Kamloops 2 Months away...

So I've been a bit hampered for the past three weeks with a problem in the right knee. It's not as serious as the problem I had in my left knee last spring, but it's keeping me from running as much as I'd like. I think it's a tracking problem with the patella causing some mild pain and swelling. Wrapping it under the patella seems to help. I'm going to just run less frequently until it goes away. If it doesn't, then I think I can still do most of what I want to do, because it seems like my running is ok with less volume. My longer distance running will suffer, but everything else seems ok at this point. Yesterday i ran a ladder workout, 1000m,600,400,300,200,100 in 3:19,1:53,67,47,27,14. I was satisfied with that. I want to get close to 3:00 for the 1000m in the pentathlon, so 3:19 as an interval isn't too bad. If I run 3:00 they're going to have to scrape me off the track afterwards.

I high jumped over about 5-9 easily the other day from a half-run-up, so at least I can still count on that. David Lemen is helping me there quite a bit, as well as in the other events. Thanks to him. I think if I stay healthy I could jump 6-2 this year. My take-off leg has been totally healthy, and the heel bruise is all gone, so I feel strong there. Losing weight would help.

I need to start working on the starting blocks, and I also need to make sure I have a good mark in the long jump. I think my mark should be different than last year with all the work I've done on my sprint form, but we'll see. Maybe the mark will be the same, and I'll just hit the board with more speed.

I wrapped my wrist for the first time throwing the shot last week, and it made quite a difference. I can't believe I never did it before, that none of the coaches I had ever made me try it. They sucked. Maybe with my healed shoulder and a wrapped wrist I can get close to 40.

Sign off for now, Happy New Year Everyone!!

Rest Days

Body feels like it needs a rest, so I'm not running today, and tomorrow I'll just vault. If I feel refreshed by Saturday I'll run then, but if not, I'll wait until Sunday. I just felt very sluggish yesterday, so I'm assuming that means I need a break. I've had some good workouts since the last update, so I feel like I'm starting to get somewhere anyway. I did 5x200 on Monday between 28.2 and 29.3, so that's ok, and the last week I did 7x400 at a 79 second average with a 79 second rest interval. I ran 5 miles on Saturday in 34:50, so that was faster than last time. I threw the turbo jav on tuesday, and had little significant shoulder pain afterwards. It was the first time I threw the jav and had the first inklings of what it used to feel like to throw properly. There is some hope! I also did some easy long jump bounding step-step-jump the other day, and it didn't hurt the heel much at all, so I hope to start doing more jump practice next week. My only concern now is some mild pain in the tendons above my knee after the longer runs, so I'll have to watch that. Don't want it to become chronic.

I've seen a big benefit in my leg strength from the sprint trainer I've developed, and I'm finding new ways to use it all the time. More on it later.

Nov 19 2009

Decent progress over last week. Took a rest day from running yesterday and just did sprint "machine". I guess I have to come up with a name for that drill. Tues did 1mile fast warmup, 4x200, some weights, shot practice, then in evening did vault strength workout and sled push. Very tired afterwards. Day before that I ran 5miles on track in 36min, then did 4x100 strides to loosen up. Threw discus ok. Sunday did 10 min warmup run, then hurdles, vaulting, sled push. Saturday did 5x430 on MAC indoor track and weights. Pretty good workout. Friday did same as Sunday, but with faster 14min run as warmup.

After all the injuries last season I had no hopes of getting close to the world record for M45, but I feel so good now I'm starting to look at it. The challenge now is to not over do the training because I feel good. Basically if I can stay injury free the WR is realistic because it's a bit soft. The injuries take so much out of the training momentum at my age that any one serious injury at the wrong time could mean the end again though. I'm working with a new message guy who's very good and that will help.

