Run & Cramp

Track session. 4x 1200m, alternating with 4x 1200m with drills. (run 300m, drill 100m)
I tried my best to keep to a 6min/ set (ie 5min pace), but somehow my legs were not cooperating. Almost cramped on the drills. I had to sit out 2 sets of drills. :(

Even then, it was a struggle to maintain 6min.
5:52min, 6:03, 6:14, 5:53. Something like that.

Trackwork

Stomach didn't feel good, almost crampy. True enough, my intervals suffered.

800m hard - 3:40min, 3:44, 3:50, 3:59, skipped a set, needed the restroom.

1200m race pace - 6:06min, 5:59, 5:59, 5:58
Somewhat redeemed myself.

Good Track

First class of Strides tonight. I had a good track workout, probably because it was the first class.

Coach said "introductory" today.

Drills - 4 sets:
Jumping jacks x20 of 4 counts
Push-ups x12
Leg raise x2 of 30sec
Plank x2 of 30sec

Run. This semester we will be focusing more on distance and pace, in preparation of the year end marathon... even though I am not taking part.

For our group, we were to run 3 sets of: 400m @ 3min, 800m @ 6min, 1600m @ 12min. ie, run + recovery within the stated time. I was able to keep a consistent pace and still breathe. For unknown reasons, my legs felt rather fresh and strong tonight.

1st set:
400 - 1:38min
800 - 3:51min
1600 - 8:13min

2nd set: 1:34; 3:50; 8:12

3rd set: 1:40; 3:55; 8:07

Approx 5min pace I think.

Revisiting the Tracks

Back to trackwork tonight. Gosh, was I in bad shape.

7x 800m at 5:30 (ie. every 5:30min set off) -
4:10, 4:13, 4:17, 4:20, 4:14, 4:17, 4:20 - slower and slower, supposedly tempo steady run.

7x 400m at 3:30 -
1:41, 1:46, 1:39, 1:40, 1:47, 1:43 - too weak, low sugar, skipped 1 set.

*faint*

Back to Track

Easy track night! Because of the upcoming Sundown marathon this weekend. Whew.

Back to track for me tonight, thank goodness for the easy routines. Static drills were relatively shorter, and then we moved to the track.

10x 800m @ moderate consistent pace. I managed to keep to about a 4min/ set timing.

Yeah!

Sauna Run

It was a super humid evening. Post-rain stuffiness. All of us were breaking out in sweat within a few minutes of the static exercises! Before long, we were all soaked, and that was even before the run. It felt like we were running in the sauna, with beads of perspiration dripping off.

Then it was time for track. 10x 200m - dash 200m, then slow recovery jog back, all within 3min.

10 sets: 46sec, 41, 45, 42, 44, 44, 47, 49, 47, 44

Melting....

Hard Sprints

My oh my, tonight's track session was tough. After a long lay off due to previous weeks of tampering and races, Coach was back in form tonight. Back to the static drills and trackwork. I was so out of it, and ended the night aching all over.

Drills -

1 set = 30x jumping jacks, some numbers of one-legged squats, forward-backward lunges, leg raisers, plank with raised leg, and push-ups. ..... x 3 sets. Ouch. Lactic build-up was immediate.

High-knees, kick-butts, 2-legged zig-zag steps, shuffle feet..... x 6 sets.

Track -
8 x 400m @ 2:30min
1:35min, 1:40, 1:42, 1:46, 1:44, 1:45, 1:44, 1:42

Heart popping, shin burning, almost puking, almost died. Too old for this, oh my.

Strides Class

Tonight we did the reverse, run first then drills.

6x 800m at a pace faster than last week's. Coach asked if I could maintain 3:30min for each set. Huh, of course not. So my target was 3:40-3:45 per set.

3:23min (mis-gauged, too fast), 3:42, 3:38, 3:38, 3:43, 3:40

Drills - relatively easy tonight (according to Coach) because races were coming up these weekends. 6 sets with varying timings of:
1. push-ups
2. leg-raisers
3. basic planks
4. side planks

A few of us went for dinner, and had a lively discussion about packing bikes and bike boxes. So many races, undecided which to go for. GCM, Phuket 70.3, IMWA?

YF Strides Session 6

Back to class after missing for 2 weeks. Shem saw me, and asked WTH was I doing there on the track so soon after Langkawi. Oops.

Drills - 4 sets:
Jumping jacks x20, Knee lifts to/fro
Jumping jacks x20, Kick butts to/fro
Jumping jacks x20, Push-ups x10
Jumping jacks x20, Side twists to/fro

Tracks- 8x 800m tempo runs:
Legs were still heavy, I did not want to push hard tonight. Did not want to risk injuries. So I just took my leisurely pace. It was their second or third time doing 800m tempos. The idea was to maintain about the same pace for all sets, and then increase the speed each week.

Constant reminder to self, stay easy, save the legs. It was not really difficult because my legs had no way of bursting into speed anyway. Haha.

