Sunday, January 29, 2006
Broken wrist, shattered Sparkie
This won't be a long one - too soon after the fact for analysis, and too hard typing with one hand.
Clipped the 9th hurdle in the 110m hurdles at Homebush yesterday, came down on my right arm, end of race. Off to the medical room, end of racing for the day. Off to hospital, likely fracture, end of National Masters Decathlon attempt. X-ray, doctor's analysis, broken wrist requiring surgery, end of double decathlon goal?
Backlog of cases meant surgery couldn't be done yesterday, so I have a referral to a hand specialist tomorrow, and will ideally be operated on ASAP (having metal plate inserted). Surgery should see a much quicker recovery than setting in plaster, and a stronger end-result.
Long-term outlook is uncertain, but I won't be picking up a pole vault pole for a long time. The specialist should give a better idea of what the long-term implications are.
Athletics aside, not being able to type (and therefore work), pick up Louis, drive, and help with the million jobs that have to be done before the house goes on the market has me fairly frustrated (to put it mildly). However, until I know more I won't be jumping to any conclusions - optimistic or pessimistic - and will subsist on my steady diet of painkillers.
Huge thank you to Lorna for her ambulance driver/waiting-room companion efforts, making a very tough day much more bearable.
Clipped the 9th hurdle in the 110m hurdles at Homebush yesterday, came down on my right arm, end of race. Off to the medical room, end of racing for the day. Off to hospital, likely fracture, end of National Masters Decathlon attempt. X-ray, doctor's analysis, broken wrist requiring surgery, end of double decathlon goal?
Backlog of cases meant surgery couldn't be done yesterday, so I have a referral to a hand specialist tomorrow, and will ideally be operated on ASAP (having metal plate inserted). Surgery should see a much quicker recovery than setting in plaster, and a stronger end-result.
Long-term outlook is uncertain, but I won't be picking up a pole vault pole for a long time. The specialist should give a better idea of what the long-term implications are.
Athletics aside, not being able to type (and therefore work), pick up Louis, drive, and help with the million jobs that have to be done before the house goes on the market has me fairly frustrated (to put it mildly). However, until I know more I won't be jumping to any conclusions - optimistic or pessimistic - and will subsist on my steady diet of painkillers.
Huge thank you to Lorna for her ambulance driver/waiting-room companion efforts, making a very tough day much more bearable.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Love and other bruises...
Tuesday 24th January 2006
The opportunity to do a pole vault session came up yesterday, and so I prepared an elaborate case as to why I should be allowed to skip the working-bee and head out for the afternoon. Fortunately, all jobs had been done, and the offer to take my 7 year-old neice off Amelia's hands clinched the deal.
However, 7 year-olds and promptness don't always go hand in hand, and I arrived about 20 minutes late. An insufficient warm-up (which thankfully had no repercussions), and straight into vaulting. I got a couple of practice plants in before the bar (ropeactually - this distinction will become important later on) went up. Having been 2 months since I last cleared a height, I was a bit nervous as Jim called out 2.40m - my PB. So I was quite surprised when I launched to realise I was looking down on the rope, and getting over was a formality. I was even more surprised to find that Jim had lied and it was 2.50m that I had cleared. Second jump was also successful, and upon landing, Jim informed me it was 2.70m - a 30cm PB.
After this, we decided it was time to use the proper bar, and Jim set the height to 2.80m. A valiant but unsuccessful attempt provided an object lesson in why you don't use the bar in training. I came down, the bar came down on my right ankle, my left leg came down on the bar, and my right ankle experienced a sensation akin to being hit with an iron bar. Refusing to be daunted, I soldiered on through the session, but things weren't good, and I didn't get another clearance. However, I few technical things, such as my run-up and plant, were improving, so it wasn't a total waste of time.
Another thing I discovered was that each jump takes a bit out of you, and I was having trouble finding the strength to push-off the bar on later jumps. This wouldn't have been helped by the fact that I upped all my weights that morning at the gym to 6-rep max - in some cases doubling the weights I was lifting. My logic is that I am not trying to do 12 moderate shot-put throws, but 3 bigs ones. Therefore lifting heavier weights is what is needed. The few months of higher reps should allow me to transition to the heavier weights, which will hopefully add a few points in the strength events.
The downside of my enthusiastic training was a roster of sore bits today (picture Indiana Jones on the boat - without the swarthy good looks). Sore right ankle (I don't think it's broken, as I hiked round town today on it - but it sure is sore). Bruise on right hip (another encounter with the bar). Spike cut on right calf. Bruise on back from doing back rolls (badly)- a drill that Amy made look easy (something to do with 6 years of gymnastics and only being 16). Sore right arm (resdiually tired from throws and weight training, but also copping a heavy workout for the vault). Capped this off with 4 hours sleep last night as I worked on a deadline, so I could take Louis to the aquarium today.
Very sore and sorry today! But very happy at the same time.
The opportunity to do a pole vault session came up yesterday, and so I prepared an elaborate case as to why I should be allowed to skip the working-bee and head out for the afternoon. Fortunately, all jobs had been done, and the offer to take my 7 year-old neice off Amelia's hands clinched the deal.
However, 7 year-olds and promptness don't always go hand in hand, and I arrived about 20 minutes late. An insufficient warm-up (which thankfully had no repercussions), and straight into vaulting. I got a couple of practice plants in before the bar (ropeactually - this distinction will become important later on) went up. Having been 2 months since I last cleared a height, I was a bit nervous as Jim called out 2.40m - my PB. So I was quite surprised when I launched to realise I was looking down on the rope, and getting over was a formality. I was even more surprised to find that Jim had lied and it was 2.50m that I had cleared. Second jump was also successful, and upon landing, Jim informed me it was 2.70m - a 30cm PB.
After this, we decided it was time to use the proper bar, and Jim set the height to 2.80m. A valiant but unsuccessful attempt provided an object lesson in why you don't use the bar in training. I came down, the bar came down on my right ankle, my left leg came down on the bar, and my right ankle experienced a sensation akin to being hit with an iron bar. Refusing to be daunted, I soldiered on through the session, but things weren't good, and I didn't get another clearance. However, I few technical things, such as my run-up and plant, were improving, so it wasn't a total waste of time.
Another thing I discovered was that each jump takes a bit out of you, and I was having trouble finding the strength to push-off the bar on later jumps. This wouldn't have been helped by the fact that I upped all my weights that morning at the gym to 6-rep max - in some cases doubling the weights I was lifting. My logic is that I am not trying to do 12 moderate shot-put throws, but 3 bigs ones. Therefore lifting heavier weights is what is needed. The few months of higher reps should allow me to transition to the heavier weights, which will hopefully add a few points in the strength events.
The downside of my enthusiastic training was a roster of sore bits today (picture Indiana Jones on the boat - without the swarthy good looks). Sore right ankle (I don't think it's broken, as I hiked round town today on it - but it sure is sore). Bruise on right hip (another encounter with the bar). Spike cut on right calf. Bruise on back from doing back rolls (badly)- a drill that Amy made look easy (something to do with 6 years of gymnastics and only being 16). Sore right arm (resdiually tired from throws and weight training, but also copping a heavy workout for the vault). Capped this off with 4 hours sleep last night as I worked on a deadline, so I could take Louis to the aquarium today.
Very sore and sorry today! But very happy at the same time.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Discus, javelin, pole vault, hurdles, long jump and a big sigh of relief...
After taking a few days off to let the ADDUCTORS heal, I was starting to worry that it was going to take a few weeks before I could train properly for some of the more demanding events (pole vault, hurdles, jumps). After Friday's 1km surge session (probably not the best run to test it on), I was expecting to be a bit sore and sorry. But come Saturday morning, I actually woke up with no stiffness whatsoever - the first time in four days. A revolutionary new treatment?
Saturday saw some desperately needed throws training. Drove up to Foxglove oval, only to discover that on weekends it doubles as a cricket oval. Didn't think my javelin practise would go down well with deep fine leg, so drove back home, and went to Normanhurst High, which has a discus and shot circle, and a line to not cross when you throw the javelin (although the grass is in depserate need of mowing). Forty-five minutes of discus and half an hour of javelin yielded the realisation that I have to spend a lot more time on these events. Although there were a couple of good throws (29.10 javelin, close to 25 for discus), consistency was still a problem. One good point, I kept wanting to have 'one more try', even though some raised eyebrows were waiting for me at home. It is tempting to stick to the stuff your good at, so the willingness to keep working on my weaker events was encouraging.
Sunday came, and again the adductor was holding up well, although a little more tender than the previous day. Continuing my theme of traveling to training venues only to find them unavailable for training, I headed out to Homebush for a pole vault session. However, cry-baby Clinton Hill (Olympic 4x400m silver medalist) had complained the previous week about the surface of the training track, so some emergency repairs were underway and the track was closed.
Back in the car and out to Lane Cove, where I planned to do a 400m session. However, 3 laps into my warm-up, Jim turns up with some pole vault poles, and so I jumped back to my original plan. Because of the lack of mats, we just did plant practice into the long jump pit, but it is good to get back into it after an extended layoff since November. There is a training session Thursday afternoon, but a family lunch at our place could make it difficult to slip away. I have penciled in the pole vault at the all-comers meet at Homebush on Saturday, but would like to have another session with the bags before attempting open competition.
