Thursday, April 28, 2005
Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like hell
No runnning today, but I felt it was time to finally nail my colours to the wall, and go public with my big picture goal. Originally my plan was to head to Edmonton, Canada, for the World Masters Games in June this year, and try to defend my 400m hurdles title (it being 2.5 years since I last ran one of these). However, finances and a small child put paid to that, and my recent injuries wouldn't have helped matters. And anyway, the next Games are in Sydney in 2009, so what's the rush?
But, when you hang out with people that do deca-triathlons (38km swim, 1800km bike ride, 420km run) or run from sea level to the top of Mt Kosiosko, it seems a small picture goal just won't do. So I have decided to compete in the World Double Decathlon Championships next year, which just happen to be in Australia. For the uninitiated (ie everyone), here's what's involved:
Day 1 - 100m, Long Jump, 200m hurdles, Shot Put, 5,000m, 800m, High Jump, 400m, Hammer Throw, 3,000m Steeplechase
Day 2 - 110m hurdles, Discus, 200m, Pole Vault, 3,000m, 400m Hurdles, Javelin, 1500m, Triple Jump and a nice easy 10,000m to finish
On the up-side, you do get an hour off for lunch each day!
What's my motivation? For starters, I turn 35 this year. My body is starting to creak a bit, and sporting endeavours will become more and more of a compromise, so there is no point putting off big goals for a later date - "someday is not a day of the week", as a wise person once said. So if you're going to set a goal, you may as well make it a big one - and things with the word "World" in them tend to fall into that category. However, I could set my sights on the World Chess Championships, to no avail, due to the fact that I am crap at chess. So I thought I'd pick something that I have some degree of aptitude towards.
I'm no slouch in the sprinting department, and have been known to do the odd half-marathon, so I am pretty strong in the running events. In a standard decathlon, this is not much of a virtue, as only four of the ten events are running based, and one of these involves some very high hurdles in the way. However, in the double decathlon, running events make up 12 of the 20 events, and six of these are 800m and over - giving an advantage to us whippets over the hefty smurfs. Throw in my presentable long jump, triple jump and high jump and that's three-quarters of the events accounted for. That still leaves the Pole Vault, for which my PB is currently 0.0 metres, and the four throwing events, which range from mediocre (shot put) to downright hilarious (hammer throw).
However, my main motivation is to get back into regular competition. I used to do Wednesday night athletics at my local club (we are heading back 10 years now), and loved having a go at everything (humiliation in the throwing events not withstanding). Having 20 PBs to chase, and the variety of events to practice and compete in, is something I am really looking forward to. And the weights and training for the throwing events will finally give Mrs Sparkie something decent to look at after all these years, to go with her soon-to-be-acquired more slender self (she started WW tonight).
What are my goals? The Australian Champs in April next year will be my first attempt at the event, although I would like to have a shot at a standard decathlon earlier in the year. The current Australian champion does just under 12,000 points. The best in the world do 13,000+. I love to break 11,000 points, but really just getting through the event without giving up the ghost would be an achievement.
So, in the next six months, I have to learn how to pole vault, throw heavy objects, build up enough muscle to throw heavy objects, improve my very rusty sprinting technique, learn how to jump over 1.1m high bits of wood without stopping, and remind myself how to Fosbury Flop again. All this while trying to build a solid distance base over winter, and keep my preferred start in the City to Surf. Oh well, now I've gone public, it's too late to change my mind!
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Wow, that's really exciting stuff Sparkie. You are so brave - what a goal!
Good luck with the training, can't wait to read all about it.
Good luck with the training, can't wait to read all about it.
Great post! Those goals should keep you out of mischief! Dale Carnegie said “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” Sounds like you've got plenty of fun to look forward to! As Tesso said, it will be great to read about your progress.
I know I'm biased, but Mrs Sparkie has chosen a great program to lose weight. :-)
By the way, it was the author Karen Salmansohn who said "Someday is not a day of the week".
I know I'm biased, but Mrs Sparkie has chosen a great program to lose weight. :-)
By the way, it was the author Karen Salmansohn who said "Someday is not a day of the week".
Thanks for the link Sparkie. I wish you all the best for thisBIG goal. It sounds very exciting, but I'm sure there will be times when you are wondering WHY, especially when the sprint hurdles are in front of you and the HJ bar and of course the time when you are running and you have a big stick in your hands and a bar to jump over... ;-)
It will be interesting to read the blog in the summer months!
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It will be interesting to read the blog in the summer months!
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