These marks will get me there:

12.10 100m

20-7 LJ

37-4 SP

5-10 HJ

54.80 400m

16.20 HH

128-0 Discus

12-10 PV

128-0 Jav

5:00 1500m

If I stay healthy, some of these marks will be easy, and I've done most of them in meets or practice in the past couple years. Putting it all together is always the test. When I look at them, I just laugh at how easy they would be for a younger guy. A good decathlete could do these in one hour literally without breaking a sweat, and throwing from a stand, etc. When I was 20 I jumped 21-0 in a long jump practice session with a 5 step approach. That's 5 steps, LRLRL, not 10 steps. Oh well, the years are not kind. These numbers may change up or down after a winter of training, but there's not a large range of performance that we older athletes can expect. I'm not going to accidentally bust out a 23 foot long jump, or throw the shot only 30 feet. The pole vault and javelin will always be the wild cards I suppose because of the nature of the vault, and my shoulder in the jav. If I regained full use of my shoulder, I could conceivably throw a lot farther than 128'

Dr. Heel Good

Full-bore training is underway and it's going pretty well. I think my heel bruise is gone, I only feel some sensitivity at times, but not enough to slow me down. I also continue to have soreness and tightness in my lower abs and groin, but it goes away with warmup, and regular workouts should get rid of it entirely. I've had three good workouts in a row. Sunday I ran 32 minutes, Monday I ran 4x600m in 1:58, 1:56, 2:03, 2:08. Not real fast, but have to start somewhere. I'll have to be able to knock those out in 1:45 by March 2 for the indoor pentathlon 1000m. Also on Monday I lifted arms a bit, did row, and step mill. Yesterday I did 4x100m fast stride + 1.5miles during the day, then we met at Rick's and did some throw practice and other misc. Our new track club, Oregon Multi-Event Track Club, will be meeting there tue, fri, and Sun.

I'll be trying to hurdle just as much as I can, and hopefully I'll be able to start practicing long and high jumps in December. I'm waiting as long as possible before doing that because of the heel.

My big thing lately is realizing that I need to alter my running stride by moving my footstrike back while sprinting. I've been running with a form that causes my foot strike to brake or block my forward progress with every step which is sudden death, so to change my form and improve my drive I built a frame that holds me off the ground, then allows me to attach a band to my heel and simulate the sprinting motion by pawing backwards. I've noticed a difference already, and think it has potential to really help my sprint times. Barring injury.

When can I start training?....

It's been over two months now since the decathlon and the heel bruise is almost all gone. I walked an hour today with very little sensation of the bruise afterwards, which is pretty good. I think I'll be able to start running again consistently here about the first of November, which is pretty good timing for next season. It would be good to be training already for the indoor season, but I want to be as healthy as possible before I start running for real. I'm still gunshy about all the injuries from last season, though, so I'm curbing my enthusiasm to the degree that if I start getting injury after injury again next spring, I probably won't follow through. For now, I'll hope for the best.

The main training objective for next season, besides not getting injured, is to lose weight. I had my body fat % checked three weeks ago, and it came in at 10.3% at 183lbs. I noticed that I was weighing about 186 at the time of the decathlon, and I realized that's too high. Because of the injuries since March, and the fact that I wasn't able to run consistently, I just wasn't as lean as I can be. I wasn't paying that much attention to how much I was eating, either. I should be closer to 175, which should make a big difference in my running and jumping. Being lighter helps 7 or 8 events in the decathlon, especially for older guys. When you're young, you have to have the muscle for the discus and shot and sprints, but as you get older, your energy and stamina and spring can't overcome any extra weight. According to one website I found, every pound equals 2 tenths in the 400, and about 1.5 seconds in the 1500, so thats a lot of points if I can lose another 8 pounds. The jumping events will be helped, too, of course.

Almost

Well, I was on record pace through the 7th event, with 5312 points on the way to maybe 7200. The marks I had to do in the last three events were well within reach, but no-heighting in the pole was the end of the road. Not having really been able to practice since April before I pulled my hamstring finally caught up with me. I went ahead and finished the decathlon and got second with 9 events, which also would have been 6th in the world meet. So, I'm disappointed not to get the AR, but exhilarated to finish a decathlon after so many years because I really never thought I would do one again. I'll load a video as soon as I get it put together.

breakdown:

100 12.56... very slow, but not too surprised. my start was slow, and I felt sluggish, nothing like back in April before I pulled my hammy. i can run faster next year.

