HUH?!

It's a week later, four weeks since my injury in Colorado Springs, and though I feel overall better and stronger, my hamstring is more achy and stingy.  HUH?!  Then it hit me; there have been workers at my house from the end of last week through this week and it's always a challenge to get my lifts and stretching done before they get there.  Guess what part has been missing?  The end of the stretching.

I stretch between every set while lifting, but at the end I have about a 20 minute separate session specifically for my lower back and hamstrings.  I've been cutting that out to clear the way for the workers.  At least I now know this and also they are now done.  Good lesson though.  Have a great day and thanks for being here!  Bubba

Ten Years After - "I'd Love to Change the World (studio)" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBAwv49slC8

Indecision!!

Tomorrow will be four weeks since my injury.  For the most part I see no reason I couldn't do a little low level vaulting tomorrow, but the other part of me says no way.  I feel great, and then out of the blue I feel some type of pain or tightness in the lower hamstring, even though I hurt it a little higher the last time. 

To add to the confusion, my three new little poles will arrive on Wednesday or Thursday and I am home the entire following week.  This tells me I could get 4-5 easy jump days in between next Thursday and the time I leave town again.  My gut says to wait a week but then I burn and lose the only full week I have at home. 

The probable outcome is that I will do takeoffs and maybe swing ups on Thursday and maybe Sunday, then try to get some real jumps during my home week. It's never an easy decision, especially when you really don't want that rehab clock to start over at day 1 when you are approaching day 42.  Oh well, we will see.  Have a great day!  Bubba

Van Halen - "5150" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_xjLYT9so  Because I am!

World Indoors!!

Obviously I am hurt and wasn't going anyway, but 11' 3 3/4" was 2nd, and 11' was 3rd.  OUCH!!

 WMA Championship Meet                    28/03/2014 - 16:25 PM
2014 WMA World Indoor Championships - 25/03/2014 to 30/03/2014
                       Budapest, Hungary                      

Event 333  M60 Pole Vault
===============================================================
    Name                     Age Team                    Finals
===============================================================
Finals                                                        
  1 Ritte, Wolfgang          M61 Germany                  4.00m
  2 Hadinger, Antonin        M62 Czech Republic           3.45m
  3 Blunt, David             M60 Great Britain             3.35m
  4 van Vliet, Marc          M62 Netherlands              3.25m
  5 Rappo, Francesco         M63 Italy                    3.15m
  6 Weires, Winfried         M61 Germany                  2.95m
  7 Plotnikov, Valeriy       M63 Russia                  J2.95m
  8 Oidermaa, Elmo           M64 Estonia                  2.75m
  9 Giorgetti, Carlo Andrea  M60 Denmark                  2.65m
10 Miihkkinen, Jouko        M62 Finland                 J2.65m
11 Klimov, Sergey           M60 Kazakhstan               2.45m
12 Soffientini, Virginio    M60 Italy                    2.15m
-- Williams, Allan          M60 Great Britai                NH
-- Fiedler, Karel           M64 Czech Republic              NH

Almost There?!

This morning I was able to run my stadium ramps very fast with no issues.  My body says I'm ready to vault, but my gut says I'm almost there.  I got to the gym and felt it quite a bit less on my hamstring curls but it's there.  I'll wait.

Sunday will be four weeks since my injury and yes I could probably jump, but I'll wait. I'm supposed to get those three new start poles, and at this point it looks like I will get them next week.  Again I feel like I would have no issues jumping low level even this week but I'm to afraid to start that injury/heal clock over.  If I did what I should do I would wait for six weeks but I don't think I can do that.

At this point I trust my gut far more than my intellect (or lack of).  But sometimes I want to overrule them both.  Like the guy with the angel on one shoulder saying I should wait until six weeks, and the devil on the other telling me I'm OK to start today.  I think I'll listen to the guy in the middle (me) and start next week.  Thanks for being here!  Bubba

Van Halen - "I'll Wait" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUHpR_5rSVM

Amost There?!

I guess this depends on who you ask; my body or me.  I ran again today with no limitation.  I'm doing 10X50m incline bleacher ramps with 2 lb./1kg. ankle weights.  I was easily 80%+ and felt no issues.  Off to the gym where I continue to feel very strong again.  However, I could feel the hamstring a tiny bit on leg extensions and more than I would like on leg curls near the end of each set.  That is that conditioning phase that's needed.

Originally I felt I was ready to do some very light jumping on next Thursday/Sunday.  During my run I decided to put it off another week, and after the gym yet another.  So at six weeks I should be good to go.  Of course we will see what my body has to say about that.  But at the end of week three I feel like I am almost there.  Have a great Sunday!  Bubba

Santana/Rob Thomas - "Smooth" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc

Tinkering!!

I'm always managing my planning and strategy depending on how my body feels from day to day, hour to hour, and sometimes minute to minute.  Two days ago I ran bleacher ramps with ankle weights at 70% easily and was more surprised I felt my groin since I never felt my hamstring.  Of course that is great news but this morning my hamstring occasionally stings, yet when I press it or contract it; nothing.  Phantom pains from healing? Adhesions breaking loose?  I don't know nor really care.  I'll be extra careful when I run again tomorrow. 

All I know is that tomorrow is the end of week three out of 12.  When I start jumping is not as important to me as how good I feel when I do start.  My guess is that I will wait until my new small poles are here and that could realistically be 2-3 weeks.  This would probably be the wisest move anyway.  I already feel pretty strong and I'm becoming more fit daily, so I can't see the harm in the wait no matter how long it is.  Have a great day and thanks for supporting me!  Bubba

Rush - "Limelight" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzWoc6W5uQ

New Poles!!

I'm surprisingly sore from yesterday's more up-tempo running on the stadium ramps.  I guess I'm well enough to almost hurt something else as I never felt my hamstring at 70%.  That's a good problem but also a sign to be careful.

I ordered three new poles to fill out the bottom end of my short run series.  I was a little shocked that it took so much work for me to get in on my 4m/13'1/1360 from 3 lefts/6 steps or 33' in Colorado.  I have three 3.75m/12'4" poles coming that will be flexed on a 4m span so I will know their relative stiffness.

This may seem like overkill, but my best stretches of vaulting coming after I have taken an extended time to work through every pole I have from the shortest runs.  This gives me a chance to refine my technique and carry it over to the next series length. 

The last thing I want to do is to risk injury like I got in Colorado because I'm having to work too hard to get in.  Right now it's looking like I will try and do my first easy jumping session in the next two weeks.  Have a great da and thanks for your support! Bubba

Lena Lovich - "New Toy" from 1981 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2UguDtxkA