2011 Decathlons

Well, it's been a long time since my last post and a couple things have occurred in the meantime. The national masters decathlon in Dallas in June was a heartbreaking close brush with the WR in my age group. Backing up one step, just before I went to Dallas, I looked at the website that lists all the masters records and saw that the mark that had been the record for the decathlon in my age group had been thrown out, probably because it was determined to be wind-aided in hindsight. So the record dropped from 76-something to 7480, which gave me a better chance. The facilities were almost perfect, and even the 100 degree heat wasn't so bad because we had an air-conditioned gymnasium we could hang out in in between events, and even warm up in. The decathlon was going great from event to event, but my left hamstring was so tight I really couldn't stretch it at all. It got sore after a hard interval workout a couple weeks before, and just never loosened up, then I injured it very slightly doing some starts. I knew I was tempting fate, but I felt good otherwise, and really never considered dropping out because of the hamstring. On my second attempt at 3.80m in the vault, which was the height I made in training just the week before, I pulled the hamstring pretty badly. I had to stop the vault immediately, and I could only hope that it would loosen up before the 1500. I was still able to throw the javelin OK, and even threw a PB 39.80, but there was no joy in the 1500. I just needed to run a 5:20 to score over 7480 and break the WR, but I just couldn't stride out at all. A little over three weeks later I would run a 5:03 in the World Championships, so I know I would have been able to run 5:20 in Dallas. So, I had to settle for 6820 from 9 events. It was really heartbreaking to be so close to the record and see it slip away knowing I might not get that close again. The marks were: 12.20 6.32 11.43 1.73 55.36 15.90 38.01 3.70 39.80. The high jump was bad, but otherwise everything was on plan. The long jump was from behind the board, so it was probably close to 6.50!
So at that point I had about 3.5 weeks to rest my leg before the Worlds, and as I left Dallas I really had ZERO hope that I would be able to do that. I had trouble driving, just getting in and out of the car, and I could barely sit down because of the pain. I shunned all the fancy-smancy new-age crap like lasers and deep tissue massage, and just started running up stairs after about 4 days. Lo and behold, it started loosening up pretty quickly, and I progressed from stairs to jogging to running, to some longer intervals, and eventually to a little bit of sprinting and hurdling. It wasn't 100% in Sacramento, but I got through it and won, which was the plan. The heat there seemed even more intense than Dallas, and we didn't have an air-conditioned building, although I did sit in the car a little bit. I started out thinking that if I could just make it through the decathlon I would win, but a guy showed up from Puerto Rico that decided to make my life difficult. He was a very good athlete, apparently ran a 47s 400 when he was 20, and had done decathlons back in the day at the same time I did. My sprints and LJ were kind of bad like I expected, but my second day was pretty good with PBs in the javelin and 1500. Because Rosado had a good javelin throw, I was actually still behind him going into the 1500 and had to beat him by 5 seconds to win. I went out conservatively, a pace that I knew would get me under 5:10 thinking that would be good enough to win, but I felt good after a couple laps, and could tell that Rosado was close, so I started to pick it up, and with 400m to go, I could tell he was still just about 5 seconds back, so I gave it all I had and beat him by 8 seconds. My time was 5:03. It was the closest battle of all the age groups at Worlds, and the only one with two guys over 7000. My performances scored as a 40 year old would have won the 40 age group as well.

One Week to Go

Training is still good, an avalanche of PB's in practice, 55.1 400m, mid 24's 200m, 19-6 LJ from half approach, 138-0 javelin, 12-6 vault. PB's from meets and training over the past couple seasons now add up to 7978 (pre-2010 age adjustments) vs. 7502 for American Record and 7767 for WR. So I have some pretty good leeway over the AR, but the WR is a little skinnier.
Masters PBs with age-graded open equivalent for points purposes:
11.94....11.09
6.35.....7.33(24-0)
12.09....14.53(47-8)
1.82.....2.01(6-7)
55.10....49.88
15.60....14.28
38.70....46.63(152-11)
3.81.....4.38(14-4.5)
42.00....49.21(161-5)
4:57.00..4:31.0


I should be able to go into the decathlon next week pain-free, which will be a first. I'm more apprehensive about the heat because the forcast is still for near 100. I'll have to make sure I drink enough so that I don't get cramps like I did last year in Joplin. Here's workout videos from yesterdays vertical jump practice:
The high jump is over a bungee around 6'. taking off too far out.
the vault is 12-6 with a 14' 155 from 6steps(81')

Hayward Classic - Videos - Mens 110 Hurdles - Hayward Classic 2011

Hurdles at Hayward classic. last hurdle was in the wrong place and threw me off a bit. I had to 5 step

Hayward Classic - Videos - Mens 110 Hurdles - Hayward Classic 2011

Finally all healthy again...

