It’s hard to believe another winter has gone by. My cross country season was cut short by injury in July, and by the time I was back running in late August, it was over. This past few months have been spent trying to get myself back up to top form, in both speed and fitness, so I can be competitive in the months ahead. With major meets dotted throughout a 6 month period, this is going to be a more difficult year than most to be in top for these competitions. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve also started pre-season training with the fire brigade competition team, to prepare for another season of competition.
In the last month, I have been able to train at full intensity for the most part, though in a pre-season meet 2 weeks ago, I only managed 14.04 for the 100 metres, admittedly with a strong headwind. 4 days later, I mildly tweaked my left hamstring while attempting starts on the bend, probably the riskiest activity since injuring my heel. However, it was a very minor issue, and within a couple of days, ther seemed to be no sign of it. Still, with some major competitions in a few weeks, I decided to err on the side of caution for yesterday’s first round and choose an unusual (for me) combination of throws and the 800 metres.
First up was the hammer throw. I’ve never even attempted this event before, so it was a pure learning experience. With some tips from fellow club members, I managed a whole 9.96 metres. Not the longest hammer throw ever performed, but it was at least legal. :)
I chose the 800 metres for two reasons. Firstly, the power requirements are far below anything likely to cause injury. In fact, I have raced 800m at full race pace in the past mere days after previous hamstring injuries. Secondly, the 800m is a good test of fitness, which would have taken a hit in July-August. The first half of the race went to plan with a 1:16 first lap, which was right on my target pace. By this time, I had caught up with another runner who had surged ahead early. I felt I could have passed him, but decided on the tactical option of sitting just behind him, knowing that in the event of a sprint finish, I would have the upper hand. Had I gone earlier, there was a risk he might surge too far ahead. Anyway, I stayed behind him until the start of the home straight, where I made my move with a rapid change of pace. Finished the race in 2:39.66, which I was happy with, given my general fitness and tactical decisions.
My final event was the discus. Early in the winter, I was throwing over 20 metres at training, but I had to also put my throws on hold after the injury. Had 3 good throws, the best of which was 18.57 metres, which is a new PB, and well short of my known capabilities. I’m hoping for a good season of discus this year.
While the track was finished, it turned out the sporting day wasn’t over. In the evening, the fire brigade held its annual presentation dinner. At the dinner, I was presented with the “Runner of the Year” award for the fire brigade running team, which was a high honour. This was the icing on the cake which capped off a good day overall.
Hopefully next week, I’ll be back among the sprints.
- Tony via Tumblr https://ift.tt/2pFOb5x
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