Week 9 workouts*

12/30 KC. Second week of break, and Joe came in for another session. Warm up followed by a strength series, including 3x3x310 deadlifts, box drives, push ups, walkovers, post ups. 5x 1/2-space 33. 5x1 (36>42), 3x3 (42>39). 4x4H up/back (36 -3/-4). 5-4-3-2 bench press and reverse leg press. Stretch and foam rolling. Best timed start 2.10. Hand-timed splits around 1.2.

Week 8 workouts*

12/23 KC. With everyone else home on break, Joe came in for a hurdle workout. Warmed up, lifted 5x290 and 4x310 along with depth jumps, push ups and post ups. 6x3H -5, working on quickness and squaring the shoulders. 4x2H (39-39-42-42) and 4x4H (42-42-39-39) all at -1, 4x6H reactive (22-14-24-14-36-24). Bench press and reverse leg press with reps of 5-4-3-2 of increasing weight.

Week 7 workouts

12/16 KC. Jerome ran HJ practice for the group, which by all reports went well.

12/18 KC. Joe, Matt, Chris, Desarae and Jessica warmed up and then did 2x3-4 deadlifts with 5x depth jumps, 10x push ups and 10x post ups. Drills included line skipovers, jogovers and hangovers. Block work and then starts over H1, working on some fine tuning elements with blocks, rhythm, attack and clearance. 3x3H at relative spacing, 3x2H random spacing with 1/2-lap run in. Kettlebell work included 2x10 lunge walk, step up and single-leg deadlift followed by foam rolling.

Week 6 workouts

12/8 KC. Joe, Matt, Spencer, Chris, Jessica and Desarae were in the house. Warm up included joint mobility, swings and cycles, skips. Strength work included 2x4 deadlifts (340 for Matt and Spencer, 290 for Joe, 260 for Chris and 220 for Jessica and Desarae), 20x Russian boxes and 10x push ups. Jog to stride, stride to sprint, accel. 1/2-space 3-step, working on pushing into hurdle with head/shoulders in an effort to "get on top" of hurdle and put downward pressure on lead leg to get off the hurdle quicker and accelerate. Falling starts over one hurdle at increasing heights. 3x2H block starts and 2x3H block starts. Women worked at regular height and spacing, 4 stepping. Men worked at regular height and in less than a foot. Reps got better as things went along. Timed H1 start on the 2H reps. Bests: Matt 2.16, Joe 2.14, Chris 2.25, Spencer 2.23, Desarae and Jessica 2.21. Did some hand timing on the 3H reps. Matt mid-1.3s, Joe 1.1s, Spencer mid-1.3s, Chris low-1.3s, Jessica mid-1.4s, Desarae near 1.9. Calf stretch and foam rolling ended a good night.

12/9 KC. Jerome, Spencer, Alex, Kasey and Madeline did some jump rope warm up, flexibility series, takeoff skips, circle runs, rim jumps, turn tuck jumps, pit arches, backovers, 6-step jumps, run throughs, opening height jumps and a few more about 2 inches higher. Madeline and Kasey cleared bars at 4-5 before departing for PV and class, respectively. Alex had time to go higher, making 4-7. Spencer made some significant improvements and repeatedly made 5-5 before going to PV. Jerome cleared 6-4. Jerome and Alex did medball throws, single leg hip thrusts, walking lunges and 20-10-10 jump rope. Foam rolling. Efficient, effective workout with good performance.

12/11 KC. Circles, swings (side), cycles (lead/trail), skips (A-back-B-back-carioca), 10x squat jax. 3 to 4 deadlifts at same weight as Monday. 20x Russian box. 10x push up. 2 sets. 10x3H at relative spacing. Kettlebell -- 10-step lunge walk (pass through), 10 left and 10 right hip thrust (one foot up on box with kb held with both hands at waist level). 5x jump squat (kb in each hand). Rolling/Stretching.