So I was sick with this upper respiratory cough for most of April really. I got sick on March 29, got better enough to workout again April 7, then had a relapse April 19, then finally was able to start working out again, albeit while still coughing some and with a drippy nose, on may 1. Only in the past week has the cough totally gone away. It's hard to know how much the sickness hurt me, because the forced rest before the outdoor season might have been some benefit also. The weather has just been horrible this spring, and that's been a real hamper also(I think it contributed to my cough as well). I've had some good technical work lately, and continue to improve in the vault. My shoulder seems to be all cured - it's almost too good to be true, because I really thought the pain would never go away as long as I was training for the decathlon. I've been throwing the javelin and the javelin ball almost as much as I want, and I KNOW this will help my javelin score, even if it's still not fantastic. I really don't know how far I'll throw. Two days ago I ran two 100m's in 11.5 and 11.6 with a walking start, so I was happy with that, because I know I can do it even faster in hotter weather later in the season. I'm doing three events on Saturday in the Hayward Classic in Eugene, the LJ, hurdles and 400, so that'll give me some practice and tell me what I need to work on the the decathlon in Dallas June 11 and 12. I think the records are in reach despite my bad April, but because my muscles and joints are healthy, it bodes well.

Goin' for the next Record

Training is going well in preparation for the outdoor season. My plan is to do two or three meets in May before doing decathlons on June 11th, and July 6th. That gives me two chances to get a record, either the AR or WR. Either will do... The terrible weather this spring in Oregon and the fact that I was sick for almost two weeks put me a little behind, but I'm catching up quickly. I've been vaulting a lot, lots of jumps, and I'm finally seeing it pay off. I've had some good jumps getting upside down, and jumped 12' yesterday from a 4 step (55') approach on a small pole, so that was pretty cool. My shoulder and hip haven't been hurting when I do javelin drills so I'm hoping that I can throw at least 135 in a decathlon if I can keep training. My PB's from meets and practice over the last year add up to about 7850 on the new age graded tables, which is more than 200 points above the WR, so it's within reach.
I've had some decent running workouts, but I need to keep up the mileage so my 1500 doesn't drop off. Today I did 6 reps up the hill in front of our house, about 140m up a pretty steep hill, it's about the hardest running workout you can do I think. I did hurt my heel yesterday hurdling, I really can't believe I hurt it again in the same place, but I don't think it's too bad, hopefully it'll go away quickly. I'll go easy on the jumping for a few days and see what happens.

