Sunday saw a return to the fire brigade track for the first of 3 competitions in a row. Since the end of January, I've focused my training purely on the fire brigade events. This has reduced my training load considerably for the rest of the season.
On Sunday, my day started with the first event, the hydrant race, which I normally don't run. However, I ran a reasonable time in the 14.30s range. Next event was the ladder race. My heat time was 8.06, equal to my post comeback electronically timed PB. In the final, I easily beat this with a 7.88 run and narrowly missed out on a place.
The day ended up being one of my busiest ever, with a total of 13 runs in 10 events, 3 of which were filling in for the A side, as they were short one person, and I'm one our fastest and most experienced. Highlights of the day were second in the hose and reel 8s, despite a few hiccups elsewhere in the run, as well as running our first 6 for the season. And in the final event, the Y8, I ran twice - once with the A team and again with ours. The A side won the Y8, and we finished 5th, which effectively meant I was represented in two placings! :)
The other thing to come out of the day was that despite a very heavy workload, I was still performing at my best and without any niggles at the end of the day. The extra training with the athletics club over the past 6 months has not only given me more speed, but also better capacity to handle a heavy workload.
Monday, February 08, 2016
Friday, January 29, 2016
Last athletics meet for a while.
On Thursday evening, I competed in my last athletics meet for around 7 weeks. This long break was always planned and is due to the bulk of the fire brigade competition season falling within this time.
I entered my usual events for this program, namely the 200m, 60m and triple jump. First up was the 200m. With a successful country championships behind me and a fairly well rested week, I was confident in my fitness. I went all out from the start, into a stiff headwind for the first 70-80 metres, before getting only slight assistance from a near cross wind in the main straight. Although wind conditions were nowhere near as good as last week, I ran a PB of 27.19 (down from 27.47).
Next event was the triple jump. This time, I couldn't get my step right, and only managed a best jump of 7.95m, well short of Saturday's 8.27m. Immediately after the triple jump was the 60m sprint. Yet again, I narrowly missed out on a PB, running 8.76 seconds.
Due to a lack of entries, there were no relays, so that was the end of the meet. I doubt I will compete in athletics until the middle of March, after the fire brigade season ends, as that is my focus from now on.
I entered my usual events for this program, namely the 200m, 60m and triple jump. First up was the 200m. With a successful country championships behind me and a fairly well rested week, I was confident in my fitness. I went all out from the start, into a stiff headwind for the first 70-80 metres, before getting only slight assistance from a near cross wind in the main straight. Although wind conditions were nowhere near as good as last week, I ran a PB of 27.19 (down from 27.47).
Next event was the triple jump. This time, I couldn't get my step right, and only managed a best jump of 7.95m, well short of Saturday's 8.27m. Immediately after the triple jump was the 60m sprint. Yet again, I narrowly missed out on a PB, running 8.76 seconds.
Due to a lack of entries, there were no relays, so that was the end of the meet. I doubt I will compete in athletics until the middle of March, after the fire brigade season ends, as that is my focus from now on.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Some action replays.
I don't get the opportunity to do this often, but a good friend was kind enough to come down and shoot some video of the Victorian Country Athletics Championships with me in action. I've setup a playlist. 5 of the 6 videos are of the mens 40+ events, which I was taking part in, the other one was an extra one with some of the womens 4x100m relay. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHUwx6R4chyATV2JwqTPcTtWhz7Ilv2Bj
And so you know which one is me, here's a pic from the weekend. :)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHUwx6R4chyATV2JwqTPcTtWhz7Ilv2Bj
And so you know which one is me, here's a pic from the weekend. :)
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Victorian Country Athletics Day 3
Day 3, the final day of the Victorian Country Athletics Championships started with packing all my gear up and checking out of our cabin, then off to the track. My first event, the 200 metre heat was scheduled for 11:31, but as luck would have it, 4 out of the 10 entrants withdrew, which meant that the heat wasn't needed, and I would instead be running in the final at 3:45 PM. So most of the day was spent watching the competition, cheering on club members, chatting and keeping up to date on Facebook. :)
Finally, my 200m final came around. I was a little concerned about my left hamstring, as there had been some tightness there all day, but it didn't seem to be too much of an issue during the warmup. However, I did take the start a little slower than I might otherwise have, knowing that the relays would follow soon after. However, once up to speed, everything felt good, and my second half was probably the fastest second half of a 200 ever. Finished in 27.48, missing out on a PB by 0.01 seconds.
Next was the 4x100m relay. I had the second leg, down the back straight and into a stiff breeze. This went well with a fairly clean change to take the baton, a strong sprint into the wind, and a quick batton change to the third runner. We narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing 4th.
My final event for the championships was the 4x400m relay. With the longer distance, I knew I would have no issues with injury, but I was concerned that my endurance might not hold, after the preceeding 2 events and the previous day. The day before, in the 400m events, I did struggle to maintain pace for the last half of the race, and conditions were identical for the relay. Again, I ran in second position, taking the baton in a clean change in my lane, then ran my usual 400m strategy of accelerating hard for the first 40-50m, before settling down into my cruising pace. Around the back, I had to cut in to the inside lane. By the halfway mark, I felt surprisingly good, and became aware of someone not too far behind my from the noise of the crowd, so I pushed hard and maintained my pace. Unlike the solo race, my pace held right to the end, where I passed the baton on. We finished with the silver medal and proceeded to the dais for presentations after the race. That was a good note to finish the weekend on.
As time was tight, I headed home as soon as the medal presentations were complete, after saying a quick goodbye to club members and others I knew that I encountered along the way. Since getting home, I've contemplated the weekend, savoured the weekend's successes, reflected on how far I've come and how much further I have to go, and started looking at what I need to work on to gain more speed. However, other than a local meet this coming Thursday, athletics now takes a back seat, as the fire brigade season is about to hit its peak.
Finally, my 200m final came around. I was a little concerned about my left hamstring, as there had been some tightness there all day, but it didn't seem to be too much of an issue during the warmup. However, I did take the start a little slower than I might otherwise have, knowing that the relays would follow soon after. However, once up to speed, everything felt good, and my second half was probably the fastest second half of a 200 ever. Finished in 27.48, missing out on a PB by 0.01 seconds.
Next was the 4x100m relay. I had the second leg, down the back straight and into a stiff breeze. This went well with a fairly clean change to take the baton, a strong sprint into the wind, and a quick batton change to the third runner. We narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing 4th.