UWM: Jerome launches season with 6-8.75 leap

12/5 Milwaukee. Jerome started off the season with an outstanding 6-8.75 jump. He had first jump clearances at 1.85, 1.90, 1.95 and 2.00. One miss at 2.05 before making it on his second attempt. He was close on one of three attempts at a school indoor record of 2.10. Moved out to 15 feet for the approach at 61 feet. Competition started at 10 p.m. and ended just before 11 p.m. Here is the 2.05 jump:

Week 5 workouts

12/1 KC. Matt was back training but still dealing with mono. Spencer's foot problem seems to have cleared up. Jessica, Chris and Joe also trained. Started with mobility exercises and jacks to warm up for deadlifts. Went a little heavier -- 3x3 with more weight than before break. Spencer 345, Matt 335, Joe 315, Chris 240, Jessica 190. Strength set also included 20x Russian boxes and 10x elevated push ups. Followed with a couple minutes of jump rope and a high-knee jog to stride. 2x walkover, skipover, jogover. 6x 4-step power hurdle with a one-step hurdle. 4x1H (-6 -3 R R). 3x2H (R)(-1). 2x3H (R R -3) (-1). 2x10 Lead and trail leg band exercises, and 2x5-7 loaded GHR. Foam rolling. Block work was good. Matt worked on keeping feet a bit lower on first couple steps. Jessica worked to get more upright. Entry to hurdle still could be better optimized for most. Video showed some still reaching on the step before take off. Need to get on top of the take off foot with a vertical shin. Hurdle clearance was a little cleaner than it was before break, but we will need to do some fine tuning there. Next week: some side by side starts, real hurdles and some timed reps.



Jessica shows a good entry but there's a little twist with the right arm and right shoulder crossing over to the left side and coming back left in tight against the torso as she comes off the hurdle. Need to keep the arms working front to back and keeping hips and shoulders as square to the hurdle as possible.



No major issues here for Joe. Runs a good line. One thing that could be better is keeping the shoulders square coming off the hurdle, rather than twisting in a way that moves the left shoulder to front and right shoulder to back.

Chris had some difficulty on entry at times. In this example, he is back on heel and the shin angle is backward because of a reach toward the hurdle. Takeoff point is in right spot, but Chris needs to lengthen the steps prior to this one to be able to get in better position to push into the hurdle.

Matt's mechanics are good. This frame shows good lean and good arms with hips and shoulders squared. Lead leg might be moving outside in here, so we may need to get a bit better alignment within the lane.

Great entry for Matt here (knees close, shin vertical, on ball of foot). Probably a few inches too close to hurdle.

Spencer is in good position, too, though a few inches too close to hurdle.











12/2 KC. Hurdlers trained with sprinters. High jumping tonight were Alex, Kasey, Madeline, Jerome and Spencer. Standard warm up plus some back flips and 6-step jumps followed by approach work and then full jumps going up 2 on makes and down 1 on misses. Madeline took a few fulls before going to vault, clearing 4-4. Alex was good at 4-6 and Kasey at 4-8, checking out at 5:15 for class. Spencer got to 5-5 after making some adjustments to approach and take off (keeping left hand over right). Jerome cleared 6-3 and had a good attempt at 6-6, just folding slightly on it. Single leg box jumps and jump rope 40 doubles, 20+20 singles, 20 running and 40 doubles.

 Alex is hitting the plant about parallel to bar. Hips should be about 45 degrees but the are 90 here -- partly because of the plant angle. Arms are blocking pretty well, but rotation to get back to bar has already started on the ground rather than after takeoff.

Similar to Alex, Jerome is turning his back to bar and starting layout right off the ground.

Great attack into the plant here, staying back with arms and dropping hips to get displacement needed to have a rising hip into jump. Don't like the foot turning out that way -- should be pointing to back corner.

Kasey had a good night clearing some bars but should keep the torso vertical until off the ground. Looking at the bar and leaning in like this will knock off a lot of bars on the way up.