World Record Number 2

Yahoo, broke my record by 57 points for a total of 4036. Here's the event-by-event: I got a pretty good start in the hurdles, better than the week before in the masters exhibition race at senior nationals, but still not perfect. I got a good push, but still stood up a bit quick. I think I can still take a couple tenths out of my start to the second hurdle. Some of that will come from doing more resistance starts and sled pushing over the rest of the spring training. In the middle of the race I was fairly smooth, but was sitting back or snapping to erect after clearing the hurdle. I need to work on bucking the hurdle and keeping some forward lean from hurdle to hurdle to maintain the momentum better. Time: 8.94, which I was satisfied with. For the long jump, we were forced to jump in the secondary pit which was a crummy plywood runway with no board, just the squishy plywood from which to jump. My first jump was a very close foul, and probably at 20', so that was bad. My second jump I went safe and jumped from about 14" behind the board, so it was only 18-8. At this point I was freaking out, so I moved back to my longer 116' runup and gave it all I had and came up with 5.97m or 19-7, which I still wasn't happy with, but that was ok considering the first two jumps. I was still ahead of record pace, but not by nearly as much as I had hoped. I moved to the shot and felt good, and really connected on my second throw, 12.09m or 39-8 for PB number 2. Only 10cm farther than last year, but still very good considering I didn't know if I'd even throw 37'. So now I was pumped again and went over to the high jump pretty confident that I would get the record. My warmup felt smooth and I started at 1.66 which I made first time, then went to 1.72, first time clearance, then 1.75, first time clearance by a mile, then second time clearance at 1.78 again by several cm. At this point I was pretty sure I'd get the record. I made 1.81 again on second clearance, and almost made 1.84 on the third try. I really should have made it. I'm jumping too close to the right standard, so I need to move down the bar so I'm clearing over the lowest point. So now I needed about 3:14 to break my record. I knew I would do that, but I was dreading the altitude, and it did really hurt me so I only ran 3:08.18. That was disappointing after running that 2:59 in a workout, but I was on the track afterwards, so it really hurt.
After the event, I immediately started thinking about the pentathlon in Kamloops, and first decided not to do it, but after a couple days changed my mind because I think I'm really peaking well and can do better. So, I'm leaving in two days to drive up to Canada and do it all over again. I certainly don't want to, but they don't hand out records based on a written application.
On the second day of the championships I also won the long jump and hurdles with a 6.20 in the same pit as the day before, and a 9.06 in the hurdles. That long jump was very good for that pit, I think it might have been a 21-0 or 6.40m in the real pit. Bummer, but I'm totally confident that I can get that distance during the rest of the season. So, see you next week with the results from Kamloops.
I have good video from the meet, and will work on getting it edited for the web.

Albuquerque is close; Decent 1000m today

Training has been going well, almost too well. I've been so injury free this season that I was feeling a bit dead from over-training perhaps, but I've backed off this month and feeling fresher, and ready to compete. It is truly a fabulous feeling to not be injured or aching. I don't feel like 46 right now, so I better enjoy it while it lasts, and take advantage of it and get a good score. Today I ran 2:59.2 for 1000m in a workout, so I was pretty happy with that. My 200 splits were almost perfectly even at just under 36sec, so I think I could run a little faster if I ran the first 400 faster and then hung on. I may have trouble matching that time in the pentathlon in Albuquerque at altitude, but if I go out a little faster and then finish slower I might be able to. It'd be cool to run under 3 in the pent just for looks. So if I plug in 8.8 for the 60 hurdles, which is at least what I would have run in my 15.60 110 race last summer, my PBs in the pentathlon events add up to about 4400(old tables) now, or almost 300 points ahead of last year's WR. Decent wiggle room. I've had good workouts in the LJ, and I'm feeling a bit better about the HJ again after I kinda lost my mojo there for awhile. The last time I did hurdle starts I was really getting into a groove, I could tell my start has improved and I have a lot more momentum to the second hurdle. The shot has been the most frustrating for me because I really have worked on it a lot, and don't feel like it's gotten better, but I'm not lacking in confidence, so I think I'll do alright. The shot doesn't pay a lot of points anyway, so if I don't throw as far as last year it won't matter too much. I also don't think I'll jump as high in the HJ, but again, I should pick up more points in the hurdles and 1000 and LJ than I lose in the Shot and HJ.
Next weekend I'm running the 60mh Masters exhibition that's at the open indoor nationals, so that will be a great dry run for the next week when it counts. David Oliver runs right after we do, so that will be very cool to be warming up with him, if not extremely intimidating. At least I'm not in his race, that would be good for a laugh.

