I took yesterday off completely, aside from about an hour of static stretching and about four hours of icing. Later today I'm going to test out my hamstring again, checking to see if I can get up to at least 90% speed. I may also try a few pop-up's and short approach triple jump. I'm feeling pretty good overall, my first thought when I woke up this morning was "Oh it's not so bad today"... Well I guess that's a lie my first thought this morning was a reflection of the dream I had. I dreamed that at juniors, during the qualifying round of long jump, I jumped 6.29m and finished 13th, one centimeter out of the final. That would be something I would want to avoid. I don't know what distance I would be happy with but a pb would be nice, anything over 6.50m. Although I don't even know if I'll be able to jump yet I think 6.50m is quite a reasonable goal. I faulted a 6.39m and a 6.36m (which I tore my hamstring on) on a day where the wind was oscillating between -0.7m/s to -2.1m/s. I felt terrible too, I was tired, the bruise on my heal was throbbing. Surely a pristine day would be worth at least another 10-15cm, right?

You've got to learn to survive a defeat. That's when you develop character.

--Richard M. Nixon  

Well I guess he was right because I know if I did well this weekend I would not have studied the tapes as closely as I did. Technically it looks pretty good through the first two phases (well my hop could always be more active but it seems there are more primary concerns at the moment). Here's the video:


See, during the step phase there is definitely some major forward rotation which is probably partially responsible for my brutal landing. When I land off the step there is a distinct rounding through my shoulders which causes me to jump "into the ground" on the last phase. Here are a few video caps:

This is from the second jump, 13.32m. As you can clearly see I'm am not set up well for the last phase at all, hips are back, eyes are down, shoulders are rounded.














This one is from my fourth jump, 13.54m. It looks a little better but still, I could stay completely upright I think I would begin to see massive improvements.
 













If I'm well enough to jump at practice this Sunday I DEFINITELY know what I'm going to work on

My hamstring definitely isn't as bad as it could be, I'm currently able to run at about 80-85% before I get any mass amount of pain. I was able to do bounds but when I attempted a three step jump I was reminded with a shot of pain that it has only been three days. Unfortunately I can't imagine any scenario where I'm completely healed by the Friday after next. I mustn't grow lethargic and slow down on my recovery, the only hope is to continue to ice four hours a day and pray for the best.
Funny enough I was able to squat today, pretty much max out. I have definitely lost strength over the last few weeks, I sacrificed some depth on the last few reps.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x50m@80%
5x5 bounds
Static stretching
Weights--
Squats 3x3@315lb's
Leg curls--
Left side: 1x5@45lb's, 1x5@50.5lb's, 1x5@56lb's
Right side: 1x5@157lb's, 2x5@162.5lb's
Incline dumbbell press 3x5@60lb's
Pull-ups 3x5@body weight+20lb's

I'm hoping--praying--that there is progress being made, I essentially iced all morning before going to the gym and my initial reaction upon waking up was "maybe it's not so bad" but I don't know... I tested it out at Dal a little bit, A skip didn't hurt, B skip made it feel like it was being stretched. Fast leg hurt a little bit, pulling at the ground and actually running hurt a little bit at around 75%. Tomorrow is speed day so it will be a true testament of what I can do. If I can run at 85% I will be optimistic of my recovery... Anything less and I'll be worried out of my mind.
The thing about long jump and triple jump is if I can't run at 100% then there's no point of jumping at all and with 11 days until Nationals... Hmpt.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light jog
Warm-up (skips and 2 tempos)
Ab circuit--
Leg raises 3x10@15lb's
Sideways crunches 3x10@33lb's
Leg throw downs 3x10
Ab pull-down's 4x15@160lb's, 1x15@170lb's
Seated twists 3x10@33lb's
Back extensions 3x10@65lb's
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I was half hoping to wake up this morning completely pain free but alas I obviously woke up with shooting pain all down the back of my left leg. I tried to go to practice, probably not a smart thing to do, but I didn't last long, probably less than half an hour. I jogged a lap pretty much pain free but then when I started to do leg swings and skips the real extend of the injury became apparent. I know exactly what I'm dealing with, this is a 4 week injury but unfortunately Nationals are in 12 days.
   I don't know if I'm going to be able to jump or not, I need a miracle to say the least.
 I went to the gym this evening and tested it out again after icing for several hours, I was actually able to get up to around 75% but it's far from where I need to be. I also did a standard ab circuit (180 movements) and 3x10 back extensions which I think I will be adding to my Monday routine.