My final event for the championships was the 4x400m relay. With the longer distance, I knew I would have no issues with injury, but I was concerned that my endurance might not hold, after the preceeding 2 events and the previous day. The day before, in the 400m events, I did struggle to maintain pace for the last half of the race, and conditions were identical for the relay. Again, I ran in second position, taking the baton in a clean change in my lane, then ran my usual 400m strategy of accelerating hard for the first 40-50m, before settling down into my cruising pace. Around the back, I had to cut in to the inside lane. By the halfway mark, I felt surprisingly good, and became aware of someone not too far behind my from the noise of the crowd, so I pushed hard and maintained my pace. Unlike the solo race, my pace held right to the end, where I passed the baton on. We finished with the silver medal and proceeded to the dais for presentations after the race. That was a good note to finish the weekend on.
As time was tight, I headed home as soon as the medal presentations were complete, after saying a quick goodbye to club members and others I knew that I encountered along the way. Since getting home, I've contemplated the weekend, savoured the weekend's successes, reflected on how far I've come and how much further I have to go, and started looking at what I need to work on to gain more speed. However, other than a local meet this coming Thursday, athletics now takes a back seat, as the fire brigade season is about to hit its peak.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Victorian Country Athletics Day 2
OK, so where did day 1 get to, you ask? Well, yesterday was basically a travel day. I drove the 180 odd km from home to Geelong, checked into the caravan park where the club is staying, and then proceeded to the track. As I had no events, I simply watched some of those that were on.
After a lousy night's sleep due to too much stimulation combined with not enough exercise, I arrived at the track in plenty of time for my first event, the triple jump, which started at 9:00. My first jump was off to a good start of a clear PB of 7.99 metres (previous 7.24). Being so close to breaking 8 metres, I gave my next jump a bit more effort and achieved 8.06, which was bettered again in the third jump with 8.27m. I had 3 extra jumps, but none of them beat my third jump. Off to a good start with a massive PB, and not bad for an event I only started 2 weeks ago! :)
Next up was the 100 metres heat. Felt good after the warmup, though a little sluggish. Race went well, with a PB of 13.57 (prev 13.68) with neutral wind conditions, but not quite enough to qualify for the final.
My final event was the 400 metres. By now, the wind had picked up and also turned to be a tail wind down the home straight (a serious headwind around the back). In these tough conditions, I easily qualified with a 66.37 run. Just under half a second shy of a PB. The strong wind really played havoc with my race tactics and energy reserves. 4 hours later, at the end of the day, the final was ran. The wind was still difficult, and by now I was completely exhausted. Managed to finish in 67.73.
Returned to the caravan park for a BBQ dinner and some conversation, before heading off to the beach with one of the other guys for a recovery session in the cold water.
Feeling pleased with today and quietly confident about tomorrow, with my strongest events to come. Now to get a good night's sleep. :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Victorian Country Athletics Championships - 1 day to go...
Tomorrow, one of the major athletics meets for the season commences - the Victorian Country Athletics Championships. As well as being my biggest meet for this summer season, it will be one of my last for some time, due to fire brigade commitments taking precedence for all of February and the start of March.
The Countrys as they're known informally will be a totally new experience. Until this year, I had never been to an athletics meet bigger than inter school sports, and none outside of a school setting since I was a young boy. This year was also my first running on a synthetic track. However, the Countrys will involve a 3 day meet with dozens of clubs involved and unfamiliar procedures.
This year, my events will be the triple jump, 100m, 200m and 400m. I am also representing the club in my age group in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. I'm looking forward to competing and experiencing the event, and will endeavour to blog each day.
The Countrys as they're known informally will be a totally new experience. Until this year, I had never been to an athletics meet bigger than inter school sports, and none outside of a school setting since I was a young boy. This year was also my first running on a synthetic track. However, the Countrys will involve a 3 day meet with dozens of clubs involved and unfamiliar procedures.
This year, my events will be the triple jump, 100m, 200m and 400m. I am also representing the club in my age group in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. I'm looking forward to competing and experiencing the event, and will endeavour to blog each day.
Fire brigade season resumes
On Sunday, the fire brigade competition season resumed after the Christmas break with a competition in Mooroopna. This was a small gathering, with only 8 teams entered. I was expecting to run in 4 or 5 events, hoping to take it relatively easy, so I could save myself for a bigger target a week later - the Victorian Country Athletics Championships.
Instead, due to a combination of shortages and injuries across both of our teams, I ended up running in 9 events. First was the ladder race. In the heat, I ran a PB (post comeback) of 7.88 seconds (hand timed). For some reason, I was getting on the ladder better, with the only change in recent times being the commencement of triple jump training at athletics in the preceding week. Although narrowly beaten in my heat, I got into the final on the "fastest losers" rule. In the final, I ran 7.93.
Following the ladder race was the C section hose and ladder 5s. My run was a bit ordinary, as I missed grabbing the coupling at the start and had a hiccup getting onto the ladder, but we still ended up with a reasonable time (25.70) and a win. I managed to recover strongly to get up in plenty of time. Following the 5s, I was substituted into the A section side for the hose and ladder 8s. In this event, I ran pole. Nothing too dramatic happened with my part, and we ended up with second place.
In the dry events, I ran the 2 man marshall, where we got 4th place, and the 4 man Y (no places there). Then the pumper events, where I was in the pumper and ladder event. Ran my usual ladder position, with a slow start to the climb. Still made it up in time, but we just missed out on a place.
After a short lunch break, it was time for the reel events. My first event was the C section 4s. This time, I ran branch, requiring me to hit the back of the reel (with someone else) to get it moving, then pushing it almost to the branch line, where I got off, attached the branch to the hose and hit the target. The time was good and we had another win. Following the 4s I substituted in the A side again, this time for the hose and reel 8s. Had a good run, and we ended up with a second place.
We didn't field a team for the 6s, but the A side did. They had enough to run it, but they needed a 7th person to "catch" the reel. This requires standing just behind the targets during the event pretty much in the path of the reel. As it comes past, I have to grab it, so the last person in the pole can get out and finish the event. While I don't often catch these days, I am actually very experienced, mostly from my earlier days in the sport. Following the 6s was the champion 4s. With the only other available person injured earlier in the day, I had to run pole in this event. Although I was starting to get some muscle tightness from the multiple runs (and now hauling the cart), this was completed without incident. We didn't win our heat, which meant the end for us in that event. We also didn't run the Y8, due to insufficient injury free runners by this stage.
