Change of Plans AGAIN!!

My leg won't get well unless I let it heal.  This morning I could do heavy hack squats, lying leg curls, and leg extensions and felt absolutely nothing.  But I can't run a step.  In fact I can't even walk without a limp.  I'm right back to where I was three weeks ago because I tried to run faster than 5% before it was ready.

I'm seeing  PT friend Tuesday for some more guidance but one thing I know for sure, I'm leaving it alone.  Have a great day and thanks for hanging out with this train wreck.  Bubba

Metallica - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17HRV8k1YMw

Little Setback!!

When am I ever going to learn?  This little ding must get well or you are setback to zero on the healing time clock.  Yesterday in my pre-meet I did like three quick running steps and felt like I was quickly at the threshold for this inner leg issue.  I stopped. 

Throughout the day I felt it a little and this morning it felt gone.  I started sleds and by halfway through #2 I knew I was going too fast at 5% effort.  I quit hallway through #3.  So I've basically thrown away three weeks trying to rush this and now I have at least lost another week.  I only have three weeks until the San Diego Senior Games.  I'm not feeling confident I can or should try that.

Tomorrow I will switch my rehab to the Gauntlet (Stairmaster with real stairs instead of that sissy up/down pedaling) and intervals on the bike.  Even if I can't go for San Diego I will have a new level of fitness, and that is worth a lot.  Have a great day!  Bubba

Winery Dogs - "Not Hopeless" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEQBPZaobeg

No San Diego!!

I did a little pre-meet this morning and decided it's too soon for vaulting, even at a low level.  I may be able to get away with it but it's not worth the risk.  I'll just go to sleds every other day for awhile until I'm back up to full speed.  I'll jump the San Diego Senior Games on 9.21 with my 4m/13'1" poles, the Nevada Senior Games on 10/5 with 4.15m/13'7".  Why?

1) I don't want to risk getting hurt when things are going well.  2) Our world and national rankings close for this year on Sunday (8/31), so even a decent jump would go on next year's list. I think I will finish 2nd or 3rd in the world both indoors (2nd) and outdoors (3rd).  With world championships in France next year, I need to continue my march toward that rather than rush things to get bigger jumps now.

I still think it was a calculated risk that I was comfortable with when I got this ding.  I was wrong of course but I would have made the same decision.  I'm in a great place to move forward and I will look forward to that.  Have a great day!  Bubba

No Doubt - "Spiderwebs" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo Long before there was a Gwen Stefani "brand" she was the lead singer of a punk/ska band from Garden Grove right here in Orange County, California.  Been a fan since way back, and Spiderwebs describes my tangled up training and life at the moment.

Now What?!

I felt like I could have run much faster today, but of course did not.  I even felt like I could have jumped at a low level today, but of course I did not. 

So I'm getting ready to head to the gym and Nancy says, "So are you going to jump at the San Diego All Comers Saturday evening?"  "NO, OF COURSE NOT", I replied.  But now I'm thinking about taking my smallest poles and trying to just have some fun.  Stupid?  Don't know if I will actually do it, but it's 50/50 right now and when I heard Nancy say it my chances were 0%.  Have a great day and thanks for checking in!  Bubba

Van Halen - "Bottoms Up" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8fYlqqg-pQ

Phase Break!!

Taking a week off as a phase break to finish up my little dings.  See you soon.  Bubba

Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "The Impression That I Get" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIGMUAMevH0

Don't Screw it Up!!

I went out to do sleds today and felt pretty good.  As my stride length was extending as I walked toward the starting point of my first 50m, I felt a gentle "tugging" where my leg has been healing.  Though I have no pain, I jogged like 5% and still felt the tugging.  That is healing scar tissue and with one big step my healing clock may start over at zero days.  So after two I stopped. 

I figure that since I have been under cautious and cost me about five days in my recovery, I would be overcautious here and make some days up.  Leg lifts and bars felt great at 100%. 

I think by next Thursday I can vault from 2 lefts/4 steps but may wait one more week just to be overcautious.  OR I will just run and show up at the San Diego Senior Games on my big poles with no jumps for six weeks.  Either way I think I will be fine.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!  Bubba

Heart - "Crazy On You" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gpNqB4dnT4

Moving Along!! Happy Days Ahead!!

My leg is finally not noticeable when I walk, even fast.  Therefore I will try slow sleds and leg lifts tomorrow.  My back is also better but we will see how it feels after training tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  I think I've turned the corner.  If I have I will jump low level a week from tomorrow.  Thanks for your support!  Bubba

General Public - "Tenderness" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmoHQ2DC3zo

Back At It!!

