[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on June 18, 2004 at 2:29 am #9425

So I've taken a couple of weeks "off" from hard-core running and I'm ready to get going again. I'm just really pumped about this coming season. The school's 400 m record is going down. All I need is some serious speed work. Last season my 200m splits were identical…sometimes the second 200 was even marginally faster. Last night I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about how fast each 200 needs to be to run a 58.0 400. The first is going to need to be somewhere between 27 and 28, and the second between 30 and 31. My 200 PR is 28.8. I ran that race over two years ago, freshman year, and haven't run it since so I doubt if that time is a good guideline. My freshman and sophomore year our team was weaker in the short sprints, so that is what I trained. At that time we had 4 girls going 60.0 or a little faster in the 400, and three girls running about 2:20 in the 800. This year, though, we had NO ONE who ran middle distance. So I took one for the team and started training mostly for the 400. It was slow going, as I started out running about a 67 or 68. Toward the end of the season my times started to fall, until at regionals I ran a 31.5+31.5 leg in the mile relay. Now the 400 is my favorite race, because it's a very mental one and I can manipulate it to my will since I'm such an analytical person. I'm confident I can shave off five more seconds in the next eleven months through maintaining my endurance but increasing my speed. This will also help my long-jumping. Freshman and sophomore year I was running mostly the 100, so my speed was a lot better than it is now, but my form was so bad, I PR'd by over a foot this year even though I'm running so much slower. I've seen myself on tape and I seem to just jog up to the board, then compensate by getting a good pop-off, driving my arms, and getting my legs way out in front of me.
Anywho, my emphasis is going to be on speed training, since that's where I'm weak. One thing you'll very quickly notice is that I don't just go out and run a lot. This is for two reasons: 1) I live in Indiana, where in summer it's hotter than Hades and as humid as the Amazon Rain Forest, not to mention the fact we've had tornados and strong thunderstorms for two weeks straight, so often outdoors activity is limited 2) The school track is padlocked during the summer and I'm much mistaken if there aren't at least three armed guards keeping all non-football players away. I tend to have shin problems so running on concrete sidewalks would be a death sentence, and every grassy area around here is under two feet of water at the moment.

Having said that, rain does not deter me. In fact, just yesterday I played Ultimate Frisbee for an hour and half in torrential rains. Besides Frisbee, I also like to substitute dancing or aerobics of some kind for a distance run, and I enjoy Pilates and weight-lifting and plyometrics, which can be done in the air-conditioning. Hallelujah. One option I have entertained is driving to the track either at IU or IUPUI, but with gas prices so high and me paying for my own gas…it's not likely to happen. As soon as it stops raining here, I plan to do some 60 yard sprints through the quagmire that is my backyard. Until later. :saint:

[Derrick Brito]

Derrick Brito on June 18, 2004 at 3:19 am #29484

well if youre working on speed, youre gonna have to run, so are you going to just be running in your back yard or finding a track too? if youre running is limited i suggest a lot of weights because those tend to help over shorter distances. also do you have a periodized plan or just running? i think you should do shorter sprints. start with accel dev like everyone else:wink:. also, how big is your backyard? you can do 60s in it? you seem excited about running the 400, and its rubbing off on me :wink:. good luck.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on June 18, 2004 at 9:27 pm #29485

The weather cleared up yesterday around 6:30 so I got outside to run for a bit. I warm up with 800m at a fast jogging pace, followed by form drills and stretching. For form drills I usually do high knees, butt kicks, and A, B, and C skips and then pick three or four more at random. For stretching, I don't do anything special, just hurdler stretches, butterflies, calf stretches, hip flexor stretches, and arm circles.
The workout I did yesterday was kind of random. I started out intending to do 60s with full recoveries in between, but I got a little too anxious and ended up doing 2x(60-60-100) with about three minutes rest between reps and a full recovery between sets. While I was running I focused on pushing to go faster with my arms but at the same time I tried to stay relaxed and look straight ahead. I felt pretty fast, maybe because I was racing my elderly neighbor walking her dogs instead of other high school athletes. 😉 After my workouts I usually do a cool down similar to my warm up, except I add toe taps to strengthen my shins and a quick ab workout (50 front crunches, 30 side crunches each way, 50 more front crunches).
In answer to your questions, I am going to see about hopping a few fences and running at another local high school that I don't attend (it's actually closer than my school and–added bonus–there's no barbed wire). There are actually a lot of tracks around here, I'll just have to experiment and find one where I won't get a citation for trespassing.
My backyard is about 60m across and 30m deep, but I have nice neighbors so I normally run from the edge of my neighbor's yard, try to reach full speed by the time I get to their swingset, sprint for 60m, and then slow down before I run into the fence between my yard and the neighbor's on the other side.
Thanks for the good wishes, same to you.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on June 19, 2004 at 11:41 pm #29486