Finally, I had to substitute for the A team in the Y8. Here, I ran second branch, with a fairly routine run. Unfortunately, there was a problem later in the run after I hit my target, and our time wasn't good.
Since Sunday, I have been endeavouring to taper down for the Victorian Country Athletics Championships, which start tomorrow. On Tuesday, I just did the warmup, then spent a little time working on my triple jump. At fire brigade training, the hot weather and other factors saw us doing a lighter than normal session, focusing on dry work.
Instead, due to a combination of shortages and injuries across both of our teams, I ended up running in 9 events. First was the ladder race. In the heat, I ran a PB (post comeback) of 7.88 seconds (hand timed). For some reason, I was getting on the ladder better, with the only change in recent times being the commencement of triple jump training at athletics in the preceding week. Although narrowly beaten in my heat, I got into the final on the "fastest losers" rule. In the final, I ran 7.93.
Following the ladder race was the C section hose and ladder 5s. My run was a bit ordinary, as I missed grabbing the coupling at the start and had a hiccup getting onto the ladder, but we still ended up with a reasonable time (25.70) and a win. I managed to recover strongly to get up in plenty of time. Following the 5s, I was substituted into the A section side for the hose and ladder 8s. In this event, I ran pole. Nothing too dramatic happened with my part, and we ended up with second place.
In the dry events, I ran the 2 man marshall, where we got 4th place, and the 4 man Y (no places there). Then the pumper events, where I was in the pumper and ladder event. Ran my usual ladder position, with a slow start to the climb. Still made it up in time, but we just missed out on a place.
After a short lunch break, it was time for the reel events. My first event was the C section 4s. This time, I ran branch, requiring me to hit the back of the reel (with someone else) to get it moving, then pushing it almost to the branch line, where I got off, attached the branch to the hose and hit the target. The time was good and we had another win. Following the 4s I substituted in the A side again, this time for the hose and reel 8s. Had a good run, and we ended up with a second place.
We didn't field a team for the 6s, but the A side did. They had enough to run it, but they needed a 7th person to "catch" the reel. This requires standing just behind the targets during the event pretty much in the path of the reel. As it comes past, I have to grab it, so the last person in the pole can get out and finish the event. While I don't often catch these days, I am actually very experienced, mostly from my earlier days in the sport. Following the 6s was the champion 4s. With the only other available person injured earlier in the day, I had to run pole in this event. Although I was starting to get some muscle tightness from the multiple runs (and now hauling the cart), this was completed without incident. We didn't win our heat, which meant the end for us in that event. We also didn't run the Y8, due to insufficient injury free runners by this stage.
Finally, I had to substitute for the A team in the Y8. Here, I ran second branch, with a fairly routine run. Unfortunately, there was a problem later in the run after I hit my target, and our time wasn't good.
Since Sunday, I have been endeavouring to taper down for the Victorian Country Athletics Championships, which start tomorrow. On Tuesday, I just did the warmup, then spent a little time working on my triple jump. At fire brigade training, the hot weather and other factors saw us doing a lighter than normal session, focusing on dry work.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Happy New Year. Time to get serious.
Since the last athletics meet, 3 days before Christmas, I maintained my training schedule. This was one of my key goals, because in previous years, the interruption to training over Christmas caused issues. I was able to work on sprint endurance, top speed and starts/acceleration, making good progress in all areas. In addition to normal competitions, I am preparing for the Victorian Country Championships, which are held in 2 weeks on January 22 - 24.
Yesterday (9/1), athletics competition resumed after the short Christmas break. My troublesome hamstring has been holding up well to training, and I was interested to see how it would go under competition stresses. Unfortunately, I had a heavy pair of sessions on Tuesday and was still feeling the after effects. With the Victorian Country championships in 2 weeks, I didn't want to take too many risks.
First event was the 200 metres. The first 80m felt a bit slow off the mark, but there were no issues and my form was good, so I gave it everything at that point, and reached top speed very quickly. I was able to maintain top speed for most of the straight and finished with a PB time of 27.47 seconds, 0.81 seconds than my previous PB.
There was a long wait until my next event, the 60m. Again, the start felt slow, and I didn't get up to top speed. This was partly due to caution, and I suspect due to the odd timing of the day causing my to mis time and under do my warmup.
My final event was another that I hadn't done for 30 years - the triple jump. I had two good jumps, with the best being 7.24m. It's early days, and I need to do a lot of training to get better distance. As I need to reduce my training volume significantly for the country championships, this might be a good opportunity to focus on the triple jump.
Next week, it's back to the fire brigade track for a regular competition.
Yesterday (9/1), athletics competition resumed after the short Christmas break. My troublesome hamstring has been holding up well to training, and I was interested to see how it would go under competition stresses. Unfortunately, I had a heavy pair of sessions on Tuesday and was still feeling the after effects. With the Victorian Country championships in 2 weeks, I didn't want to take too many risks.
First event was the 200 metres. The first 80m felt a bit slow off the mark, but there were no issues and my form was good, so I gave it everything at that point, and reached top speed very quickly. I was able to maintain top speed for most of the straight and finished with a PB time of 27.47 seconds, 0.81 seconds than my previous PB.
There was a long wait until my next event, the 60m. Again, the start felt slow, and I didn't get up to top speed. This was partly due to caution, and I suspect due to the odd timing of the day causing my to mis time and under do my warmup.
My final event was another that I hadn't done for 30 years - the triple jump. I had two good jumps, with the best being 7.24m. It's early days, and I need to do a lot of training to get better distance. As I need to reduce my training volume significantly for the country championships, this might be a good opportunity to focus on the triple jump.
Next week, it's back to the fire brigade track for a regular competition.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Last athletics meet for the year.
Had my last athletics meet for the year last night. It was supposed to be on Saturday, but with forecast temperatures of 42C, the Saturday meet was cancelled, and last night was organised as a cut down replacement.
With my leg now healed, I entered the 100 and 400 metres, as well as the long jump. The 100m was first, and although healed, I needed to take things a bit cautious. Despite taking the start slower than normal, and taking my time to reach top speed, I ran a PB of 13.68. I pulled up a bit tight in the left hamstring, but still able to run. My technique wasn't as good as it has been at training in the last month, so there's plenty of room to bring that time down.
Next was the 400m. With my hamstring now a bit tight, I took the start very cautiously, before settling into the rest of the race. Finished well, with a PB of 65.76.