The adductor was holding up well, so I decided to press my luck when Jim started lining up hurdles. Some drills beforehand allowed me to ease into it, and the I did about five 5 hurdle sets, clocking the last one in 10.3 at the 60m mark. Extrapolating this out gives 18.8 for the full 110m, a rather significant PB, which I will hopefully by able to match in the real thing on Saturday.
Finally, some long jump practice, where I have got my run-up under control (26.5m), and have started improving my jumps. Got out to about 5.25m - still a way to go, but I am now at a point where I am focusing on jumping, rather than taking a big last step in a run.
Today (Monday) saw a garden variety 12km run in 54 minutes - just an easy run which I haven't done for a while. Hit the roads, as the thing below my left knee is feeling better, and felt no ill effects for what was a very comfortable session. Spent a portion of the day in the garden, with my little helper.
Hell week ahead of me, with two work deadlines, lots of work around the house (the house goes on the market next week), my seven year-old neice staying with us, good friends moving interstate, a wine club committee meeting to attend, and a function to organise in two weeks - and somehow fitting in training (I haven't been to the gym for a week). Friday I have to stain the deck twice while Louis and Amelia are away, get the carpets cleaned and get rid of some exces furniture. Friday night can't come quickly enough.
Saturday I am planning to compete at the all-comers meet at Homebush in the 110m hurdles, 100m, long jump and either the 400m or pole vault (probably the former, given a lack of recent practice in the pole).
Saturday saw some desperately needed throws training. Drove up to Foxglove oval, only to discover that on weekends it doubles as a cricket oval. Didn't think my javelin practise would go down well with deep fine leg, so drove back home, and went to Normanhurst High, which has a discus and shot circle, and a line to not cross when you throw the javelin (although the grass is in depserate need of mowing). Forty-five minutes of discus and half an hour of javelin yielded the realisation that I have to spend a lot more time on these events. Although there were a couple of good throws (29.10 javelin, close to 25 for discus), consistency was still a problem. One good point, I kept wanting to have 'one more try', even though some raised eyebrows were waiting for me at home. It is tempting to stick to the stuff your good at, so the willingness to keep working on my weaker events was encouraging.
Sunday came, and again the adductor was holding up well, although a little more tender than the previous day. Continuing my theme of traveling to training venues only to find them unavailable for training, I headed out to Homebush for a pole vault session. However, cry-baby Clinton Hill (Olympic 4x400m silver medalist) had complained the previous week about the surface of the training track, so some emergency repairs were underway and the track was closed.
Back in the car and out to Lane Cove, where I planned to do a 400m session. However, 3 laps into my warm-up, Jim turns up with some pole vault poles, and so I jumped back to my original plan. Because of the lack of mats, we just did plant practice into the long jump pit, but it is good to get back into it after an extended layoff since November. There is a training session Thursday afternoon, but a family lunch at our place could make it difficult to slip away. I have penciled in the pole vault at the all-comers meet at Homebush on Saturday, but would like to have another session with the bags before attempting open competition.
The adductor was holding up well, so I decided to press my luck when Jim started lining up hurdles. Some drills beforehand allowed me to ease into it, and the I did about five 5 hurdle sets, clocking the last one in 10.3 at the 60m mark. Extrapolating this out gives 18.8 for the full 110m, a rather significant PB, which I will hopefully by able to match in the real thing on Saturday.
Finally, some long jump practice, where I have got my run-up under control (26.5m), and have started improving my jumps. Got out to about 5.25m - still a way to go, but I am now at a point where I am focusing on jumping, rather than taking a big last step in a run.
Today (Monday) saw a garden variety 12km run in 54 minutes - just an easy run which I haven't done for a while. Hit the roads, as the thing below my left knee is feeling better, and felt no ill effects for what was a very comfortable session. Spent a portion of the day in the garden, with my little helper.
Hell week ahead of me, with two work deadlines, lots of work around the house (the house goes on the market next week), my seven year-old neice staying with us, good friends moving interstate, a wine club committee meeting to attend, and a function to organise in two weeks - and somehow fitting in training (I haven't been to the gym for a week). Friday I have to stain the deck twice while Louis and Amelia are away, get the carpets cleaned and get rid of some exces furniture. Friday night can't come quickly enough.
Saturday I am planning to compete at the all-comers meet at Homebush in the 110m hurdles, 100m, long jump and either the 400m or pole vault (probably the former, given a lack of recent practice in the pole).
Friday, January 20, 2006
Ouch...
It is a bit of a giveaway if I am injured - I don't blog. So in this case no news is bad news.
After a run-free day on Sunday, following a big night at a wedding on Saturday, I also skipped my scheduled Monday morning gym/run session, as I had a lot of work to do for a client meeting that afternoon. The meeting was about 15 mintues from Narabeen, so I thought I could get some hurdling practice on tartan in afterwards, and indeed, events unfolded that way.
After a fairly thorough warm-up with stretching, 2km run and some run-throughs with one of the sprint squads, I set up 5 hurdles on the track that someone had nicely marked for me (OK, maybe they didn't do it just for me). A few practice starts, and then some one hurdle runs. BANG - right abductor strain on the first one. Not a collapse to the ground in agony injury, but defintely more than just a tight muscle. I walked back to the start line, did some stretches, and attempted another start, but quickly learnt that there would be no more running today.
Home to ice and lick my wounds (not literally - although give him a biscuit and he might let you).
Did the right thing this time round - lots of icing, no training, and some Internet research on groin injuries. Definintely only a grade one pull, and probably about 0.8. Walking normally I did not notice it, which was good news. I learnt that unlike nearly all other leg injuries, stretching is not recommended in the early stages of recovery, and rather some strengthening via squeezing a ball between your knees with straight, 45 degree and 90 degree knee angles, is the order of the day. Have been doing this with Louis's spikey ball, which is good, except when Louis is around, and either tries to take the ball, or just climbs over daddy while he is on the ground.
Today (Friday 20th) I decided that is was time to test things, and headed out at 5:30pm for a run. Usual Loretto on grass, and after a first km in 3:57 to loosen up (I hadn't run properly for 6 days, so was a bit edgy), I decided to give things a shake, and ran the next 3km in 10:43. After a brief encounter with a small yappy dog threw out my rhthym, a decided to alternate the next few km, doing 1 strong, 1 easy. Eased back to 4:25 for the 5th km, then 3:32 for the 6th, 4:51 for the 7th, 3:25 for the 8th and an eay 4:36 to finish with. 9km in total in 35:30. Not a spectacular run, but importantly the groin was relatively pain free, and actually became less noticeable as the run went on.
However, I am pretty worried about it. Being able to coast along at 3:30/km is very different from running 100m in 12 seconds, and as I have been going through each event, I am realising they all depend on strong muscles in this area. I have started some stretches and strengthening work in this area, and it is probably better for this to have happened now when I can take remedial action. However, it is an area that is going to be stressed in any training I do, which will make recovery more difficult, and reinjury highly possible. With the National Decathlon champs only three weeks away, and some glaring holes in a few of my performances, I really can't afford to rest fully and will have to train around it. Hurdles will go on the back-burner for another week at least, but I will head along to pole vault training on Sunday, and do some throws work tomorrow, as well as some 1500m pace intervals. Most annoyingly, time and finances really make getting proper physio for this hard to justify. I will see how the weekend goes before ruling this out altogether.
After a run-free day on Sunday, following a big night at a wedding on Saturday, I also skipped my scheduled Monday morning gym/run session, as I had a lot of work to do for a client meeting that afternoon. The meeting was about 15 mintues from Narabeen, so I thought I could get some hurdling practice on tartan in afterwards, and indeed, events unfolded that way.
After a fairly thorough warm-up with stretching, 2km run and some run-throughs with one of the sprint squads, I set up 5 hurdles on the track that someone had nicely marked for me (OK, maybe they didn't do it just for me). A few practice starts, and then some one hurdle runs. BANG - right abductor strain on the first one. Not a collapse to the ground in agony injury, but defintely more than just a tight muscle. I walked back to the start line, did some stretches, and attempted another start, but quickly learnt that there would be no more running today.
Home to ice and lick my wounds (not literally - although give him a biscuit and he might let you).
Did the right thing this time round - lots of icing, no training, and some Internet research on groin injuries. Definintely only a grade one pull, and probably about 0.8. Walking normally I did not notice it, which was good news. I learnt that unlike nearly all other leg injuries, stretching is not recommended in the early stages of recovery, and rather some strengthening via squeezing a ball between your knees with straight, 45 degree and 90 degree knee angles, is the order of the day. Have been doing this with Louis's spikey ball, which is good, except when Louis is around, and either tries to take the ball, or just climbs over daddy while he is on the ground.