LJ 6.01(19-9)... well, not too bad considering how slow my runup is. At least I was on the board all three jumps. should be able to get back towards 6.30 or farther next year with fewer injuries.

SP 11.25(36-11)... I wrapped my right knee for more support in the middle of the ring, which I'd never done before, and it really felt good. between that and a shoulder that wasn't bothering me at all, I felt pretty good. it feels like I could start making some more progress towards 39 maybe for next year.

HJ 1.77(5-9.5)... not as high as in Oshkosh, but ok for a decathlon. my heel bruise was really bothering me here, so I'm not surprised I didn't make 1.80. can do 1.85 next year without injuries.

400. 55.71... fairly happy with that considering the lack of consistent intervals since April. But, it really killed me for the second day because I had to run all-out to do it.

110mh 16.78... this was the one I was really excited about. I was the first time I ran a race and three stepped over all ten hurdles in 25 years, but it was pretty easy. This time would have gotten me 5th in the worlds, and I know I can run faster, maybe 16.00 or high 15's with no(fewer?) injuries. faster start, faster running, snappier over the hurdles...

disus 37.54(123-2)... good but not great. I see on the video that I had both my feet in the middle of the ring and too close together. I'm giving up a lot of power that way. If I can train myself to use the ring properly I'll get over 130' consistently.

Jav 36.76(120.5')... this murdered my shoulder. i just can't throw the jav any more. it's a terrible distance but it may be the best I can do. I'll do a winter's worth of rehab, and maybe it'll help, but i'm not sure.

1500m 5:25... I kinda just went through the motions here, because it was after 10pm at night after 19 hours of competition, and I was just really tired.

As an afterthought to my level of condition, I noticed I'm weighing pretty heavy, so for next year I'll lose about 10 pounds. That should make a substantial difference in my running and jumping, and shouldn't hurt the throws much at all, especially since they don't pay much in points anyway.

Next meet: indoor worlds in Kamloops BC 3/2/2010!!!!!! Pentathlon WR

First day results

Off to Seattle

Leaving for Seattle, the national masters deca meet. 12 competitors in my age group, which is really a lot. What's gotten into people? I'm going to try my darnedest, but it comes down to how effective the advil and ice are. Ran two 300's on Monday in39.8 and 40.2, so my running is still ok, although I don't think I can run as fast as I was earlier in the season. I'll post results here after the first and second days.

))Heavy Sigh(( Caution- Long post

So, it's been awhile since my last post and I should be Finland right now, but yet another injury at just the wrong time is keeping me home. Two days after coming back from the Nationals, I pulled a muscle in my lower abs hurdling, and it really hurt. I think it was a knock-on injury from the really tight groins. It's surprising how critical those muscles are to running, sprinting, jumping, and especially pole vaulting. I went to the doctor, then saw a chiropractor who threw everything at it, including cold laser, ultrasound, graston therapy, electro stimulation, and magnetic resonance. By last Wednesday it was getting better, but I just was too afraid that I wouldn't be able to complete the deca in Finland, and then also ruin my chance at doing the one in Seattle on August 15. It was a harsh calculation, because I was keying on the World meet, but at this point completing a decathlon with a decent score became more important to me. I had ok workouts yesterday and today, so I think my ab will recover almost fully by August 15, although my bruised heel is very painful, so the next three weeks will be no walk in the park. I can't wait til the season is over and I can recharge, mostly because of the heel. It needs 2 to 3 months of either full rest, or non-impact exercise like the bike or rowing to fully recover probably. I count 10 significant injuries now this training season since last August, so I need to reassess my training methods and intensity for next season. I think relatively minor changes could make a large difference towards the likelihood of injury. I was asking a lot of my body to go from zero to decathlon in one year, especially training the way I was, attempting to train somewhat like a younger person would. I did quite a bit of weight lifting with my legs, so even though my strength went up, the flexibility of those same muscles decreased, so the propensity to injure actually probably went up instead of down. Logically, this next year I could lift much less to maintain the same strength, and do more stretching, yoga, etc. to regain the same limberness I used to have. This, plus perhaps increased warmup time and less volume of full speed sprint workouts will dramatically lower the injury liability. For example, the workout where I pulled my hamstring, which is really where the chain of injuries began( or maybe the swollen knee before that)I was running 50yard sprints, and I was doing 16 of them, 2 sets of 8, pretty much all out. Instead of doing that, I should do maybe 10, 2 sets of 5, and keep the effort to 90% instead of 98%. The hurdles is the only event where it takes almost maximum effort to practice, so there the only solution is the most warmup possible without draining strength, then limited volume at max effort. And this is only with 3 step practice later in the season. Without a serious injury that takes me out for month after month, I would be able to work into the harder workouts gradually, and keep what I've built up without having to start all over again after the injury.

