2 x 200m w/ 1 min rest - 29.42, 29.82

100m - 13.26

Felt ok, I think the 300m split was decent.  Almost the same as Nationals outdoor last yr.  Interesting to compare these splits:

Nationals last yr: 57.59 vs today 57.91 vs time trials last year in March:  

57.59   ~  14.1, 14, 13.7, 15.8 / 28.1, 29.5 / 41.8, 15.8  

57.91   -  13.34, 14.07, 14.40, 16.10 / 27.41, 30.50 / 41.81, 16.10

56.81   -  12.78, 13.35, 14.37, 16.31 / 26.13, 30.68 / 40.50, 16.31

57.72   -  13.66, 14.15, 14.15, 15.76 / 27.81, 29.91 / 41.96, 15.76

Quite a variety of approaches.  The fastest was front loaded - 4.55 differential between 200s.  Second fastest - 1.4 sec differential.  The two slowest first 200s (28.1, 27.81) yielded the fastest second 200s (29.5, 29.91).  The gamble of a very fast first 200m (26.13) yielded the fastest time despite the slowest second 200m (30.68).   Running a 40.5 300m split is probably risky.  The task is to get to 300m as fast as possible with the least effort.  

Finished with a brief conditioning set and an uptempo 100m stride.

Light but could be lighter,  138.6 lbs after workout.  

300, 200, 100

Didn't want to do much today because I'll be going back out tomorrow.  Rained until early afternoon, so track was wet, cool, falling into the upper 50ºs by sunset.  

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 2x100m

100m - 13.71

300m - 42.36

200m - 27.09

The 300m was intended to be close to 400m race pace and it was, adjusting for trainers on a wet track.  I didn't rest fully before the 200m and it was real tiring.  

Ate light today and was 139.5 lbs before the workout. 

Weather is good for tomorrow.   70º and light winds.  May run a 400m TT.   Friday, rain in the late afternoon through Sat.  So, I will probably bike and maybe hill sprints on Friday before the rain.  Sun will be much cooler and windy, mid 50ºs so maybe a tempo workout then.   The coming week in Sewanee looks great.  Sunny, 60-66º M-W.  

Meet on 3/16 is questionable due to rain, and the fact Roya may be gone for the weekend.  Not sure I want to drive 2.5 hrs for a meet 6 days before Nationals.  

Wow, my Indoor Nationals 400m race is just 2 weeks from Friday.  

indoor circuit

Doing this indoor circuit, need a break from running.  But, it's supposed to be nice Wed and Thurs, so I'll be back to the track tomorrow.  Maybe a time trial Thurs.  

Got accepted to race Sat but not going to.   Supposed to be wet and windy.

My indoor circuit I did 3x:

20 x Ab wheel

50x bicycle crunches with 2x10lb ankle weights

30 x pushups

3x15 hip flexors with bands

Was a little heavier today, at 141, so need to watch it.   

bike climbs, hill sprints

Dry and upper 60ºs in ATL today.  Took advantage of the very hilly neighborhood here and did a series of hill sprints on both the bike and on foot.   

First set was bike.  5 x 1.7 mile circuit with 3 hill climbs, longest one only a quarter mile.  Stayed off the seat the whole way with good effort.  8.5 total.

Second were 6 x 100m sprints, also good effort.  Did these between 14.3 and 15.5.\

Stretches

8.5 miles on the bike, 5 circuits each w/ 3 sprint climbs

6 x 100m hill sprints - 14.3 - 15.5

Weight still hanging about 139-140.

I'm dubious about racing on Sat. because I haven't heard from the meet director from the DA website.  Weather does not look good.  Rain in the morning, 90% til 9am, decreasing to 60% by noon.   Might not  race til Nationals.

But, last year, I did race the weekend before Nationals.   My last meet before Nationals in '23, I ran a poor 59.35, just 6 days before the semi-final race, where I ran 59.1   Next day I ran a season's best 57.59.  So, if I'm hell bent on getting a race in the weekend before, I could race at Emory for another college meet on Sat the 16th.   Nationals race is 6 days later on Friday.  We'll see how the weather looks.  

Tomorrow looks like rain most of the day.  So, will do core work, upper body, hip flexors.  Wed and Thurs look good so I'll go to Marist just before sunset.  Might do a time trial on one of those days, need work on my pace.  

4x300m tempo pr, 200m

Training today at the Marist track, conditions were good, but a little warmer than I was use to.  72º, humid, mostly cloudy, calm winds.   Nice to train on Mondo. 

I wasn't sure if doing a hard tempo set day after a race was advisable, but since I took Thurs and Fri off, I reasoned it would be ok.  So, as penance for my poor race yesterday, I did the 4x300m w/ 3min rest.  And... it was the fastest set I've done since the '21 season when I was doing 4x3w/2.5 min.   

Hoka trainers on

stretches, drills, 100m, bands, 2 x 50m

Hoka Rocket X2 on

4 x 300m w/ 3 min rest -  48.01, 47.96, 49.69, 50.69  (49.08 avg)

200m -  27.59

My best set of 4x3w/3 from last year was in July before Nationals at 49.30.  My best before Poland Worlds was 49.79.   In '21, I did 4x300m w/ 2:30 rest in 48.57, and 48.1.   

The last 200m was actually race pace but meant as a strider.

139.4 lbs after workout.

Berry College meet report

Saturday, ran my first outdoor meet at Berry College, my 63rd college meet after age 50.  It was a bust, I went out with the kids and rigged in the end losing a lot of time, 59.75.  My pace awareness isn't there.  With the slow guy in front of me scratching in lane 7, I was running alone in 6 until guys on my inside started to pass down the back stretch and I tried to stay with them, which I did til 250ish.  They were faster than I thought, the winner in the heat ran 54.  I was quite a ways back.  

Anyway, 59.75 - my worst time this season (excluding Sewanee's indoor 160m track)  is still faster this season than anyone else in the US M60 400m.   

So, on break and in Atlanta, I'm going to double down on my training and really kick ass.  

The weird race this coming weekend from that weird meet director who limited 'open' to age 35 was canceled.  Just disappeared from the Coacho calendar like I expected it would.  So, I may request to race in another college meet this weekend at Clark U, a historically black college here in ATL.  Weather doesn't look great though, rain in the morning, 50% during the day.