My final event was the long jump. I still have a lot to learn with any of the field events, but it was fun taking part. My first jump ended up being my best at 3.51m.
It was good to back running sprints. I plan to train through the Christmas break to keep my fitness up, and fine tune my technique for the country championships in late January.
With my leg now healed, I entered the 100 and 400 metres, as well as the long jump. The 100m was first, and although healed, I needed to take things a bit cautious. Despite taking the start slower than normal, and taking my time to reach top speed, I ran a PB of 13.68. I pulled up a bit tight in the left hamstring, but still able to run. My technique wasn't as good as it has been at training in the last month, so there's plenty of room to bring that time down.
Next was the 400m. With my hamstring now a bit tight, I took the start very cautiously, before settling into the rest of the race. Finished well, with a PB of 65.76.
My final event was the long jump. I still have a lot to learn with any of the field events, but it was fun taking part. My first jump ended up being my best at 3.51m.
It was good to back running sprints. I plan to train through the Christmas break to keep my fitness up, and fine tune my technique for the country championships in late January.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Change of pace (literally!)
Back on the athletics track this week. Unfortunately, I picked up a minor niggle on Thursday, which was sufficient to rule me out of the sprints. As a consolation, I decided to run the 800m, which would cause less stress on my legs.
Unlike the other week, I had sufficient leg strength available to perform a near normal start, then I settled into the rest of the race. First lap was completed within 1:18-1:19, significantly better than any previous attempt at this distance. During the second lap, I was passed by a couple of other runners. However, in the last 100m, I was able to surge ahead and overtake one of them, finishing third in my heat, with a PB time of 2:45.25, 6.03 seconds better than any previous race.
While I'm not a middle distance runner, I was happy with my performance today. Hopefully, I'll be back to sprints next week.
Unlike the other week, I had sufficient leg strength available to perform a near normal start, then I settled into the rest of the race. First lap was completed within 1:18-1:19, significantly better than any previous attempt at this distance. During the second lap, I was passed by a couple of other runners. However, in the last 100m, I was able to surge ahead and overtake one of them, finishing third in my heat, with a PB time of 2:45.25, 6.03 seconds better than any previous race.
While I'm not a middle distance runner, I was happy with my performance today. Hopefully, I'll be back to sprints next week.
Monday, December 07, 2015
Fire brigade season begins!
Yesterday was the start of the fire brigade competition season for me. This was the first competition since I started athletics training, so it was always going to be interesting to see how I went. The weather was hot and overcast, but with only a slight breeze for most of the day.
First event was the ladder race. Because the sprint part of the race is only short, and I haven't been able to work on my starts, it was difficult to tell if there was any effect on my performance. However, due to a lack of ladder training (as our training track is under repair), the climb wasn't as smooth as normal. Following the ladder race was the hose and ladder 5s. Here was the real test, and the reason I took up athletics. After collecting my gear off the reel and starting the sprint stage, I took off. For the first couple of seconds, I had to be a bit careful, due to hose near my feet, then I could open up to top speed for a few seconds, until my assistant needed me to slow down (about 15 metres short of where I normally would). The final part, was the climb, which had a bit of a slip near the top. However, the run still finished in around 26 seconds. I estimate that the short burst at top speed took a good 1/2 second off the time it took me to get to the top. A combination of sprint and specific skills training could take another second off.
Next event was the 2 man marshall, one of the dry events. Here, I'm at a disadvantage, because I'm not as quick at the turns, and there's no long sprints. Unfortunately, a loose coupling put us out of that event. Following the marshalls was the pumper events. In the pumper and ladder 5s, I ran my usual ladder position. By now, I was getting my muscle memory back and the climb was smoother. However, a technical fault prevented the run from being completed, and we were granted a re run. In the re run, everything went well, and we got a time of just over 18 seconds, which was enough for a 5th place, and less than a second slower than our 2014 state winning time. Following the 5s was the pumper 4s. In this event, something didn't go quite right, resulting in a "miss".
The rest of the day was hose and reel events, starting with the C section 4s. There were only two C section sides, so we got to race against each other, instead of running singly. This made the event more exciting. I was running hydrant - a position I haven't run for some time. However, with our pole only able to run on the right hand side of the reel due to injury, the hydrant person has to cross over in front of the reel, after picking up the hydrant, and my speed is a huge advantage here, not only allowing me to safely cross over well in front of the reel, but also have plenty of time to be setup. The run went well, I got to the plug in plenty of time and was setup just as the coupler came to couple the hose on, allowing me to turn the water on immediately. Not only were we first to hit the disc, but the other side was given a miss, meaning either way, we had won the event.
After the 4s, the A side asked me to fill in as first assist for their hose and reel 8s. I had a good run here as well, though the guys on the opposite side of the reel to me had some sort of major hiccup. Despite these problems, we actually won the event in a surprisingly good time (29 seconds)! :)
Due to a lack of training (because of the track maintenance issue), we didn't run in the hose and reel 6s. This event can be very dangerous if not run properly, and half the team has never even run in a 6 team. Following the 6s was the champion 4s. We fielded a different team to the C 4s, and I was back in pole for this event. I had a good run, though by this stage, I was being a little cautious not to overstress my hamstring (it didn't give any trouble). Unfortunately, there was a miss somewhere.
The final event was the Y 8. We didn't have enough people to field a team, and we hadn't been able to train it either. However, another team was also short and asked if we could provide 2 extras to make up their numbers. I ran pole and third branch - pull the reel to the far end of the track, hand it over to the catcher, then put the branch onto the hose and clip onto the ladder runner. I used to run this position a few years ago, so I knew what I was doing, and only had to learn the specific way the team ran their Y8 (there's _many_ ways to run this event!). Had a good run, with everything going well. It's certainly not the first time I've filled in for another team, and I always enjoy that experience. It's good to get a feel for how others run things.
So in summary, it was a very successful day. Both our A and C teams won their respective sections, with the A side winning the grand aggregate and the C side getting 5th overall. As for myself, the hard work of the last few months is bearing fruit, with significantly faster track speed when not on the reel, helping in the ladder 5s and when running the hydrant position. The next competition is not until January 17, so my focus will switch back to athletics for the next several weeks. I plan to keep training right through the Christmas break, and there are only 2 weeks without athletics meets. The plan is to run athletics until the bulk of the fire brigade season, then focus there until the state championships in March. A fortunate coincidence is that my last week of athletics will be the Victorian Country championships in late January.
