Last training day

It started 9 months ago on Nov. 1st with a 6:55 mile run.  Still suffering from pubalgia symptoms at the time, I was wearing a hernia support belt and long tights.   A week later, 800s on the track and by Nov 18, my first workout with spikes - 400m repeats - averaging only about 80 sec.

Tonight, my training season ended well... under a full moon on this last day in July at MTSU's Dean Hayes Track.  It was warm and humid, mid-80sº at dusk.  I was sweating hard after warmups.

I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do tonight at first, but I decided I needed more education.  Never enough.

I always train in lane 2 or 3 so I decided to do a race pace 400m in an outside lane just to get the feel of it and the reference points.   I remember how disorienting it was to run at Vandy in lane 8, so I set my blocks to the 400m start in lane 7.  After warmup, I put my new spikes on and did some short striders, a blocks start and then walked the entire 400m in lane 7 going over my race plan.

I was nervous.  What if I ran a disappointing time?  What if I rigged up?  I decided I needed to give it a go.  I set my timer to 27/28 splits (55).  Starting from blocks with a beep command, I hit the first 200 just under 27, call it 26.75.   I attacked at 220 meters, well into the turn and hit the third 100 mark on split at 41 sec.  My last 100 was about 14.5, bringing me home in about 55.5.   That is about as fast as I can run.

600m warmup, stretches, drills 

Puma Evospeed spikes on 

400m - 55.5 (~26.75, 28.75) 

blocks starts on the curve 

200m - 26.5

Note about the training times I post here.   These times are only estimates with about a 0.5 sec margin of error. My beeper works only in whole seconds.  If I'm a step off the beep, it's about 0.50, a half step, 0.25.... just estimates.

The new spikes feel great.   At first I thought they were too tight but after a workout, they formed perfectly to my barefeet.   None of the crowns broke, they're perfect.   I'll save them for races on good tracks.  (Not the Murphy Center!)

Inventory:
At race weight now, really eating light.  138.6 lbs after workout.  Everything feels fine.

Tomorrow will be a day off.  Fly to Chicago, should be at the Hyatt in Lisle tomorrow, probably by around 9:30pm.  The 400m prelims are at 3:00pm Thursday.  It's forecast to be very hot, about 93º at race time.

Last Sewanee workout

Nice cool morning in Sewanee, upper 60sº at 5:05 am.

Didn't want to take any risks today but wanted to do one 300 event run at race pace.  My goal was about 13/13/14 splits = 40 sec. 300m.  I was just a tad over 26 at 200m, call it 26.25, and somewhere around 40.75 at 300m.  More fatigue than I felt last workout when I ran a 27 sec. first 200m.  I estimate I had a 15 sec last 100m in me at that point, so that was about 55.75 pace, same as yesterday.   Ran everything from blocks.

Overall, didn't feel quite as sharp as my last workout.   Maybe the lack of quantity is catching up with me?  Maybe I'll run a 500 tomorow night.  Probably best to taper.

800m warmup, stretches, drills 

Puma spikes on 

300m - 40.5 

3 x 200m - 26.5, 26.5, 26.5

The 200s were about 400m race pace or a little faster.   Took aggressive starts and floated, picking it up in the last 50m.  Still gun shy of doing an all out fresh 200m.   No strains so I should be ok.

I probably shouldn't have been wearing my Pumas so much in training because they are starting to wear.  I'm afraid a few of the spike hole threads might be getting stripped so to be safe, I reluctantly bought another pair for the meet, this time, the new generation which are essentially the same shoe and spike plate ... but actually look a bit better.

The Puma Bolt evo Speed Sprint LTD:

Decision on Nationals: 400/200 double, maybe the 4x400

After much consideration, I've decided to stay for the entire Masters Nationals.  


Despite the significant extra cost ($500+)....  I decided to end the season with a 400m/200m double and possibly a 4x400m relay with the Greater Phily Track Club.  