Today (Friday 20th) I decided that is was time to test things, and headed out at 5:30pm for a run. Usual Loretto on grass, and after a first km in 3:57 to loosen up (I hadn't run properly for 6 days, so was a bit edgy), I decided to give things a shake, and ran the next 3km in 10:43. After a brief encounter with a small yappy dog threw out my rhthym, a decided to alternate the next few km, doing 1 strong, 1 easy. Eased back to 4:25 for the 5th km, then 3:32 for the 6th, 4:51 for the 7th, 3:25 for the 8th and an eay 4:36 to finish with. 9km in total in 35:30. Not a spectacular run, but importantly the groin was relatively pain free, and actually became less noticeable as the run went on.
However, I am pretty worried about it. Being able to coast along at 3:30/km is very different from running 100m in 12 seconds, and as I have been going through each event, I am realising they all depend on strong muscles in this area. I have started some stretches and strengthening work in this area, and it is probably better for this to have happened now when I can take remedial action. However, it is an area that is going to be stressed in any training I do, which will make recovery more difficult, and reinjury highly possible. With the National Decathlon champs only three weeks away, and some glaring holes in a few of my performances, I really can't afford to rest fully and will have to train around it. Hurdles will go on the back-burner for another week at least, but I will head along to pole vault training on Sunday, and do some throws work tomorrow, as well as some 1500m pace intervals. Most annoyingly, time and finances really make getting proper physio for this hard to justify. I will see how the weekend goes before ruling this out altogether.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Hurdles and Wiggles
Saturday 14th January 2006
Up again at 5.3oam, despite having a wedding tonight that will definitely go past midnight. Headed to Pennant Hills Park to do some hurdling in leiu of Wednesdays reshuffled session.
About half an hour to warm-up, stretch, do run-throughs and get the hurdles in place (must buy a spray can to mark their positions, to save me measuring each time). Launched into my first set, from a croush start, and BANG, straight into the first hurdle. The ground was so wet and spongy that my stride pattern was shot to bits, and I had to swap to leading with my left leg over the first hurdle (normally it is the right). The ground also stuffed my timing between hurdles, and I wasn't really getting much out of the session, so stopped after 10 reps to shift to 400m hurdle drills. These felt much better, and did 10 100m reps with 3 hurdles.
Racing against the clock (I had to be back by 7:30 so Amelia could get to the hairdressers), I finished with a 1200m steeple in 4:08, which was very comfortable. 1.6km warmup and 1km warm down. In the door at 7:28.
Finding that alternating lead legs is becoming more natural - my problem in the past was always wanting to lead with the right, and adjusting my stride pattern accordingly, which totally blows your rhythm. I will try and do my hurdles sessions on tartan from now on, as a key factor is programming a series of actions, and constantly changing conditions on grass will not help achieve that. Plus, the tracks have their own hurdles (saving me lugging mine around, and giving me the reality of crashing into 5kg of metal and wood, rather than 1km of PVC) , and properly marked layouts, saving me time measuring.
This morning's session also highlights that my flexibility is still not up to par, and I will need to start doing some more specific stretches for hurdles and high jump.
Spent the morning with just Louis and I. I am now officially a parent, as I know all the words to all The Wiggles' songs, as well as most of the dance actions. The more I see them, the more I like them - the exact opposite of my experience with 'Hi-5'.
Up again at 5.3oam, despite having a wedding tonight that will definitely go past midnight. Headed to Pennant Hills Park to do some hurdling in leiu of Wednesdays reshuffled session.
About half an hour to warm-up, stretch, do run-throughs and get the hurdles in place (must buy a spray can to mark their positions, to save me measuring each time). Launched into my first set, from a croush start, and BANG, straight into the first hurdle. The ground was so wet and spongy that my stride pattern was shot to bits, and I had to swap to leading with my left leg over the first hurdle (normally it is the right). The ground also stuffed my timing between hurdles, and I wasn't really getting much out of the session, so stopped after 10 reps to shift to 400m hurdle drills. These felt much better, and did 10 100m reps with 3 hurdles.
Racing against the clock (I had to be back by 7:30 so Amelia could get to the hairdressers), I finished with a 1200m steeple in 4:08, which was very comfortable. 1.6km warmup and 1km warm down. In the door at 7:28.
Finding that alternating lead legs is becoming more natural - my problem in the past was always wanting to lead with the right, and adjusting my stride pattern accordingly, which totally blows your rhythm. I will try and do my hurdles sessions on tartan from now on, as a key factor is programming a series of actions, and constantly changing conditions on grass will not help achieve that. Plus, the tracks have their own hurdles (saving me lugging mine around, and giving me the reality of crashing into 5kg of metal and wood, rather than 1km of PVC) , and properly marked layouts, saving me time measuring.
This morning's session also highlights that my flexibility is still not up to par, and I will need to start doing some more specific stretches for hurdles and high jump.
Spent the morning with just Louis and I. I am now officially a parent, as I know all the words to all The Wiggles' songs, as well as most of the dance actions. The more I see them, the more I like them - the exact opposite of my experience with 'Hi-5'.
Friday, January 13, 2006
back to back, and round and round
Friday 13th January 2006
With a weights/run back-to-back scheduled today, I posted to CoolRunning last night to get a concensus on whether to run first and then do weights, or vice versa. I awoke this morning to find the panel split on the matter. The most compelling argument was the psychological one - if I've done a run, I'll think I've done enough and skip the weights, but if I do the weights, then I'll still want to do the run. So after not being able to get back to sleep at 4:30am, I did a bit of work and headed to the gym. Standard weight program - upped a couple of weights - nothing much to say - boring to do, boring to write about...
A wet, misty morning - just the sort I love when running on grass. Ground is still wet enough to allow barefoot, so did a couple of km warmup (8:45), before deciding to try something new. The last event of the double decathlon is the 10,000m. Having never run one on the track, I think part of the challenge will be dealing with the monotony of doing 25 laps. So I decided to do the last 10km on the marked 400m track, to get my mind used to the event. Still in my Placebo phase, which gave me some 'run faster' music, which I promptly did, churning out the following splits: 4:14, 4:08, 4:05, 4:03, 4:02, 4:00, 3:59, 3:56, 3:42, 3:41). However, the whole run felt very rhthymic and loose - breathing was comfortable the entire way. The gym session appeared to have no impact on my running, which is the opposite of Monday's back-to-back session (I felt very ordinary at the gym after the run), so I will stick to this order in future. 12.5km all up in 50:17. A good, realxing run - felt great at the end.
A bit of a boost on the National Decathlon record front - Masters records use age-adjusted tables (to account for our frail condition), so my original goal of 5248 is now worth 5555 points, a nice 360 point buffer over the current record. I have resisted the temptation to scale back my targets - nothing has changed since I set them, but it is nice to know that I can afford to be a bit off in a couple of events.
With a weights/run back-to-back scheduled today, I posted to CoolRunning last night to get a concensus on whether to run first and then do weights, or vice versa. I awoke this morning to find the panel split on the matter. The most compelling argument was the psychological one - if I've done a run, I'll think I've done enough and skip the weights, but if I do the weights, then I'll still want to do the run. So after not being able to get back to sleep at 4:30am, I did a bit of work and headed to the gym. Standard weight program - upped a couple of weights - nothing much to say - boring to do, boring to write about...
A wet, misty morning - just the sort I love when running on grass. Ground is still wet enough to allow barefoot, so did a couple of km warmup (8:45), before deciding to try something new. The last event of the double decathlon is the 10,000m. Having never run one on the track, I think part of the challenge will be dealing with the monotony of doing 25 laps. So I decided to do the last 10km on the marked 400m track, to get my mind used to the event. Still in my Placebo phase, which gave me some 'run faster' music, which I promptly did, churning out the following splits: 4:14, 4:08, 4:05, 4:03, 4:02, 4:00, 3:59, 3:56, 3:42, 3:41). However, the whole run felt very rhthymic and loose - breathing was comfortable the entire way. The gym session appeared to have no impact on my running, which is the opposite of Monday's back-to-back session (I felt very ordinary at the gym after the run), so I will stick to this order in future. 12.5km all up in 50:17. A good, realxing run - felt great at the end.
A bit of a boost on the National Decathlon record front - Masters records use age-adjusted tables (to account for our frail condition), so my original goal of 5248 is now worth 5555 points, a nice 360 point buffer over the current record. I have resisted the temptation to scale back my targets - nothing has changed since I set them, but it is nice to know that I can afford to be a bit off in a couple of events.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
(not very) high jumping
Thursday 12th January 2006
Headed down to Lane Cove this afternoon for a track session, followed by a pole vault run-up session, and then hopefully my debut high jump session. However, Jim was a no-show, which actually worked well as I was running late, and with the proper warm-up thing, it was 4:30 before I was finished on the track.
Still on the tail-end of the the throat/chest thing from the weekend, so decided that a hard anaerobic workout wasn't the ticket. Instead, decided that my 400m needed a kick in the arse, so did a session of 3x200, 3x150, 3x100 with 2 minutes recoveries and 5 minutes between sets. Aiming for 400m pace, and felt relaxed and comfortable, although the last rep of each set was a bit of a struggle. Did the 200s in 27.1-27.4, the 150s in 20.0-20.3 and the 100s in 13.0-13.3. Could have done more, but didn't want to knacker myself for the other training sessions. Did 2km warm-up and 2km cool-down.
