A couple of weeks ago I had a 3 day business meeting in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. The area is on the Atlantic side about half way between Daytona and Fort Lauderdale and we had access to Jenson Beach with a 15 minute drive! I love running on the beach. I get to look at the stride length and see how well my stride is doing and check evenness from side to side. Some may think this is anal retentive--it is-but it is helpful to gain some knowledge on your body reacts to the running motion and uneven surfaces...sand.
I worked on some starts to see how my step length was changing and it does take about 15 meters to get completely stretched out and full stride. I did four starts in a 50 meters stretch of hard sand and in each attempt the steps were identical. The last one was a little different, but I was getting tired and it showed with a half step shorter at the end. The body lets you know how much it likes in interesting ways.
The temperature at the beach was around 65 degrees with a NE wind quartering to the beach which is North South in direction. I have run with and against the wind for years and the wind makes a huge difference in speed. Here is the proof.
I ran some 200 meter repeats at 90% with the wind and also against the wind. I was working on my stride length and trying to get a feel for the max length that I can develop. Longer strides are typically better. A couple years ago, it was 78 inches with the right and left sides the same.
My stride length with a 12 MPH wind quartering into my right side front was about 65 inches. With the wind on my left rear shoulder, my stride length was 76 inches! That difference of 11 inches is a huge handicap to overcame when running against the wind. The shorter steps means you are on the ground significantly more times. In the shorter events, that is a difference of 3 or 4 more steps required to finish the distance. That is just a huge difference. Wind aided is real. I have noticed some seasons my times were just anemic and I had no physical reason. After some review of these events the wind was aiding or retarding times and a good wind is a great friend for quick times. Running in the wind is feast or famine and I know why now.
That was an interesting day at the beach!
A couple days ago I ran in Winston-Salem at the USATF SE Regional Masters meet. We were at the JDL Fast Track facility. The track is 200 meters with no banking, but is relatively new and in good shape. This was my first racing of the new season and I was in the 60, 200 and HJ events. I ran the 60 first and finished 6th with a 8.75 second race. That 60 was my fastest in a couple of years and I was just too slow to get in the money. I felt good and had a good start. I know what to work on now. I then switched to the HJ and cleared 1.4 meters and just could not get over 1.45 meters and took second. The run way area was tight and I did struggle to get run up to my liking. I was happy with the results. I will work on a modified run up as the weather permits so I can make the most of my jumps in March.
The final event was the 200, I did not do the 400--that is in two weeks when we go to Kenosha, WI for a meet. The 200 was in two heats and I ran the first heat in lane 6 and the other competitor was in lane 5. I got a decent start and at 100 meters he had made up the stagger and that meant I was behind. With 80 to go I just mashed the gas and put all the power down I could find to the track and pulled out the win....that felt great. I had a great lean, but it was not necessary--I won by a full stride. He said he got tired at the end, so my training is working to have some power left, that is fun racing--real passing.
Then you wait for your final finish. The results were on the TV screen at the finish, so we would know right away of the final order. The next heat had the winner in lane 3, he ran an easy 29.00. If I was in that heat I am not sure I could have done anything with him, but you just don't know. I was really happy with the silver, I got in some early season racing and you gotta get some racing done to get sharpened up.
Race review indicated no injuries, just some general soreness in the upper abs and my right hammie was a little tweaky. Also my feet were sore for spikes, but that will get corrected as I do more track work. I have trained with cables all winter to get the hammies stronger and it has helped a lot. But, real racing when you go max power to run someone down does leave a mark. That is what I needed and I will start doing some track work where I work on max acceleration at the halfway mark to get some real stress on the hammies and core. I think I have the season off to great start--some great racing and something to work on.....
FYI-- this is blog number 250 for those whom are counting.
I worked on some starts to see how my step length was changing and it does take about 15 meters to get completely stretched out and full stride. I did four starts in a 50 meters stretch of hard sand and in each attempt the steps were identical. The last one was a little different, but I was getting tired and it showed with a half step shorter at the end. The body lets you know how much it likes in interesting ways.
I ran some 200 meter repeats at 90% with the wind and also against the wind. I was working on my stride length and trying to get a feel for the max length that I can develop. Longer strides are typically better. A couple years ago, it was 78 inches with the right and left sides the same.
My stride length with a 12 MPH wind quartering into my right side front was about 65 inches. With the wind on my left rear shoulder, my stride length was 76 inches! That difference of 11 inches is a huge handicap to overcame when running against the wind. The shorter steps means you are on the ground significantly more times. In the shorter events, that is a difference of 3 or 4 more steps required to finish the distance. That is just a huge difference. Wind aided is real. I have noticed some seasons my times were just anemic and I had no physical reason. After some review of these events the wind was aiding or retarding times and a good wind is a great friend for quick times. Running in the wind is feast or famine and I know why now.
That was an interesting day at the beach!
A couple days ago I ran in Winston-Salem at the USATF SE Regional Masters meet. We were at the JDL Fast Track facility. The track is 200 meters with no banking, but is relatively new and in good shape. This was my first racing of the new season and I was in the 60, 200 and HJ events. I ran the 60 first and finished 6th with a 8.75 second race. That 60 was my fastest in a couple of years and I was just too slow to get in the money. I felt good and had a good start. I know what to work on now. I then switched to the HJ and cleared 1.4 meters and just could not get over 1.45 meters and took second. The run way area was tight and I did struggle to get run up to my liking. I was happy with the results. I will work on a modified run up as the weather permits so I can make the most of my jumps in March.
The final event was the 200, I did not do the 400--that is in two weeks when we go to Kenosha, WI for a meet. The 200 was in two heats and I ran the first heat in lane 6 and the other competitor was in lane 5. I got a decent start and at 100 meters he had made up the stagger and that meant I was behind. With 80 to go I just mashed the gas and put all the power down I could find to the track and pulled out the win....that felt great. I had a great lean, but it was not necessary--I won by a full stride. He said he got tired at the end, so my training is working to have some power left, that is fun racing--real passing.Then you wait for your final finish. The results were on the TV screen at the finish, so we would know right away of the final order. The next heat had the winner in lane 3, he ran an easy 29.00. If I was in that heat I am not sure I could have done anything with him, but you just don't know. I was really happy with the silver, I got in some early season racing and you gotta get some racing done to get sharpened up.
Race review indicated no injuries, just some general soreness in the upper abs and my right hammie was a little tweaky. Also my feet were sore for spikes, but that will get corrected as I do more track work. I have trained with cables all winter to get the hammies stronger and it has helped a lot. But, real racing when you go max power to run someone down does leave a mark. That is what I needed and I will start doing some track work where I work on max acceleration at the halfway mark to get some real stress on the hammies and core. I think I have the season off to great start--some great racing and something to work on.....
FYI-- this is blog number 250 for those whom are counting.
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