Indoor Season Rolls Round – The balance with Exams and Prep

It’s that time of year again when the indoor season approaches.  This year most of the squad has the added strain of exams to balance into their competition schedule.  Both can be stressful in their own rights; but used together one can help alleviate the stress of the other.  If an athlete has a study plan in place well ahead of their exams, then their competition and training plan can work around it.  Training or competing can help clear the mind and provide focus to the athlete for their study and their actual exams.  With good planning, training can help provide good study breaks.

This year our preparation for the indoors has been our best so far.  We are in a fortunate position as our local facility at Pitreavie also has an indoor 60m running track, and this is used when focussing on our speed phase. The final part of the preparation jigsaw however is the 200m indoor track with the banking which can’t be practiced without being on such a track.  This year we ventured to the actual venue, the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, to get the best preparation possible allowing us to practice the bends as well as the cut in for the 400m/300m.

The 400m runners, Ben and coach Paul, performed three runs; 350m, 250m and 150m.

The purpose of each:

350m – Practice the first lap in lanes then the cut in and allowing the majority of the second lap to be performed at race pace.  The final 50m is not the priority in this case, it is to ensure each marker is hit on time for the race, those being 200m and 300m.

250m – Practice the first lap in lanes then the cut in again to have it nailed on the perfect race pace finishing after the third bend.  Again, ensuring the 200m marker is hit on time.

150m – Pure speed practice in lanes, run at top speed for the majority of the 200m, providing race practice for the 200m.

Ben running 150m

Similarly the 300m runner, Beth, performed an equivalent session, 250m, 200m, 150m.

Paul and Beth running 150m

The shorter distance sprinters, Cameron, Sinead and Sarah were practicing for both the 200m and 60m.  Their session was 2x150m and 3x40m at top speed with the purpose being:

150m – Pure speed practice in lanes, run at top speed.  Key is the drive phase from blocks to get into the pace and drive off that first bend, taking it into the second bend and completing that bend at speed.

40m – Block drive phase specific to drive-out hard and get up to top speed by the 40m mark to ensure sharpness for the shortest event on the track.

Cameron over 40m

Sarah and Sinead over 40m

A fantastic session and all target times hit bang on…next stop the National Open on the 12th January.

 

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