First event was the ladder race. Because the sprint part of the race is only short, and I haven't been able to work on my starts, it was difficult to tell if there was any effect on my performance. However, due to a lack of ladder training (as our training track is under repair), the climb wasn't as smooth as normal. Following the ladder race was the hose and ladder 5s. Here was the real test, and the reason I took up athletics. After collecting my gear off the reel and starting the sprint stage, I took off. For the first couple of seconds, I had to be a bit careful, due to hose near my feet, then I could open up to top speed for a few seconds, until my assistant needed me to slow down (about 15 metres short of where I normally would). The final part, was the climb, which had a bit of a slip near the top. However, the run still finished in around 26 seconds. I estimate that the short burst at top speed took a good 1/2 second off the time it took me to get to the top. A combination of sprint and specific skills training could take another second off.
Next event was the 2 man marshall, one of the dry events. Here, I'm at a disadvantage, because I'm not as quick at the turns, and there's no long sprints. Unfortunately, a loose coupling put us out of that event. Following the marshalls was the pumper events. In the pumper and ladder 5s, I ran my usual ladder position. By now, I was getting my muscle memory back and the climb was smoother. However, a technical fault prevented the run from being completed, and we were granted a re run. In the re run, everything went well, and we got a time of just over 18 seconds, which was enough for a 5th place, and less than a second slower than our 2014 state winning time. Following the 5s was the pumper 4s. In this event, something didn't go quite right, resulting in a "miss".
The rest of the day was hose and reel events, starting with the C section 4s. There were only two C section sides, so we got to race against each other, instead of running singly. This made the event more exciting. I was running hydrant - a position I haven't run for some time. However, with our pole only able to run on the right hand side of the reel due to injury, the hydrant person has to cross over in front of the reel, after picking up the hydrant, and my speed is a huge advantage here, not only allowing me to safely cross over well in front of the reel, but also have plenty of time to be setup. The run went well, I got to the plug in plenty of time and was setup just as the coupler came to couple the hose on, allowing me to turn the water on immediately. Not only were we first to hit the disc, but the other side was given a miss, meaning either way, we had won the event.
After the 4s, the A side asked me to fill in as first assist for their hose and reel 8s. I had a good run here as well, though the guys on the opposite side of the reel to me had some sort of major hiccup. Despite these problems, we actually won the event in a surprisingly good time (29 seconds)! :)
Due to a lack of training (because of the track maintenance issue), we didn't run in the hose and reel 6s. This event can be very dangerous if not run properly, and half the team has never even run in a 6 team. Following the 6s was the champion 4s. We fielded a different team to the C 4s, and I was back in pole for this event. I had a good run, though by this stage, I was being a little cautious not to overstress my hamstring (it didn't give any trouble). Unfortunately, there was a miss somewhere.
The final event was the Y 8. We didn't have enough people to field a team, and we hadn't been able to train it either. However, another team was also short and asked if we could provide 2 extras to make up their numbers. I ran pole and third branch - pull the reel to the far end of the track, hand it over to the catcher, then put the branch onto the hose and clip onto the ladder runner. I used to run this position a few years ago, so I knew what I was doing, and only had to learn the specific way the team ran their Y8 (there's _many_ ways to run this event!). Had a good run, with everything going well. It's certainly not the first time I've filled in for another team, and I always enjoy that experience. It's good to get a feel for how others run things.
So in summary, it was a very successful day. Both our A and C teams won their respective sections, with the A side winning the grand aggregate and the C side getting 5th overall. As for myself, the hard work of the last few months is bearing fruit, with significantly faster track speed when not on the reel, helping in the ladder 5s and when running the hydrant position. The next competition is not until January 17, so my focus will switch back to athletics for the next several weeks. I plan to keep training right through the Christmas break, and there are only 2 weeks without athletics meets. The plan is to run athletics until the bulk of the fire brigade season, then focus there until the state championships in March. A fortunate coincidence is that my last week of athletics will be the Victorian Country championships in late January.
Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Athletics week 7 - a rollercoaster ride
Been a bit slack posting this update. Since my previous post and success, I had put in a good week of training. Some technique improvements that significantly increased my top speed at training. Later that week, I was also running 200m even faster than the PB I set 5 days earlier. So, with my 100m having been around for over 2 months, I was pretty confdent of setting a new time for myself. However, around 30 metres into the race, my left hamstring gave out, and I was unable to maintain speed. I did finish the race, in a time of 20.95. That ended my day there and then.
3 days later, I had already entered in a Masters meet. After the hamstring issue, I changed my entry to include the 800m event. I don't normally run the 800m, it's a bit long for me to be really competitive, but it is a good one when I don't have power available. Despite a (deliberately) very slow start and being unable to push into the wind on one part of the track, I finished with a PB of 2:51.28 (previous was around 2:55). I also competed in the long jump, taking it easy, with a best jump of 3.20m.
The rest of last week was light training sessions and some massage. The massage revealed a lot of lower back/upper glute tightness, which is likely to have contributed to the hamstring problem. Last Saturday, there was no local meet, and I took the opportunity to mostly rest, but did some walking, running, strength work and stretching in the hydrotherapy pool at the local gym. My last day of work for the year on Friday also helped recovery, as I do quite a bit of walking and light to moderate physical work on the job.
Returned to training last night. This was my first real test since the weekend rest. At athletics training, we were doing 400m starts. I did take a couple of precautions to avoid overstressing my hamstring. Firstly, I did a "rolling start", instead of a normal block start, and I did slightly limit how much power I used in the first 7 seconds, especially in the early acceleration phase. After several starts, we finished the session with a full 400m run. I completed that in 67 seconds, which is comparable to my 66.65 PB.
A 15 minute drive across town and it was fire brigade training time. Because we were time limited, we trained the dry events, known as marshalls. On the positive side for me, there are no long stretches where I would be likely to stretch out too far, but these events require you to stay low, which does increase stress on the hamstrings. However, I had no issues during this session either. With a bit of care, I'll be 100% for the weekend.
This weekend is the first of the fire brigade competitions, so I'll be putting my sprint training to the test, especially in the wet events, where there are relatively long sprints required. More news as it comes to hand! :)
3 days later, I had already entered in a Masters meet. After the hamstring issue, I changed my entry to include the 800m event. I don't normally run the 800m, it's a bit long for me to be really competitive, but it is a good one when I don't have power available. Despite a (deliberately) very slow start and being unable to push into the wind on one part of the track, I finished with a PB of 2:51.28 (previous was around 2:55). I also competed in the long jump, taking it easy, with a best jump of 3.20m.