Anyway, on the plus side, I had a pretty good national meet in Wisconsin on July 10, winning the long jump, getting second in the high jump and 4th in the discus. I had to do the high jump and long jump at the same time, so it was less that ideal, but I was still excited to jump 5-11 and almost make 6-0 3/4. I was less excited with my long jump, but with the lack of prep, I couldn't complain too much to jump 19-11. I was only able to take 4 jumps because of the conflict, and I ran through on my last one, so I really only got three, although that doesn't matter as much as the fact that I was totally rushed, and even barely remember it it happened so fast. I didn't really connect in the discus and threw about 122', so I was a little disappointed there, because I could have gotten second if I had thrown in the higher 120s, which is where I should have been. Also with regards to this meet, my groin muscles were still aching badly and very tight, and I was fighting off some kind of virus. I was actually still coughing a little on the day of the long and high jump. If I could ever be injury free and not sick, I might be able to do something...

So, now I'm counting down to Seattle in 18 days, so at this point I have to get back in the running groove, and just do whatever technique practice I can to stay in touch with the events. I'll try to vault again next week, and hopefully be able to sprint enough to do long jump run throughs. I may not be able to hurdle much, so that may be a bit rough in Seattle, but I can still get the American record. I've found out that the AR is officially actually just 7082, and not the 7500 done by Rex Harvey in 1991 because of the change in the javelin specs, they only count jav and deca records from after about 1994. This record is very soft, and I know I can do it, if not in Seattle, then next year in May or June. My workout and meet PRs still add up to around 7700, so I have some pretty good leeway. In July of next year Kip Janvrin turns 45, and he could probably beat me and the record, so I think I have a one year window to break the record. There are a couple decas I can do here in Oregon in next May and June, so those would be the next goals after this season, and also the indoor Pentathlon at the World championships in British Columbia next March. The indoor penta world record is also reachable for me, because it has three of my best events, the hurdles, high jump and long jump, and then the shot and 1000m run. The world and american records are the same, so after some rest until October it will be back to the track!

Off to Nationals in Oshkosh

My training since I got back from Europe has been extremely frustrating because I've been hurting the whole time. I guess it's because I've been doing things that I hadn't been doing much of due to injury and vacation, but even still, it's like I was starting from scratch. My groins are both hurting, and it's not going away. I'll take two days off now before the meet on Friday, but it's possible I won't be able to do all the events. I have to get over this soreness so I can train. Despite the complaining, I have done some good hurdling and vaulting, at least I feel more confident there. In last sunday's workout I hurdled 10.3 to the seventh hurdle, which means maybe I can run in the low 16's. Yesterday I felt very smooth hurdling until I had to stop due to the pain. I haven't been throwing at all, although that doesn't worry me too much at this point. I think now I have to focus on getting as pain-free as possible, and just maintain what I conditioning I have. This means little doses of training and as much rest and healthy food as possible.

There's a good chance of rain in Finland, so I'm preparing for that as well. I have two "absorber" chamois which can keep the implements dry, and I'll have plenty of sticky stuff, etc. for the vault, and all the clothes I can carry. Hopefully they'll have tents set up around the track for the athletes.

