I feel like I have maxed out my body and possibly my mind too, luckily tomorrow is a well needed off day then it's back at it hard for Sunday. I think I'm going to follow the same two week plan I did before Juniors for the next meet (assuming that I compete at all).

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
Hurdle mobility (~45 minutes)
Ab circuit (240 movements)--
Leg raises 4x10@15lb's
Leg throwdown's 4x10
Sideways crunch 4x10@33lb's
Ab pulldown's 4x15@160lb's, 1x10@170lb's
Seated twists 2x10@33lb's
Seated crunch 2x10@33lb's
Standing twists 1x10@33lb's
Static stretching

There's not much to say about today's workout, overall it was pretty good but my calves were pretty sore and felt riddled with microtears. My lower back is a little tight right now too I'm guessing because of poor hang clean technique, I believe I was pulling from my thighs instead of knees and probably over-exaggerating the pull.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x8 drop jumps
3x8 depth jumps
6x5 bounds (five steps in)
2x5 single legged depth jumps (each side)
1x5 depth jump+bound
Weights--
Hang cleans 2x3@205lb's, 2x3@210lb's
Clean and Jerk 3x3@155lb's
Static stretching

I'm unsettled but I'm not sure why. I think it goes deeper than track--there seem to be many aspects of my life that are "up in the air" right now, uncertainties that have me lying awake at night, worrying. I feel like I want to reconcile my pb and put up a number I know I'm capable of--I don't know if I'll be competing anymore this summer but if I don't I have to wait until ~December and even then I probably won't be competition ready. On the other hand, until I get healthy and learn how to jump without beating myself into the ground competing week after week I'm doing more harm than good...

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
2x3x150m@75% (2 minutes, 5 minutes rest)
Cool down

I think these two screen shots clearly outline this year's season. The first one, of the hop, is no doubt the cause of the heel bruise that has been afflicting me almost the whole summer--it is also responsible for the shortening of my step phase. It's definitely the first thing that I'm going to have to work on when my heel... well, heals!

Well today was... Simply a terrible workout. It's one to forget. I did a fairly regular speed workout but cut out the flying 30's since I was a little sore.
Well I guess going a month without doing a heavy set of squats caught up with me, that and the weight I have been losing over the last couple months. I went up to 300lb's on my second set, a number that was a joke a month ago, and I couldn't get it back up on my third set, I ended up dropping it and rolling out--no harm done besides a little bit of embarrassment and a bruised ego. It was a reminder that I needed though, not to go number chasing. Putting another 50lb's on my squat this season isn't going to make me a better triple jumper, trying to hang clean 250lb's isn't either. To become a better triple jumper I need to fix my hop phase and finally learn to get my foot under me. If I don't I'm going to keep getting injured and keep improving only by a few centimeters at a time instead of feet. I have a few good ideas of low impact drills that will help me achieve this, not to give all my secrets away but I think Sunday will be a beach day.
Also it probably wouldn't hurt to work on my eccentric strength, there are some major collapses going on between phases. Again I have a plan for this as well.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x10m
3x20m
3x30m
Weights--
Squats 1x3@270lb's, 1x3@300lb's, 2x3@290lb's
Leg curls 1x5@146lb's, 3x5@151lb's
Incline dumbell press 4x5@60lb's
Pull up's 2x5@15lb's, 2x5@20lb's
Static stretching

The cleanse has begun, with a blank slate and a month left of summer I want to start anew. This has been a very disappointing summer riddled with injuries but next season, I feel, is going to be a good one.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

3km jog
Ab circuit--
3x10 leg lifts@15lb's, 1x10@20lb's
Side crunches 4x10@33lb's
Leg throw-downs 4x10
Seated twists 3x10@33lb's
Seated crunch 3x10@33lb's
Standing twists 3x10@33lb's
Ab pull-down's 4x15@160lb's 1x10@170lb's
Back throws 2x5@9kg
Front throws 2x5@9kg

