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.