I really wanted to jump over 21-2 this season in the lj to get on the all-time world list, and I don't have many chances (3?) to do it. I'm not too optimistic for this weekend, but let's see what happens. I have the leg strength and speed probably, but I haven't been able to practice much, so consistency will be the problem.

One Month To Go

Well, I'm home from my two-week European Vacation and ready to get back into the last month of training. While in Belgium, I ran a 4:57 1500m time trial, and it wasn't too hard for me, so I was happy with that. I think I could run close to 4:50 in a decathlon if I had to. I ran a fair amount in Europe, but my technique training suffered, so I have a little fine-tuning to catch up on in the next 3 weeks. Today I threw the discus around 135' which was a 10foot practice improvement for me, and hurdled, 10x 6 hurdles 5-stepping, and did a couple long jump approaches.

44 Days to worlds, PDX Track Festival results

So, pretty happy with the meet yesterday, all things considered. First I high jumped 5-10 on my first attempt at that height. I had to stop the competition there to run the 400m, and it's just as well, because my neck is killing me today from landing on it in the pit. I have to strengthen my neck and remember to warm it up as much as possible before jumping, because I can't have a sore neck like this for the second day of a decathlon. I think 1.85m is in the cards with just a little more approach practice. The 400 was good enough, 56.06, considering I'm still coming off this hamstring injury and haven't been doing any speed work or intervals to speak of. I was in control, not too tired at the end, and I'm pretty sure I can run in the 54's in July. The good news is my leg survived intact and should be able to continue training tomorrow. Then I threw the shot 36-11 on my first throw, which was ok, but it really killed my shoulder. I'm at a loss on the shoulder, it just won't get better, and I don't think it will until I stop doing this stuff, so I just have to take the motrin and grit the dentures.

All in all, the marks are on pace for an American record in my age group if I can combine them with the other 7 events, so I feel good.

Leaving for Europe today for two weeks, I'll just be running a lot and doing throwing footwork, but hopefully I'll also be able to find some hurdles to go over.

55 Days to go

My running has been going well, the hamstring is almost 100%.   Yesterday I threw the shot back over 37 for the first time since I hurt my shoulder last fall, then did some long jump pop ups, then ran about 3.5miles.  Day before that, on Mon., I ran 4m in the morning, then in the afternoon I threw the discus, then ran 10x200 in 31-33.  The last was 28.5, more like sprinter form instead of middle distance form.  

Tomorrow I'll try vaulting again, then maybe I'll try hurdling on Friday.  Should be good to go as long as I work into it.  

I entered the National Masters Championships today, which are in Oshkosh Wi, on July 9 and 10.  It's about the only meet I can do before the worlds, so I decided to do it even though I don't really want to fly there because I have two trips to Europe this summer already.  

Two months to go

Well, the hamstring is getting better, and I'm running distance as hard as I can, but it's still not 100%, so I'm not sprinting yet.  That means no hurdling or pole vaulting, so my technique work is hurting a bit.  I'll be back to sprinting about the same time we leave for a European vacation, so the pole vaulting is going to have to wait until the 1st of July now, which leaves me only about three weeks of practice before the meet.  I'll probably be able to find some tracks with hurdles in europe, so I should be ok there.  

I ran 4 miles in 26:10 today which is back on pace. The last lap was 1:24.  Just this past monday I ran it in 26:53.  I should be down to 25:30 by mid-July. The shoulder is still a problem, I think the only solution for me now is Motrin and Vicadin.  With enough painkillers I should be able to get through the second day just fine.

Aggravated hamstring- 68 Days to Worlds

In the middle of last week, I aggravated the hamstring injury, so I haven't been able to workout too hard since then.  It's getting better quickly again, so I should be running full strength here pretty soon, although it puts the decathlon on May 30th in jeopardy.  I'm concentrating so hard on the world's that I can't blow out my whole season for this "warmup" decathlon.  I do want to do it if I can, however, so I'll make the decision at the last moment.  