Nice layout here. Good heel tuck and shoulders are lower than hips.

At the plant, you can see the head and eyes go to the bar and shoulders, which should be perpendicular at this point, already are turning toward the bar.

Spencer can get off the ground, but there's not much knee drive (want to drive it to the bar height) and he is starting his layout (arching backward) right off the ground at takeoff. Also have the shoulders tilting a bit toward the bar instead of away. That's why we like to get the left hand over right at takeoff, which ensures that the shoulder nearest the bar remains higher at takeoff.

Because layout started prematurely, Spencer cannot go over the bar perpendicularly. Better to have the left arm on the thighs or out to side to keep more mass below the bar.

Spencer is looking over the shoulder and toward the bar rather than the far standard. Arms should be back to load the takeoff foot and provide more force into block. Plant angle looks good and lean into turn but looking at bar and raising that right arm higher than left defeats the lean.









12/4 KC. Joe, Matt, Chris and Jessica were joined by Ian and Desarae, who had their first indoor 400H workout, and for Desarae, it was her first hurdle workout ever. Did mobility exercises, 3x3 deadlifts, 5x tuck jumps and 10x push ups. Deads: Matt 335, Joe 315, Chris and Ian 240, Jessica 200, Desarae 170. Did walkovers, skipovers, jogovers and powers over 4H with half of sets oppo. 2x30m accels off 3-pt start timed. Bests: Joe 3.92, Matt 4.13, Chris 4.40, Ian 4.46, Desarae 4.79, Jessica 4.81. 6x3H at relative spacing. Joe and Matt on 15, Chris and Ian on 17 and Desarae and Jessica at 19. Joe, Matt, Chris, Ian and Jessica were solid on rhythm for nearly every rep. Desarae got better as the reps went along, but this was a tough assignment for a first night on hurdles. Next, some 1-step reps over 3H off power hurdle, working left and right legs. Followed with 2-step reps over 3H. Ended with 3H at random spacing and foam rolling.

Week 4 workouts*

11/25 At KC. Most were home for holidays, but Joe came to the Kern for some hurdle work. Loosened up, did deadlifts, box hops, push ups and lead leg box drives. A and B skips, back skips and cariocas. High-knee jog>stride, stride>sprint. Skipovers, jogovers. 3x 1/2-space 3-step. 5x H1 starts. 3x 4H starts. 4x6 reactive hurdles (22-14-24-14-36-24). Lead leg and trail leg bands. Foam rolling. Video of a 42 H start.



Posture and alignment is good. Joe worked on keeping hips and shoulders square, arms bent and finishing trail leg. Still some rotation in hip coming off hurdle and trail leg could pull through a little higher, but his technique continues to improve.

Training during break

At the most basic level, get some exercise at least every other day and eat smart every day.

What you do for training during break is about where you can train and what you have available. So, the guidance here is general.

In a given week, it would be good to get a session of each of the following:

• Speed (acceleration and/or max velocity)
• Stamina (sprints of 20 to 40 seconds)
• Strength (weights, bodyweight exercises)

Other days can be off days or extensive tempo / cardio machine tempo -- 20 seconds fast, 40 seconds slow in sets of 5 with a minute or two between sets; or tabata sets, which are a 3-min warm up then 1 or 2 sets of 8x20 seconds fast, then 10 seconds rest) and 2-min cool down (can be on machines such as bike, elliptical, treadmill or rowing -- or just running (in place even) or just punching, jumping rope or doing jumping jax -- or some combination of those things.

You may not have access to a track, or a gym or even good enough weather to go outside, so you need to get a little creative. Here are some things to consider:

• Medicine ball 
• 7-minute workout (programmed bodyweight exercises that run on your phone or laptop)
• Jump rope
• Bodyweight circuits (squats, lunges, pushups, hip thrusts, burpees, jump squats, planks, etc.)
• Plyometrics (skips, hops, bounds, jumps)
• Hills (short or long, both are good)
• Stairs (inside or outside)
• Other (treadmill, weights, exercise bike or whatever you have)

If you have injuries or soreness, choose activities wisely. For example, if your shins hurt, avoid high-impact activities on hard surfaces. 