With Jim absent, I approached someone I remembered from Saturday, and asked if there was a high jump coach around. Turns out he (Ron) was it. After the matter of fees had been negotiated (a legitimate, but unexpected issue), we set up the bags and uprights and got into it. Very impressed with Ron - started with some technical aspects and drills, rather than just letting me throw myself at the bar. Did some back-ups from a standing start (standing with your back to the bag and throwing yourself over the bar) then some straddles over 1.40m (scissor kicking over the bar so you land on your feet on the bag). So far so good - a much more auspicious start than discus.
Then we came to an actual jump (Fosbury Flop - they've had 35 years to come up with a less daggy term). The 11 year gap since I last jumped became quite apparent. However, with some practice and feedback, I was soon clearing 1.60m (actually a bit less, as we were using a rope that sagged a bit in the middle) pretty regularly (although there were some shockers in there). In terms of improvement, the key thing for me was that this was all done off a five step run-up - increased proficiency should allow a longer run-up, which ideally will translate to more height.
Ron impressed me by making me take breaks when he thought I was trying too hard or losing focus. He showed me some simple drills to help me get my head round a few concepts, when things came unstuck. And he also offered some excellent encouragement with a few statements: "you're still doing a hell of a lot of things right", "I've never seen someone get that right first time" and my favourite "I don't see any reason why you can't clear 170 soon - probably more". All-in-all I came away feeling pretty positive, although getting out the bags and putting them away was reminiscient of 'Karate Kid' ("bag out, bag in"). A long way to go, but nice to know I am not starting from further back.
Tomorrow is supposed to be yesterday's hurdles session, but my legs are a bit ginger from today's session, so I will probably just do an easy hour or so at 4:30/km and head to the gym, doing the hurdles Saturday morning.
I have decided to abandon triple jump and hammer throw until winter - triple should benefit from long jump training, and hammer will just have to wait. Will focus for the next couple of months on training like a decathlete (primarily working on technique), with some longer runs to keep my aerobic strength in place. Over winter I will train much more like a distance runner, building a solid winter base before launching into a 2.5 month middle-distance peaking phase for the World Champs. This will be backed by technique work on hurdles and field events, and ongoing weight training.
Apologies if I ramble on sometimes, or get too detailed - I am finding putting my entries together is very helpful in analysing my training, particulaly given the lack of interested third-parties at home...
Headed down to Lane Cove this afternoon for a track session, followed by a pole vault run-up session, and then hopefully my debut high jump session. However, Jim was a no-show, which actually worked well as I was running late, and with the proper warm-up thing, it was 4:30 before I was finished on the track.
Still on the tail-end of the the throat/chest thing from the weekend, so decided that a hard anaerobic workout wasn't the ticket. Instead, decided that my 400m needed a kick in the arse, so did a session of 3x200, 3x150, 3x100 with 2 minutes recoveries and 5 minutes between sets. Aiming for 400m pace, and felt relaxed and comfortable, although the last rep of each set was a bit of a struggle. Did the 200s in 27.1-27.4, the 150s in 20.0-20.3 and the 100s in 13.0-13.3. Could have done more, but didn't want to knacker myself for the other training sessions. Did 2km warm-up and 2km cool-down.
With Jim absent, I approached someone I remembered from Saturday, and asked if there was a high jump coach around. Turns out he (Ron) was it. After the matter of fees had been negotiated (a legitimate, but unexpected issue), we set up the bags and uprights and got into it. Very impressed with Ron - started with some technical aspects and drills, rather than just letting me throw myself at the bar. Did some back-ups from a standing start (standing with your back to the bag and throwing yourself over the bar) then some straddles over 1.40m (scissor kicking over the bar so you land on your feet on the bag). So far so good - a much more auspicious start than discus.
Then we came to an actual jump (Fosbury Flop - they've had 35 years to come up with a less daggy term). The 11 year gap since I last jumped became quite apparent. However, with some practice and feedback, I was soon clearing 1.60m (actually a bit less, as we were using a rope that sagged a bit in the middle) pretty regularly (although there were some shockers in there). In terms of improvement, the key thing for me was that this was all done off a five step run-up - increased proficiency should allow a longer run-up, which ideally will translate to more height.
Ron impressed me by making me take breaks when he thought I was trying too hard or losing focus. He showed me some simple drills to help me get my head round a few concepts, when things came unstuck. And he also offered some excellent encouragement with a few statements: "you're still doing a hell of a lot of things right", "I've never seen someone get that right first time" and my favourite "I don't see any reason why you can't clear 170 soon - probably more". All-in-all I came away feeling pretty positive, although getting out the bags and putting them away was reminiscient of 'Karate Kid' ("bag out, bag in"). A long way to go, but nice to know I am not starting from further back.
Tomorrow is supposed to be yesterday's hurdles session, but my legs are a bit ginger from today's session, so I will probably just do an easy hour or so at 4:30/km and head to the gym, doing the hurdles Saturday morning.
I have decided to abandon triple jump and hammer throw until winter - triple should benefit from long jump training, and hammer will just have to wait. Will focus for the next couple of months on training like a decathlete (primarily working on technique), with some longer runs to keep my aerobic strength in place. Over winter I will train much more like a distance runner, building a solid winter base before launching into a 2.5 month middle-distance peaking phase for the World Champs. This will be backed by technique work on hurdles and field events, and ongoing weight training.
Apologies if I ramble on sometimes, or get too detailed - I am finding putting my entries together is very helpful in analysing my training, particulaly given the lack of interested third-parties at home...
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
A modest proposal
Took advantage of the heat today to have a rest day (apart from the 5:30am gym session). No competition this weekend, so I will shift my Wednesday hurdles session to Friday.
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
The improvements range from the negligible (11cm in shot put) to the enormous (65cm in long jump, 80 vertical cm in pole valut). It is a pretty tight schedule, with no real events where I can build a buffer (particularly if the winds are unfavourable in the 100m and/or long jump). Each performance is close to the best I can expect to be doing in a months time (the exception being the 1500m, where I might be able to pull back 5-8 seconds if I give it everything). For my benefit, more than yours, here is my logic on how the improvements will come:
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
| Event | Current | Target | Points |
| 100m | 12.30 | 12.10 | 631 |
| Long Jump | 5.10 | 5.75 | 533 |
| Shot Put | 8.64 | 8.75 | 411 |
| High Jump | 1.60? | 1.70 | 544 |
| 400m | 56.30 | 53.00 | 682 |
| 110m Hurdles | 20.40 | 18.50 | 477 |
| Discus | 26.86 | 28.00 | 425 |
| Pole Vault | 2.4 | 3.2 | 406 |
| Javelin | 30.10 | 32.00 | 327 |
| 1500m | 4:32.5 | 4:20.0 | 812 |
| Total | 5248 |
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
A modest proposal
Took advantage of the heat today to have a rest day (apart from the 5:30am gym session). No competition this weekend, so I will shift my Wednesday hurdles session to Friday.
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
The improvements range from the negligible (11cm in shot put) to the enormous (65cm in long jump, 80 vertical cm in pole valut). It is a pretty tight schedule, with no real events where I can build a buffer (particularly if the winds are unfavourable in the 100m and/or long jump). Each performance is close to the best I can expect to be doing in a months time (the exception being the 1500m, where I might be able to pull back 5-8 seconds if I give it everything). For my benefit, more than yours, here is my logic on how the improvements will come:
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
| Event | Current | Target | Points |
| 100m | 12.30 | 12.10 | 631 |
| Long Jump | 5.10 | 5.75 | 533 |
| Shot Put | 8.64 | 8.75 | 411 |
| High Jump | 1.60? | 1.70 | 544 |
| 400m | 56.30 | 53.00 | 682 |
| 110m Hurdles | 20.40 | 18.50 | 477 |
| Discus | 26.86 | 28.00 | 425 |
| Pole Vault | 2.4 | 3.2 | 406 |
| Javelin | 30.10 | 32.00 | 327 |
| 1500m | 4:32.5 | 4:20.0 | 812 |
| Total | 5248 |
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
A modest proposal
Took advantage of the heat today to have a rest day (apart from the 5:30am gym session). No competition this weekend, so I will shift my Wednesday hurdles session to Friday.
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
The improvements range from the negligible (11cm in shot put) to the enormous (65cm in long jump, 80 vertical cm in pole valut). It is a pretty tight schedule, with no real events where I can build a buffer (particularly if the winds are unfavourable in the 100m and/or long jump). Each performance is close to the best I can expect to be doing in a months time (the exception being the 1500m, where I might be able to pull back 5-8 seconds if I give it everything). For my benefit, more than yours, here is my logic on how the improvements will come:
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last - and probably NSW runner-up as there was only one NSW athlete entered). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will be his whenever he chooses (he currently holds the M30+ record, so he is not adverse to doing the paperwork to register records).