This past Saturday I ran 400's in 68-70, and it was pretty easy. I threw the discus before that, and realized how important it is to throw flat, and have my throwing arm come around flatter, in other words have my hand not so far below my shoulder, because then you get a wider arc, which creates more momentum at the hand.  On Sunday the 17th I just threw the shot a bit and rested the leg, and on Monday I jogged 2 miles and then tried to hurdle, but that hurt the leg, so I stopped right away.  I think I stretched the hurt hamstring too much, so I need to go easier on the stretching until it's better again.  Yesterday I rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes, lifted, then after that I jogged 30 minutes.  Today the leg is much better, so I should be able to run distance full speed. Will report later.   

Tuesday May 12

good series of workouts over last three days. Saturday: hurdles 8X7 hurdles, discus throwing from ring. Weight workout. Sunday, 5X415m in 66,73,68,73,68. Yesterday, three hour workout, hurdles, long jump pop-ups, shot, ran 18 minutes, then lifted weights/legs. Made a discovery while throwing shot, if I keep my head and gaze higher in back of ring, I added two feet to throw for same effort. Not sure why, maybe because it forces me to keep shoulders pointed towards the back of the ring during glide, and gets the upper body into a more efficient throwing position.

Back on Track

Hamstring seems to be all better, and I've had a productive last couple days. On Wednesday, I threw the discus 125', then I threw the shot some and ran a 800 and two 400s with a jog in between. Yesterday I tried to run 4miles at 6:40 pace, but didn't quite make it, so that shows my running has fallen off, but it shouldn't take long to get it back. In the evening I was able to vault OK, and I was really surprised that the hamstring got better after only a week! Today was a longer slower run of about 40 minutes, then 4X200 in 28-30 afterwards. Some shot glides to finish up.

Hamstring better

Sent off the meet entry form yesterday for the world champs, now it's for real.
Hamstring's getting better quickly, I ran 3 miles yesterday pretty fast, and it didn't hurt at all.
A couple hours after that I tried to high jump a little bit, and do some easy pole vault drills, but I started to feel the leg, so I stopped and just did drills on the gym rings. I'm not too worried about being able to sprint again, but I do need the vault practice. The worlds are just 83 days away now... I'll try to post some throwing video later today.

Hurt hamstring. Let's hope for speedy recovery.

Great. I hurt my hamstring on Tuesday doing a sprint workout. I was doing 50y repeats, and I felt like I was really flying. Apparently I was running too fast, because I guess I pulled my left hamstring low on the muscle. It's gotten better after a couple days, but it's going to put me out for quite awhile I'm afraid, and I'm also afraid now I'll keep hurting it when I sprint top speed. I'm not surprised I hurt it, considering how the other injuries to my left leg have weakened it. I'll have to really work on it's strength and flexibility as I'm rehabing and getting back into the workouts.

Here's a 20 foot long jump, first practice of the year from a full run-up on 4/15
video didn't convert very smoothly on this one for some reason.

Hurdles

Back on Feb 3rd,
Here I am three-stepping for the first time over 5 hurdles in 24 years.

High jump video

Long workout yesterday after rest day on Friday. Hurdles, then javelin throwing. I'm not thrilled with the way the javelin throwing is going, but 6 months of hurt shoulder has got to take a toll. I have to not try to throw hard, but throw with good technique, then it will come around.
Next, ran long interval workout 800,600,400,200,400,600,800 in
2:35
1:57
77
32
68
1:53
2:44
Next pole vault work on the rings.

April 23

A little spent from the day before, ran 2.5miles warmup, then lifted. Pole vaulted in the evening, did pretty well until my legs froze up. I had about 5 good jumps, but I wish I could jump longer to get more like 15 jumps in. I have to get a better sweep with my left leg and keep the right knee up throughout the rock back. It would make the difference between vaulting 12 and vaulting 14. It's just technique, not strength or speed. The vault is the one event I could actually do as well as I did when I was younger if I could practice a bit more, because I didn't vault that high before. No throwing practice yesterday, so I'll do two today, but I may take a day off from running if my legs are too sore when I start to warmup.

