Poles Ready - Now Start Over

It's a long way to the top and today I start at the bottom. 

I did my first easy running today and it felt fine but strange.  I have run hills and sleds for so long that running on my own on flat ground felt foreign, but I think it's time to go back to basics and ramp back up.  Of course no sooner than I thought that than I saw a video of Brad Walker running sleds at the Olympic Training Center.  Of course he has the Olympic Trials in Two weeks. 

In fact, in two weeks I turn 59 which is a HUGE reminder that I have a busy year ahead if I want to advance my running levels enough to grip the 13' 10" (4.22m) I have taped on the biggest pole.  I remember just before Jeff Hartwig really broke out we talked and he had just finished a long stretch of power lifting and sled running.  He had a sled he called a dragster that had bungees that pulled him down while the weight also held him back.  He told me at that time he was transitioning to speed.  So here I go.  Today is speed and tomorrow is speed endurance followed by bike on the 3rd day - now repeat.  And lift on those days as well.

The new poles are taped and ready.  So I need to be.

They are 14' 1 1/4" (4.30m) 165 (75kg) to 187 (85kg) grips taped from 12' 8" (3.76m) to 13' 10" (4.22m).  BTW - I cut them off 2" (5cm) above my max grip so they don't hit the bar as I jump with my standards all of the way back.  Have a great day and thanks for being here.  Bubba

AC/DC - "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock & Roll)" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1iR2Wi3u5o

I'm a Tortured Man!!

OK so I just wrote this and lost it.  That's always fun.  Bottom line?  It's been a week since my ding and I'll start training again tomorrow.  Absolutely HATE not training or vaulting as I'm not good at doing nothing to advance my efforts.  I did this to myself because I didn't vault in practice and my body can't tolerate my new speed and strength on big poles without a vault training ramp up.  Don't mind learning lessons but detest re-learning them.  Thanks for being here.  I'm taping up my poles today and will have some more thoughts tomorrow.  Bubba

From Howard Stern's movie, "Private Parts", he performs "I'm a Tortured Man".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XsZUtxAX9U

Stuck!!

Please click to enlarge

Contrary to what this photo implies, I DO know what I am doing but only because I have done it wrong too many times.  This under leg thing needs to be left totally alone for two weeks.  Improvement is extremely rapid if I do that, so as much as I hate it, that's the story.  There are some things I can ramp back up after tomorrow but any type of running or direct lifting trauma only delays the progress.  So I guess for right now I'm stuck in park.

Waiting to hear back on a couple of strategy issues about my training but until then I'll measure grips and tape the new poles.  It's good to at least be doing something "vaulty" as my buddy Mike Soule says.  Have a great day and thanks for your support!  Bubba

Since we're making funny faces, here is the Digital Underground in the "Humpty Dance" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj9_yW8tZxs

NEW POLES!!!

4.30m/14' 1 1/4" - 16.7, 16.1, 15.4, 15.0, 14.5, 14.1, 13.7 (171.6 - 188.4).  YEAH!!!  NOW GET WELL!!  Bubba

PS - I'm very close to vaulting only for training for a little bit until I start to feel beat down and then I'll mix in some other training.  I want to come up through all of my poles until I get on to my smaller 14' 1"s and then hit a regular training pattern.  Should be a fun 2-3 weeks.  NOW, when to start?  When am I healthy enough for a tiny low level session?

Enlightened!!

I woke up this morning with my solution clear in my mind.  As I worked through the details of how I would implement my revised plan, I realized it was almost the exact same program I used in 2009, except I'm starting at a much higher level as I move into it.

The plan is simple; I need to jump two days a week because I am a pole vaulter.  I can't condition the rest of my body and not condition the event.  That would be like going to weightlifting events with no practice and only attempting to max for the contests.  My two days will be Sunday/Thursday because it doesn't matter if I'm traveling or not because I am always home on these days.  The main rule is to jump two days no matter what pole I can use.