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
| Event | Current | Target | Points |
| 100m | 12.30 | 12.10 | 631 |
| Long Jump | 5.10 | 5.75 | 533 |
| Shot Put | 8.64 | 8.75 | 411 |
| High Jump | 1.60? | 1.70 | 544 |
| 400m | 56.30 | 53.00 | 682 |
| 110m Hurdles | 20.40 | 18.50 | 477 |
| Discus | 26.86 | 28.00 | 425 |
| Pole Vault | 2.4 | 3.2 | 406 |
| Javelin | 30.10 | 32.00 | 327 |
| 1500m | 4:32.5 | 4:20.0 | 812 |
| Total | 5248 |
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where big improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the national Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
A modest proposal
Took advantage of the heat today to have a rest day (apart from the 5:30 gym session). No competition this weekend, so I will shift my Wednesday hurdles session to Friday.
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will then be well over 7000 points.
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
The improvements range from the negligible (11cm in shot put) to the enormous (65cm in long jump, 80 vertical cm in pole valut). It is a pretty tight schedule, with no real events where I can build a buffer (particularly if the winds are unfavourable in the 100m and/or long jump). Each performance is close to the best I can expect to be doing in a months time (the exception being the 1500m, where I might be able to pull back 5-8 seconds if I give it everything). For my benefit, more than yours, here is my logic on how the improvements will come:
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the National Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
The NSW and Victorian State Decathlon championships were on last weekend, and I am disappointed to have missed them. Because of the relatively small number of participants, the two states combine them, and this year they were staged in Melbourne. I had originally planned to compete, but pulled out (or more correctly, never entered) after my run of injuries left me feeling I would be underprepared. On current form, this was probably wise, as the veteran's comp was 40+, so I would have been competing in the Opens, and would have finished somewhere near the end (but probably not last). On current form, I am sitting on about 4400 points, although this includes a soft 1500m.
I am keen to enter a proper decathlon before the end of the season, for a couple of reasons. Firstly to get a feel for multi-event competition, particularly the pressure of the field events, with their limited attempts and knock-outs. But mostly, so that I can have a crack at the National 35+ decathlon record. There - I've said it.
The record currently stands at 5194, which the observant among you will note is nearly 800 points higher than I am currently capable of. The only real opportunity I have is the Australian Masters Multi-event Championships, which are on the 18th and 19th of February - 38 days away. So no pressure!
You might ask why I am in such a rush - I am in this age group for another 4 years. Unfortunately, come October this year, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Matt McEwen also turns 35, and the record will then be well over 7000 points.
800 points is a lot, and even spread over 10 events it is still 80 points an event. Am I kidding myself? The following is, I believe, a realistic breakdown of what I might be capable of:
| Event | Current | Target | Points |
| 100m | 12.30 | 12.10 | 631 |
| Long Jump | 5.10 | 5.75 | 533 |
| Shot Put | 8.64 | 8.75 | 411 |
| High Jump | 1.60? | 1.70 | 544 |
| 400m | 56.30 | 53.00 | 682 |
| 110m Hurdles | 20.40 | 18.50 | 477 |
| Discus | 26.86 | 28.00 | 425 |
| Pole Vault | 2.4 | 3.2 | 406 |
| Javelin | 30.10 | 32.00 | 327 |
| 1500m | 4:32.5 | 4:20.0 | 812 |
| Total | 5248 |
100m - only 2 tenths, with the benefit of a tartan track. Not a huge concern.
Long Jump - 65cm - this is big, but only 19cm beyond my best. On reflection, I am not hitting the board at full-speed, so combined with jump technique work, this is an event where improvements are possinle
Shot-put - 11cm - I think that I am close to the best I am capable of in the short-term, so no huge ambitions here. Another 5 weeks in the gym might make a difference, but even a 9m throw is only another 15 points, so not a lot of leverage to be had.
High jump - 10cm - although I am starting with a figure of 160cm as my base, which I haven't confirmed. All will be revealed tomorrow when I do my first high jump training session.
400m - 3.6 seconds - sounds like a lot, but on tartan, I think I can run 54 at the moment - with out any speed training. In 1994/95 I ran 55 seconds in November and 52 seconds in February.
110m hurdles - 1.9 seconds - my benchmark was an appaling run, and my one practice session has given me a lot more confidence. With enough work, this could even be an event where I pick up points (or fall flat on my face and blow the whole thing)
Discus - 1.14m - with weeks of frustration, things have to start coming good soon! Hopefully my hip-shoulder-arm epiphany will pay-off in coming weeks.
Pole Vault - 80cm. This is the key - if I can't make siginficant improvements in this event, then I won't break the record. When I cleared 2.40, I did it with about 40cm to spare, so ideally I am only chasing another 40cm. I will miss this Sunday morning's training (wedding the night before), but have to make every other session, as well as mid-week run-up practice.
Javelin - 1.9m - practice, practice, practice. Keeping the momentum from my run-ups into my release is the key, as is consistency. Am finding that the practice is taking a bit of a toll on my arm and back, so will need to be cautious here.
1500m - 12.5 seconds - the only mark I feel I could comfortable hit right now. Most decathletes dread this event, and don't like to run it exhausted. But the field events don't take much out of me, so if I am a few points down, a super-human effort (say 4:12) might just get me there.
So there you have it - the modest goals of winning the National Masters Decathlon title and breaking the national age record - in my first attempt at a decathlon. Still, Bob Mathias won the Olympic Gold 5 months after he first took up decathlon - and he could only run 4:50 for 1500m!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
How badly do I want this?
OK, right now I am exhausted. The training schedule looks impressive on paper, but when it comes to actually doing it, it's just hard work. Despite feeling fine after Saturday's effort, a sore throat I had been fighting all week decided to kick-in, and most of Sunday was spent sleeping (and therefore not training).
Monday 9th January 2006
Monday morning's gym/run was posponed, as my sore throat decided to visit Amelia, and I took the morning Louis shift. Took him and Sally for a walk, despite the fact it started pouring about 3 seconds after I walked out the door. Without Bronte to compete with, Sally and the pram becomes manageable, although I was saddled with a wet smelling dog under my desk for the rest of the day.
Was going to have another rest day altogether, but felt better at lunch time, so decided to stick to the program - a 9km steady run and a weight session at the gym - back-to-back for time saving reasons. Sure enough, as I headed out the door, it began to pour again. Because the thing below my left knee is still giving me a bit of grief, I drove to Loretto to do the 9km on grass.
Unfortunately, the rain didn't stick around, and the sun came out to make things VERY steamy. I have been a bit worried of late that focusing on the shorter events, jumps and throws was affecting my longer running, so I was interested to see how this session felt. Because Loretto is flat (actually, it's half uphill and half downhill, but the gradients are very manageable), my pace was a bit quicker than normal, and after a 4:09 warm-up km, the next 7km averaged about 3:43, but felt pretty comfortable (probably more comfortable than my equivalent road run, which is about 10-15 seconds a km slower), and then a 4:45 cool down. Given the humidity, this was an encouraging run.
Jumped into the car and headed to the gym (a shower was called for), then kicked off my standard weight program. A bit of a back soreness on the squats (javelin possibly the culprit) - will probably move to legs presses for a while, as I work on back strength with other exercises.
Two hours training.
Tuesday 10th January 2006
Although not training at 5:30am every morning, I am forcing myself to get up at this time each day (working on the non-training mornings, to reduce the guilt of heading out for 2 hours in the middle of the day). Headed down to Lane Cove to do a track session before throws training at 11:00. Had originally planned 4x800 in 2:24 with 2 minute recovery. However, an enthusiastic first lap of the second interval (68 seconds) threw things astray, and I dropped back to 400s in 72 with a 90 second recovery. Did one 800 and six 400s, but felt flat, and the humidity was a killer - not a great session. Might have to move this to earlier in the morning over summer.
Throws training was pretty ordinary - discus dominated, but nothing seemed to work properly (best throw 23.56m). Then we moved to throwing a 2.5 barbell weight (very unaerodynamic), and the penny dropped - lead with the hips, then the shoulder, then arm (I had been throwing with my arm and waiting for my body to catch up). Shot put was a mixed bag, with a best throw of 8.22m, consistent but plateauing. By now it was approaching "where have you been" time, so just a couple of javelin throws to finish with. Nothing spectacular, but consistent throws and a better feel for my release.
With so much time on discus, by the time shot and javelin come around, my arms are starting to tire, with results reflecting this. I will need to start rotating these events in my training to allow a fresh shot at each. The other option is to add one of each throw to an alternate day, which I am starting to consider (what better way to warm-up for a series of 400m intervals than 20 javelin throws).
Two and a half hours training.
As I sat barely able to stay awake at my desk this afternoon, I thought about another 10 months of this, and whether I was up to it. Then a short-term goal jumped up and grabbed me, which I will share tomorrow.
Monday 9th January 2006
Monday morning's gym/run was posponed, as my sore throat decided to visit Amelia, and I took the morning Louis shift. Took him and Sally for a walk, despite the fact it started pouring about 3 seconds after I walked out the door. Without Bronte to compete with, Sally and the pram becomes manageable, although I was saddled with a wet smelling dog under my desk for the rest of the day.
Was going to have another rest day altogether, but felt better at lunch time, so decided to stick to the program - a 9km steady run and a weight session at the gym - back-to-back for time saving reasons. Sure enough, as I headed out the door, it began to pour again. Because the thing below my left knee is still giving me a bit of grief, I drove to Loretto to do the 9km on grass.
