2009 competition begins

I should be packing for my trip to Argentina tomorrow morning, but I wanted to post a quick review on my track meet this weekend in an indoor Heptathlon.

We went in with comfortable expectations. We have done little to no work yet this year in 3 of the 7 events I competed in. That being said, it was a "no big deal" meet.

Day 1

60m dash: I wanted to break 7.20 as that is the rough average at the USA national indoor meet. I ran 7.196 and was happy to start the season off with a new pr.

Long Jump: We spent just one shortened practice to grab an accurate step for the meet. That step turned out to be inaccurate, as I never even touched the toeboard once in warmups or competition. Add that to what was later realized to be an inaccurate measuring setup and this event was what I would call "trashed". My best jump went down in the books at just under 20 feet and cost me anywhere from 100-200 anticipated points. Oh well.

Shot Put: I am unusually bad at this event given my strength and speed, which continues to haunt and frustrate me. World class begins in the mid to high 40's and I hit a 43' in warmup. I went on to toss 40'1". Annoying, but I trust I'll get over this slump soon enough. Moving on...

High Jump: This event is the main (and only?) continual threat of injury in my training. That being said, we rarely practice it. We got in one good practice before the meet and my form was acceptable. I cleared 6' from a short step but kicked it off with my heels, so I ended up having to settle with 5'11". That one got to me a little bit. With a p.r. of 6'4" and the world class standard starting around 6'6", I had a hard time keeping the "no big deal" mentality I promised to console myself with. However, I did walk away feeling that this will be the year that high jump is no longer a weakness. We'll see how accurate that becomes.
Day 2:

60m Hurdles: Being a serious hurdle contender is so close I can taste it. Practice this year has shown dramatic improvement and I am finally using my raw speed through the hurdles instead of "leaping and surviving". Warmups were amazing and I felt totally dialed. Unfortunately, my growth in skill is not yet "race mature" and after the first hurdle I began going back to old, ugly habits. Trying to keep up with the fast guy in the lane next to me, I got sloppy and stopped running my own race. I think I needed that to show myself the importance of running my own race this year. 5 hurdles hit and one very bruised ankle later, I hope to have learned my lesson.

Pole Vault: Fatigue began to set in during warmups and things look to be ho-hum. However, I came in low and got in my groove as the competition went on. I cleared 13'6", 14', and 14'6" all on first attempts. I got 15' on second attempt and then had a couple of good goes at 15'6" with one bail out. As polevault seems to be an event that can take all season to get dialed in to, I was happy to see a satisfying performance my first time out. I think this may be a new p.r. while vaulting in a multi.

1,000m run: a.k.a. torture chamber. This is the first year in 15 years I do not identify with distance running. I think I have officially become a sprinter. Add to that a facility that sits at 7,000ft elevation, and I knew this was going to be a bit difficult. I tried to ignore it, knowing that my p.r. as a freshman in college would be a national record in the heptathlon. Halfway through the race, my legs proved that those days are long gone. I led strong for most of the race, but got outkicked by some skinny punk on the final stretch. I wasn't overly upset, but it's never fun to get passed after leading for 90% of a race. I was indifferent about my time, but happy to have held off a dozen competitors.

I think my biggest success in this meet was the fact that I mostly stayed in a state of joy and relaxation. My good friend Caleb, as well as my longtime mentor Pastor Mike Hernandez, have often challenged my ability to enjoy the journey instead reacting to the pressures of the environment or performance. The night before the meet, my boss called me and prayed that I would "find the joy in the journey". He nailed it on the head and this goes down as an internally successful meet. And while I was at it, I missed qualifying for nationals by just a few hundred points. That feels pretty good. I don't know that I'll do another one for the winter season, but I definitely feel positioned for a succesful spring and summer.
Now... I got a plane to catch in 7 hours for an adventure with my brother in the Patagonia Mountains. Better go pack.