Enjoy your time at home and get your rest -- but also some exercise.

Week 3 workouts

11/17 KC. Joe and Chris trained at regular time. Spencer had foot issues, so he went to the trainer after warm up and lifting. Jessica came in later. After Cheetah series (deadlifts, box hops and push ups), we did skips and then the sprint progression. A couple practice starts were followed with timed 30s. Bests: Joe equaled his best ever with 3.89. No time on Chris. Jerome stopped by and posted a 4.28. Jessica ran 4.64. Joe and Chris did a set of 2H reps at 39 and 3H reps at 42, 5-stepping, before starts over H1 at increasing height. At regular height, Joe posted a start time of 2.15, Chris 2.19 and Jessica 2.21. Did another set of 2H at increasing spacing, timing splits. Joe had a PR 1.26, Chris 1.44 and Jessica 1.38. Very good marks for this early in the season. Ended with a Road Runner strength series (glute ham raise, Russian box and pull ups) and stretching, rolling.

Frame grabs to show entry step at the moment the foot touches the track. Here's Chris. Upper body nearly vertical (good) but shin is not vertical (should be). Foot is a shoe length beyond takeoff point. Getting that entry foot down more quickly would shorten that step and improve the shin angle.

Jessica is good here with position. Shin is vertical and upper body pushing forward into hurdle.  What's not good is taking off too close to hurdle -- about 3 shoe lengths. Worked on adjusting this later and made some improvements.

Matt is sitting back just slightly. In a good spot but similar to Chris, could get the entry foot down quicker, shortening the step and putting him a bit further away, which also would get the shin vertical.

Spencer is reaching a bit -- back on heel. Needs to stay on ball of foot and like Matt and Chris needs to get the entry foot down to be in better position to drive into the hurdle and get off that step faster.

This is optimum.










11/18 KC. Jerome, Spencer, Kasey and Alex warmed up and then did 6-step scissors jumps and ramp jumps. Full run throughs and full jumps at low heights. Jerome jumped in 6-3 to 6-5 range, Spencer in 5-3 to 5-5 range, and Alex and Kasey in 4-1 to 4-3 range. Did 2x5 step ups, split squats and jump squats with kettlebells and then flexibility series with bends, bridges, arches and scorpions. Jump focus was on plant angle, speed in turn and consistent approaches.

11/20 KC. Jessica went home. Spencer rested his foot. Matt out with mono. So, Kasey, Joe and Chris warmed up, did a couple sets of strength work, some hurdle walkovers, skipovers and jogovers -- half oppo. A pickup and then 3x1H starts at regular 400H distance. Then, 7x3H at relative spacing, Kasey on 19, Chris on 17, Joe on 15 rhythm equivalent. 2x impala strength series in weight room: back extensions to work the glute/hamstring, one-arm rows and split jerks. Foam rolling. Rhythm work went well -- even did some reps oppo.

Block starts -- where acceleration begins

To accelerate well, you must put yourself into proper position to apply force to build momentum toward max velocity.

Set your blocks with the front pedal two shoe lengths from start line and the back pedal three shoe lengths. Back into the blocks, pressing the feet firmly against the pedals and kneeling only on the back knee. Hands should be under the shoulders and bridged, if possible. Center over the front leg with arms perpendicular to the track and straight (no bent elbows). Head and neck are neutral to spine.Visual focus is on the starting line.

In set position, shoulders remain over hands. Hips should rise to the point where the front leg is at 90 degrees or slightly more. Front and rear leg shins should be nearly parallel and approximately 45 degrees to the track surface. Push feet all the way back on the pedals. Focus on an action, not the starter or gun. Visual focus remains on starting line (don't look down the track).