In Southern California Sunshine workin' out

I came to So Cal last thursday the 20th to get in some good running in the sun. It's been a great series of workouts, and I still feel great after nine days in a row. I think I'll take tomorrow off, then do one more hard double workout on Saturday before the trip home. The strangest part of all this training lately is how I don't have any real aches or pains or injuries other than my chronic shoulder, but's even it's not that bad. My arthritic foot has been fine, and I've even started doing some single leg bounding off my take-off leg because I felt like my spring was really slipping.
I’m starting the final push to get ready for the indoor champs in Albuquerque where I’m hoping to improve my pentathlon score, so being able to train in the sun even for just a week and half will help much. On the way I stopped in Dublin and had a great little training session with Aaron Thigpen at his training facility Gamespeed, who helped me a lot with my start and general sprint training.
I had the idea that it would be fun to drive out to Azusa Pacific where Bryan Clay lives and trains to meet him and maybe even workout with him, because I know he’s pretty open about having people stop by the track and such. So, through my friend and coach David Lemen, who is a contemporary and former competitor of Bryan’s, and the wonders of Facebook I was able to get in touch with Bryan. Turns out he was resting the weekend that I would be able to drive out to meet him, and before he was flying to NY for the Millrose games “Multi-Challenge”, be he still generously offered to meet me for a chat over coffee at Starbucks. I got a chance to hear a little about his experiences over the past ten years trying to get to the top, and stay there, as a decathlete. Bryan comes off as a perfectly sincere and thoughtful athlete and human and it shows that he is serious in his efforts to use his accomplishments to further some causes that are important to him, and not just to bask in the glow of Olympic stardom. He talked about his Bryan Clay Foundation and its goals of helping less advantaged youth to get some exposure to the same life-building skills and balanced lifestyle that helped Bryan move past his own family problems as a youngster and realize his potential. I would encourage anyone that’s interested to find out more about the Foundation through his website.
We talked about the difficulties for decathletes that want to stick with it after college and try to train full time, and he related how long it took him, even after some great scores and national place finishes to really get anywhere with support and endorsements. I liked his story about calculating after he finished college just exactly what the minimum would be for him to live on and train, and going to some large concerns in Hawaii to pitch for support. He figures now with hindsight they just chuckled to themselves what a small number it was, and he did in fact have no problem getting that support, and the rest is history as they say. I also liked hearing about how he is hurting all the time, because it makes me feel a little better knowing there are other people in the same boat. I didn’t even have to ask if he ever thought he would compete as a master, soon as I started to say that not too many former elite athletes stick with it past 35, he was very quick to point out that his body just wouldn’t make it that long. He has the same problems I do, like getting out of a chair after a workout, standing up from a crouch, always training and competing injured, etc. And that’s at 31! Maybe I'll get to workout with him some other time next winter while he's getting ready for his third Olympiad. After meeting him I got the crazy idea that it would be fun to try to meet all of the living Olympic decathlon champions, and write an article about the experience, since I've met three now. The American ones would be fairly easy to meet probably, but a couple of the European ones could prove tricky.
While here in socal I've run twice a day 4 times, including some good sessions of 8x45 sec sprints with a short equal rest, and yesterday I ran 5 200s in 25.8, 26.2, 26.9, 26.1, 27.5, with a longer rest in between 3 and 4 when I did some bounding. I had a good long jump session, and a good hurdle session where I did 6 crouch starts over 3 hurdles three stepping. This is so much more than last year when I had the bad groin that kept me from doing much real speed work and few hurdle starts.
I'll upload of picture of me and Clay after I get home and hook up the camera

Oh my aching feet...

I'm hanging in there, but the stress of my workouts is taking a toll on my feet. My muscles and joints are fine, which is very good, but hurdling is getting to be very hard on my feet, particularly my left foot, which has developed arthritis. It might have originally come from a stress fracture I had as a teenager in about the same spot, the middle of the foot on top. So much force goes through your foot at odd angles when while hurdling. Whatever the reason, running in spikes may become impossible in the future. I think I'll be ok through the pentathlon at least, and probably through the rest of this outdoor season as well if I take it easier.
Just about 5 weeks of hard training before I start to taper for the indoor pentathlon March 4, so the goal is in sight. I still feel like I can improve my record by a good margin, although my running has actually slipped a little from November. It's amazing how easily it can drop off if I tip the balance away from just running to doing more lifting and technique work. I've stopped training for now in the non-pentathlon events, but even still my energy is limited. I don't have any fantastic workout times to report, but all around I'm still solid. The lifting and strength work I did starting back in September has paid off I think because I feel stronger, but it also hurts my running for anything over 100m. Training for the multi events is just diabolically difficult with the opposing requirements of strength and lightness. I think I'll stop lifting altogether now until the competition, and maybe that will give me the energy to run more and get back down under 175. The shot put is only one event, and it doesn't pay many more points for an extra foot or two, so I don't think my size and strength will help anymore. I'll be spending 10 days down in Southern California to be able to run in the sun, and I'll just run as much as my feet can handle. After I get back from that trip, I'll have two weeks until an indoor meet in Seattle where I'll hurdle (60m 42") and long jump.