It's a rainy day here so I'll be looking for a break to go load up the poles to take to my coach, Kris Allison's, tomorrow for a dress rehearsal of my game plan for the big day. Workout today is just a nice long stretch. It's about a 3.5 hour drive to his facility where I will have my last big pole session before he ships the poles to Australia. I'll vault indoors so I won't be assisted by the big tailwinds at his place since it is unlikely I will have that in Sydney.
I've said before that if I get out of tomorrow safely I'll probably be OK as far as injuries go before the big meet. This objective is easier said than done because big poles take considerably more energy to jump on. I feel comfortable that I'll stay well within my limits and not push it up too far. After all, I have vaulted on these same poles in nearly every meet this year so it's not like I have familiarity issues. At the advice of 40 year old teammate and 3 times National Masters Champ for his age group, Matt Kowalski, I will throw in the next biggest pole to the bag. I haven't vaulted on it but it's not much bigger than the one below it which I have used. Matt weighs 2 lbs. more than me and he jumped 14' (4.27m) on that pole with the grip I have taped for me, so he reasons that is the "money" pole for me if things are going well. NEVER would I have ever dreamed that at 56 years old I would be on a 14/183.
That said, the "jinx" sets in. Alan Launder emailed to remind me to get those compression socks for the flight. Nancy and I are looking for the right electrical adapters and it's been suggested that I try on the sweat suit for my USA uniform since I've never worn it. Don't have much need for a sweat suit during Texas summers but it's spring in Oz. All of these things will have to wait until I get back from Kris' tomorrow. Yep, it's a jinx. If I do all of that stuff today, sure enough, I'll strain a hamstring tomorrow and be relegated to constant worry about my health for the next month just HOPING I'll be OK.
After tomorrow my training becomes a sled and lifting grind with only minimal jumping and what jumping I do is at a very safe level. So survive tomorrow and I should be assured that I will leave healthy and strong. Folks that MUST happen. But again, it scares me. Funny that I don't take this approach in the meet itself except for warm-ups. The issue is that in a meet you are fresh and your body will let you do more, but in practice you are never really rested so high level stuff is a risk. I always hear the words of my former coach and longtime buddy and advisor, Dave Johnston (DJ), "never fails, a vaulter gets hurt within three weeks of a big meet by trying to do too much and push too hard. You will not get any stronger or faster in that time frame so focus on quality and be careful". And I will.
Because of the drive my post will be late tomorrow. I fully expect it to be a good and productive day without incident but I will report back when I get home. Have a great day! Bubba
Weight - This could be another post but I'll hit it here since I've been asked. My vault weight for meets is about 171-3, the same as when I vaulted 18' the first time. When I first started back I was out of shape so I took the weight thing too far, coming out between 162-65 in 2007. I felt weak and sometimes lightheaded. Then one day I went to vault after a huge breakfast because I could see I would get rained out if I waited. I was about five pounds heavier and I felt strong and powerful and had a great practice. At that point I decided feeling strong was more important than being a few pounds heavier than I "thought" I should be. That year I mainly jumped in the 173-75 range but this year it's dropped down to my present 171-73. I still have to watch what I eat as I approach vault days but I never feel weak. Strength to body ratio is important. Being a couple of pounds lighter puts less wear and tear on your body, makes you feel faster and the poles throw you harder. But there is always a fine balance you can work with. If I have to get on a big pole because I'm too heavy to make a certain height then I risk injury for preventable inefficiency. Hope this makes sense. Bubba
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