At the gun, push hard into the pedals through the shins, including the back block -- don't pull the back leg out, push it out. Push the hips forward. Don't bend at the waist forcing the hips backward. Arm action is big, with wide split. Heel recovery is low, meaning the feet stay fairly close to the track in the first few steps. The first step out is only about two feet beyond the starting line for men and about a foot-and-a-half for women. Very important to keep the feet under the hips to be able to apply force in the right direction. Should you step out, you lose the shin angle -- and force needed to accelerate as well as possible. If your back foot comes out and falls off to the side, you likely aren't pushing hard enough off the back block and/or you're not centered on the front leg. As your front foot leaves the block, there should be no bend at the waist, and you should full extension through the ankle, knee, hip and back -- in other words, a straight line from the front foot up through the top of the head. That angle is about 45 degrees. Visual focus is a few yards ahead (don't look down the track yet).

Starts are forceful, and you should not rush to get upright quickly and start turning over rapidly. Instead, build momentum through strong application of force.

Week 2 workouts

11/10 At VF/KC. Caught a break on weather with a nice, calm 50-degree evening, so we trained for 400H with Spencer, Joe, Chris, Matt, Kasey and Jessica. Women worked over 27s. Men over 27s for drills and 33 for high speed efforts. Started inside with some warm up and then deadlifts, depth jumps and push ups. Moved outside, did a couple strides and then some 4H jogovers, including some oppos. Did 4H power hurdle followed by 1-steppers. Changed to 3-steppers at 7 and 8 yard spacing (w/m). Then 2-steppers at 5- and 6-yard spacing. Worked mostly on stepping up, holding fold, running a straight line, accelerating into hurdles. Still some issues to resolve but everyone did well in trying to make adjustments -- some with more success than others -- but everyone got at least a little better and some quite a bit. For conditioning with a bit more speed, we did 4 laps of running 2 hurdles on long sides of soccer field with a jog recovery short side before running the second long side and then a walk recovery on the next short side before starting the next set. Went inside for a 2-set Greyhound strength series (lunge walk, hip thrust, single-leg deadlift) and then foam rolling.

11/11 At KC. High jumpers Jerome, Spencer, Kasey and Alex were on hand. After set up and warm up, we did backovers off boxes and got marks and full approaches. Did some 6-step approaches to work on acceleration into plant and plant angle, which was somewhat a struggle because of negative and neutral plant angles. Moved to a 2-step approach to focus exclusively on plant angle, and we had better success there. Kasey and Spencer did 5x4 hurdle hops and flexibility series. Measured height and weight: Alex 5-7.75/154. Kasey 5-8/149. Jerome 6-6.25/198. Spencer 6-3/196. (Rounded to nearest 1/4 inch and pound)

11/13 At KC. Spencer, Matt, Chris and Jessica trained together on hurdles. Warmed up, deadlifted with box hops and push ups. Finished with sprint progression and hurdle jogovers and skipovers. Reviewed starting block technique, shot some video and worked to make some improvements before doing starts over hurdle one. At that point, we checked entry to the hurdle and found that everyone was reaching into the last step, which increases ground contact time. Did a few more reps to try to "step down" on the entry step to get a vertical shin angle while staying on ball of foot. Worked very low to try to get that to happen. Results were mixed but improving. More work on this next week. Went to weight room for single leg reverse leg press, calf raise and push press. Wall stretches. Measured height/weight for Matt 5-10.75/175, Jessica 5-4.5/136, Chris 5-8 3/4/130.

Chris could get a more vigorous arm split here, but he has good extension from the foot through spine. On subsequent step, head comes up too soon and the right leg goes off to the right of the lane with foot angled outward. Couple of things to work on next time.

While later starts where better, there was a lot of forward bend here, which detracted from full extension. Right foot is ahead of hip -- that's a blocking action that prevents Jessica from being able to apply much force in the direction she wants to go. Both arms pretty much were just pulled up off the ground -- not much power or split there. She adjusted this on later reps.