Pretty good workout yesterday afternoon. Discus spins. Sprint starts out of blocks, about 8 times. Sprint ladder 100,150,200,250,200,100 in 11.85,17.3,26.1,34.8,27.5,12.85. Very happy with the times, especially the 150 in 17.3, even though there was some wind assistance.

And now the numbers...

So this is about how it shapes up for me for each of the events of the decathlon so far in training, or in meets over the past couple years. I hate to set a point total goal, because there are so many variables and black holes where things can go wrong, but the American record in the 45-49 is Rex Harvey from 1991 at 7502.

Event........... Mark............ Points.............. Mark age<20
100m ............12.1.............. 826.................. 11.1
LongJump ....20-7 .............911.................. 24-0
Shot Put....... 38-6............. 671.................. 47-0
High Jump... 5-11.............. 900................. 6-9
400m............ 55.0.............. 832................. 50.7
110mHurd... 16.5??........... 834................. 14.4
(high school highs, what I run now in 45 age group)
Discus........... 128-0............ 684................. 156-0
Pole Vault..... 12-2.............. 720................. 14-1
Jav................. 130............... 570................. 195
1500m........... 5:00............. 755................. 4:32
Total..................................... 7703..............around 8000h (pb's)
The totals are close only because the points for masters are age-adjusted. For example, the world record in the long jump is 117.87% of the world record for 45 year olds, so if you take my mark of 20-7 and multiply it by 1.1787 you get 24-4. I actually did that jump when I was 44, and the age adjustment came out to exactly what I did when I was younger, but it probably doesn't usually work out that closely.

I haven't run a full set of hurdles yet, so that's a guess, but I'll do a race or two before the world champs, so I'll get a better idea then.

My best sprint workout so far this spring was 5x200 averaging 26.9. I probably couldn't do that at the moment because of the knee problems, but I should be able to get back there in about three weeks time. The 400m is really important, because I have to be able to run a decent time and then come back the next day and be able to warmup for the hurdles in the morning. I'm sure it's harder at 45.

Up and Running

Here it goes, just what the world needs, another blog. I decided to create a blog as a record for myself, and also in case anyone wants to keep up with my progress on the path to the World Masters Championships in Lahti 2009.
I decided to try to do a decathlon as a master after long jumping 20-7 in the Spokane nationals last August of 2008, and then realizing the next day I wasn't sore. I know, it's not much to go on as evidence that I'd be able to get through a whole decathlon at 45, but here I am, there's no turning back now.
I started training straight away, mostly weight lifting and pool running and throwing drills. I was running in the pool at first because about the same time I decided to train for a decathlon, my right Achilles started hurting. It didn't fully recover until January, 5 months later, but I did start running in mid-October because the doctor said running on it probably wouldn't do any further damage. He also said the pain may never go away, so I'm glad it did. I also started pole vaulting in October with Rick Baggett who has a great indoor facility in Oregon City. I don't think I would have tried to train for a deca without having him and his facility only 20 minutes away(without traffic). I'm very lucky to have it. The pole vault wasn't a strong event for me as a young decathlete, so I just didn't know what to expect. I really didn't know if I'd be able to vault 10 feet, but so far I'm vaulting respectably in practice, so as long as I don't no-height in a meet, it shouldn't be too much of a stumbling block. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to vault much from December through February because my right shoulder developed a really bad pain diagnosed as impingement. It is better now, but not gone altogether, so I've been living with this pain for almost 6 months now. Besides hampering the vaulting, it's seriously hurt my upper body strength and throwing practice. That said, I'm able to do most of what I want to do now, so with three months to go until Lahti, I should be able to get back close to my potential in the throws.
I'll try not to spend too much time complaining about injuries, but I am a little injury prone it seems, and it's just one after another. In addition to the Achilles and shoulder, I bruised my heel hurdling the first week of March, and that still bothers me, and something happened to my left knee mid-March, and that's just now getting better. It feels like any day training out there could be my last, but I'll try to keep perspective and keep on trucking until my body just cracks in half if I can. I'm not training for the Olympics, and if I don't do that well because of injuries or any other reason, it just doesn't matter, it's more important now to finish a decathlon.