Unfortunately, the GPTC is a mixed bunch ... age 31 - 52, which means we will have to run in the M30 age group... which sucks, but what the hell.  If I survive two 200m races, I'll be happy to run one more 400m.  Too bad we couldn't get the same team we had at Penn.  We'd likely win M50 gold.  Silly that I have to run against M30 guys, but that may be the only option.

Knowing this is likely my last year of competitiveness in M50, I decided to run the 200m for fun, maybe a PR, even though a medal is highly unlikely.

Better to do it and try instead of wonder what I 'could have done.'  I have the time, the money, and the fitness.  There are a lot worse things I could spend my money on.  I have to look at this like it might be my last chance... you never know.

Haulin' ass

75º and humid at the MTSU Dean Hayes track at daybreak.


Fastest training run ever.  55.5 (27/28.5).  

Still have not reached 'failure threshold' - a first 200m pace that will break my 28.5 second 200m pace.  I feel I'm pretty close and I can estimate it will be around 26.   That is if I can accurately pace a 26.3, I'd be close to breaking 55.  I was tired but not sickened.  I felt much more exhausted after my 56.61 I ran at the TN State meet where I went out too fast.

This is a new type of thinking.  I once thought I had to be under 26 in the first 200m to run a PR.   This proves that is not the case.

600m warmup, stretches, drills 

Puma spikes on 

400m - 55.5 (27/28.5)

2 x 200m - 27, 26 

300m - 43.5

I also worked on my start a bit.  Did my 200s from blocks.  Took some video so as to analyze my start.   The second one was slightly under 26 but not 100%.  I still have not risked running fresh at 100% since my injury but I feel I can.

I am again leaning on staying for the 200m and a relay with the Phily track club.  I need to change my flight while I still can.  Don't want to feel like I couda shoulda later.

Weight is good: 139.8 ... surprising since I've been eating well.  My body fat % remains low.  Knee feels better, all systems go.

Speed work, race modeling

I'm glad to be in Sewanee for this morning's workout.  73º and humid at 5:00am.   Murfreesboro reported 80º at 4:00am, so I'm glad I'm on the mountain.  Heat advisory for part of Middle TN today.

Right now at 8:00 am, it is a gorgeous morning here on Iska's patio in Sewanee.  77º with a light breeze, sun filtering through the shady trees.

I am slightly sore in the haunches and the groin is a bit tight from yesterday's resistance work.   I might also be a bit heavier from last night's fish tacos.

Continuing the progression I started 2 workouts ago, I again decreased my first 200m split another second to 28 and still was able to maintain a 28.5 second 200m - giving me a solid 56.5 400m this morning.   It was tiring, but not sickening.  I really believe it was faster or comparable to my last race of 56.61, but it didn't feel as hard. I felt only slight rigging in the last 50m, but was able to maintain good form throughout.   My splits were about 14/14/14/14.5.

550m warmup, stretches, drills 

Puma spikes on 

400m - 56.5  (28, 28.5) 

3 x 200m - 26.5, 26.5, 26

The 200s were at what I would hope to be about race pace in the 400m.   If I were able to maintain that 28.5 2nd 200, that would put me near PR time.  I really now think I'm starting to understand this race and the mechanisms involved, and my limitations.

Next I'll take the first 200m back another second to 27, and see if I can maintain that 28.5 second 200m.    That would be 55.5, and I've never run that fast in training.

In a race, I need to blast the first 50m like I'm running a 100m, then shift my focus on the last half of the first turn to conserve energy while maintaining pace.  If I do this right, I feel almost no fatigue at 100m, and I'm not even yet breathing at maximum capacity on the backstretch.   Until the 220m mark, this is all a prelude.... the race begins on the final turn.  When I attack at about 220m, my breathing changes radically, becoming deep and faster, and I then shift more toward aerobic energy systems.  At 250m, for the first time since the initial start, I'm pushing at near 100% effort while trying to maintain form and relax.