Unfortunately, the rain didn't stick around, and the sun came out to make things VERY steamy. I have been a bit worried of late that focusing on the shorter events, jumps and throws was affecting my longer running, so I was interested to see how this session felt. Because Loretto is flat (actually, it's half uphill and half downhill, but the gradients are very manageable), my pace was a bit quicker than normal, and after a 4:09 warm-up km, the next 7km averaged about 3:43, but felt pretty comfortable (probably more comfortable than my equivalent road run, which is about 10-15 seconds a km slower), and then a 4:45 cool down. Given the humidity, this was an encouraging run.
Jumped into the car and headed to the gym (a shower was called for), then kicked off my standard weight program. A bit of a back soreness on the squats (javelin possibly the culprit) - will probably move to legs presses for a while, as I work on back strength with other exercises.
Two hours training.
Tuesday 10th January 2006
Although not training at 5:30am every morning, I am forcing myself to get up at this time each day (working on the non-training mornings, to reduce the guilt of heading out for 2 hours in the middle of the day). Headed down to Lane Cove to do a track session before throws training at 11:00. Had originally planned 4x800 in 2:24 with 2 minute recovery. However, an enthusiastic first lap of the second interval (68 seconds) threw things astray, and I dropped back to 400s in 72 with a 90 second recovery. Did one 800 and six 400s, but felt flat, and the humidity was a killer - not a great session. Might have to move this to earlier in the morning over summer.
Throws training was pretty ordinary - discus dominated, but nothing seemed to work properly (best throw 23.56m). Then we moved to throwing a 2.5 barbell weight (very unaerodynamic), and the penny dropped - lead with the hips, then the shoulder, then arm (I had been throwing with my arm and waiting for my body to catch up). Shot put was a mixed bag, with a best throw of 8.22m, consistent but plateauing. By now it was approaching "where have you been" time, so just a couple of javelin throws to finish with. Nothing spectacular, but consistent throws and a better feel for my release.
With so much time on discus, by the time shot and javelin come around, my arms are starting to tire, with results reflecting this. I will need to start rotating these events in my training to allow a fresh shot at each. The other option is to add one of each throw to an alternate day, which I am starting to consider (what better way to warm-up for a series of 400m intervals than 20 javelin throws).
Two and a half hours training.
As I sat barely able to stay awake at my desk this afternoon, I thought about another 10 months of this, and whether I was up to it. Then a short-term goal jumped up and grabbed me, which I will share tomorrow.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Back on the track
Although I had taken Thursday and Friday off from running, I had did weights on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and a tough hurdles session (details below) on Wednesday afternoon, so my legs were very sore and sorry. However, with no real injury worries (apart from the thingy just below my left knee which has been tender), it was time to get back into competition. A movie booking for Saturday night ruled out Homebush, so I headed to the Northern Zone competition at Lane Cove, chasing a few more benchmarks and form indicators.
The weather was funny - at one stage I was regretting not bringing sun-screen, then two minutes later I was being soaked in a downpour. The wind shifted around a bit, but stayed away from the home straight for a change. Rotary Field has just been remarked, but not remown, so the running surface was less than ideal.
First event was the shot-put. After my 50cm PB on Tuesday, I was feeling confident, and so my first two throws of 7.54 and 7.75m were a let-down. The third throw felt better, but I actually had to double check when they called out 8.64m as the distance - a 40cm PB - nearly a metre for the week. Seeing the big guys only just clearing 9m (OK, a lot of the bigness was not necessarily muscle) made this quite encouraging. Over 400 points, and my first January goal ticked off (was aiming for 8.50m).
The 1500m was up next, but I wasn't planning to go all out as I was more interested in benchmarking the 400m. Had planned to run with another guy that looked quick, but as he was halfway down the straight behind me at the 300m mark, realised I'd by running solo. First 300m in 55, second lap in 73, third lap in 74 - all feeling very easy. Upped the pace a little over the last lap (68 seconds), but no kick, and a very quick recovery (I was feeling fine by the time second place came in). Definitely think I can go sub 4:20 at the moment, and will aim to do this by the end of the month. A season PB, and a better run than the State Relays.
Javelin next, and Jim gave me some feedback on my practice throws, which I tried to incorporate. Something must have worked, as the first throw went 30.10m, nearly 2 metres further than my previous best. My third throw was nearly as far, and I have nearly doubled my javelin score in the last 2 months. More importantly, I am feeling more optimistic about the event, and see lots of scope for further improvement. This was the 4th longest throw of the day, and once again saw me beating a January goal (30m).
I was debating about whether to enter the 100m, as my quad is still a bit niggly from time to time, but after Wednesday's hurdles session, felt it was up to the task. A slight tailwind clinched the deal. An ordinary start, and the guy next to me pulled ahead with his standing start. However, I caught him at about 40m, and gradually pulled away to win in 12.3 - 0.5 second faster than Homebush on a fairly crappy surface. Suddenly sub-12 is not looking that unrealistic. Need some serious work on my starts, though.
Long jump is an event I haven't touched since 1995, but given my good triple jump last time out, I thought I might go close to my 5.56 PB. Alas, a combination of a head wind and some very ordinary jumping saw me only jump 5.10m - enough to win, but a long way short of 6m. On the plus side, my run-up was good, and it was as though I was so relieved to have hit the board that I forgot to put any effort into my jump. Once again Jim was encouraging, and thinks I have the raw ingredients to go 6m.
Final event (I decided to skip the hammer as a public service) was the 400m. I haven't run one since 2001 (55 something), and was hoping to go sub-56. However, grass, wind, 5 previous events and a total lack of recent experience saw this tougher going than I would have liked, and I came in in 56.3. Historically, it has taken me a few races to get my 400m together (getting the body used to dealing with the lungs starting to protest at about 230m), so I am not too disappointed, but think that some 200-250m intervals in my program will help here.
So all-in-all, not a bad day. Two lifetime PBs and four season PBs. More importantly, the body held together well, and I don't envisage the days of agony following my last racing session. As always, a long way to go, but the momentum is definitely forward.
The weather was funny - at one stage I was regretting not bringing sun-screen, then two minutes later I was being soaked in a downpour. The wind shifted around a bit, but stayed away from the home straight for a change. Rotary Field has just been remarked, but not remown, so the running surface was less than ideal.
First event was the shot-put. After my 50cm PB on Tuesday, I was feeling confident, and so my first two throws of 7.54 and 7.75m were a let-down. The third throw felt better, but I actually had to double check when they called out 8.64m as the distance - a 40cm PB - nearly a metre for the week. Seeing the big guys only just clearing 9m (OK, a lot of the bigness was not necessarily muscle) made this quite encouraging. Over 400 points, and my first January goal ticked off (was aiming for 8.50m).
The 1500m was up next, but I wasn't planning to go all out as I was more interested in benchmarking the 400m. Had planned to run with another guy that looked quick, but as he was halfway down the straight behind me at the 300m mark, realised I'd by running solo. First 300m in 55, second lap in 73, third lap in 74 - all feeling very easy. Upped the pace a little over the last lap (68 seconds), but no kick, and a very quick recovery (I was feeling fine by the time second place came in). Definitely think I can go sub 4:20 at the moment, and will aim to do this by the end of the month. A season PB, and a better run than the State Relays.
Javelin next, and Jim gave me some feedback on my practice throws, which I tried to incorporate. Something must have worked, as the first throw went 30.10m, nearly 2 metres further than my previous best. My third throw was nearly as far, and I have nearly doubled my javelin score in the last 2 months. More importantly, I am feeling more optimistic about the event, and see lots of scope for further improvement. This was the 4th longest throw of the day, and once again saw me beating a January goal (30m).
I was debating about whether to enter the 100m, as my quad is still a bit niggly from time to time, but after Wednesday's hurdles session, felt it was up to the task. A slight tailwind clinched the deal. An ordinary start, and the guy next to me pulled ahead with his standing start. However, I caught him at about 40m, and gradually pulled away to win in 12.3 - 0.5 second faster than Homebush on a fairly crappy surface. Suddenly sub-12 is not looking that unrealistic. Need some serious work on my starts, though.
Long jump is an event I haven't touched since 1995, but given my good triple jump last time out, I thought I might go close to my 5.56 PB. Alas, a combination of a head wind and some very ordinary jumping saw me only jump 5.10m - enough to win, but a long way short of 6m. On the plus side, my run-up was good, and it was as though I was so relieved to have hit the board that I forgot to put any effort into my jump. Once again Jim was encouraging, and thinks I have the raw ingredients to go 6m.
Final event (I decided to skip the hammer as a public service) was the 400m. I haven't run one since 2001 (55 something), and was hoping to go sub-56. However, grass, wind, 5 previous events and a total lack of recent experience saw this tougher going than I would have liked, and I came in in 56.3. Historically, it has taken me a few races to get my 400m together (getting the body used to dealing with the lungs starting to protest at about 230m), so I am not too disappointed, but think that some 200-250m intervals in my program will help here.