MY body felt very good today.  Surprising to me how much of a loser and slug I feel like for taking two days off.  I needed to do something!!!! I'm back!!  Thanks for being here!  Bubba

Blue Oyster Cult - "Dominance and Submission" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-CFPG1_pnU  This song title is SO about masters training.  You build up this awesome momentum where you feel dominant, and then one little ding brings you crashing back to submission.

Almost!!

I went to the track today and almost ran.  I said that until I could walk normally with no pain at a fast rate that I wouldn't run.  I'm almost there, but not quite there so I didn't.

I went to the gym and got out of the car to go lift legs, bars, etc.  I stopped when I thought about how much better my back is, but it's not quite there.  It's almost there.

So tomorrow and Wednesday I will do my garage lifts and stretches, and by Thursday when it's time from sleds, legs and bars again I will be ready. 

The fact is that I'm so much better that I've never been this happy to be almost OK.  But that is where I am; almost.  Have a great day!  Bubba

Funky Texas band, Bowling for Soup - "Almost" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNbOr0ylYZk

Time to Get Going!!

Yep - how I feel when I can't train - fat, eat too much and agitated,

and that was after ONE day off!

 

I tried to take another day off today because my little back over stretch still isn't quite where I want it.  It didn't completely work as I went down to Laguna, Aliso, Doheney and Capistrano beaches looking for a place to do some soft sand running.  I used to do this in Newport but that's quite the road trip.  Anyway I think the beach between Laguna and Aliso will work the best.  I'm planning on this as a recovery day following my jump days.  At lest my leg didn't hurt to run soft sand!

Sometimes you have to get out of your own way.  I think I lost three days in my recovery by not resting three days.  At least I stopped when I saw that.  Have a great Sunday and thanks for your support!  Bubba

Real Life - "Send Me an Angel" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCHE0Tjw6MA

Day Off!!

I stretched A LOT yesterday and my leg feels much better.  Unfortunately I think I over stretched my back a little, so I will take today off as a precaution.  Sleds, bars and legs tomorrow ... hopefully.  Thanks for your support and have a wonderful Saturday!!  Bubba

Pat Travers - "Crash & Burn" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qc_TxBTKlE

Torn!!

In some ways my leg is much better, and in others it seems much worse.  What I know is that I now have to train not to hurt it.  Thinking I could resume running sleds at 20% yesterday only to get slapped down to under 5%.  That was a discouraging wake up call.  But the rule is, stay under the pain threshold and it will get better quickly. 

This is not a hamstring because I can lift heavy and feel nothing.  It's not the groin or the quad, it's a little muscle on the inside of the leg.  The last time I had this little ding it went away and I was fine pretty quickly.  That only happens if I leave it alone or stay under the pain threshold. 

As my orthopedic surgeon used to say, "Bone heals in 8-10 weeks, so if a soft tissue injury takes longer than that then you just flat aren't letting it heal".  Message received.  Have a great day and thanks for coming by!  Bubba

From the super group, Black Country Communion - "Great Divide" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgO6iSiU3g  Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple, Jason Bonham and the great Joe Bonamassa on guitar.

WTF?

My last session I could run maybe 15-20%.  Today, four days later, I had to scale back to 5% to keep from feeling pain.  WTF?!  Then I went to the gym and was stronger than ever.  Leg presses and leg curls went up again.  What is this stupid little muscle causing me this random issue?!  Bubba

Godsmack - "I Stand Alone" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYjZK_6i37M

Break in the Action!!

Once I decided not to jump in Ft. Collins, I thought it might be a good time to take two days off and resume Thursday.  My leg is much better but I want to take the next nine days to blast my training.  I will run sleds, do bars and lift legs every other day for five rotations. The in between days will alternate upper lift days.  I should be pretty crippled at the end of this, but physically much better.  Have a great day and thanks for being here! Bubba

John Mayer - "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwMfS594qfE&list=RDrwMfS594qfE

Derailed!! No Ft. Collins!!

Yesterday I took a calculated risk and jumped.  I felt my body was ready for this next step and it was, almost.  I got a cramp in my left inside of my leg muscle after clearing 11'6"/3.51m from 3 lefts/6 steps/33' run.   I did not feel anything during the jump or even after I landed.  But when I got up to walk off the pit, a cramp was suddenly there.  It did not hurt on leg lifts, including leg curls.

A cramp has a way of working itself out over a few days to a week.  I figured I have 14 days to Ft. Collins so I should be fine.  This morning on sleds, I could run better than I thought I could, but was limited by grabs when I tried to go faster.  My guess is that I will be able to run close to 100% without pain by meet time, but I won't be ready to vault at the level I want, so I will skip the meet.