I've said this many times, but it's a fine fine line.   What I've conserved in the second 100m will come back to me in the last 100m.  It's so easy to panic in a race and not be patient and go out too fast.   I need to get to the point where I can run blind and know exactly what my pace is and be where I should be and not even think about the competition.   People will always go out too fast,  It happens even on the highest levels.

I remember the 2011 Masters Nationals M50 400m final.  T. Williams, who won the bronze, was 15m behind me going into the last turn!   I was at least 1.0 second too fast on the first 200m - about 25.5.  I rigged so badly in the last 100m, it's painful to even watch.  My last 100m was about 18sec.   Never do that again... I hope.

I'm still losing crowns off my Puma's almost every run, even ones that I've epoxied and glued.   It's always the same ones, the outside ones.  Maybe I could get a machine shop to make me a few of these out of aluminum or something.

Next workout, Sat at MTSU.

Fast and early

Starting my last week of training for the season, I have essentially 3 or 4 track workouts left before Nationals.  I am on the track only every other day now.  

I never have set my alarm to get up on training days.  It's automatic, but, I don't always get up at the right time ... usually too early.   This morning I woke up and thought, is it time?   Looked at the clock and thought, "damn ... 2:20am".   I couldn't get back to sleep and got up about 4, had some juice and news, and hit the track about 4:45.   So, I did my workout on 2 hrs sleep.  I'll enjoy an afternoon nap today.

About 75º and very humid at 4:45am on the Dean Hayes track.   There is a heat index advisory for the next 3 days with temperatures in the mid 90sº and dewpoints in the mid 70sº - producing a heat index of 104ishº.  No option but to workout early.  

I like these brief intense workouts.  These 95% event runs are really good for practicing the last 200m of my race.  Like a guitarist or pianist that practices music for each hand independently, that's what I'm doing.  Practicing the last 200m and then the first 200m.  

I took a second off the first 200m of my last workout and intended to run a negative split 400m:  29/28.  I was a bit fast on the first 200 and it came out to be even splits - 28.5/28.5.   My ideal race splits for a PR would be about 26.3/28.5.   So, after my 400m, I practiced 200s at around 26 from blocks.   They felt pretty hard, as would anything after a 57 sec 400.  Actually, my 400m was just a fraction under 57 sec ... but I'm going to call it 57.  I felt the last 200m was pretty strong, 14/14.5 100m splits.  

600m warmup, stretches, drills 

Puma spikes on 

400m - 57 (28.5/28.5) 

3 x 200m - 26, 26.5, 27

Next workout, I'll decrease my first 200 split to 28 and see if I can maintain 28 or 28.5 for the second 200m.  It's a fine line.  Just .50 sec too fast on the first 200m can result in a 1 to 2 second loss of speed on the whole 400m.  I think my splits for my last race were like 25.8 / 30.8.   

Still trying to decide if I want to stay and run the 200m.   I should probably try some fresh 200s at 95% to see how they feel this week.

Weight is good: 139.8 lbs

One last good resistance workout tomorrow.  

Sewanee mid summer sprints

On the Sewanee Coughlin Track at 5:30am, clear skies, 72º with 98% humidity.

A quality workout of long sprints starting with a negative split 400m.  Most 100m splits I ran today were 14 sec.


450m warmup, stretches, drills

saucony spikes on 

400m - 58.5  (30, 28.5) 

3 x 300 - 42.5, 44, 44

I plan to keep workouts fast and every other day til Nationals.  Can't endure big quantity workouts at this point, too much wear on the body.  Best to keep it short and fast.   Today's workout was plenty exhausting.  Emphasis on form and power in the last 100m.

Nice to be on the mountain ... but that means more socializing and I'm a few lbs heavier... probably 142ish.

I like it here.  Zell and I attended a late night brass concert at Sewanee's All Saints Cathedral at 10:30pm last night.

Brass ensemble - Sewanee All Saints Cathedral
late night concert