Yesterday I was feeling uncreative so I went for a 45-minute distance run around my neighborhood. Yes, it is an actual neighborhood. When they find out I live in Indiana, people always ask me if I live on a farm…
Today it's just plain gorgeous outside so I already went out and did ten flying 30s with nice long recoveries. I prefer flying sprints because I have this awful problem with acceleration…yup, I'll be doing some uphill sprints to remedy that later on…
I'm leaving for New York tomorrow morning and I'll try to update while I'm there, but if I can't please accept my profuse apologies. I should be back late Friday night, so, hey, it's only a week! I promise I'll get at least three good workouts in while I'm gone. I still have the Spring Break workouts my coach made up that are hotel room-friendly.
Until then,
Erika

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on June 26, 2004 at 5:34 am #29487

Well, I basically did nothing running-related while I was on "vacation." I was way too busy. And TIRED. I did, however, end up walking about 5 miles a day, which should count for something, and there was an impromptu sprint through the airport to catch a connection, but basically I feel like a failure. Tomorrow I will sleep in to recover from not sleeping, then I'll resume training on Sunday.
Later,
Erika

[jumpscoachmike]

jumpscoachmike on June 26, 2004 at 6:39 am #29488

Don't be too hard on yourself erika….it's tough for almost anyone to perform intense workouts on a week-long vacation!

I might have missed this, but do you compete during the summer at all? Any clubs nearby that you have the chance to hook up with?

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on June 30, 2004 at 12:46 am #29489

Apparently there are informal track meets on Tuesday nights at the IUPUI track…as far as clubs, I don't know of any, and you'd think our coach would tell us if there were some since he gave us an inch-thick packet on clinics at ISU, Notre Dame, etc.

Tomorrow will be a good cardio workout: Ultimate Frisbee. Our high school just started a league this year with surprising turnout, about 80 athletes plus 4 coaches (basically the whole cross country team signed up along with a lot of track runners). In offical Ultimate Frisbee, you play until one team has 15 points, which can easily take an hour and a half in a closely contested game. Plus, you have to keep the same number of each gender on each team and you can only sub in after every third point or so, so you easily end up sprinting back and forth for 20 minutes, resting for four or five, and then running for 20 more.
Yours optimistically,
Erika

[jumpscoachmike]

jumpscoachmike on June 30, 2004 at 6:54 am #29490

As a huge fan of ultimate, I would agree that you'll get a great workout in. 😎

Have fun and kick some ace.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 1, 2004 at 10:59 am #29491

Thanks, I tried (throwing is not my strong suit, but I can guard and catch).
So now it's time to get cracking. I don't really know where to start. I know I need to get faster–but how exactly? If I do short sprints at top speed with long recoveries, will I just gradually get faster? Is it ok to do flying sprints or should the ability to "get going" (e.g. starts) be addressed this early?
Sorry about the barage of questions, I just really started thinking about it.
Erika

[jumpscoachmike]

jumpscoachmike on July 1, 2004 at 11:37 am #29492

Begin acceleration work at 10 and 20m. You can address maxV work now as well, and flying sprints (flying 20s i'd suggest) would be a good idea.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 4, 2004 at 1:19 am #29493

Thanks a lot. Basically I have all the pieces of an effective training program spread liberally around my bedroom, but I just don't know how to fit it all together. The whole periodization thing is still a source of endless confusion, and it takes me a while to remember what things like MaxV, SE, VO2, etc entail. But it's still really early…once I get my summer reading project for Advanced Placement English 12 done I'll have more time to sit down and put the pieces together. I didn't do anything Thursday or Friday because my best friend was in town for a few days. I doubt if I'll do anything today either. No reason. I just don't feel like it. I'm rather disgusted with myself right now.
Erika

[400stud]

400stud on July 4, 2004 at 3:23 am #29494

Hey Mike,

I agree to start off with acceleration development right now, but I do not recommend flying sprints this early if she's gearing up for next year. The reason being, you need proper acceleration qualities in place before you can truly run at your MaxV and/or develop an even higher level of MaxV. I say stick with 10's and 20's for now, moving out to 20's and 30's in the fall and throw in either stairs or hills one day a week as well (also considered acceleration development). The hills will help you with power output and knee drive (essential to sprinting) and the stairs will increase turnover and coordination. Don't forget tempo work as well.