I'm afraid of the Colorado curse.  Six weeks after a hamstring injury in Reno, I jumped at a "low level" in Colorado Springs and dinged it again putting me out for eight more weeks.  I'm not going to turn this cramp into an injury and I'm not going to jump in a meet at a level below where I presently am.  It serves no purpose and will not be worth the effort. 

In fact this has me re-thinking Belton on January 3, since it's only two weeks before Reno.  Things are going way to well to rush through these type of things this early in the game.  Have a great day!  Bubba

Dedicated to my love/hate relationship with my body and it's unpredictable betrayal - Kris Dahl - "Love Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2d0LevWxjs  Guitar lesson at the end.

Balance - Risk of the Razor's Edge!!

For better or worse, I decided last night that I think I feel good enough to jump low level on my 13'1"/4m poles this morning.  It's two weeks from Ft. Collins so why risk?  I felt like trash the day I jumped Thursday and again on Friday, but Saturday my body rebounded and felt somewhat recovered.  For me to move forward with the big picture I need to introduce a manageable challenge on days like this.  I figured I could start on my smallest 13'1", get in 2-3 jumps and stop; I got 5.

I've never been on my 1360/17.4 from 2 lefts/4 steps/22' and suddenly in warm up it feels I might have a shot at of doing it.  So I jump 10'/3.05m, 10'6"/3.21m and 11'/3.36m all on first jumps.  I move back to 3/6/33' and blow through my 1365/16.8 badly at 11'6"/3.51m.  The next jump I blow through my 16.6 but still make the bar.  So again I'm closing in on my benchmark of 12'/3.66m from 3/6/33'.  I made 11'8" from there Thursday and 11'6" today.

I'm thinking I need the next pole and as I go to walk across and step off the pit I feel a cramp behind my left mid leg near the inside.  I know it must be a cramp because I felt nothing before or doing the jump.  Still, it's biting at me pretty good so I stop.

I go the gym and decide for "trial by fire".  I start with my quad that felt tight last Sunday and all week.  No problem making my lifts.  OK, let's see if this is a hamstring ding.  I started with the lowest weight of 22 lbs./10kg and feel nothing.  I raise the weight up two more times and still no strength deficit.  Yep, it's a only cramp because I also have no pain.

I go home and start a long stretch to loosen any "ball" a cramp may produce.  It got looser as I went.  Tomorrow I will do 10 X sleds very slowly and see if it will let me build up.  If I can run sleds 100% before my last session a week from Tuesday then I'm a go for Ft. Collins.

Right now I'm pretty sure I'm 90-95% certain it will pass.  In warm up in Torino, Italy a year ago my foot caught the runway on one of my runs and felt similar to this.  I was able to work it out slowly and still jump high enough to get 2nd in the Word Masters Games.  So with two weeks I'm pretty sure this will be fine.  If not I'll worry about it then but I would be very surprised.

The difference between today and other days was that I really didn't feel like I was taking a risk.  I feel pretty much in control of my body and vault so I felt I could reel it in or cut it off if I felt an issue arising.  I think I just didn't hydrate properly last night and this morning, like I normally would if I'm jumping.  All in all it was a risk I believe was worth taking, and I never take risks this close to a meet.  Have a great day!  Bubba

ACDC - "The Razor's Edge" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w9PXA2UXAQ

Stretching For Success!!

The best exercise program for any person is one that you will do.  Thousands of good intentions have been erased by inconvenience.  I keep "meaning" to get into and incorporate yoga but it just hasn't happened.  That doesn't lessen my need for better flexibility.  So I looked at that component and decided I was rushing through rather than holding my stretches long enough.  So bad was my stretch reflex holding that I couldn't even effectively get a PNF type stretch after it released. One month into almost double the time committed to stretching, I'm feeling faster and more limber.  Good lesson - you can't skimp on the easy stuff.  Have a great day and thanks for your support!  Bubba

Deano, this one's for you too! Glad your surgery was a success - ACDC - "Bad Boy Boogie" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeubb1Lti2M

Another Brick in the Wall!!

Now that I have survived my last jump day before Ft. Collins, uninjured, it's back to the grind.  Hard lift day today which felt good.  Nothing more really to say.  Another brick in the wall!  Thanks for checking in and have a great day!  Bubba

To Dean "The Machine" - ACDC - "Let There Be Rock" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6TZsSQyeAE  Get well soon buddy!!

Decent Meet Day!!

I decided to jump in our summer series all comers this morning as my last day on my 12'4"/3.75m poles.  We went 2s and 8s since kids wanted new PR type heights.  Wind was dead to a light headwind.