On the jump days I will lift legs because that gives me the best chance to feel fresh again before the next jump session.  The next day will be upper and bike.  I've decided that if I ride the brutal hill in front of my house while remaining seated on the bike, it will directly engage the underside of my legs much better that lunges of bench steps ups.  Normally I stand on the pedals on the difficult parts but now I will sit.  I can feel that pain right now just thinking about it.  It's going to work and it's going to suck but it's going to be the solution.

I used to tell my elite athletes that it takes about 2-3 weeks of training to adjust so that you could still jump at a pretty high level no matter what other training you are doing in conjunction with your vaulting.  Well vaulting comes first so I will slowly ramp up both the lifting running and vaulting.  The tail no longer wags the dog.  My other training now circles my vaulting efforts and goals. 

I'll start Thursday at a very low level from two steps and enjoy the process.  As for my old program, which I am very thankful for because it got me to such a higher physical level, it will now take a back seat until I can ramp it up around my vaulting.  It's in the rear view mirror and will soon again become my "partner in progress". 

Thanks for your support and encouragement.  I met a great guy in the M75 group yesterday who reads this blog.  His words are so true as I worked through yesterday's disappointment - "It's all about the process".  Ain't it the truth Brutha!  Bubba

The Guess Who - "No Time Left For You" - the seldom heard long version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqeSUAlI5uI

DAMMIT!!! Back to the Drawing Board

Please click to enlarge - this is me today!!

Enough with the painful lessons.  Today I found out the hard way that I can't get my body to a new physical level and then think I can apply that to a vault without ramping up through my poles.  In poor wind conditions my poles were surprisingly too small from the runs I normally try to hit them from.  Good news. 

BAD news is I had to withdraw before my last attempt at 12' 6" (3.81m) because I was about to flare the underside of my right leg.  Good news - I didn't flare it, but one more jump would have.  YES - my right leg, NOT the left one that I did the same thing on in Texas just five weeks ago.  The right one; the one I originally flared in November or 2010. 

Of course I've had lots of high level jumps without this weird little injury but it is because I ramped up my jumps through all of my smaller poles over a few weeks, rather than just slamming my foot on the ground right before take off with no preconditioning of the area.  So much for thinking my lunges, bench step ups and bike would do this alone.  My last 2-3 steps to takeoff have become so powerful relative to my body's ability to withstand it, that I'm assured this will continue to flare this area unless I jump more.

This is a delicate balance because I want to keep advancing physically for speed and power.  I'm super pleased with that progress except for the fact that today I noticed both lower foot and ankles had pain and stiffness from too many stadium ramps on concrete.  Apparently doing them every other day for 11 days is too much.  When I backed off to every third day it was better.  I've got to now find that balance as well.

My very best year of vaulting was 1997 as I prepared for the World Championship in South Africa.  I vaulted two days followed by two days of grass strides and sprint drills.  That's all!  Not a single weight lifted, not a single bar exercise.  Vault and recovery runs.  I'm just too afraid to do that because I can't afford to lose the speed and strength I have built.  I guess I could just vault three days one week, two the next and one the next with no lift/run rotations in week 1, one rotation in week 2, and two rotations in week 3.  But that wouldn't jive with my Denver travel which is every other week.

What I do know is that I have to get back to jumping more if for nothing else then to fix some technical breakdowns as well a get my legs in pole vault run conditioning.  I'll work on that and report back here.  Thanks for your support.  Here's my jump at 12' (3.66m).  Good news, plenty of height on my smallest pole from 10 steps (53').  That is the only getting me through this physical setback tonight.  Bailed out really early because the pole was too small.  Jumps at 12' 6" were too stupid to keep as they were both blow throughs from the same run.

Just above is actually my first and best jump of the day.  At 12' (miss), this is why I don't feel horrible about not finishing.  Everything I've worked on is here.  I just need to adjust my training for my legs.
Bon Jovi - "Wanted Dead or Alive"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvCvsRp5ho&ob=av2e

Meet Tomorrow!!

YEAH!  I hope!  No idea what to expect.  Thanks for being here.  Bubba

Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cmefZ8aeZ8&feature=related