Today was in all accords a bad day. I think even the most optimistic of competitors would have trouble finding any good from today's meet. There are a few fleeting moments of optimism that I can't seem to hold on to--maybe they will become more apparent when I awake but for now they will continue to evade me. I think it would be best to work backwards and start from the ending.
   Two weeks before Nationals the last place I would want to find myself is on the DL yet here I am ready to go to sleep terrified of how my hamstring will feel when I wake tomorrow. Six hours ago on my fifth long jump I felt it pop in much the same way I did a month ago when I originally injured it--this time it seems to be higher up and I feel it's much too soon to speak but so far it doesn't seem to hurt as much when I contract it as it did last time.
   When I woke up this morning I felt good, a pinch away from great and not far off excellent. The pain in my hamstring was mild, my ankle felt healed and my lower back didn't seem to be an issue. Then when I started my warm-up at 10:40am I felt amazing, I had one moment in particular where I felt like I could jump 20.00m. By 11:40am I had so much adrenaline I couldn't see anything going wrong--oh how wrong I was. When I arrived to my event I was surprised to see there was a delay. So I waited, trying my best to keep warm, A skip ect. but when I went back to the pits I was in shock to find it was going to be at least another hour--I lost my mental edge and became lethargic, unsettled and uneasy. Physically I began to tire but the biggest toll the delays took were mental.
   I started warming-up at 10:40pm and continued to do so until about 2:00pm--well over two hours, then after nearly 30 minutes of runways and marshaling it finally came time to jump... At 2:30pm, two and a half hours later than I was expecting...

There was a problem with the wind gage so I wasn't able to get accurate wind readings but judging from the track events that were being run at the same time the wind was probably in the -1m/s to -2.5m/s range (highest on the second, fifth and sixth jumps)

Jump 1-13.27m, it was actually my highest opening jump this season so I was feeling pretty optimistic, it took my mind off of the poor conditions.
Jump 2-13.32m, A little farther but technically worst. I think the only difference was the wind let up a little bit.
Jump 3-Fault, I over-hopped and couldn't manage a step phase, I think I was getting too much height on all my jumps but this was just a little worst.
Jump 4-13.54m, it didn't feel too bad actually at least compared to the first three. It still didn't feel as good as they have been recently but the main problem was the landing--I lost probably close to 30cm from where my butt landed. Even the video shows it was... brutal.
Jump 5-13.54m, the same as the last but to be honest it didn't feel like a very good jump at all, the phases seemed to be rough and I was losing speed in the transitions.
Jump 6-13.37m, I honestly thought this one was a lot farther--I thought it was at least 13.80m but I guess not. I think the wind was highest on this one, in the -2.5m/s  range.

It was about an hour later before long jump was marshaled and even that seemed like an ordeal. Originally it was supposed to be in the opposite direction as triple jump and so that's the direction, I and everybody else, used to get a mark. After 20 minutes we were told that the pit was too low so none of the jumps would be able to count. Another 20 minutes was spent in the opposite direction....
 
