TUESDAY
Pre-hab work out:  30 mins

SATURDAY
Active rest
Lots of work around the house

Saturday: Drive

Sunday: Active rest

Monday:  Travel

Active Recovery

Had a pretty active week of workouts planned in preparation for the Manteca Senior Games coming up on Saturday May 15th.  Unfortunately the workouts have to be completely re-designed/dumped because of the latest strain of my left Achilles tendon.  This is a drag because I’ve gotten very little long jump practice in and feel very unsure of my ability to even hit the board at full speed. My discus technique is a joke – not that the planned training could fix that before Saturday- only to say that it adds to my insecurity, and now I’m worried about hurting myself in the 200.

The Achilles injury is driving me crazy.  I need to get some ultra sound sessions and professional rehab (and rest!) for it.  The possibility of a total rupture is frightening and all too real.

To top it off, the high school track where I work out is hosting the conference meet this year – 3 afternoons of trials and finals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  That REALLY cramps my prep!

MY GOALS FOR SATURDAY’S MEET

• Relax and have fun
• Meet people and make friends
• Learn some technique
• Compete to win but MONITOR MY ACHILLES SITUATION
• Scratch the long jump or pass on jumps if Achilles flares up
• Scratch the 200 if Achilles is really bad
• 28 meters (92 ft.) in the discus
• 4.27 meters (14 ft.) in the long jump
• sub 30 second 200 meters

SATURDAY

Beautiful day in Manteca and my first competition.  Please see My First Meet for details.

Results:

• Discus: 31.5 meters (fourth place)
• Long Jump:  13 feet 10 inches (4.22 meters) (second place)
• 200 Meter Dash: 29.27 seconds (third place)

I was relaxed, had fun, met people and made friends, learned stuff, competed to win and monitored my achilles situation (more or less)

And I reached  2 of 3 goals and very close on the third.  A good day indeed!

FRIDAY

A lot of stretching and visualizing.  Attended the DFAL conference meet at Acalanes high school

THURSDAY

Did a kind of dry-run of stuff I need to do when I get to the meet.  I warmed up much in the way I plan to warm up on Saturday (although I couldn’t jog my usual 800m because of the achilles strain).  I walked off my long jump approach and did a few jog throughs and pop ups.  I walked the 200m to put together my race plan.  I did a few easy starts out of imaginary blocks and then finally I threw the discus as I would guess it will be done in competition (warm ups and actual throws).

• Stretching
• Sprint warm up
• Builds – 20m very easy
• LJ approach jog throughs and pop ups
• Starts from blocks
• 6 discus warm up throws
• 6 full throws (longest just over 30 meters)

WEDNESDAY

Achilles quite sore so did some pool work, that is, running intervals in the deep end of the pool.

• 3x 60sec @80% / 60 sec. rest
• 4x 40sec @95% / 1:20 rest
• Cool down

TUESDAY

Lots of work.  In the afternoon I went to the Frosh day of the conference meet. Light stretching/rehab in the evening.

MONDAY

Nice day.

Original plan was to focus on the long jump.  Instead I threw the discus.

DISCUS AND SPRINT FOCUS

• 800m warm up
• Stretching
• 4x 30m builds
• 4x 30m starts/acceleration
• Standing throws (9x)
• Middle position throws (3x)
• South Africa (3x)
• Full throws (9x)
• 400m cool down

SUNDAY

Nasty cold and rain.

Since it was Mother’s Day and my knees and achilles were really hurting, decided to skip the usual weight training session. Took the family out for dim sum and later a movie and book browsing instead.

Active Recovery

SUNDAY

Javelin on the hill.  Threw a few @30m

• 800m warm up
• Stretching
• Lots of sand ball throws
• Double-handed javelin throws (10)
• 1-Step throws (10)
• 3-step throws (10)
• 5-step throws (10)
• 7- to full approach (8)

FRIDAY

• 800m warmup
• Stretching
• 4x20m accelerations
• 12 long jump approaches – half into pit
• short approach jumps off jump ramp into pit
• increasingly longer approach jumps off jump ramp into pit
• 2x400m 1:26/90sec rest/1:37
• cool down

THURSDAY

Rest.

WEDNESDAY

New rotational shoes are awesome!

• 800m warmup
• Stretching
• Sand bag warm up throws
• Standing throws (10x)
• 2nd position throws 2x
• South Africa 2x
• Full throws (10x)
• 2 x 400m/90 sec rest
• 800m cool down
• Stretching

TUESDAY

Light workout.

• 800m warm up
• Stretching
• Acceleration runs 6x 30m
• Long jump approaches 14-step 8x
• 2 x 400m/90sec rest
• 800m cool down
• Stretching

MONDAY

No workout.  None planned because I was scheduled to give blood in the morning plus I was tired.

Crazy news is my iron count was too low to give.  11.6 – needs to be 14.  I’ve never been even close to as low as 14 below.  I don’t know what is happening but it explains my intense fatigue.  That is to say I don’t think I’m overtraining.

