Officially Starting Over

Calculating my time left before any meaningful meets tells me that it's not worth trying to put up a mark for this year's outdoor season. Contrary to what it may seem, I'm OK with that. I know what it takes to get my body to the next level so I can quit having these injuries and that's what I have been doing, working for the future. Fortunately my legs have been fine so I have run and run and run and will continue to run and run and run. In case you didn't know, running is a big factor in how high you jump. But my injuries to my upper body are flat from not being strong enough or conditioned well enough to take the impact of big poles. So I'm working on it. The fact that my legs haven't been the issue means those results are showing.

For June I'll stick to what I'm doing. In July I will make half of my running with a heavy pole. In August I'll start jumping from only 2 steps. "Beginner to Bubka" author and friend, Alan Launder thinks every year you should push for a 2, 4 and 6 step PR in the early going of each year. Physically I will get better but the idea is to also have a ton of lower level jumps to refine technique for better efficiency.

Let's be clear; if I haven't jumped 14' (4.27m) the World Championships in Sacramento next year are a waste of time. Too many really good guys turn 55 on top of the good ones who are already here. Though our present M55 American Record is 13' 6 1/2" (4.13m), I fully expect that not to be good enough to get a medal at Worlds next year. This means I've got to step my game up, hence my injuries. I WILL find the balance between aggressive training and safety but right now I will keep on pushing because I'm not missing anything anyway since my season is over.

Re-thinking my weight. When I came back in 2005 after two Achilles surgeries I was very concerned about my weight. I wasn't too heavy but I was horribly out of shape. Now that I'm in shape, muscle mass is an issue, or is it? In 2005 I tried to jump between 162-165 and I was weak and lightheaded. A few years later I let my weight come up to a point where I felt strong so that meant I was around 170 for meets. With all of the lifting I do to protect my body and improve my conditioning, I'm thinking I may settle in around 175 this year.

What does this mean? When I was in my prime I jumped between 168-171. In 1997 I jumped 14' 7 1/4" (4.45m) at 178. I have jumped 14' (4.27m) at 186 in 1998. I have to find the balance between feeling powerful yet fast and agile. Too much weight means a sluggish jump and more wear and tear on the body. So I'm guessing 175 but I think it will probably end up about 173. In any case I'll go with what feels best. Most of the time I train 3-4 pounds heavier than I compete so I'm sure I will have to take a look at that too. All I know is right now it is too big of a struggle to be healthy to stay at 170 on an daily basis.

It already feels like and off season and I HATE that. But the good news is that I can go and watch MANY meets over the next few months that remind me why I'm training. As previously stated, I was going to go through a seven month training grind anyway, I've just started it early because of these little injuries.

Have a great Sunday and thanks for your support. I will assure that my effort will be full speed in every session no matter what time of year. BTW - my gut feeling is that weighing 175 will make it easier for me to roll the big 14' 7" poles (4.45m). Bubba