So all-in-all, not a bad day. Two lifetime PBs and four season PBs. More importantly, the body held together well, and I don't envisage the days of agony following my last racing session. As always, a long way to go, but the momentum is definitely forward.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Hurdles
Wednesday 4th January 2006
Because of reduced opening hours at the gym on Monday, my "3 times a week to the gym" New Years resolution stumbled at the first hurdle. However, 5:30am this morning I was at the gym, ready to jump into weights. My weight training over the past few months had been somewhere between sporadic and non-existent, and with various leg injuries, I had done virtually no lower body work. Today, however, I did my full program (detailed here), without too much fuss, although the squats and lunges informed me that my legs were doing things they weren't used to.
Was in two minds as to whether to train again today - the schedule said hurdles, but the body said 'tired'. Ended up going, and after an excessive time fart-arsing round with hurdle height and distance, launched into some drills and general familiarisation work. Working with only three hurdles was a little challenging, but probably what I need to focus on individual hurdle technique before worrying about rythym.
Started with three hurdles spaced at 110m distance (13m to dist hurdle, 9.1m between hurdles), initially at 78cm (200m hurdle height). However, this is so low, that I wasn't getting any real feel for hurdling, and so upped them to 91cm and then 99cm (unfortunately the training hurdles I have don't go to the full height of 106cm, but that's not a drama at this stage). After a few run-throughs, I began to get a feel for running over the hurdles, rather than jumping over them. However, at this point my stride pattern (odd number of strides between hurdles to always lead with the same leg) was getting me in all sort of bother, so I switched to even (or odd, not sure if the landing is considered a step), with much better results. If I can maintain this form over all 10 hurdles, I should be able to smash last month's time. Came away feeling much more confident - the hurdles seemed much shorter than at Homebush for some reason.
More measuring as I set up the hurdles 35m apart to simulate a 400m hurdles straight (91cm high). Felt quite rythymic through these reps (about 10x100m in all), and again, shifted to alternate legs, with the left lead leg actually feeling better than the right.
Finally, finished with 4 laps in 80 seconds with the hurdles at 150m, 250m and 350m to kinda simulate a steeplechase. This felt quite easy, as I only wanted to run 84 seconds a lap, but kept coming in at 80 (1 minute recovery between laps). Will need to up these reps to 800m to get a better sensation for hurdling with fatigue. This finish also adds a run/aerobic component to this session, helping with the other distance events, and general endurance.
A good first-up hurdling session, which will provide the template for future sessions. Will need to focus on some 200m hurdle pacing practice, as the low hurdles (78cm) will require a different technique. Jim the super-coach is also a hurdles coach, so I will be getting some technical advice off him after my Sunday pole-vault sessions, which I can ideally incorporate into my Wednesday sessions. Also, another 2 hurdles will need to be acquired shortly.
Because of reduced opening hours at the gym on Monday, my "3 times a week to the gym" New Years resolution stumbled at the first hurdle. However, 5:30am this morning I was at the gym, ready to jump into weights. My weight training over the past few months had been somewhere between sporadic and non-existent, and with various leg injuries, I had done virtually no lower body work. Today, however, I did my full program (detailed here), without too much fuss, although the squats and lunges informed me that my legs were doing things they weren't used to.
Was in two minds as to whether to train again today - the schedule said hurdles, but the body said 'tired'. Ended up going, and after an excessive time fart-arsing round with hurdle height and distance, launched into some drills and general familiarisation work. Working with only three hurdles was a little challenging, but probably what I need to focus on individual hurdle technique before worrying about rythym.
Started with three hurdles spaced at 110m distance (13m to dist hurdle, 9.1m between hurdles), initially at 78cm (200m hurdle height). However, this is so low, that I wasn't getting any real feel for hurdling, and so upped them to 91cm and then 99cm (unfortunately the training hurdles I have don't go to the full height of 106cm, but that's not a drama at this stage). After a few run-throughs, I began to get a feel for running over the hurdles, rather than jumping over them. However, at this point my stride pattern (odd number of strides between hurdles to always lead with the same leg) was getting me in all sort of bother, so I switched to even (or odd, not sure if the landing is considered a step), with much better results. If I can maintain this form over all 10 hurdles, I should be able to smash last month's time. Came away feeling much more confident - the hurdles seemed much shorter than at Homebush for some reason.
More measuring as I set up the hurdles 35m apart to simulate a 400m hurdles straight (91cm high). Felt quite rythymic through these reps (about 10x100m in all), and again, shifted to alternate legs, with the left lead leg actually feeling better than the right.
Finally, finished with 4 laps in 80 seconds with the hurdles at 150m, 250m and 350m to kinda simulate a steeplechase. This felt quite easy, as I only wanted to run 84 seconds a lap, but kept coming in at 80 (1 minute recovery between laps). Will need to up these reps to 800m to get a better sensation for hurdling with fatigue. This finish also adds a run/aerobic component to this session, helping with the other distance events, and general endurance.
A good first-up hurdling session, which will provide the template for future sessions. Will need to focus on some 200m hurdle pacing practice, as the low hurdles (78cm) will require a different technique. Jim the super-coach is also a hurdles coach, so I will be getting some technical advice off him after my Sunday pole-vault sessions, which I can ideally incorporate into my Wednesday sessions. Also, another 2 hurdles will need to be acquired shortly.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
12,500 points
The World Double Decathlon Championships have been a goal of mine since mid-2003, when I came across them by accident on the Net. A combination of injury and lack of funds ruled out having a crack at them in 2005 (won by Australian David Purdon), but as good fortune would have it, they are in Australia this year, and a number of factors in my life mean that there will never be a better time to focus on this goal.
However, with 10 months of hard training and sacrifice ahead of me, it's time to get something a bit more concrete in place than "training for the World Double Decathlon Championships". A number of possible goals might be:
* go to the World Champs (only a bus ride away)
* compete in the World Champs (I can pull out after the first event)
* finish the World Champs (that's more like it, but I could do that right now, provided I run slowly enough)
Obviously something bigger and more specific is needed. What about winning the World Champs? A challenging and potentially attainable goal, but it puts the focus on things outside my control - who turns up. There are a few competitors in the past that achieved performances I have no chance of matching - Kip Janvrin's 14,000+ point world record the most notable example.
Nope, the only thing I can focus on is my own performances, and so I sat down and drew up a list of what I thought I was capable of doing. With a bit of juggling, a nice round number of 12,500 points came out, and that has become my mantra for the year.
Unless you have a well-worn spreadsheet that calculates these things (as I do), this number if fairly meaningless. And unless you have a database of the top 200 all-time performances in this event (as I do), it's relative merit is also unclear. So let me enlighten you on what I have signed myself up for:
* 12,500 points would rank as the 10th highest score ever
* 12,500 points would have won 18 of the past 24 world championships held
* 12,500 points is over 400 points higher than the current Australian record
That's the good news. The bad news is:
* 12,500 points is 2587 points more than I am capable of on current form
* 12,500 points is 898 points more than my all-time PBs stacked on top of each other
* 12,500 points involves me achieveing PBs in 12 out of 20 events
So, in short, 12,500 points is a fairly ambitous goal!
But I think it is realistic, and the only way it will be is if I set me sights on it, and train accordingly. My targets for each event are now listed on the sidebar, and none of them is particularly unachieveable - OK 3.6m for the pole vault is pretty daunting, but that is only 1 cm every 2.5 days between now and October. Some of the targets I could hit right now (everything from 800m upwards), others seem a world away right now (discus and hammer throw I'm talking to you). However, I will never do the work to run 18 seconds for 110m hurdles, unless I make a specific point of aiming for it.
So I have now gone very public with my intentions, and have very specific criteria to judge my performances and progress against. 12,500 points is not a certainty - it wouldn't be worth aiming for if it was (10,000 points would make a better round number in that case). But it is a goal that excites me and focuses me, and removes any doubt in my mind about why I am training, and what I have to do each day when I get out of bed.
However, with 10 months of hard training and sacrifice ahead of me, it's time to get something a bit more concrete in place than "training for the World Double Decathlon Championships". A number of possible goals might be:
* go to the World Champs (only a bus ride away)
* compete in the World Champs (I can pull out after the first event)
* finish the World Champs (that's more like it, but I could do that right now, provided I run slowly enough)
Obviously something bigger and more specific is needed. What about winning the World Champs? A challenging and potentially attainable goal, but it puts the focus on things outside my control - who turns up. There are a few competitors in the past that achieved performances I have no chance of matching - Kip Janvrin's 14,000+ point world record the most notable example.
Nope, the only thing I can focus on is my own performances, and so I sat down and drew up a list of what I thought I was capable of doing. With a bit of juggling, a nice round number of 12,500 points came out, and that has become my mantra for the year.
Unless you have a well-worn spreadsheet that calculates these things (as I do), this number if fairly meaningless. And unless you have a database of the top 200 all-time performances in this event (as I do), it's relative merit is also unclear. So let me enlighten you on what I have signed myself up for:
* 12,500 points would rank as the 10th highest score ever
* 12,500 points would have won 18 of the past 24 world championships held
* 12,500 points is over 400 points higher than the current Australian record
That's the good news. The bad news is:
* 12,500 points is 2587 points more than I am capable of on current form
* 12,500 points is 898 points more than my all-time PBs stacked on top of each other
* 12,500 points involves me achieveing PBs in 12 out of 20 events
So, in short, 12,500 points is a fairly ambitous goal!