 Matt looks the best in this group of photos -- good arms, good extension. Wouldn't change a thing.

Spencer is bending at waist somewhat, but arms are good. With a 7-step start, he needs to push with great power on first three steps.

Week 1 workouts

11/3 KC/VF. Started day one with rotations, leg swings, jumping jacks, deadlifts, depth jumps and elevated push ups on the track. Went outside for 400H training. Joe, Chris, Matt, Ian and Jessica were on hand. We were blessed with warm (50s) temperatures and no wind out on the turf. Began with high knee jog to stride. Stride to sprint and an acceleration. Drills included marchovers, skipovers, jogovers on preferred and oppo. Up and backs at 15m and 25m followed. 4x75m with 3H randomly spaced. Ian and Jessica worked over 27s. Everyone else worked 33s. Addressed some technical issues. Focused mostly on alignment issues and stepping up with the lead leg and getting back down. Wall stretches. Good session with some quality reps that helped knock off some hurdling rust.

11/4 KC.  First high jump practice had Spencer, Alex, Kasey (arrived later), Jerome (left early). Warm up included rotations, leg swings, jumping jacks, squat jacks and depth jumps. A skip, B skip, back skip, straight leg bound, side slide, carioca and takeoff skips. Used jump mat to get some vertical jump benchmarks. Bests: Spencer 34.8, Jerome 32, Kasey 21.2, Alex 19.8. Moved downstairs for tennis ball dunks or net slaps with some off a tight curve, 10-step accelerations, 10-step Js. Medball throws were 5x slam with vertical push, single leg push, scoop, hop toss and overhead. Flexibility work: 2x10 bridges, arches, bends, scorpions.

11/6  KC. High hurdle practice for Spencer, Matt, Chris, Joe and Jessica. Warm up then Cheetah strength series (deads, depth jumps and elevated push ups) along with vertical jumps. Bests: Spencer 33.2, Joe 27.6, Chris 25.7, Jessica 23.8. Continued with hurdle warm up, including high-knee jog to stride and stride to sprint. Trail leg pull throughs on rail. Marchovers, skipovers and jogovers. 4x3 5-step (27/39). 3-point starts over H1 were next, working primarily on stride pattern and accelerating into and through very low hurdles. Wall stretches. Some did Springbok strength series (step ups, split squats, jump squats).

Self sabotage -- don't victimize yourself

School and track are difficult enough without self sabotage. Watch out for these pitfalls this year (and every year) and enjoy a better year in the classroom and on the track. 

1. Extreme partying. Kids come into college and get this freedom to do whatever they want, and many abuse that freedom. The more you party, the greater the chances are of alcohol consumption and doing other detrimental things. Partying makes success a little harder to achieve. 

2. Acting like other students. Student-athletes are not normal students. We spend about 10 hours a week training, and when competing, it may jump to 20. Manage your time like an athlete and not a normal student.

3. Eating like other students. Athletes can't eat like normal students because athletes expend more calories than a normal person. If your friends want to go out for burgers and beers, you are dropping down to their level, and you're smart to avoid that except on rare occasion. Unless you're smart, you may miss out on veggies and other important nutrients that you need. 

4. Pursuing girls/guys. Chasing after girls/guys on Water Street shows a lack of focus on the things that need to be done like training, sleeping, eating right, getting homework done. Worse yet, most of the hours of the night spend chasing are hours when you already should be sleeping. If you chase, at least do it in a way that won't detract from being a great student-athlete. I had a teammate who only lasted one semester because he was out most nights looking for his next conquest. It destroyed his academic and athletic endeavors.

5. Doing nothing right and complaining about results. Can't begin to tell you how many athletes in our program do the exact same each year and wonder why they don't improve. You need to change the way you do things if you want a better result. College kids love to stick to their ways and refuse to change. They want to do little work but perform well. Doesn't work. Were you athletic this summer or a bum? Are you back to regular training now or waiting until you feel like it -- or until team practice begins? Athletes become better when no one is watching or making them train.