Today was a joke, I can't believe I wasted a day so pristine. The wind was hovering around 2.0 and the sun was shining bright yet my heel did me in. 13.62m, what a joke~probably the most painful competition of my life, after every jump. I limped out of the pit, crippled. I think it threw me off mentally because I think this is the worst my form has been in a long time. Clearly my hop-step transition was off, I was slamming my heel on the ground. The step phase was terrible, especially on the first jump, I felt like I was 16 again. Goddamnit

Jump 1- 13.48m: technically probably the worst jump all season, came down hard off the hop and the step was an after thought. Pain level: 7

Jump 2- 13.57m-felt a little better but was wayyyy behind the board, overall it was probably the best jump and I think the only one that didn't kill my heel. Pain level 4

Jump 3- 13.58m- barely touched the board, forward rotated massively, just a terrible jump all around. Pain level 7

Jump 4-13.62m: I actually hit the board, besides that it was a terrible jump and grabbed my heel in agony after. Pain level 8.5

Jump 5- couldn't get off the ground, veryyyy painful. Pain level 9.9

Jump 6- pass: wasn't happening...

I need to spend the late summer/fall learning how to jump.

Well, it's about 20 minutes before I start my warm-up and under all accords I feel good. My heel is a little sore but no more than it has been recently, it won't trouble me. My hamstring seems to be fine too.
It's about 18 degrees out but it is supposed to warm-up a little more. The wind is hovering around 2.0m/s and the sun seems like it will soon be coming out. I feel like good things are bound to happen.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Well I feel good for the most part. I went for a 3km run yesterday for recovery but took it out a bit faster than I meant to, my right calf is a little sore because of it but it's not so bad I can't run through it; it should be fine by Saturday at the latest.
My heel seems to be coming along too, I noticed it a little bit when I was doing some bounding but it should be bearable by Sunday. I am excited to jump for presumably the last time this season. 14.30m.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow, I feel rest would be best but I hate just sitting around too especially where Saturday is a travel day.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x60m@80%
5x3 bounds
Hang cleans 2x3@185lb's, 1x5@205lb's, 1x5@216lb's

As far as speed workouts go this was a pretty good one, I have forgotten how quick the Dalplex is compared to Beazley field. When I was doing sets of 30m I felt like a fifteen meter jumper instead of a fourteen.
Beazley field, the track that I normally practice on, is being completely resurfaced. It's kind of an annoyance but I'm not going to complain too loudly, the new surface is going to be 10x faster than the old one. Supposedly it is only going to take two weeks too which isn't bad.
That leaves me with a few options for the time being, the track at Saint Mary's University, the Dalplex or even a couple local parks. I'm happy with how today went, I felt quick and nothing really hurt aside from my heel which isn't serious. I'm hoping--praying--that the conditions stay prime for this weekend, it's supposed to be sunny and 24 degrees Celsius but that can change in an instant, it was supposed to be 20 degrees last weekend and it ended up being 9...
This is probably the strongest field at a meet in Atlantic Canada I've seen since I have started track. There are four of us borderline 14m, two of which have been over it in past seasons. It definitely beats the usual where there is 3-4 jumpers and they are all jumping 11.00m... I think that having some competition will only motivate me farther in achieving my goal.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x10m
3x20m
3x30m
3xflying 30m
Leg curls 3x5@145lb's

   Today was a normal ab circuit Monday with a short track workout. I essentially just did a competition warm-up to get my legs loosing up, I was feeling pretty lazy this morning after yesterday's drive home from Sydney. My hamstring feels pretty much healed (finally) but my heel is as painful, if not more, than ever. I think I'll still be able to jump on it since it's not a serious injury, it's just painful but it's nothing that won't fix itself during the backside of summer.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light jog (1km)
Quick warm-up
3x5 bounds
Ab circuit (190 movments)
20 minutes of static stretching

The summer season is coming to a close, Juniors have come and passed and I'm left with one meet to jump at. It has been an extremely short season, I have jumped five times so far and on two of those occasions the conditions were so bad that I might of well not jumped at all including this weekend where I only took two jumps before shutting it down. This has been the first season when I haven't put on at least 50cm which I find very worrying, although if I was anywhere near the board at Juniors I would have been way over that marker. I have put on 30cm since this summer with one shot left. I really want to break that 14m barrier, I have proven that I'm capable of jumping close to 47 feet, it's just a matter of getting it on paper. I don't want to have to tear down everything I've worked towards and go back into GP without a number I can respect.
   If the conditions hold up this weekend I think I will pb for sure. If I can feel exactly the same as I did at Juniors (but hit the board this time) good things will happen. A nice 1.8m/s wind would be nice, the highest wind I have had all year was 0.3m/s!

Well I guess for a 13.51m weekend this wasn't a bad one. I would have liked to have jumped 50cm farther but in all fairness I barely jumped at all. The facility didn't have an eleven meter board so I had to jump from a ten meter board and my step was almost in the pit off two phases. The board was barely a board, it seemed to be about 15cm thick with no fault markings at all.
And the weather... Oh the weather, it was 9 degrees Celsius and rain was pouring. I think it was the worst weather I have ever jumped in, I was so cold and miserable I thought my legs were frozen solid. I'm half surprised I even jumped 13.00m. My opening jump was terrible, I was just going through the motions, 13.34m. The second was a little better, 13.49, but there was still some major collapsing going on and it was loud as anything. My third jump was 13.51m but didn't feel great at all, just flat and by this point I was frozen solid and shivering uncontrollably. I called it to my dismay, it didn't seem worth pulling a hamstring over.
Unfortunately the weather today was perfect, 26 and sunny. I really wish I had a shot at jumping again today but oh well.
It looks like I'll be in Moncton next weekend hopefully the weather, my heel and hamstring all hold up for one amazing jump.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Well, I'm off again come tomorrow morning... to Sydney, I've never competed there before so I'll have to be sure to arrive at the track early to get accustomed to the surroundings. I'm not really nervous, not like I was in Winnipeg anyway, I just want to do what I know I can do. No more "what if's" come Saturday it will all be on paper.

Ahhhh well I feel great, my heel only has traces of soreness and my hamstring isn't any worst then it was last weekend which means I should only jump farther as long as the conditions hold up and I can get into the same state of mind. I am pumped, I feel like I've come so close to 14.00m that I'm finally ready to go over the brim. I don't want to break it, I want to destroy it like I know I can.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light jog
Ab circuit 180 movements
Cool down
Static stretching
Icing

Well I'm back... In rainy old Nova Scotia where nothing ever goes on. I miss Winnipeg, it was sunny there every day and I had a lot of fun. There's definitely some moments I wouldn't mind clicking "replay" on. Maybe Sydney this weekend will clear my Nostalgia, or perhaps it won't. I just want to get out of this city, where nothing ever happens.
Side note: my hamstring still hurts, it shouldn't be an issue but it's still an annoyance,
I want to ratify this weekend and get in a jump complimentary to what I know I can do. I jumped about 30cm behind the board, I still couldn't run at top speed, there was still 15cm or so being lost in the sand and it was anything but technically perfect and I still managed 13.84m. I was worried that when I started to jump 14.00m I would peak but it seems to be clear that there's plenty of room for improvement.

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Warm-up
3x30m
4xrunways (31.90m)
Weights--
Hang cleans 1x3@185lb's, 2x3@205lb's, 1x3@210.5lb's
Hamstring curls--
Left: 2x5@135lb's, 1x5@145lb's
Right: 3x5@157lb's
Bench press-- 4x5@95lb's (explosive)
Pull up's 3x3@bodyweight
Cooldown

Well I got a bronze medal at nationals, I can't be too disappointed with that... I didn't hit the number I was looking for but I can't complain at all. I'm excited, plain and simple. After three rounds I was in first, but I know with a 15.22m jumper in the field that wouldn't last, then on the second last jump of the competition I got passed again. Looks like all this training is paying off after all.