But I think it is realistic, and the only way it will be is if I set me sights on it, and train accordingly. My targets for each event are now listed on the sidebar, and none of them is particularly unachieveable - OK 3.6m for the pole vault is pretty daunting, but that is only 1 cm every 2.5 days between now and October. Some of the targets I could hit right now (everything from 800m upwards), others seem a world away right now (discus and hammer throw I'm talking to you). However, I will never do the work to run 18 seconds for 110m hurdles, unless I make a specific point of aiming for it.
So I have now gone very public with my intentions, and have very specific criteria to judge my performances and progress against. 12,500 points is not a certainty - it wouldn't be worth aiming for if it was (10,000 points would make a better round number in that case). But it is a goal that excites me and focuses me, and removes any doubt in my mind about why I am training, and what I have to do each day when I get out of bed.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Two throws forward, one throw back...
Sunday January 1st 2006, 7:15am
16km easy - 1:13:04 (4:33/km)
Although New Years Eve was a low key affair, a few festive drinks were had, so there was no 5:30am start to the new year. However, the napkin sketch training-plan I had done the night before called for a 16km run this morning, so despite the fact the mercury had already hit 30, I headed out at 7:00. Struggled with the heat a bit - OK when you hit a breeze, but hard going in the secluded areas. Hills were also unwelcome, dropping me back to 5:30/km at some stages. Tempted to cut it short, but as I had taken water the whole way, it was too early in the year to get soft.
Monday January 2nd, 5:30am
9km steady - 35:53 (3:59/km), middle 7km 27:14 (3:53/km)
After 45 degrees yesterday (which necessitated spending most of the day sitting in a wading pool or on the sofa with Louis (as shown above)), it was a pleasure to wake up to a low-20's morning, and even the rain that got steadily stronger during the run was welcome. Crappy 4 hours sleep (went in to Louis at 4:50am, to discover he has found a new game - taking off his nappy and jetisoning it ove the side of the cot - showed my fatherly prowess by replacing it with a new one in total darkness), so wasn't expecting much, but the sub-4 min/kms felt pretty comfortable, so I just went with it.
Spent the rest of the day at the cricket (actually I did about an hours work in nothing but a bath towel, after removing my soaking wet running gear - as you do). Those who find cricket boring would have been in their element yesterday - one of the dullest days cricket I have been to. Tried my usual trick of getting seats in the alcohol-free zone, but they must have changed things, because the beer was flowing freely - and with the first session washed out - very freely. The SCG decided to ban full strength beer, but in their wisdom kept serving rum! My favourite philosopher is Jean Paul Satre - purely on the strength of his observation that "Hell is other people". Still, the company was good, and I don't often get the chance to pay $4.20 for a 600ml Coke, so still an enjoyable day.
Tuesday 3rd January, 12:30pm
Decided it was time to give the Christmas presents a workout, and as Tuesdays are my designated throws training day, packed up the car with my javelin, 2 discuses and shot put, as well as a very optimistic 60m tape measure. Temperature was over 30, and I had spent most of the morning cleaning gutters and gardening, so not really optimal training conditions. After a few laps and some stretching, I did 6x400m in 72 with 1 minute recovery as a warm-up run component. Comforatble, but felt a bit flat. The quad gave me virtually no grief, and I will try a proper speed session on Thursday.
By the time I had lugged all the throwing equipment to the other side of the field, I felt like I had done enough strength work for the day, but continued anyway. Started with my weakest event, javelin. Tried some standing throws, but they just made me feel more unco-ordinated, so moved to a run-up of a couple of steps. Things started to fall into place, and I was consistently throwing 25 metres (just short of my 26.20 PB). Felt emboldened to try a semi-full run-up, and landed about 6 good throws out past 26.20 (marked with one of my shoes), the best being (drum roll) 28.23 - a 2 metre PB. I am feeling more optimistic about this event, as I am still not clicking, but feel like I am getting the drift (the running throws were getting longer each time, showing I was making improvements (or getting luckier)). Hope to throw over 30m by the end of the month.
The positives in the javelin were more than matched by negatives in the discus, where absolutely nothing went right, and only one throw cleared 20m. Some desperate remedial work is needed, and I am keen to start back with Jim next week. They say that the discus is the most difficult decathlon event to master, and I am beginning to see why.
Break-even as I headed to the shot-put circle. I hadn't felt that great last time, and didn't know what to expect. My PB is 7.78, and as part of a sinister anti-metric plot, the shot-put circle marked 25ft, 7.6m, so anything beyond that was near PB territory. A few standing throws demonstrated that I am no good at standing throws, so I jumped into proper throws (unlike the other throws, it's pretty much all or nothing with the shot). Put more and more of my body into each throw, and the steadily landed further and further away, with two landing out at (drum roll) 8.24m!
Coincidently, both the javelin and the shot put yielded 28 point improvements. Not a huge amount, but over 20 events, is worth nearly 600 points. With nearly 10 months till the big event, this sort of incremental improvement is the only way to go.
16km easy - 1:13:04 (4:33/km)
Although New Years Eve was a low key affair, a few festive drinks were had, so there was no 5:30am start to the new year. However, the napkin sketch training-plan I had done the night before called for a 16km run this morning, so despite the fact the mercury had already hit 30, I headed out at 7:00. Struggled with the heat a bit - OK when you hit a breeze, but hard going in the secluded areas. Hills were also unwelcome, dropping me back to 5:30/km at some stages. Tempted to cut it short, but as I had taken water the whole way, it was too early in the year to get soft.
Monday January 2nd, 5:30am
9km steady - 35:53 (3:59/km), middle 7km 27:14 (3:53/km)
After 45 degrees yesterday (which necessitated spending most of the day sitting in a wading pool or on the sofa with Louis (as shown above)), it was a pleasure to wake up to a low-20's morning, and even the rain that got steadily stronger during the run was welcome. Crappy 4 hours sleep (went in to Louis at 4:50am, to discover he has found a new game - taking off his nappy and jetisoning it ove the side of the cot - showed my fatherly prowess by replacing it with a new one in total darkness), so wasn't expecting much, but the sub-4 min/kms felt pretty comfortable, so I just went with it.
Spent the rest of the day at the cricket (actually I did about an hours work in nothing but a bath towel, after removing my soaking wet running gear - as you do). Those who find cricket boring would have been in their element yesterday - one of the dullest days cricket I have been to. Tried my usual trick of getting seats in the alcohol-free zone, but they must have changed things, because the beer was flowing freely - and with the first session washed out - very freely. The SCG decided to ban full strength beer, but in their wisdom kept serving rum! My favourite philosopher is Jean Paul Satre - purely on the strength of his observation that "Hell is other people". Still, the company was good, and I don't often get the chance to pay $4.20 for a 600ml Coke, so still an enjoyable day.
Tuesday 3rd January, 12:30pm
Decided it was time to give the Christmas presents a workout, and as Tuesdays are my designated throws training day, packed up the car with my javelin, 2 discuses and shot put, as well as a very optimistic 60m tape measure. Temperature was over 30, and I had spent most of the morning cleaning gutters and gardening, so not really optimal training conditions. After a few laps and some stretching, I did 6x400m in 72 with 1 minute recovery as a warm-up run component. Comforatble, but felt a bit flat. The quad gave me virtually no grief, and I will try a proper speed session on Thursday.
By the time I had lugged all the throwing equipment to the other side of the field, I felt like I had done enough strength work for the day, but continued anyway. Started with my weakest event, javelin. Tried some standing throws, but they just made me feel more unco-ordinated, so moved to a run-up of a couple of steps. Things started to fall into place, and I was consistently throwing 25 metres (just short of my 26.20 PB). Felt emboldened to try a semi-full run-up, and landed about 6 good throws out past 26.20 (marked with one of my shoes), the best being (drum roll) 28.23 - a 2 metre PB. I am feeling more optimistic about this event, as I am still not clicking, but feel like I am getting the drift (the running throws were getting longer each time, showing I was making improvements (or getting luckier)). Hope to throw over 30m by the end of the month.
The positives in the javelin were more than matched by negatives in the discus, where absolutely nothing went right, and only one throw cleared 20m. Some desperate remedial work is needed, and I am keen to start back with Jim next week. They say that the discus is the most difficult decathlon event to master, and I am beginning to see why.
Break-even as I headed to the shot-put circle. I hadn't felt that great last time, and didn't know what to expect. My PB is 7.78, and as part of a sinister anti-metric plot, the shot-put circle marked 25ft, 7.6m, so anything beyond that was near PB territory. A few standing throws demonstrated that I am no good at standing throws, so I jumped into proper throws (unlike the other throws, it's pretty much all or nothing with the shot). Put more and more of my body into each throw, and the steadily landed further and further away, with two landing out at (drum roll) 8.24m!
Coincidently, both the javelin and the shot put yielded 28 point improvements. Not a huge amount, but over 20 events, is worth nearly 600 points. With nearly 10 months till the big event, this sort of incremental improvement is the only way to go.
