Last Little Push

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Hmm, I'd like to call this blog tidying up loose ends but the reality is just getting through the last few races and into close season now! Not a lot exciting happening on the running front, everything is about preparing for coming back stronger than ever in 2024.

The season is going to close out as follows -

Sunday 6th - Masters inter area match 800m & 1500m

Monday 14th - Southern Counties Vets League 800m OR 3000m

Saturday 19th - SAL 400m Hurdles

If all goes well I will have a proper crack at a 3000m on the Monday race BUT I'd need to run surprisingly well at the masters. If not, I'll just dial back into some speed work for the remaining 2 races and try and hit a good 800 and then look to get over the hurdles a bit cleaner at SAL.

I've had an amazing year, proper breakthrough from previous years where I have stagnated around 4.30 (1500m) and 17.00 (5k). I never thought I would be frustrated running 16.20 and 16.22

Current rankings for the year -

400m - 54th

400m Hurdles - 10th

800m - 22nd

1500m - 12th

Mile - 8th

3000m - 18th

5000m - 14th

5k - 29th

Parkrun - 67th

Be interesting to see how those stack up by the end of the year. Nice to finally get close to top 10s for AG. Going into V50 group with anything like times I am running and I'll be looking at top 5s. 

So season is on the wind down. I'll keep an eye on things as I'm feeling good right now. The plan is to stay on top of base during some 'down time' from now until October and then back on it. My focus is very much around being much faster over 400m early next year and building up from that speed. I don't want a total break and loose all form, the idea is a mental reset and just get back to some solid base work off pretty much no break. I'll just relax everything, do the odd Parkrun as a session and maybe some 60/60s. 

By October I'll be ready to start at a new group wherever that may be.

Monday - rest (first successive rest days in a while)

Tuesday - early 25 min run around Tunbridge Wells. Hilly as shit and felt like I had never ran before. Shocking nights sleep in Hotel.

Wednesday - am) 3 shakeout. pm) 8 coke club with Rich.

Thursday - Headed over to Eddington. 1km tempo, 6 x 60 on / 60 walk, 1 km tempo. Kms in 3.20 and 3.14. 8.15 warm up, 14.00 cool down.

Felt OK, bit lethargic. Legs need a little TLC.

Friday - out early dropping Sawyer in St Ives. 4 easy on the old DC route @ 7.50/mm ish. Felt easy, just bit of fatigue from recent block. Will drop to Pussy mileage tomorrow lol as double racing Sun.

Saturday - long easy 11.5 with Dam & Gem. 7.20 avge felt really easy. Back ached like a bastard in the evening tho and struggled with aches and pains.

Sunday - England Masters Inter Area. Running for Eastern Masters (EVAC), my first representative match for many many years! Was in the V35-50 category which is an insange gulf between ages. At 48 I was in the upper areas of that !!

First up 1500m. Not expecting much as I am pretty dialled out right now. Through 400m in 70 in 5th place. Moved up at 800m in 2.21 - 2.22 and then a slow lap put me through the bell in 3.16 and 1200m in 3.35. Closed out a couple of extra spots to take 3rd in 4.28.83 which I was happy with all things considered.

About 2 1/2 hours to the 800m I felt pretty confident but as soon as I started I was way under gunned and off the back in 7th at 200m and couldn't progress. 66 first lap felt tough and 71 for the last lap was all I could muster for a 2.17.35

Actually a solid days work for where I am right now.

I know mentally I am on my charger, I've dialled everything right back but the plan is to keep showing up and doing stuff. If I mentally take the pressure off but stay on top of the training side then once I click again it'll be full steam ahead.

Clearly now I'm just getting between races. This week I'll rest up (I am shattered after a solid block) and the key will be to start incorporating my speed work that will stay through winter. Outright speed one day per week to develop my top end. I need to capable of sub 13 for 100m which is a huge, monster ask BUT off that sort of speed I will crush 400 and 800 and that'll open the door to going quick over 1500m.

I will go back to doing 400s this week at 3k pace as that's what I have missed. I'll do 3000m at the vets league as I'll have a solid chance of winning and keeping my streak going. Small chance of a pb if I feel good.

Then it's 400m hurdles at the end of this year. I'll be some season of racing - around 17 outdoor races and 4 indoors. Possibly my biggest haul ever. I actually want to get to 52 races this year on po10. I am at 36 in 31 weeks.

Monday - rest 

Tuesday - speed work. Winter training part 1. Mile warm up. 100m TT. 3 x 30m standing, 3 x 40m flying, 3 x 30m flying, 100m TT, 2 x 120m strides. 800m CD

Started with the 100m and watch didn't stop but was around 15 secs. Calfs very tight on the session, everything was at 100% effort apart from the 120m strides.

Final 100m TT off walking start at 13.84 which I am over the moon with. 1 second to go this winter !! I reckon I can get there, this was surpisingly tough. Hamstrings really need strength work focus. Glutes tight but don't think they are the issue, same with calfs. 

Off the back of doing this I can see the value in regular hill work over winter.

S&C needs to be focussed on staying on top of calfs and glutes. 

Pure strength work needs to be focussed on hamstrings and plyos with sprinkling of calfs.

This is the new normal. Once per week focus on this session all the way up to start of indoors to test 400m pace. I think this exact session is ideal, don't think I need to add volume just need to feel fast. Push off is where issues may arise with injuries and that's where strength comes in from plyos.

Wednesday - analysis of aches and strains. Yesterday pushed me, exactly what I need. I broke down in muscles that are not used to sprinting so those are my weaknesses. If I can work those I'll be faster.

Right now the sacrifice is the last couple of races. I'm fit but I can break through on the one thing that's holing me back the most - flat out speed.

Upper arms. Shoulders ache a lot. That upper back and shoulders. Easy win, pump your arms and your legs will follow. 

Hamstrings. Those were sore and tight. This will be main focus on pure strength work. I'll hammer these over the next few weeks and they'll be shit before they are good.

Calfs. They are very tight from the pushing off. Thes are simple as I just need to keep up my normal prehab routine and add in strength and plyos.

That is it. That needs to be the focus of my S&C to keep developing. Move that pure speed up a couple of gears and the track speed will follow. Today I'll do strength and plyos early doors and coke club tonight. It's going to be sore for a bit but if I do strength for a couple of weeks it'll start to be easier. Just need to get over the DOMS.

Strength ...

3 x 1 min of 5 sec calf standing with 10kg weight

3 x 10 each side squat jump with twist 

3 x 8 rdls 10kg

3 x 10 press ups

3 x 10 upper back raises

Standard set. work pretty much all major muscle groups. Need to repeat regularly now.

Coke Club in the evening with Dan. Felt ropey at first. Not 100% I don't have Covid or something as really tired in the afternoon. Once we started rolling though the legs eased up a bit and started to feel OK.

Bit creaky but 8 @ 7.25/mm and last few low 7s feeling relaxed.

In good shape, just need to stay together and develop slowly. Right now I'm being pulled apart a bit with ideas and plans but the main thing is just to focus on now.

Have to recover for Monday's race, get through that and then move onwards. Slowly add that speed & strength into the mix. I have a way to go but it's not out of the question.

Hmm, blog is tailling off. I';m boring myself a bit here. Starting to return to Strava as it's off season.

Motivation pretty low right now. Amble on and just get stuff done. It'll return - it always does. Hopefully I'll be ready when it happens !!

For now, sign off of here and catch me on Strava. I'll keep up the 400 focus and blog when that's happening.