Active Recovery

MONDAY.

Brisk 20 minute walk.

TUESDAY

Brisk 20-minute walk

WEDNESDAY

Hit with some weird bug.  Extremely tired with terribly sore throat.

THURSDAY

Full javelin workout (see separate post)

FRIDAY

Full running workout (see separate post)

SATURDAY

Too sore to move 🙂

SUNDAY

Short on time and still pretty sore.  Did an abbreviated version of Mark Verstegen’s prehab workout.

Friday.  Beautiful day.

It is an Active Recovery week, as I noted in yesterday’s post.  Thing is I feel like training so I am…

Achilles was a bit sore but I monitored closely and I think I’m ok.  Should’ve iced afterward but work was calling.

Did extensive tempo runs today – which was pretty rough as I’m out of running shape.  But I hit my times so it seems my internal stopwatch is working pretty well.  Nevertheless, reaching 28 secs in the 200 is going to be tough!  Pretty sure I’ll be able to do 30 though.  Think the basic thing is needing to work on my speed endurance because I’m good for the first 100 then it gets tougher and tougher.  The 300m I ran today was ok until I hit about 220 then just DIED.

RUNNING (EXTENSIVE TEMPO) FOCUS

• 800m warmup
• Stretching
• 5x 30m builds
• Skipping
• 50m (8sec)
• 100m (16s)
• 150m (26s)
• 200m (37s)
• 300m (61s)
• 200m (37s)
• 150m (27s)
• 100m curve (18s)
• 50m  curve (9s)
• 800m cooldown
• Pullups
• Stretching

Thursday.  Beautiful day.

Although it is an Active Recovery Week, I got my new Adidas javelin boots and had to try them out.   THEY ARE AWESOME!  Not sure I threw any better with them today but I will.
Worked at the track today (Flat!)  mostly on approach/transition.  Crossovers were awful making the throw pretty bad too although I did throw the turbo jav over 40 yards several times and the javelin (only 8-10 throws) around 35 a couple of times.

JAVELIN FOCUS

• 800m warmup
• Stretching
• 5x 30m builds
• Skipping
• Lots of running with the javelin working on acceleration
• 1-step turbo jav throws
• 3, 5 and 7-step turbo jav throws
• 5, 7-step and full-approach javelin throws
• Plyometrics (box jumps)
• 800m cool down
• Stretching

Active Recovery

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2010

This was a proper full workout.  Javelin work on the hill above my house.  Achilles felt good enough to jog between throws and increase speed through crossovers. Finally FINALLY did a 30 yard toss. Most were around 25 yards.

• Short stretching warmup
• Sand ball tosses, one hand and two-handed
• Release drills (10 throws)
• Standing throws (10x)
• 3-step throws (10x)
• 5-step throws (10x)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2010

This was more a proper full workout.  Turns out the field where daughter is doing soccer practice has a Little League diamond that works great for discus – which is what I did.  Had several throws to 30 yards and a couple that went 35 yards.  Really loving this event.

• Brisk 30 minute walk in hilly Orinda
• Sand ball warmup
• Toss in the air with spin throws (10x)
• Kneeling throws (10x)
• Standing throws (10x)
• Middle position throws (10x)
• South Africa throws (6x)
• Full throws (6x)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010

Mark Verstegen’s core workout – 35mins.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2010

Mild weather.

• A brisk 35 minute walk in hilly Orinda

Because my Achilles tendons have been so troublesome I’ve done very little in the way of locomotion.  Oddly, in spite of being in pretty good shape, I think this simple walk will leave me sore tomorrow.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2010

Mild weather.

• Javelin workout

Went to the top of  the rolling hill behind my house and did an hour’s worth of warm up and javelin drills.  I felt like the undiscovered kid throwing against the barn in rural Iowa.  But I am beginning to get the hang of it a bit.

Active Recovery

This was a week more of plain ol’ recovery than “active” recovery.  Much of this inactivity had to do with the rain – we had torrents – everyday – except on Saturday.

Additionally, I felt a strong need to try to let my achilles tendons repair.  I nursed them with Traumeel and a Chinese liniment, Zheng Gu Shui.  I massaged them and my calves.  I did hyperextension stretches and toe raises.  By Friday I was feeling good.  On Saturday it was my birthday.  I got new spikes.  The sun was out. I went to the track.  Almost immediately I trashed the left achilles. Really can’t tell you how depressing this is…

SATURDAY, JAN. 23, 2010

• 400m warm up (yikes went the achilles)
• Dynamic stretching
• Sprint warmup (30 mins)
• Several throws with baseballs
• Several throws with weighted ball
• Several standing turbo jav throws
• Several turbo jav throws with crossover

The good news here is I had several throws between 35-40 yards.  That is very encouraging.  I need to buy a 700g javelin and prepare for the Cal Open meet Feb. 20th.  I plan to enter the javelin (but only that event)

THURSDAY, JAN. 21, 2010

• Core work (35mins)

TUESDAY, JAN. 19, 2010

• Core work (35mins)