The rest of last week was light training sessions and some massage. The massage revealed a lot of lower back/upper glute tightness, which is likely to have contributed to the hamstring problem. Last Saturday, there was no local meet, and I took the opportunity to mostly rest, but did some walking, running, strength work and stretching in the hydrotherapy pool at the local gym. My last day of work for the year on Friday also helped recovery, as I do quite a bit of walking and light to moderate physical work on the job.
Returned to training last night. This was my first real test since the weekend rest. At athletics training, we were doing 400m starts. I did take a couple of precautions to avoid overstressing my hamstring. Firstly, I did a "rolling start", instead of a normal block start, and I did slightly limit how much power I used in the first 7 seconds, especially in the early acceleration phase. After several starts, we finished the session with a full 400m run. I completed that in 67 seconds, which is comparable to my 66.65 PB.
A 15 minute drive across town and it was fire brigade training time. Because we were time limited, we trained the dry events, known as marshalls. On the positive side for me, there are no long stretches where I would be likely to stretch out too far, but these events require you to stay low, which does increase stress on the hamstrings. However, I had no issues during this session either. With a bit of care, I'll be 100% for the weekend.
This weekend is the first of the fire brigade competitions, so I'll be putting my sprint training to the test, especially in the wet events, where there are relatively long sprints required. More news as it comes to hand! :)
Friday, November 13, 2015
Athletics week 6 - 200m magic and a nasty headwind
An interesting day on the track today. Conditions were mild, but with a headwind starting at least as strong as last week and increasing from there at times. This week, I entered the 200m and 60m events, same as last week.
Now that my injury issues are behind me, I could focus on running at my best. The 200m started well. Around 70-80 metres into the race, I felt the headwind take effect on the final part of the bend. I noticed I was somewhere near the front of the field, so I gave it everything from there until the finish and hoped that my fitness carried me to the line, which it did. End result was a new PB of 28.28 seconds (0.33 seconds off last week's time). I also won my heat by 0.38 seconds.
The 60m sprint was run in difficult wind conditions, as the wind had picked up by this time. Unfortunately, official wind readings weren't available, but by feel, it was probably in excess of 5 m/S. I got off to a good start, but took a bit longer than normal to settle into rhythm (pity it wasn't a 100m event!). Ran a solid 9.11 seconds, which was still OK, given that everyone else's times looked around 1/2 a second slower than their normal times too.
This week's relay was a 4x400m event. There was no chance of a record this time around, as the existing record was set by a combination much faster than ours. However, it was a great experience, as I had never run one of these relays before, but had watched them on TV. I ran the second leg, which meant that my first change to receive the baton was done in lanes, then I was the runner to cut into the inside lane on the back straight. Had a good run with a reasonably clean change to receive the baton, a smooth transition to the inside lane and passing another team on the home bend. I finished my leg strongly, before passing the baton on to the third runner. I really enjoyed this experience and look forward to the next opportunity to run a 4x400m relay.
Next week, it's back to the 100m and 400m sprints, as well as the 4x100m relay. I'm also looking at competing in the long jump for something different. Training wise, I still have to work on my starts to get out of the blocks faster, as well as more repetition, and managing the balance between my various training sessions.
Now that my injury issues are behind me, I could focus on running at my best. The 200m started well. Around 70-80 metres into the race, I felt the headwind take effect on the final part of the bend. I noticed I was somewhere near the front of the field, so I gave it everything from there until the finish and hoped that my fitness carried me to the line, which it did. End result was a new PB of 28.28 seconds (0.33 seconds off last week's time). I also won my heat by 0.38 seconds.
The 60m sprint was run in difficult wind conditions, as the wind had picked up by this time. Unfortunately, official wind readings weren't available, but by feel, it was probably in excess of 5 m/S. I got off to a good start, but took a bit longer than normal to settle into rhythm (pity it wasn't a 100m event!). Ran a solid 9.11 seconds, which was still OK, given that everyone else's times looked around 1/2 a second slower than their normal times too.
This week's relay was a 4x400m event. There was no chance of a record this time around, as the existing record was set by a combination much faster than ours. However, it was a great experience, as I had never run one of these relays before, but had watched them on TV. I ran the second leg, which meant that my first change to receive the baton was done in lanes, then I was the runner to cut into the inside lane on the back straight. Had a good run with a reasonably clean change to receive the baton, a smooth transition to the inside lane and passing another team on the home bend. I finished my leg strongly, before passing the baton on to the third runner. I really enjoyed this experience and look forward to the next opportunity to run a 4x400m relay.
Next week, it's back to the 100m and 400m sprints, as well as the 4x100m relay. I'm also looking at competing in the long jump for something different. Training wise, I still have to work on my starts to get out of the blocks faster, as well as more repetition, and managing the balance between my various training sessions.
Friday, November 06, 2015
Athletics - Week 5
So where was week 4 you ask? It was on, but I had to pull out of all events due to injury. Anyway, I came back this week, almost fully recovered from my injury, and now armed with a pair of spikes. I had hedged my bets, entering the 800m, in addition to the usual 200m and 60m events. The plan was to run the 200m, see how everything was holding up - if good, run the 60, otherwise run the 800, which wouldn't stress any weak areas.
First event was the 200m. Conditions were tough, with a stiff headwind (later measured at 3m/S), blowing almost directly up the home straight. This was my first actual race in spikes.. Anyway, I took the start a little easier than normal, so any acceleration issues didn't overstress my groin. About 120m from home, I felt the full force of the headwind and felt it was safe to open up and hold that to the finish. My energy held up and I finished strongly with a PB time of 28.61 (down from 28.96) seconds.
Next event was the 60m sprint. This would be a test of my recovery, as there's no room to take it too easy over such a short distance. Got away to a good start, and cautiously accelerated to near top speed, finishing in a PB time of 8.70 (down from 8.91). As is common for me, the effect of the headwind was hardly felt in the shorter race, doe to the excess power I have. In both sprints, the spikes were certainly responsible for a significant portion of the improvement, as well as improved fitness, especially in the 200m.
To finish the day, we ran a "Swedish relay", which consists of 4 legs - 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m. The teams were mixed together in age and gender, rather than tuned to win specific age groups, as this was more of a fun event, rather than a serious one. I got the 300m leg in my race, which is towards the longer end of my range. However, this run went better than I expected. The whole 300 metres felt good, even the upwind in the home straight, just before passing the baton to the 400m runner. This was my first experience with a "400m" style of changeover ever, which went well.
Anyway, a good day in all, I'm back on the track with a vengeance, and ready to build on this success. Next project is to (carefully!) work on my starts and sort out the issues there.
First event was the 200m. Conditions were tough, with a stiff headwind (later measured at 3m/S), blowing almost directly up the home straight. This was my first actual race in spikes.. Anyway, I took the start a little easier than normal, so any acceleration issues didn't overstress my groin. About 120m from home, I felt the full force of the headwind and felt it was safe to open up and hold that to the finish. My energy held up and I finished strongly with a PB time of 28.61 (down from 28.96) seconds.
Next event was the 60m sprint. This would be a test of my recovery, as there's no room to take it too easy over such a short distance. Got away to a good start, and cautiously accelerated to near top speed, finishing in a PB time of 8.70 (down from 8.91). As is common for me, the effect of the headwind was hardly felt in the shorter race, doe to the excess power I have. In both sprints, the spikes were certainly responsible for a significant portion of the improvement, as well as improved fitness, especially in the 200m.
To finish the day, we ran a "Swedish relay", which consists of 4 legs - 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m. The teams were mixed together in age and gender, rather than tuned to win specific age groups, as this was more of a fun event, rather than a serious one. I got the 300m leg in my race, which is towards the longer end of my range. However, this run went better than I expected. The whole 300 metres felt good, even the upwind in the home straight, just before passing the baton to the 400m runner. This was my first experience with a "400m" style of changeover ever, which went well.
Anyway, a good day in all, I'm back on the track with a vengeance, and ready to build on this success. Next project is to (carefully!) work on my starts and sort out the issues there.
Thursday, November 05, 2015
Back in form. :)
Just about recovered from my injury. Athletics training was cut short tonight, because of a thunderstorm which arrived just as we finished the warmup. So, it was on to the fire brigade training. Tonight, after the warmup, we had two 75 yard (68.55m) timed sprints. My best time was 9.58 seconds. Even allowing for this being hand timed, it equates to a time marginally faster than my 60m PB, nearly 2 weeks ago. However, I was being a bit cautious, especially at the start and early acceleration phase, only opening up (and keeping that to 95%) relatively late in the run.
I'm looking forward to getting back on the track on Saturday. - Tony.
I'm looking forward to getting back on the track on Saturday. - Tony.
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
And now for something different.
Last weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. My groin was still causing issues, and I was forced to withdraw from Saturday's track sprints. However, on Sunday I had a 5k run, which I had entered ages ago. In the longer, slower race, my injury wasn't an issue. I had good results, running a PB of 25:37, just a fraction slower than my goal of 25 minutes (5 minutes/km). As this was around 90 seconds faster than my previous PB, I was happy with the result.
Meanwhile, training goes on, and I'm steadily recovering. Also had my first test run in spikes, which was quite successful. Looking forward to when I can return to pushing the envelope. :)
Meanwhile, training goes on, and I'm steadily recovering. Also had my first test run in spikes, which was quite successful. Looking forward to when I can return to pushing the envelope. :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Getting off on the wrong foot! (or Oops, I just discovered a major bug!)
Had an interesting night at athletics training tonight. As is normal for Tuesday, we focused on the shorter sprints, working on pure speed, rather than sprint endurance. After the warmup and a couple of standard drills, we did 5 flying 30m sprints - these involve building up speed in the first 30 metres, then going all out for the next 30, and then for the final 30m, relaxing, while maintaining as much speed as possible. In this drill, I performed quite well, with good form and high speed.
Next, we were given a choice of activities. I decided to work on my starts, because I haven't spent much time on them. That's when the fun started. It turns out that despite having quite a fast start, I actually had a number of significant issues, and I was achieving my performance on brute force in the legs, and possibly losing in the acceleration phase too. My arms and legs just wouldn't coordinate. Further investigation seemed to indicate I was starting on the wrong foot, so with guidance from one of the other guys, I swapped feet around on the blocks. This got the arms working right, though things were still a bit rough, as the unconscious mind was still trying to do its thing, and on one attempt, this conflict resulted in a minor groin strain.
So where to, from here? firstly, recovering from this strain, which will hopefully only take a few days, and from there, sort out the issues with my starts. It's going to take a lot of repetition and some guidance, with the promise of significant improvements in my times. The experiment continues... :)
Next, we were given a choice of activities. I decided to work on my starts, because I haven't spent much time on them. That's when the fun started. It turns out that despite having quite a fast start, I actually had a number of significant issues, and I was achieving my performance on brute force in the legs, and possibly losing in the acceleration phase too. My arms and legs just wouldn't coordinate. Further investigation seemed to indicate I was starting on the wrong foot, so with guidance from one of the other guys, I swapped feet around on the blocks. This got the arms working right, though things were still a bit rough, as the unconscious mind was still trying to do its thing, and on one attempt, this conflict resulted in a minor groin strain.
So where to, from here? firstly, recovering from this strain, which will hopefully only take a few days, and from there, sort out the issues with my starts. It's going to take a lot of repetition and some guidance, with the promise of significant improvements in my times. The experiment continues... :)
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Athletics Week 3 - 2 PBs and a hand in a record!
Had another successful day on the track today. This week was the alternate program, for the first time this season. I entered in the 200m and 60m sprints.
The 200m was first. Conditions were warm, with a stiff breeze that was a full on headwind on the bend, and a slight headwind (1.2 m/S) in the home straight at the time. Had a good run, able to maintain top speed for most of the race. Despite the challenging wind, I ran a PB of 28.96 - 0.19 seconds faster than the previous PB from September.
The next event was the 60m. With over an hour between events, I had to spend a bit more time warming up. Had an excellent start, got out of the blocks ahead, and finished with a time of 8.91. As my previous 8.8 seconds was hand timed, this would be a PB.
My last event for the day was the 4x200m relay. As in previous weeks, I was part of an over 40s club team. This week, I ran in second position, which meant taking the baton from someone else for the first time in 34 years! :) This run went well. With much easier wind conditions by now, it felt at least as fast as my individual 200m race, over 2 hours earlier, and both baton changes were reasonably smooth. We were going for the track record, which we managed to break by 2.7 seconds, as well as beating another team in our age group, who also broke the old record. :)
So, another successful day on the track, finishing on a high note. :)
The 200m was first. Conditions were warm, with a stiff breeze that was a full on headwind on the bend, and a slight headwind (1.2 m/S) in the home straight at the time. Had a good run, able to maintain top speed for most of the race. Despite the challenging wind, I ran a PB of 28.96 - 0.19 seconds faster than the previous PB from September.