Started at 10'2" from 2 lefts/4 steps/22' run and made it easy though the pole felt too small.  Missed twice at 10'8" before skipping a pole and moving back to the 3/6/33' to make it on my 3rd.  More drama than I needed or wanted. 

Made 11'2" on the first jump and 11'8"/3.56m on the 2nd.  Only 4" from my benchmark target of 12'/3.66m from 3/6, I knew I couldn't make 12'2"/3.71m on the pole I was on, and it was too big of a jump to the next pole. 

Moved up and back to 4/8/43' and made 12'2" on my first and stopped.  No way I was making 12'8" on that pole and I had already had enough jumps in.  Good day!!  Thanks for your support!  Bubba

Motley Crue - "Kickstart My Heart" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmXWkMlKFkI

Meet Tomorrow?!

I think I'm going to jump in our all comers meet tomorrow on my 12'4"/3.75m poles.  I'm really not sure I can jump 12'/3.66m on them but I want to limit myself to those poles and 3 lefts/6 steps.  May have to go to 4/8 for the big one but I hope not.  In any case this will be my final jump day before Ft. Collins and a good time to break from these poles and move on to the 13'1"/4m poles.  Have a great day and thanks for checking in!  Bubba

Midnight Oil - "Burning Beds" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E  This soundtrack was in Jan Johnson's Sky Systems II, which I have watched a thousand times.  I've watched it so much that I can actually picture the vaults or training on the screen as I hear each part of the song.  Pretty nice mental training - listen to a song and see great vaults.

Weird Day!!

I had planned not to train yesterday or today as a phase break following 11 straight days of hard training.  I notice that my wrists, shoulders, knee, back, etc. start to show signs of overuse at about this point so I break.  I also know when I come back after a couple of days off completely that my body feels refreshed and much stronger.

What's weird is that last night out of the blue I started feeling some aching in my right leg.  I couldn't tell if it was the quad, hip flexor, groin, etc., which made it even more confusing.  AND if it didn't hurt during the training why is it hurting now when I didn't feel it all day?  I have no answers but it feels much better again today.  Yet another unsolved mystery.  Have a great day!  Bubba

ACDC - Back in Black with original singer, Bon Scott.  After Scott died, Back in Black was the follow up album and most though tit was a tribute to him.  Well here he is actually singing the title cut - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsppkBQhnYQ

Hard to be Smart!! Deflate!!

I can tell I'm progressing because for the past few days all I've thought about was my pole progression for today's session.  I wanted to get on my 3rd 12'4"/3.75m pole and hoped to maybe even get to the biggest one from 3 lefts/6 steps/33' run.  I think that's what it will take at a minimum to get me back over 12' from that run.  Heck it may even take my 13'1"/4m poles but I was going to start here.

Well ... it's been raining (never rains in the summer in Southern California) and there was a huge headwind. On top of that, even though I felt really good on my 10 X sleds, I was a little concerned my legs wouldn't be responsive enough for higher level jumping after only two days from the last hard leg day.

So I did the last thing in the world I wanted to do, but the ONLY thing I SHOULD do if I'm smart, and that's bail on jumping for the day and hit my sleds, bars and leg lifting hard.  I did, and hated it, but it was the smart thing to do.  Have a great day and thanks for being here!  Bubba

White Zombie - "Thunder Kiss '65" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPNFVj-pISU

Addicted to Pain?!

Once again I'm reminded that I'm rarely injured, but merely managing dings.  Because I have learned to be ultraconservative, I'm out longer than I probably need to be and maybe even longer than I should be.  What gets me through is that I know I will always come out the other end better conditioned and stronger because I take the time to work on that.

With that said, I have not been hurt since five months ago today when I nailed my hamstring in Colorado Springs. It's been a long and cautious climb back out, and I'm hoping to continue to progress cautiously and avoid the ding fairy.  Have a great day and thanks for your support!  Bubba

Alter Bridge - "Addicted to Pain" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAYrAu-jnMY

Victim of Changes!!

The only thing constant in life is change.  I vary between weary acceptance and enthusiastic embrace.  The only thing I know for sure is to expect it.  I say this, because as I worked through my training today I constantly found myself making adjustments, and some for the first time ever.  As my friend Bob Baker says, "The mind is like a parachute and works best when open".

Since my return after two Achilles surgeries in 2005, I have gone from a complete OCD, rigid obedience to the plan type of athlete, to being more dependent upon a general outline with the ability to comfortably make intuitive changes at any time as I go.  I think for my longevity in the event and injury management, I prefer the later.  Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by.  Bubba

Judas Priest - "Victim of Changes Live" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl2KTMXyH0M