6. Living in the past. You may have been good last year, but if you're still talking about that, it's because you haven't done anything lately. Don't undermine your future by living in the past.

7. Being close minded. Things change. What was good enough before may not be good enough anymore. What got you an A before might not get you one next time. You just have to accept it. The training you did last year might not get you to the next level. You may need to try something else or do it in a different way by adding more intensity, more strength or something else.

8. Getting tough. It doesn't take long to see that you are in a highly competitive environment. Everyone in college is trying to be a success in every way possible so if you can’t keep up, no one cares, and no one may be there to help you. Start working hard and getting tough. No one will give you anything. You need to earn it.

9. Settling. Too many students and athletes are satisfied with being "good enough." They settle for what they are -- instead of working to be all they can. Everyone can be better than they are. Don't settle for less. Not a happy time thinking about what could have been. 

USATF WI

6/12-13 At Waukesha. Brad jumped 5-1 and hurdled 19.40 in decathlon.

NCAA DIII: Jerome achieves All-American

5/23 At Delaware, Ohio. Great weather and another great competition for Jerome in HJ. Passing the opening height, Jerome opened at 1.95, clearing on his first attempt. He also made 2.00 on his first attempt. At that point, the bar moved in 3cm increments. At 2.03 (6-8), he had two misses before making a clutch jump on his third attempt. At. 2.06 (6-9), he had a miss on his first attempt, but a nice clearance on the second, which put him in the hunt for a top 8 finish. With 10 jumpers still in it at 6-10, Jerome had a couple misses and then had what appeared to be a clearance for a moment, only to hit it off with his hand on his descent. We didn't know the total number of misses for the other competitors, so it was another 20 minutes or more before the outcome was known. Based on total misses throughout the competition, Jerome was awarded a tie for 7th -- and All-American designation. Great way to top off the season.

2014 Performance List

60H
Joe Buichl 8.51 (#2 all time)
Brad Lorr 9.71
Nathalie Oehlers 10.60 (#2 all time)
Mollie Zuberbier 10.91 (#3 all time)
Kasey Mylin 11.43
Annika Hellwig 11.82 (#6 all time)
55H
Joe Buichl 7.87 (#2 all time)
Brad Lorr 8.90
Nathalie Oehlers 9.82 (#4 all time)
Mollie Zuberbier 9.94 (#5 all time)
Annika Hellwig 10.68 (#9 all time)
Kasey Mylin 10.74
110H
Joe Buichl 15.15 (#2 all time)
Brad Lorr 17.38 (#10 all time)
100H
Holly Denfeld 16.34 (#3 all time)
Mollie Zuberbier 18.43
Nathalie Oehlers 18.65
Annika Hellwig 20.37
400H
Joe Buichl 55.92 (#1 all time)
Brian Janus 57.34 (#2 all time)
Logan Bertling 59.22 (#6 all time)
Mike Cosentino 61.98
Holly Denfeld 67.75 (#2 all time)
Nate Gray 72.47
Nathalie Oehlers 78.35
Kasey Mylin 79.53
Annika Hellwig 86.84 (#8 all time)
HJ
Jerome Rhodes 6-11 (school and conference record)
Mike Cosentino 6-4
Brad Lorr 5-8
Mollie Zuberbier 4-11 (#3 all time)
Kasey Mylin 4-9 (#5 all time)
Alex Jandrin 4-8.25 (#6 all time)
Madeline Molnor 4-7.75 (#7 all time)
Jana Heumann 4-1.25

NACC performance list

High jump / hurdle scoring
144     Joe Buichl
129.5  Jerome Rhodes
  56     Holly Denfeld
  44.2  Brad Lorr
  40.5  Mike Cosentino
  32.4  Mollie Zuberbier
  19     Nathalie Oehlers
  17     Brian Janus
  16     Kasey Mylin
  14.5  Alex Jandrin
  12     Madeline Molnor
  11     Logan Bertling
    9     Nate Gray
 .33     Jana Heumann