3:57min, 3:55, 3:58, 4:00, 3:58, 3:57, 3:52, 3:32

Good job! Ready to chill & recover. :)

YF Strides Day 5

I have no idea how I pulled my left butt muscle, but I did. Coach got us to do the one-legged- squat-touch-ground drill. My leg butt was very tight, I just could not go down properly. It was not a muscle pain, but a sharp pull. The kind of locked-tension that felt like the muscle might *twang* if I forced my squat down. I kept stretching in the middle of the drills, but the tightness would not go away. :( I might try rolling over a golf ball tonight.

Anyhow, static drills tonight: 6 sets of:
1. one-legged squat, alternate (L, R, L, R...) x12
2. push-up-kick-leg x12
3. side planks, alternate 30sec each
4. half-squat, alternate leg x12

Then 3x 2.4km
1. Moderate pace: 14:05min = slightly under 6min pace
2. Slightly faster: 12:34min = slightly above 5min pace
3. Tempo: 11:53min = slightly under 5min pace

Oh my poor butt.... why a sharp pain? :(

YF Strides Day 4

Session today was so tiring. We had to rush through the drills because we had to do more run today.

Core exercises - 5 sets non-stop:
Push-ups, planks, leg-raisers, one-leg squats (one-leg squat, touch the ground with fingers, and stand up)

Drills -
High cadence, high knees, kick butts

Run - 3x 2.4km on track
My hamstrings and quads were so tired from the drills and yesterday's MF run. The run was really an effort, I could barely make it through the laps even as I tried to keep each lap under 2min.

1st set - 11:57min
2nd set - 11:45min
3rd set - 11:55min

Totally flat out.....

YF Strides Day 3

I was late and only managed a 1.6km (4x 400m) for warmup.

Static drills - today we increased the per set timing to 25sec (from 20sec).
1 set = Drill 25", rest 10", drill 25"
We did 8 sets:
- normal plank
- one-leg squat
- cunch & hold
- push-up & hold

Run drills -
1 set = 3 drills
High-knee 100m, recovery jog back 100m
High cadence 30m (it was more...), recovery jog to 100m mark & back
Horse-kick (almost like a butt-kick, but deliberately landing on entire soles & scooping heels backwards) 100m, recovery jog back 100m

Gaining muscle mass, aka bulk! Eeeeeks!

YF Strides Day 2

Interesting circuit training and drills for tonight. I saw many groups at SMU track doing circuit training ala boot camp style. They looked like they were having fun, executing high-paced, high-intensity drills.

For our YF Strides, the circuit menu tonight was:
Station 1: push-up hold 20", rest 10", push-up hold 20"
Station 2: superman hold 20", rest 10", repeat 20"
Station 3: one-legged squat 20", rest 10", change leg
Station 4: side plank 20", rest 10", change side

2.4km drills x 2sets
Run 300m, and do a specific drill for 100m
There were 6 drills in total: high cadence, butt kick, russian dance, hop, high knee, heel strike stride.

1- 1:54
2- 2:03
3- 2:14
4- 2:15
5- 2:11
6- 1:58
Total: 12:38min

7- 2:02
8- 2:07
9- 2:20
10- 2:11
11- 2:18
12- 1:55
Total: 12:57min

----- and the post-training spiel from Coach -----

I saw most of you were bashing through the 100m drills during the 2x2.4km.Slow down and focus on the techniques and concentrate on the form during the 300m, it's not how fast you can do the drills, it's how well you can execute.. (gee, that sounds familiar, like his swimming tagline)

Many reasons for what all those drills --

Fast cadence---A lower cadence causes you to land harder on the ground. With higher cadence allows you to reduce contact on ground.

Kick butt---It's mainly for the hamstring. Focus is on a the smooth action.

Russian----Just want to make fun of you all

Hopping---Spring up to train your legs strides flexibility, strength...

High knees---Increase leg turnover and improve your knee lift when you need to pick up the pace.

Heels stride---You will need these on the last 2 to 5km in Triathlon.Just open your stride to increase the speed

YF Strides Day 1

My first session of YF Strides since I missed last week's inaugural session. We did circuit training, drills, and ended with a 2.4km round the track. Oh gosh, I cannot recall the last time I did so many push-ups in one sitting!

Circuit - 8 sets of 4 activities, each activity lasting 30sec, rest 30sec, move on to the next one.
1. push-ups
2. plank
3. leg raisers
4. lunges (same leg, then switch leg)

Drills - I think it was 6 sets of 3 drills, each repeating about 6 times.
1. side skips
2. high knees (moving forward slowly)
3. butt kicks (moving forward slowly)
Super ouch. My lower calves almost cramped from the side skips and high knees. The lateral movements and landing on mid-foot were lactic inducing. Not to mention a slight strain on the ball of my left foot.

Track - 6x 400m with 30sec rest @ moderate pace
1- 1:47min
2- 1:45min
3- 1:49min
4- 1:49min
5- 1:47min
6- 1:45min

By normal accounts, that timing would be a moderate pace. But after all that drills, it was hardly moderate. Ouch....

Fish-on-land boot camp, let the fun-pain begin!

