Advil, my new (again) best friend

Well, I made it to that point in the season again when I'm relying on Advil to get me through the day. My shins and arches have started screaming at me and I know it'll go away if I just buy new shoes!!!! Man, I feel like one of my high school kids... I was really hoping this current pair would get me through the rest of the season. But I'm going to bite the bullet and just buy a new pair. (Side note, I did this yesterday. And man, was it a task to find a store that sold women's running shoes for something other than running on a treadmill!!)

Being in this happy little power area is what I've been trying to do.
I took this graph from this website. I didn't read the article but the graph is sweeet.

Last Sunday I got to jump at Stanford. And it was awesome! The weather was beautiful and the competition was fierce! While my marks weren't exactly what I wanted, I was able to break some of the bad habits I have been working on in practice. Running down the long jump runway isn't the same as running the 100. You have to be fast for sure, but you also have to be powerful. Previously, I was trying to run as fast as possible, but then I wasn't in the correct positions to be able to take off the board with the greatest amount of force. (I don't exactly know how way it works. I missed out on taking EXB 103: Biomechanics. Josh can certainly write a more extensive and detailed blog about it if you're curious. :D) I've been working on getting my knees up and bringing that position all the way through to the board. And don't you know! Our hard work is starting to pay off. My first jump was a solid opener at 5.72 (about 18'8") and I got pretty solidly on the board. Annoyingly though, the stinker about breaking habits is that sometimes, those bad habits creep back in. On my next jump, I reverted back to my old habits and jumped a foot behind the board. Josh was able to get my head back on straight and focused and I actually scratched 3 out of my next 4 jumps! I never thought I'd be so excited to scratch before! Even while moving back a foot, I was still bringing my speed and power through better, which is how I was traveling farther down the runway with the same number of steps. Now, I just have to do the same thing, but get my plant down behind the red line. Hopefully, now that I've done it a few more times than once, I can start incorporating those movements without having to think about every single step. Just put the pieces together and put one out there. (And really, it only takes one!)

In addition to working through my mechanical demons, I've also been working on my mental game. For me, the mindset for long jumping is waaay different than sprinting. Getting into a sprinting mindset is super easy. You just get yourself amped, ramp up the adrenaline and heart rate, and kick ass; push through the pain and drive those knees. Even sitting here, at a table in a kitchen, I can do it pretty easily. However, I can't come into the long jump with the same mindset. (I've tried and that's what got me into the hole of jumping behind the board in the first place. I'd get all super tense and tight and wouldn't be able to bring the power out.) It's a happy medium between being a bad ass and going 110% at a wall while still staying somewhat light and airy, like floating on clouds. (I tried that analogy with my high schoolers and they looked at me like I was crazy....) On Sunday though, I felt like I was able to do that. For a few of the jumps, I was able to get that super focus going, was able to tune everything out except for the runway and my visual mark I was aiming for. One thing that I tried saying to myself was, "today, I'm here for myself. I'm here for me and Josh." I wasn't out there to prove anything to anyone else. I wasn't putting pressure on myself to perform and prove that all this blood, sweat, and tears were worth it, all the hours mattered. Instead, I reminded myself that we chose to be here. And dammit I was going to enjoy myself! I think that's the most fun I've had at a meet in awhile. Which I think helped to translate into my runs. Man, I wish I'd gotten on the board at least one of those 3 times. Oh well!

Venus gets it! Trying to get in my zone.

Starting out this season, I knew it was going to be my last so I wanted to check things off my Track Bucket List. These things included going to nationals, have an indoor season, compete at the 'big' meets, and race a Hayward Field in Track City, USA (aka Eugene, OR). I cannot wait for this weekend to finally check Hayward Field off my bucket list!!! Whenever UCD was going to UofO for a meet, I would always beg Coach Dee to let me go along so I could try and compete near my extended family. She would always say that Eugene is too cold for sprinters so I never got to go. Then, when we started running again, the dates for meets never seemed to match up with weekends that we were available. Going into this season though, I told myself I wasn't going to make any more excuses and just go! Finally, that weekend has come.

I'm super excited to get to compete 'on a big stage' and hopefully, in front of a big crowd. (I know it may be surprising, but track doesn't exactly generate a large, live event following.) I'm also a little nervous though. Josh isn't here to watch me and talk me down when I'm freaking out. Other coaches will certainly be there to watch my steps and tell me if I'm over or behind the board. But Josh knows my tendencies and knows what we have been working on. He is able to tell all the nuances behind my jumps and know what details I need to bring on my next jump; tell me if I'm dropping my knees or backing off from the board or not pushing out the gates hard enough, etc. I'll just have to have a pep talk with him in my head in-between each jump. It won't be the same, but it'll have to do. :) One thing that will be a big positive is that long jump is at 4pm tomorrow, which is about the same time I usually have practice. It's gonna be way easier to convince my body that it's time to move fast than when jumping is at 10am when my body is in work mode.

We're getting down to the final meets. Including tomorrow, I only have 3 more guaranteed meets for this season. Hopefully, I'll be able to extend my season to the beginning of July for nationals. But it starts with putting a big one out there and my chances are getting fewer and fewer. As Josh likes to say, "our opportunities are short and if we don't take them, they'll just pass us by." Time to take my opportunities and show up. Just bring it! Bring all the hours, the reps, the lifts, the aches and pains. Put all the pieces together and pop one out there. Because again, you only need one!!!! Ok, off to get my pre-race in.

Here is just some inspirational musings for you. Was thinking about this while I was at the track today. Plus, the gymnastics are freaking awesome.

P.S. cross your fingers that we don't get rain. Cause what stupid woman would travel to Eugene without a rain jacket? This girl, that's who!!! :D