GREAT Training Booklet Here

On the awards stand in Sydney, Australia at the World Masters Games with elite athlete/coach, friend and now author from Great Britain, Allan Williams (left). Click to enlarge.

After many years of seeing Allan's name at the top of international results, I had the honor and pleasure to get to meet and compete with him in Sydney. What a super intelligent and really nice guy, not to mention great vaulter!! Meeting and hanging out with Alan was truly one of the highlights of my trip.

Below is the link he sent me about "Are You Training for Purpose?" This is a must read for all athletes, coaches and parents. You're going to love it. Thanks Allan and can't wait to see you at Worlds in Sacramento next year! Bubba

http://www.bubbapv.com/RUFit4Purpose-AW.doc

COLD Off Day

It was 36 this morning so I'm glad we changed the kids to a 10 AM start time. It will get up to 70 today and 74 tomorrow so I'm looking forward to trying to jump tomorrow. Light stretch later today. Have a great day. Bubba

Ouch!! Saw Sakina Today

I haven't been worked over by Ashley or Sakina for quite awhile because I haven't been injured. Ashley was working with pro golfer, Roland Thatcher (who Nancy taught in the first grade) so it was Sakina's turn to destroy me. It amazes me these girls hit hot spots where you had zero pain or limitation, AND it frees up areas that have been nagging for a while.

For example I've had this little glute flare again since Leander. I feel the nerve and muscular catch but never feel it when I run or vault. It takes it about three days to go away and then I get it back when I run or vault. Well today I don't have it. All I can think is that hitting the big pole yesterday jerked the jammed hip back out where it's supposed to be. Whatever - nice to be nerve pain free.

So back to my pain. Sakina is just ripping into my back and the back of my and lower leg when she starts attacking the back of my left shoulder. I hadn't mentioned it but I got a little strain in it a few weeks ago doing bar stuff. So how the feeling of my back and lower leg told her I have a shoulder problem is a mystery to me but she found it and addressed it. Then she blasts into my left IT band (outside of my left leg) and tells me it's to get the catch out of my right hamstring. I didn't tell her that I had a recurrence of that catch nor did she even work it today. But it went away after she finished the outside of the left leg. Again, whatever. No reasonable explanation from me.

Their massage treatments are always painful but especially since I vaulted/ran/lifted legs yesterday, and then arrived within 30 minutes of my upper lift and bars this morning. It just reminds me that I need to make the time to get in there rather than wait until I'm hurt.

Hope you all have a great day. Thanks for being here! Bubba

Took a Chance ...

... and got away with it.

I just got in from the gym and my car says it is 56 degrees at 10 AM, so what do you think it was at 7:30? Not very nice. I was committed to trying to use only my smallest 14' 7" (4.45m) for one more day but today did not like like a smart day to try it. So I did anyway.

I actually had much better timing with my hands and felt better at the 64' (20m) run, and one time moved the pole really nicely; easily better than I have so far. I put the bar up at 12' (3.66m) as a reference point and bailed out because I wasn't quite in enough. Don said my butt was already a foot over the bar when I bailed. Not wishing to risk it by trying to run harder, I stopped.

I have three pole bags; 1 for 4m (13' 1") poles, 1 for 4.30m (14' 1") poles and 1 for 4.45m (14' 7") poles. Today I mixed in three 14' 1" poles in with three 14' 7" poles so I have the choice to short run jump on small poles, and/or use the smaller ones to warm up on to get to the 14' 7"s. I'm really comfortable with this from now on. For the next three months the weather will be too hit and miss to come out and take the chance I got away with today.

The meet on 11/13 will not have the vault so that gives me an extra week of training before I hit the meet at Kris' place on 11/20. From that point forward I will have six consecutive meets all two weeks a part. That's a real nice and consistent training spread. Too hard to have a meet every week at this level/age. Like I always tell people, masters vaulters train for meets like a boxer gets ready for a fight - peak in 8 weeks.

That's it for today so thank you again for hanging around with me. Always great to hear from you. Thanks so much for your support. It really means the world! Bubba

Travel Day

We had rain Monday night, part of yesterday and this morning but it will be nice tomorrow. Don and I will jump about 8 AM. I'll talk to Kris today to see if the plan is to start on the 14' 7"s (4.45s) or to ramp up to them in a warm up process.

I'm starting to think that is the best way since I have figured out exactly where it fits in my pole series. I like to clear a bar on a pole before putting it in a rotation. That way I know what you expect when I get to it in my series. I made 12' (3.66m) by a lot last time so I think I will move on to my rotation. Safer on my body then just cranking it up right off the bat. As mentioned yesterday, this is how I will use them in meets anyway.

I would love to just start on 14' 7"s and stay on them and maybe at some point I can. But with my average wait time in a meet between warm up to first competition vault being close to two hours, I think it's risky to go 0-80 in one jump. Therefore I'll ramp up as fast as I can during the meet. I'll work that out with Kris today.

Had my first guitar lesson yesterday and it was great. LOVE the guy, Rusty Cooley -http://www.rustycooley.com/main.html. Super teacher and low key guy who really wants to help you understand and learn. He really likes working with athletes because we value the need for practice. He says many of kids think that "practice" is an evil word, but that we love it. It's really going to be a good match and I feel fortunate he's right in my neighborhood.

Have a great day and thanks for being here. Bubba

New Distraction

Got a nice long stretch in this morning. Also put a call into Kris about meet pole progressions. My problem is that I warm up and then wait while the bar goes from about 6' 6" (2m) up to my start height of 12' (3.66m). Sometimes this wait is a couple of hours. I don't think it's a great idea to sit around that long and then start on a huge pole. I think the plan is to start down one or two poles for the first height or two and then move to the 14' 7"s (4.45s). That said, I will only jump on 4.45s until a meet since I am already warmed up at practice.

New Distraction
Today is my first guitar lesson from a real pro, Rusty Cooley. What you probably don't know is that I originally got to California as the production manager and concert soundman for a Texas band who got a contract with Capitol Records. We moved there and then got a deal and traveled the US and Canada and fronted for bands like Eddie Money, Eric Clapton, Rush and The Cars. Everyone in the band was a college graduate and it was their/our two year fling before becoming lawyers, professors, businessmen, etc. Sometimes at club dates I would play rhythm guitar on a few songs just for the fun of it. So I'm picking it up in an effort to learn lead rock guitar just for the heck of it. I also think it will improve my focus and my patience. And it will probably be real fun. As I told Nancy I have no aspirations to play in a band, in public, etc. Just for me at home.

Hope you have a great day!! Bubba

Staying Home This Week

This photo of me clearing 12' 6" (3.81m) was up on the meet website from the Leander meet from 10/10. Click to enlarge.

We had planned to go jump with Kris because Don wanted to check out some bigger poles. After Saturday's session he doesn't feel he's quite ready to hit those poles yet so we will stay home. Of course I would like to see Kris but I'll see him on 11/13 and 11/20 so I will jump at home on Thursday.

I've been getting all of my normal training in for awhile now so I'm feeling in decent shape. I just need to hit bigger poles from longer runs with higher grips. I'll give that a try again Thursday.

I intentionality didn't jump in a meet this outdoor season because I didn't want to risk rushing in for a meet just to get a mark. Our rankings end on August 31, each year or so I thought. I looked this morning and saw that my Leander jump on 10/10 is listed. Indoor listings start on 12/1 so Kris on 12/4 will be the first there.

That's it for today. Hope you have a great day and thanks for being here. Bubba