2010-2011

​It has been a season to forget—a short season. Plagued with injuries it has come to a close prematurely; it started off with a torn hamstring, then after six weeks later in one explosive movement it tore again, all the while my heel was being pounded into the ground to the point where I started to question if I may have cracked my calcaneus.
   Of the six meets I have competed in this summer two were write off’s, pouring rain, twice I was battling injuries and one of the remaining two had a wind swirling from -2.0m/s to -0.5m/s. The only meet where I really felt like everything came together was at Junior Nationals. Of course there are still some what if’s but it was a “satisfactory” performance. I can’t help but wish my mark could have been slid up 30cm so I would have been on the board. I feel like if I had a jump over 14.00m it would have put my wandering mind to rest a long time ago. I did manage to reach the podium which was my goal coming in but I can’t help but feel like it is undeserved, being the lowest jump in the last five years to medal. If I was on the board or I had jumped a few centimeters farther it would have felt more justified. But I didn’t.

   At this point I suppose there’s no reason to keep replaying the past, what is done is done all I can do now is look ahead to the future and keep training hard. In the past year I have only put on 30cm which is the first time I haven’t put on the 50cm that I arbitrarily set as a goal for each season a couple years ago. Last year I pb’d by 70cm so I guess they average out. I feel like next year may bring another large pb, I have been noticing a two year cycle since I have started, with every second year being a “good” season and the alternating seasons “bad”.
   I know that I have the potential to go over 14.00m right now without improving anything technically, runway speed or my dynamic strength. It’s just slowly driving me crazy knowing that I have to wait almost half a year to prove it.
   Since I have started track 14.00m has always seemed like a wayward goal treasured and idolized. And now that I am on the very cusp it seems like its coming is inevitable—I’m starting to look ahead, past it. I know that I shouldn’t try to run before I walk but I can’t help but look at 15.00m with a feeling of responsibility. I know that it won’t be easy, it won’t come overnight, not in a year, two or maybe even three but I feel that if I continue to train hard and improve steadily that it is an attainable goal. If I can jump fourteen (just about) as technically inefficient as I am now then I have hope for the future.
   I have learned more over this past year than I have in all my other years combined. I am finally starting to realize that I can’t just keep squatting more weight, plow through a jump and expect to PB. A certain level of finesse is needed. That is why this year I want to tear everything down and rebuild. For the first time in Nova Scotian history there is a facility that will allow for winter horizontal jump training. And by the looks of things I will have access to it once a week for most of the year. I think this is going to make a huge difference. Last season I didn’t have the opportunity to train event specifically for eight months. I want to spend each and every practice focused and ready to finally learn how to keep my ground contacts flat and under my center of mass.

   Next year feels like it’s going to be the season where everything finally starts to come together—my first and only real goal is to stay healthy, I don’t want any tears, sprains or contusions in 2012. Last year I learned about periodization but I had trouble conceptualizing how the different types of human strength work together. I have also learned about the value of an off day, there was a point last season where I went over two months without taking a rest day. And then I started to wonder why I was starting to feel flat.
   I don’t want to go number chasing but if I can refrain from any major injuries and learn how to triple jump I think that I can jump 14.40m indoor, it would be a 56cm pb but that’s not an impossible number to put up. It’s not going to come from strength gains or speed gains. It’s going to come from becoming technically proficient. Now I have nothing to do but count the days until the 2011/2012 season begins.

Season Review

Placing:



2011 CIS Championships- 11th

2011 Canadian Junior Championships- 3rd