Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Holidaze

My holiday week was spent working due to travel for me being a little bit on the difficult side and the fact that I was on the last stretch to have to find an apartment to live in by Jan 1. I took the opportunity to make some extra cash, since I did need that too. When I originally planned this I thought it was a good idea, it didn't seem so bad on paper. It turned to be a 14 hour day on Christmas Eve to be followed by midnight mass ending at 1:30am to wake up a few short hours and spend 13 hours standing with no break on Christmas Day. Only to be followed the next day with my opening indoor season meet.
As I prepped myself race day, the exhaustion was just stifling. I wanted to call it off and not run. After a long inner conflict with my body and mind, I decided to suck it up and just run, chalk it up to a practice if anything. While I warmed up and did drills I played my race in my head how I'd go through in each 200-33, 34, 35, 35 is what I wanted to pull out. Realistically I could do it, my training says so. Though I knew my head could also possibly get in the way.
I seeded myself in 2:20 with 1 girl ahead. I knew it wasn't a fast meet but I was hoping to not have to lead. As a change up from my usual lead, I decided that I'd shoulder myself with the lead girl for at least the first 2 laps then see what happens from there. Of course that didn't happen. I tried to tuck behind but the pace was too slow so I pulled out and lead for the entirety except the last 20 meters in which I didn't respond to the girl coming down my back. I did manage to go through the 1st 2 laps exactly where I wanted to be 33, then 34 for a 67 through the 400. I fell off per usual in the 3rd lap in a 38 but didn't have anyone there to really push me and came back with a 36 in the last lap for a final 2:21.72. 2nd place and a PR!! A HUGE improvement from my opening meet last year where I opened with a 2:30 something. I knew training was well beyond last year but it was better than it's ever been. I didn't hit my first goal in goal list, circumstances prevailing I knew I could have so I couldn't be too disappointed.
My original plan was to double up with the 200 to make it a good practice and to get my money's worth. After the 8 I was bombed so I teetered back and forth if I'd still race the 2. I still had some time to decide then a wave of energy hit me so I shrugged my shoulders and told myself to just do it. I lined up to seed myself at 30 since I was pretty sure that's all I had in me, with maybe a possibility of a 29. Popped on the track when it was time for my heat, crouched down into down start, and just went. I thought I came through in 29 and change then looked up at the jumbotron and low and behold it was 28.92. Another PR! it was only by 6 one hundredths but still.
I managed a meet that I wasn't 100 percent sure about to a double PR. A great way to start off my season. Only to know there's so much more potential to be harnessed in the next couple months. A great Christmas present.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Let the Track season begin

Countdown is one week till I open my indoor 2011-12 season. Hoping these past couple months of hard work will pay off. Let's go!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Hello muscles I forget that I ever had

Just when I thought I had gotten over the hump of crazy muscle soreness, I was reminded of the muscles in my hip region aka all the hurdling muscles. I decided it was time to add in an extra day focusing on my hurdle technique. I can't do too much indoor because all I have at my access to train on them are approximately 60 meters of straight away and a sometimes busy track. Though not conducive to 400 hurdles it does help to work on form, something I need to really focus on if I want to get better. The disadvantage of starting hurdles later in life is not learning proper mechanics for hurdling form, it's a little harder to shape those muscles. Not impossible just takes A LOT more work.
One area I've had trouble with the past couple years is learning to switch lead legs. I started off as a left lead leg and I really haven't taken the time to develop the right. In the short hurdles that's fine, but with long hurdles you have to have the ability to switch or you'll waste time stammering to a hurdle that comes upon the "off" leg. Another big area is my trail leg doesn't come as parallel to the hurdle as it should. That's mostly a muscle memory and making sure to keep the hip flexors loose.
I'm thankful that my schedule has allowed me to take an extra day to work on these problem areas and that my coach is free to watch and correct whatever may be off. Even just after one day I feel a little more confident in being able to lead with my right. Now I just need to get over the hump of DOMS in my hips and translate it to outdoors when the time comes.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Breakfast of Champions

Just when you think it stops it keeps going and going...oh how I love me some hills