Ex:
Monday – Acc. Dev. (10's and 20's)
Tuesday – Tempo (about 1000-1200m)
Wednesday – Off or Active Recovery (another game of frisbee?)
Thursday – Hills OR Stairs (you should switch by mesocycle)
Friday – Tempo
Saturday – Off or Active Recovery
Sunday – Off

Just my suggestions. 😀 Good luck, the record is yours!

[400stud]

400stud on July 4, 2004 at 3:27 am #29495

Erika –

No need to be disgusted with yourself at all. It's summer. Normally I'd tell people to take summer off to relax and lift weights (NO running), but I now realize you can't make EVERYONE think the same way you do :P. So, instead I recommend that if you're going to keep running over the summer to just keep it low volume, moderate intensity (no short speed, MaxV, or SE work of any kind) for awhile and then come September/October you can really start turning it on and getting ready to run. By then you'll have months of base training in and you'll be in great shape to start really seeing some nice gains in speed. I'm sure you're doing an indoor season (correct me if I'm wrong), so I'd say work on 200m speed during indoors to try to get your pr down, and then outdoors, if your speed is still not in place, continue working the 200m speed, but make sure one day a week you do some endurance maintenance work (SE2) to ensure you can still run the 400m (try running a 400m while strictly training for the 200m….not pretty). I think that with 28.8 speed, you can get down to at least 26 this year and if you do that, then 58 is more than in your range.

Sorry for the rambling :no: Good luck!

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 6, 2004 at 1:05 am #29496

Thanks 400; I wish I could run indoor but I don't know of anything going on around here…I'll ask my coach at Ultimate on Wednesday and hopefully we can come up with something.

Today I mowed the lawn. I consider it to be an aerobic activity because of the size and terrain of the yard. I also plan to take a swim tonight–20 laps or so would be my guess.
Erika

[400stud]

400stud on July 6, 2004 at 2:33 am #29497

Well if you're not doing an indoor season then I'd extend all your phases to accomodate (basically just your base training) and then start in December working towards outdoors.

[jumpscoachmike]

jumpscoachmike on July 6, 2004 at 9:33 am #29498

True dat Eric….true dat. 😎

[400stud]

400stud on July 6, 2004 at 11:15 am #29499

O fa sho, ya'mean? 😆

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 10, 2004 at 5:45 am #29500

I asked my coach about indoor track and he said, though not in so many words, that I'm SOL. But he offered to work with me on the school track once school starts, along with one of the 300 hurdlers. Hooray, motivation!

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 13, 2004 at 10:40 am #29501

Haven't been doing much training the past few days. Mostly I've just been watching the Olympic trials and feeling inferior. I mean, 5K runners run all of their laps around the time I'm shooting for. In the most optimistic light, that would mean that if a lot of people can hold that pace for three miles, doing it for one lap musn't really be that hard. Haha, yeah right. 😛
Erika

[400stud]

400stud on July 13, 2004 at 7:55 pm #29502

Use them to motivate, not to bring you down.

And besides, I'm worse than you….all the 400m girls are running their qualifying and prelim 400m times faster than my pr. As well as in the 200m as well.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 16, 2004 at 12:12 am #29503

Ultimate last night. Unfortunately I didn't eat dinner before I went because I wasn't hungry at the time, but an hour and a half later during the last third of the game I was NOT feeling well. Nonetheless, I had a good game if I do say so myself, and my team won. Playoffs start in two weeks.
Today my hip flexor is really sore. I don't know what I did. I prescribe a day off for myself, and some low-impact Pilates tomorrow. And maybe some ice…cream. 😆 I've somhow lost about 6 pounds since the end of the season. Hopefully fat, not muscle, though I don't really see how that's the case.
Turn that frown upside down,
Erika

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 18, 2004 at 6:34 pm #29504

Well, I'm off to visit Emory in Atlanta; while I'm thinking about it, does anyone have any thoughts about collegiate track?