Off Rhythm Tracks

5x 1200m @ Queenstown stadium

My last track workout must have been around August in preparation for Desaru HIM. Thereafter it was a mad rush of trips, climb, ultras etc.

Back to current, it was a painful track intervals. I struggled to get back the feel and rhythm of speed work.

1- 5:50min
2- 5:45min
3- 5:42
4- 5:36
5- 5:41

And panting all the way, legs almost cramped.... Definitely off-form.

Queenstown Track Intervals

Training menu: 5x 800m, 7min per set incl rest. It was quite a luxury actually to have such a long rest time.

I had not done track intervals for a long time, let's see, since August? Was apprehensive if I could complete them tonight. But I did, and in decent timings too. :)

1- 3:31min
2- 3:32min
3- 3:32min
4- 3:27min
5- 3:25min

Meanwhile, Alber & WH were practising for their Beer Mile run post-Busselton. 4x cans of beer, 4x 400m. Drink a can, run a round. It was ridiculously hilarious.

Last Track Session

Did an easy warm up loop. Tried my Mizuno race shoes for the warm up. I could not remember the last time I wore the shoes for a race, and they felt uhmmm unfamiliar. Oh dear. In the end, I switched back to my trusty Asics for the workout.

15 sets of 400m - 10x easy, 5x moderate, 30sec rest interval. The only problem was I think I did everything @moderate!

"Easy"
1- 1:58min
2- 1:50
3- 1:48
4- 1:51
5- 1:48
6- 1:50
7- 1:53
8- 1:52
9- 1:54
10- 1:56
11- 1:57 (??? unknowingly did an extra set?)

"Moderate" (no difference in time! but certainly increased effort to maintain)
1- 1:49
2- 1:50
3- 1:49
4- 1:46
5- 1:42

Tonight was the last session we had with Shem. It had been a fun group training that happened quite randomly. Will miss it. Awww.....

YF Track Run

Did a light 2+km warm up jog before the YF session.

Cadence Drill
Time was tight, we headed straight for a warm-up on the track. Then cadence drills - as many steps as possible within 30sec across the grass. x 5-6 sets. Well, then we realised that the grass was not long enough, so we reduced the time to 20sec. Aim was to hit a 90-100ish/ min, as Vinnie recommended a 90/min cadence at race. We did a similar drill on Sat at the workshop. So every pair of steps (left-right) = 1 count. Mine averaged 105/min. The trick was to go light and many repeats. A lot of people ended up sprinting, hard, and panting. I did that too initially, then I realised the purpose of the drill was to train leg turnover, not speed or distance.

Main Training
Option of 3, 4, or 5 x 1.6km (based on ability); rest interval 1:30min (how awfully generous today!)
1- easy; 2- moderate; 3- hard
1- easy; 2- moderate; 3- hard; 4- easy
1- easy; 2- moderate; 3- moderate/ hard; 4- hard; 5- easy
This was what Vinnie shared on Saturday as well - alternating the intensity of the workout, deliberately doing the Hard set after one was tired out.

1- easy 8:28min (easy warm-up)/ rest 1min (5:17min pace)
2- moderate 7:51/ rest 1:30 (4:54min pace)
3- moderate 7:50/ 1:30 (4:54min pace)
4- hard 7:19/ 1:30 (4:34min pace)
5- easy 8:00 (5min pace)

Felt good, except for a slightly strained ankle.

Long Intervals

Plan: 8x 1.6km @ Race pace, 30sec rest intervals
Execution: Strangely given only about an hour, so impossible to finish 12.6km (at least for me)

Was totally sluggish throughout the training. Right from the very first set, go. Struggled (and failed) to maintain 5min pace, and cleared each set in >8min. :( And exceeded rest intervals. Even then, at that slower pace, the run clearly felt a lot tougher than last week. I was breathing much harder too, when it should be a nice zoned-out kind of run. Sigh....

Managed 7 sets:
1- 8:12min (RI 33sec)

2- 8:07 (RI 35s)

3- 8:14 (RI 40s!)

4- 8:11 (RI 41s)

5- 8:02 (RI 41s) - pacing with 3 other guys

6- 8:08 (RI 45s!!)

7- 8:05....

Died....

Exhilarating Trackwork

Swim
Swam 30 laps, experimenting with the higher elbows and non-slapping entry that Coach pointed out. Not sure if I had gotten the moves correct since I could not see myself. Hmm... Also, practised turning more efficiently at the wall so as not to lose momentum. I think that helped.

1- 12:49min
2- 12:48min
3- 13:04min

Run
Slow jog to Queenstown stadium. Why was everyone going to so fast? It was only a warm-up jog leh... Took about 25min, ~4km.

5x 1.2km (with varying rest intervals, which I think were shortening from 4min by abt 10sec each set)
1- 5:23min
2- 5:22
3- 5:29
4- 5:32
5- 5:19

Totally jelly at the end. Simply set on the steps and tuned out for a while....

Then the slow jog back to Safra.... Ran half and walked the other half. Sleepy....