The next event was the 60m. With over an hour between events, I had to spend a bit more time warming up. Had an excellent start, got out of the blocks ahead, and finished with a time of 8.91. As my previous 8.8 seconds was hand timed, this would be a PB.
My last event for the day was the 4x200m relay. As in previous weeks, I was part of an over 40s club team. This week, I ran in second position, which meant taking the baton from someone else for the first time in 34 years! :) This run went well. With much easier wind conditions by now, it felt at least as fast as my individual 200m race, over 2 hours earlier, and both baton changes were reasonably smooth. We were going for the track record, which we managed to break by 2.7 seconds, as well as beating another team in our age group, who also broke the old record. :)
So, another successful day on the track, finishing on a high note. :)
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Athletics - Week 2
Today was quite different conditions to last week, with cooler temperatures and the wind starting out as almost a cross wind and turning into a headwind as the day progressed, but the draw was the same, so I entered the 100m and 400m events.
The 100m went well, felt like my best ever, and I had plenty of power right up to the finish. However, the clock told a different story. 14.00 seconds, just short of my PB. However, this is the first time since starting training that I've run with a headwind (1.7 m/S officially). A quick analysis of the results shows that the headwind affected me much less than most of the others, which I did expect. My time was slightly faster than last week, though last week I was being a bit cautious. It is also only 0.13 seconds slower than my PB, which was set with a tail wind.
Again, 400m was next. Conditions were tough, with the wind having now changed from more of a cross wind to a near headwind in the final straight. For the first half of the race, I took full advantage of the tail wind on the back straight, before taking on the headwind for the last 150m or so. Finished with a time of 66.65, 1.22 seconds better than last week's PB. This run also took everything I had, which made it double as an excellent training run to build fitness.
My last event was the medley relay. This involves 2x200m legs, then a 400m leg and finishing with an 800m leg. I ran the first 200m leg, starting into the wind (where I had a power advantage), before turning towards the back straight with a tail wind. This went well. I had recovered from my previous all out 400m run. Overall, we did OK, except one of the guys had some soreness, and a rough changeover later in the race (long after my stage finished).
Overall, I was pleased with the day. My 400m performances continue to improve, far beyond anything I had anticipated when I started. However, 100m improvements remains a challenge, and I am taking extra steps to try and improve my form in this event.
Next week is the alternate program, which means I will be entering the 60m and 200m sprints. It will be interesting to see how I go in these events.
The 100m went well, felt like my best ever, and I had plenty of power right up to the finish. However, the clock told a different story. 14.00 seconds, just short of my PB. However, this is the first time since starting training that I've run with a headwind (1.7 m/S officially). A quick analysis of the results shows that the headwind affected me much less than most of the others, which I did expect. My time was slightly faster than last week, though last week I was being a bit cautious. It is also only 0.13 seconds slower than my PB, which was set with a tail wind.
Again, 400m was next. Conditions were tough, with the wind having now changed from more of a cross wind to a near headwind in the final straight. For the first half of the race, I took full advantage of the tail wind on the back straight, before taking on the headwind for the last 150m or so. Finished with a time of 66.65, 1.22 seconds better than last week's PB. This run also took everything I had, which made it double as an excellent training run to build fitness.
My last event was the medley relay. This involves 2x200m legs, then a 400m leg and finishing with an 800m leg. I ran the first 200m leg, starting into the wind (where I had a power advantage), before turning towards the back straight with a tail wind. This went well. I had recovered from my previous all out 400m run. Overall, we did OK, except one of the guys had some soreness, and a rough changeover later in the race (long after my stage finished).
Overall, I was pleased with the day. My 400m performances continue to improve, far beyond anything I had anticipated when I started. However, 100m improvements remains a challenge, and I am taking extra steps to try and improve my form in this event.
Next week is the alternate program, which means I will be entering the 60m and 200m sprints. It will be interesting to see how I go in these events.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Track season begins.
Today was the official start of track season. I had entered the 100m and 40m sprints, but due to an injury 11 days ago, there was some uncertainty about the 100. However, I decided to go ahead with that race, as my injury appeared to have come good by Thursday. So, I headed to the track on a hot and humid afternoon.
The 100m was my first event. Not wanting to cause further injury, I took this race a bit easier than I normally would. The start was my usual fast start, but after that, I eased into the faster parts of the race, only pushing things in the last 20 metres. The time was 14.04, slightly slower than my previous 13.87 PB.
400m was next. At this distance, I didn't need to reach quite the same speeds, so the risk of injury was very low. In this race, I ran my usual race plan, allowing a bit for the headwind in the back straight. Finished strongly in 3rd place in my heat with a PB time of 67.87.
After the 400m, I was asked to run a leg of the mens 40+ 4x100m relay team. My position was first, to take advantage of my fast starts. Like the 100m, I took this one carefully. Once I was up to speed, I eased into the race. At the 60m mark, I felt good, so I decided to push the speed up to near my top speed, before passing the baton to the next team member. Together, we completed the event within 1.5 seconds of the track record, and all of us were running well within out capabilities! :) Looking forward to having a real crack at the track record. :)
The 100m was my first event. Not wanting to cause further injury, I took this race a bit easier than I normally would. The start was my usual fast start, but after that, I eased into the faster parts of the race, only pushing things in the last 20 metres. The time was 14.04, slightly slower than my previous 13.87 PB.
400m was next. At this distance, I didn't need to reach quite the same speeds, so the risk of injury was very low. In this race, I ran my usual race plan, allowing a bit for the headwind in the back straight. Finished strongly in 3rd place in my heat with a PB time of 67.87.
After the 400m, I was asked to run a leg of the mens 40+ 4x100m relay team. My position was first, to take advantage of my fast starts. Like the 100m, I took this one carefully. Once I was up to speed, I eased into the race. At the 60m mark, I felt good, so I decided to push the speed up to near my top speed, before passing the baton to the next team member. Together, we completed the event within 1.5 seconds of the track record, and all of us were running well within out capabilities! :) Looking forward to having a real crack at the track record. :)
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