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 23, 2004 at 11:52 pm #29505

My hip flexor was hurting a lot again after Frisbee the other night. I hope it's not turning into a chronic thing. 🙁
In other news, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go to Emory University. Hooray for Division III schools, no pressure to keep a scholarship that way, it's all "for the love of the game"…

[rice773]

rice773 on July 24, 2004 at 5:45 am #29506

I'm going to be running for Emory in the fall, you can drop me a line when you get there if you want.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 25, 2004 at 5:54 am #29507

Awesome, thanks a lot.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on July 25, 2004 at 9:56 pm #29508

Hmm…thought-provoking article about sports-related injuries…note the part about how the hip is one of the most frequently overused areas. Click here

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 1, 2004 at 7:01 am #29509

Back from running up and down Cardiac Hill in Missouri (not kidding, by the way). Now I'm positively itching to run an actual race…just to see…

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 3, 2004 at 9:42 pm #29510

Ultimate Frisbee Championship tomorrow. School starts in less than two weeks. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to fit everything in once school does start. It's hard to be an overachiever. I mean, I don't have time after school every day to workout. I have club meetings every day except Friday, and I'm taking 6 Honors/AP classes this year (and one "Advanced"). I'll probably end up either getting up at 4:30 so I can workout, shower, and leave by 6:45 for school, or maybe I'll run at like 8 at night after I finish my homework. But what if I want to do something with my friends or finish my darn college/scholarship applications? I really wish I'd had room in my schedule to take Advanced P.E., then I'd be able to work out during school hours every other day…

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 6, 2004 at 8:39 am #29511

Won the Frisbee championship, but I am sooooo sore today. I shouldn't be. I'm about to go see a doctor about this hip flexor problem. I mean, the day after I do any type of workout I can barely walk. That can't be good. :smug:
In other news, one of my friends from the track team is going to walk on at the University of Dayton. I visited that campus with her…I don't really know why, they don't even have my major…but it was a nice campus nonetheless…I have to say, though, that their track team isn't a selling point. :saint:
One more thing: recently I've noticed that the urge to go for a nice hard run often strikes me when I'm in the middle of an important task I can't escape, like going to church or sleeping. Seriously, I'll wake up in the middle of the night so energized that I just want to leap out of bed and run around the neighborhood for a few hours. I'll shrug it off and go back to sleep, but then the next morning I don't feel like running. Frustrating.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 12, 2004 at 11:07 pm #29512

Well, I don’t know what I did, but my hip is miraculously healed. Three days ago I couldn’t even do half a Pilates workout. Today I went through the workout twice. I hope to start running again tomorrow when I get back from helping my sister move into her house in Muncie. Even if I don’t get a run in that day, I sure will Saturday. I got a job running carts at the local golf course. Talk about a workout.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 21, 2004 at 7:00 am #29513

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. School started this week and it’s just been crazy. Darn me for 6 honors/ap classes. Yuck. Plus I’ve been working at the golf course to round out my college applications. Double yuck. Anyway, thanks for bearing with me while I try to figure out how to fit everything into my schedule…I really hope I don’t have to get up at 4 in the morning to run before school…

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 28, 2004 at 7:52 am #29514

Ok, quick question: what are some good workouts I can fit in 25 or 30 min? Thanks,
Erika

[Derrick Brito]

Derrick Brito on August 28, 2004 at 8:46 am #29515

you can squash a lot of workouts into 25 or 30 min, but you have to tone down warmups, weights, plyos etc.

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on August 31, 2004 at 3:17 am #29516

Thanks…about how much can you tone down warm-ups without risking injury?

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on September 4, 2004 at 4:02 am #29517

Wow, I’m definitely going to have a tough year academically. And, as my parents preach, school comes first. Gak. What was I thinking when I signed up for 5 AP classes and two honors ones? Regardless, I’ve managed to come up with a workable schedule…no free time, but such is the life of overachievers.
🙂
So I’ll start running tomorrow, with some interval work at the middle school track. maybe 150s and 100s?
Later,
Erika

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on September 8, 2004 at 8:21 am #29518

I have come down with the plague. Nothing like a nice bout with the flu to get rid of pesky muscle mass. :no:

[lookadiversion]

lookadiversion on September 18, 2004 at 8:53 am #29519

I have a new favorite workout: team handball. Why hasn’t it caught on in the states? It’s an unbelievably tough workout. So now I’m playing twice a week. Time to start getting back into shape, LOL (I’m at 138 and I usually weigh 134 during the season).