Jump 1- 6.01m -0.7m/s, just a terrible jump my heel was really sore from triple jump where a bruise was starting to form. I can't even remember the last time I jumped 6.01m...
Jump 2- Fault -0.3m/s, not much to be said...
Jump 3- Fault -1.3m/s (6.39m), a little better but it was about a 1/4 of a centimeter fault.
Jump 4- 6.05m/s -1.3m/s, I really have no idea how to long jump, I feel just spending one practice on it would give the instant gratification of 30cm. Flat, terrible landing, weak take-off ect. ect.
Jump 5- Fault -1.7m/s (6.38m), the dreaded jump where I felt my hamstring go. Surprisingly if I managed to somewhat finish it well... kind of. My landing was almost as bad as those from triple jump earlier, left probably 15-20cm in the sand. MUST MUST MUST MUST learn how to finish a jump... Also like a centimeter fault.
Jump 6-Pass, for obvious reasons.

I feel I must make a list of Pros to keep from driving myself insane.

PROS

• The HD camera I bought seems to work and gives pretty solid quality.
• On a terrible day when everything went wrong I still jumped my pb from last season (which was under optimal conditions) 
• There's a chance my hamstring was just a bad cramp and I may wake up fine. Even if it is pulled it doesn't feel as bad as last time. 
• The video (which I'll probably post tomorrow) was very helpful in pointed out a few obvious technical mistakes i.e. upper body position.  
•  I'm due to have a day with a find over 0.0m/s

Here I am, lying in bed at 10:30pm ready to go to sleep. Everything seems to be perfect, physically I'm better then I have been recently--my hamstring doesn't appear to be hurting, my lower back is barely a problem and my right ankle is better than it has been in forever. The only thing I'm worried about is the weather, it is supposedly going to rain all morning and afternoon. As long as it's a light rain it shouldn't be a problem, to be honest I just want a decent wind, no negatives pleassee. I think I'm ready to finally break 14.00m, I have been flirting with it for a while and it's time to put it on paper once and for all. The time is now.
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I went to the track today just to see how my body was feeling, it was a nice sunny day for a change so it seemed a shame to waste it. I essentially just did a competition warm-up, my hamstring was still a little sore but less so than yesterday. I'm not worried about it hurting this weekend. I am a little anxious about competing though. This is my last shot before Juniors to get a decent jump in in a perfect world I would like to be over 14.00m but I just want to get six solid jumps in and not waste the first three like I have done in the last two meets. I want to open up with a jump over 13.50m and adjust the next five until I reach an epitome.
   I'm a little worried about my hop phase, on my last jump at the last meet I opened it up way to much and lost control of the jump. I don't want that to happen again. I would really appreciate a non-negative wind, I'm tired of -1m/s, -2.0m/s something in the 1.5m/s would be perfect. Alas the weather is out of control.

I forgot how refreshing an ice bath could be--after practice today I was filled with aches and pain across my body but after ten minutes in five degree water they have all seemed to go away, for now anyway. I'm feeling good for this weekend, I know I'm physically capable of reaching my goals the only limiting factor is technical. Also a positive wind would be nice for a change...
   Weights today were very light--I dropped fifty pounds off my squat to stay explosive.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x30m
4x flying 30m
Weights--
Squats 3x3@270lb's
Incline dumbbell press 3x5@50lb's
Pull-up's 3x5@body weight

Today went as well as I could of hoped. When I started warming up my lower back was sore on the left side and my right ankle was also pretty sore. Upon first arriving at the track I was met with heavy thunders showers and I thought it was going to be a disastrous day but it ended up clearing up a little bit. Still, after working until 10:00pm last night and the sub-optimal, somewhat cold conditions, I wasn't very optimistic. Long jump was first, I haven't long jumped in so long it just felt flat...

Jump 1- Fault, which may have been the biggest of the day possibly 6.40m range.
Jump 2- 6.22m, -0.0m/s, just not a great jump, I decelerated and had a terrible landing.
Jump 3- Fault, possibly the weirdest jump of my life, my heal planted on the orange and I slipped but I slipped into some kind of monstrous vertical impulse, which if I was expecting may have lead to a huge jump (and if it wasn't a huge fault) if I could get that kind of height normally I think I would instantly go from jumping low sixes to high sixes consistently.
Jump 4- Fault, after nearly wiping out on jump number three I became afraid of jumping up and just jumped out, I doubt it was even a six meter jump...
Jump 5-Pass
Jump 6-Pass

Triple jump followed immediately, and I wasn't feeling great to start off with. If I wasn't already tired from long jump I may have pb'd but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I was happy with the performance though given the conditions. It's still the second farthest I have ever jumped outdoors.

Jump 1-13.13m, felt weird... I don't know how to describe it any better, maybe off-balance?
Jump 2-12.96m, the landing was the biggest issue, the whole jump was flat and I lost 30cm on the landing
Jump 3-13.23m, A little better then the first couple, still not great but a sign that it may not be a completely terrible day.
Jump 4-13.54m, Technically it felt 1000x better then the others, it was the first jump that actually had some "pop". If I felt better physically I think it would have been a very big jump.
Jump 5-13.56m, Again felt really good. I thought it was at least 13.80m at first, it felt huge. I was very surprised that it was only 13.56m. For a quarter of a second I thought I finally got the magic one, four.
Jump 6-Fault, I think it was a toe fault, apparently coming off the board my hop was in the range of 5.80m opposed to it's usually 4.90m-5.30m. It felt huge but of course I over hopped, I couldn't finish the step phase. If I could of held on to it I think it would have been massive. That's a big IF however...

At least it's a quick turnaround until the next competition, six days, but I bet they will feel like the longest six days of my life. I can feel it, this meet is being set up to be where it finally happens, 14.00m. I'm taking Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday off work so I'll be well rested. Then I'm busing up to Moncton the day before so I can get a good night sleep there. It's one of the fasted tracks in the world, built for world juniors last summer. Last time I triple jumped there I pb'd by 27cm which just so happens to be how far away I am from 14.00m

Tomorrow will be the eight  day since my last competition, it will be interesting to see if  anything has changed. Hopefully the wind won't be consistently at -2.0m/s like it was last week. I physically feel pretty good the only thing that is worrying me is that I have long jump before triple. I may only take three jumps depending on they feel, it would be nice to go over 6.50m but as long as I don't fault I think it should be alright.

I don't know if I should have done as much work today as I did with a mini-competition on Sunday but I guess even if I'm not at 100% it's not the pinnacle of the season. Hopefully I'll pb in at least one of long jump or triple jump. Long jump is before triple which isn't prime so I guess we'll see how things go. I think I'm going to take the next two days off, I may do I quick ab circuit at home tomorrow but that's it. I unfortunately work until 10pm the night before competition which again... Isn't a best case scenario.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x8 depth jumps
5x5 bounds
5 three step triple jump
1 five step triple jump (felt terrible)
3 five step long jump
Weights--
Hang Cleans 1x3@185lb's, 1x3@195lb's, 1x3@205lb's
Clean and Jerk 2x3@155lb's

I'm feeling pretty good overall physically. It was raining pretty hard through today's workout but I feel like I made the most of it. I tried to keep the volume to a minimum because that seems to be what has been working recently. I took off about 35lb's from the squat to keep from over-taxing my nervous system. The 30m's felt particularly quick, I'm feeling like the next meet may finally be where I break 14m.
I'm jumping on Sunday here in Dartmouth. I work until 10:00pm the night before and there will probably only be 3-4 people jumping but hopefully it won't be an opportunity squandered. I will also be jumping in Moncton the Saturday after.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Long warm-up
3x10m
3x20m
3x30m
1xflying 30m
Weights--
Squats 2x5@275lb's, 1x5@286lb's
Hamstring curls-
Right side: 1x5@157lb's, 2x5@162.5lb's
Left side: 1x5@135lb's, 1x5@140.5lb's, 1x5@146lb's
Incline dumbbell press 3x50lb's
Pull-up's 3x5@body weight+10lb's

Sunday June 12 2011

I am a little sore from yesterday, I can feel it deep in my quads. Today was a very light workout, no weights, essentially just a warm-up. I did however take a couple three step jumps at about 60% just to work on pulling through the landing.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
5 three-step triple jump@60%
Cool down

Monday June 13 2011

As last Monday, the monday before that, the Monday before that, the... Today was a brief ab circuit. I was probably in and out of the gym in under an hour. I did 255 movements with pretty standard exercises. My legs are feeling almost back to normal.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Leg lifts 4x10@15lb's
Sideways crunch 4x10@33lb's
Leg raises to vertical 4x10
Ab pull-downs 4x15@160lb's, 1x15@170lb's
Seated twists 3x10@33lb's
Leg raises to vertical+twist 3x10

Today went... well. I would have loved to go over 14.00m but with the wind the way it was today there was just no way. I did still pb by 15cm and it could have been a lot more if my mark was on. I'm happy with today, now time to binge-diet!

Jump One: 13.12m-I couldn't control my runway at all and ended up almost falling on my face. In all fairness it was the first jump since March.
Jump two: 13.27m felt much better but I didn't touch the board and lost 20cm. My landing was also brutal, I left like another 20cm in the sand.
Jump three: 13.39m-The first jump that really felt promising, I got about half the board but still fell back on the landing.
Jump four: 13.66m-A personal best but the wind was -1.3m/s (the first three jumps were from -0.6m/s to -0.8m/s). It felt really good but the wind was still a factor.
Jump five: 13.60m-I didn't touch the board to my dismay, it could have been 13.80m and the wind was brutal (probably why my mark was off). The wind was -2.1m/s.
Jump six: 13.73m-Just clipped the board, lost about 19.5cm and the wind was still negative, -0.5m/s. If I was on the board it would have been 13.93m and if the wind was positive it probably would have been over 14.00m...

I'm looking forward to jumping again in two weeks, hopefully the wind will be going the other way. The provincial Junior record is 13.96m so hopefully... Soon.

Well I'm actually feeling pretty good, ten hours of sleep did me a world of good. Just lightly contracting my hamstring I'm not getting any pain which is the first time I have been able to do so since I injured it. Everything else is feeling as I was hoping. The weather is pretty solid too, I haven't been outside yet but it is supposedly going up to 19 degrees later and sunny. The wind is a little high, around 30km/h but it is going to be less than half that later. During my warm-up I want to take it slow and just focus on loosening my hamstring and easing into top end speed.
 
Warm-up
Light 400m jog
leg swings 15x4
Arm swings 4x40m
Lunge 2x10m
Caterpillar 2x10m
light skipping 3x10m
Tempo 3x30m
A skip 2/2/2
B skip 1/1/1
Double A's 2/2
Fast Leg 2/2
Ankle hops 2/2/2
Faster tempo x3
More loosing up
2-3 runways

To say that I'm not a little bit nervous for tomorrow would be a lie, the meet itself doesn't mean anything but it's a competition against myself. It would be really nice to open the season with something over 14.00m but physically I'm not in the best of condition right now. My left hamstring is getting there but probably needs about another week to be completely healed. Hopefully it is strong enough to let me run at top speed multiple times. My right ankle also seems to be a little sore but I'm not too worried about that.
   My lower back is also a little troublesome, I don't expect it to really be in issue but... hmm.
   I have only gotten six hours of sleep the last three nights which is not ideal but hopefully getting about ten tonight will counterbalance it. Hopefully I wake up healthy and full of energy.

Today was a short workout, it's purpose solely to test out my hamstring. I don't know, I really don't know how Saturday is going to go. It feels like it has almost healed but there are moments where I still get quick shots of pain. The prognosis on a pulled hamstring is usually around four weeks and right now it has been three weeks and two days. Even if it is sore it has been three months since I last jumped (four since I last jumped well) and ten months since I last jumped outdoors. My short approach jumps have definitely been getting better but I don't have a whole lot of practice with speed. I need to focus on the drive phase of my runway and the last three steps before I hit the board. After that I think I need to let what happens happen. Whatever is encoded in my brain thus far is going to be what takes control.

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Warm-up
2 runways
2 three-step triple jump
Weights--
Hang cleans 3x5@165lb's

I think today went well, all things considering. I essentially just did six runways and a pair of short approach jumps. The first runway hurt a lot and felt slow. The next two progressively got better pain-wise but felt slow. The fourth was a little faster but the fifth felt terrible. On all five I was popping up too early and it wasn't until the sixth one that I had any type of drive phase.
I ended the day with two five step jumps which felt pretty flat compared to Sunday. As long as my hamstring is healed (or close to it) I should do well this weekend.
Weights went well two, I squated 310lb's for five reps, I may have cheated a little bit on the depth but I don't think so, at least not too badly..

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
2x3 runways
2 Five step triple jump
Weights--
Squats 1x5@300.5lb's, 1x5@306lb's, 1x5@310lb's, 1x3@315lb's
Hamstring curls:
Right side: 1x5@156lb's, 2x5@161lb's
Left side: 1x5@90lb's, 1x5@95lb's, 1x5@105lb's
Incline dumbbell bench press 3x5@50lb's
Pull-up's 3x5@body weight

Today was possibly the best workout of the season, pb's across the board. I started off with a generic warm-up, then went into three 60's to test my hamstring and three standing long jump's. Everything felt good so I moved up to standing triple where I couldn't believe how much I was pb'ing by--I have only ever broke nine meters once in my life (9.07m) and today I killed that three times, I can't remember the distances of the first two but the last one (and farthest) was 9.39m. I don't know what caused me to set such a large personal best but I'll take it! A similar type of thing happened off of five and eight steps. The only two jumps I wasn't happy with was the two eleven step jumps I did at the end (12.91m, ~12.80m). I wanted to get over 13m but by that point my legs were pretty much destroyed and my calf was starting to cramp up. If I started with eleven steps I definitely would have been way over 13.00m. I'm really looking forward to competing next Saturday!

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x60m
3 Standing long jump
3 Standing triple jump (9.39m, pb)
3 five-step triple jump (12.17m, pb)
3 eight-step triple jump (12.65m, pb)
2 eleven-step triple jump (12.91m, first time ever doing so technically a pb)
Cool down

I don't know why I'm upset, looking back it wasn't bad but... There are a few things nagging at me. I went up to five step triple jump, I did three with a minimal amount of pain, the first one hurt the worst. It still wasn't pain free like I am soon hoping for but I think it was the best day so far.
The weightroom is where my real frustration lies. Cleans in particular, technically it's the highest I have ever gone for five reps (200.5lb's) but after two sets at 195lb's and two sets at 200.5lb's I just couldn't get that fifth set in. I got one rep before I threw in the towel. Next week I will probably only be doing 80% and the week after I'm going to three reps so it's going to be a long time before I hit the 205lb's times five I was hoping for...

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
1x8 drop jumps
3x8 depth jumps
3 standing long jump (3.15m)
3 standing triple jump (8.98m)
3 three step triple jump
3 five step triple jump (12.07m pb)
Weights--
Hang cleans 2x5@195lb's 3x5@200.5lb's (1 rep on last set)
Clean and jerk 5x3@155lb's

There's not much to report for today. My hamstring is a little sore but I have been stretching/icing it pretty much all day. It is starting to return to it's usual ROM which is definitely a good sign. I also did an ultrasound on it this morning and will probably do another tonight.
I just did a core circuit at the Dalplex today and incline dumbbell press that I ran out of time for yesterday. I cut the core slightly early due to some minor back pain.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light jog
Incline dumbbell press 5x5@60lb's
Core circuit 5x6x10
15 minutes static stretching
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