Jump 1--13.54m, considering the farthest I have opened all season was 13.27m I knew that my hamstring was destined to survive. It was enough to jump out to an early lead though by a centimeter.

Jump 2-- 13.68m, I didn't touch the board which made me really excited. It also extended my lead.

Jump 3-- 13.82m, I was no where near the board, probably like 20cm away. Still in first though (: also a pb

Jump 4-- 13.84m +0.3m/s, ridiculous I was probably 30cm away from touching the board and it was still another pb. I was in second at this point.

Jump 5-- 13.83m-- again probably about 25cm away from the board. Still in second

Jump 6-- just clipped the board but only jumped 13.77m, still could have been close to 14m though

At Sydney next week records are falling, I'm going wayyy over 14m, no contest.

Today was light, just a competition warm-up. I leave for Winnipeg fist thing in the morning, I'm definitely not feeling the greatest--I'm still not sure if I'm going to be able to jump. I'm still half expecting to completely rupture my hamstring on the first jump if I get off the ground at all...  Maybe lead will turn to gold just this once, the next 36 hours will tell the tale...

I'm so close to being healthy, if I wasn't competing this weekend I probably wouldn't even mention my hamstring but unfortunately I am competing--and I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet. It's going to come down to the wire, I probably won't know if I can jump until Friday morning. When I did runways today I felt good for the first 14 strides but the last three didn't feel nearly as smooth as I would have hoped. I felt like instead of going into top gear I slowed down to relieve the tension. At this point it could go either way.
On a brighter note hang-cleans felt good today, it was the first time I went "heavy" with them in a couple weeks. I went up to 205lb's and didn't feel overly challenged. I searched the gym for a set of 2.5lb's to put on the end for the last set but I could only find one. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
My heel didn't seem to hurt today but in all fairness I didn't really jump on it beyond a few pop-up's.
I have visions of tearing my hamstring in half on my first long jump but that's a...that's a worst case scenario.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3x30m (with a walk in)
5 runways
Cool-down
Weights--
Hang-cleans 3x3@205lb's
Hamstring curls--
Right side 3x5@162lb's
Left side 1x5@90lb's, 1x5@112lb's, 1x5@117lb's
Pull-up's 3x5@body weight
Incline dumbbell press 3x5@50lb's

I wanted to take today off so I would be at 100% for tomorrows last work-out before nationals. Instead of running or doing something that probably would have had a destructive I ended up going for a two hour walk just to clear my head and become lost in thought. It was a nice change of pace from the usual. I also ended up doing a quick (15 minute) ab circuit just for maintenance purposes.
Tomorrow I am going to do a set of runways and (hopefully) reach 100% speed for the first time since I have been injured!

   I tried to jump today but to no real avail, the pain in my heal was just too great... And nationals are in five days. I'm nervous, not of my performance but of my ability to even jump. It's not looking good right now, inbetween my heal and recovering hamstring. The hamstring however did feel a little better today, I got up to about 95% speed before I had to shut it down. I really would have liked to have jumped today but it wouldn't have down me any good. Hopefully this forced rest does something positive.

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Warm-up
3x30m@95%
1 three step triple jump (much heal pain)
Weights--
Explosive squats 3x5@185lb's
Romanian dead-lifts 2x5@185lb's

After a couple optimistic days my disillusion is starting to pass. It still hurts to contract my hamstring even though I may finally be able to hit 100% speed (we'll see tomorrow). I tried to keep today pretty low impact, I just did the usual ab circuit I do on Friday's. I couldn't get into the Dalplex last night so I had to do yesterday's workout today. I did however go to the track on Friday and did a competition warm-up as well as I couple short approach jumps. They hurt (a lot) but it was mostly my heal. I'm hoping tomorrow goes significantly better.
 
TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light jog (2 laps)
Ab circuit--
4x10 leg raises
4x10 sideways crunch @35lb's
4x10 leg throw downs
Ab pull-downs 4x15@160lb's, 2x10@170lb's
3x10 Seated twists @35lb's
2x10 seated crunch@35lb's