Success on the track!

Today was the "Spring Special" athletics meet, which finished just under an hour ago.  This is the first real opportunity to test how my training is progressing.  I started intense training around 6 weeks ago with the local athletics club, but the effects of training are already clearly evident.

Today, I entered 3 events, namely the 3 sprints - 100m, 200m and 400m.  My previous PBs for these events were:

100m - 14.68 seconds, set July 12
200m - 31.62 seconds, set July 12
400m - 74.55 seconds, set August 6

The July times were before I commenced training, and the August time was within the first week or two of starting, so they are baseline figures.

Today, I ran 13.87 in the 100m.  This is a 0.81 second improvement, due mainly to improved technique from training.  However, there is a lot more room for improvement, as I push my neurological limits further.  I have very high power available, from the fire competitions, but still have to convert more that to speed.  My starts, where the power shows, are as good as anyone else.  Today's gain represents approximately half of my goal to achieve by March (in the order of 1.5 seconds over 100m).

In the 200m, I ran 29.15, which beat my previous mark by 2.47 seconds.  Here, a small part of the improvement was technique, with the bulk being improved sprint endurance and better race strategy.

400 metres was the big improvement.  I used to always struggle with this distance in my school years.  I ran 68.09 seconds, which is a massive improvement of 6.46 seconds.  Here, the bulk of that improvement comes from a combination of improved sprint endurance, as well as applying pace management techniques I've used for years in longer distances (1km to marathon) to the shorter race.

Overall, I'm really happy with my gains, and there's more to come.

- Tony