North Central: Joe cruises to 400H record

5/16 At Naperville. Another cool evening with temps in the 50s and a few sprinkles didn't hamper Joe's quest for a PR and school record in the 400H. Running in section 3, he shot to the lead and ran on pace through H5 (24.5), took an oppo on H8 and finished strong to run 55.92 for 8th overall, a few tenths under his record from last season. Brian ran 58.45, his third-best time. In 110H, Joe ran 15.45, 3 tenths off his career best. In HJ, which was moved inside because of wet conditions outside, Jerome battled some of the best jumpers in the Midwest, clearing 6-7.5. No one made 6-9.5. Jerome was 5th, based on a miss at 6-5.5. Brad threw javelin 147-10 for 6th.

Workouts: 5/13, 5-14

5/13 At KC. Brad and Jerome worked on plant angle with 4-step and 6-step approaches, scissors and layouts; full approaches; full jumps.

5/14 At MU. One of the highest quality workouts of season. After warm up, Joe and Brad worked some highs. 1 and 2H at 39 -1 off falling and 3 pt. 3H at regular height -1. 2x5H (regular height, -1). 3x3H (regular height, -1). Trail legs were looking good. Joe squared up the hurdles better than ever. Got the takeoff point to H1 moved back to proper distance. Brian joined in for 400H, which Brad also did. Brian and Joe worked near 56 pace and Brad around 61-62. Did first 5 hurdles and last 5 hurdles to finish, with about a 1 min break between. Joe and Brian ran about 24.5 for first 5 and about 31.5 for second 5. Brad split 27+ and 34+. Finished with 5x3 elevator (30-36) hurdles on oppo at 8 to 9y spacing. Stretched.

UW Madison: Jerome was as spectacular as weather; group notched multiple PRs

5/10 At Madison. Super weather (warm temps and light breezes) made conditions perfect for strong performances. Jerome was as perfect as the weather, getting first-jump clearances at 6-3, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9 and again at a school and conference record 6-11, which won the event. One jump at 7-0 was fairly close. Brian moved to #2 on the all time 400H list with a PR 57.43 3rd place finish. Joe equaled a PR in 200 with his 8th place 22.16. He also had good times in 110H (15.32) for 5th and 100 (11.27). Brad got a PR 152-09 in JT for 5th, ran 17.61 in hurdles for 7th and went 38-10.5 in TJ for 3rd. Holly ran a PR 16.34 (#2 all time) for 9th in 100H and jumped 34-0 for 5th in TJ.

Workouts: 5/6, 5/7

5/6 At KC. Jerome warmed up, did some backovers off high box, medium box, low jump, floor. Some 4-step bungee jumps, working on plant angle and attack, and then some 6-step jumps, adding speed in turn while keeping plant angle. Did a couple run throughs and then about 6 full jumps at 6-5, again working on pushing the speed and a quick last step. Also marked the takeoff point, which we moved out a bit because of extra speed. Takeoff point was about 2 feet in and 3 feet out.

5/7 At MU. Joe, Brian, Brad and Holly trained on a cold and windy day. Brian came out early warmed up, did some up/back hurdles, then H1-H4, 1 min recovery, H3-H7, 1 min recovery, H7-Finish, 1 min recovery, 150. Then 5x4 3-step oppos at 8-yd spacing on turf. Brad, Joe and Holly warmed up on the turf with some strides, circles, swings, pickup and acceleration. H1 (falling -3"), H2 (3pt -3" -1), H3 (3pt R -1), 2x6H (alt R/-3" -1). Joe and Holly followed with same 400H work Brian did. They hit the target times on first 2 reps, went faster on third rep and finished with 150s that were faster than the first rep times to H4. Brad did some 1/2 hurdle trail leg work during that time. Stretched.

NACC: Top 8 finishes in women's and men's 400H, 100/110H, HJ

5/2 At Lisle, