Rest: The Key to Success
I woke up to a very wonderful site this morning. There was no snow.
The forecasters predicted 5 inches of snow with a high of 37 degrees, but instead St. Paul received 45 degrees, which basically melted all the snow in the Twin Cities area. The sprinters, jumpers and throwers all practiced inside, but the middle distance squad and myself took a jog over to Macalaster College to do our workout at their facility. Although Concordia co-owns a stadium with Central High School, we are not able to use the track for various reasons, so we have to either run to Macalaster College or Hamline University. Concordia is in the fund-raising stage for a new stadium right now, but it won't be built till after I graduate. Anyways, here's what my workout looked like today...
11:00am run: 3 mile jog in 19:30
4:00pm workout: 1.5 mile warm-up run to Macalaster College
2 by 4 by 200m @ 800m race pace, with 200m jog recovery. 4 minutes between sets.
1.5 mile cool down
The workout focused on switching gears; fast to slow, slow to fast. For example, I would run my first 200m in 28 seconds, then go straight into a 200m jog recovery which took about 50 seconds, and then back into a 28 seconds 200m. This pattern continued for 1 mile, and then we had a 4 minute break before our next and final set. I had never done the workout before, so I didn't know what to expect. The wind was blowing from the west pretty hard, so each fast 200m was directly into the wind. I was still able to dip below 29 seconds for my fast 200m's, but they were extremely difficult. All in all, today was a humbling experience, but I was happy wear spikes outside for a change.
My coach and I also decided that I would not be running at St. Johns this weekend. Instead, I will hit another 50 mile week which will contain 4 workouts, and one of those will be on Saturday morning. I will open up my outdoor season at the Hamline Invitational next weekend, and hopefully put on a good race for my parents who are flying up from Colorado to watch. I'll be entered in the 800m, and more than likely finish the day off with a good ol' 4x400m relay.
I don't have a hypothetical question for today, but I do have a story. I was talking to one of my teammates today (a freshman), and he was trying to convince me that the best way to train is to have hard workouts 5 consecutive days in the week, leaving only one day for rest. He claimed that mechanics and plyometrics don't help with sprinting at all. In his opinion, they were "a big waste of time".
One of the biggest mistakes that many collegiate track and field newcomers make is that they undermine the importance of rest. Many people feel that if there is "no pain, then there is no gain", but that is completely false. Think about any injuries you've sustained from athletics. More then likely, they came from the overuse of that body part. Stress fractures, pulled muscles, and tendonitis are all products of overtraining, and it is all too common in track and field. I'm not a doctor, but I think many will agree that proper rest is one the keys to a successful track career.
With that being said, I am going to kick back in my chair and read a book. I'm sure my legs will appreciate me for it. I hope you all are running hard, and staying healthy. God Bless.
Quote of the day:
"Matt, running a 1:54 800m is going to be as painful as running a 1:52 800m, so you might as well run a 1:52." - Coach J.B -
post comment
who is matt eicheldinger?
12:06 PM, March 27, 2008
.. Posted by Anonymous
Seems like a good guy, but I've never heard of him.
I am average
3:07 PM, March 27, 2008
.. Posted by Eich
I am not famous any means, so if you google my name, you'll just get old stats. I'm just an average D2 runner. I've won a few NSIC Conference Individual titles (400m, 800m), but I'm not anyone you would hear about on T.V. I enjoy writing, even though I may not be great at it. This site gives me the opportunity to talk about track, a subject which most people fall asleep listening to.
Edited by Eich on March 27, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Enjoy the blog
9:49 PM, March 27, 2008
.. Posted by Anonymous
Keep up the good work. Best of luck.
Untitled Comment
10:03 PM, March 27, 2008
.. Posted by missjudy
I think it\'s awesome that your parents would travel all the way from Colorado to see a 1:54:00 800m....make that a 1:52:00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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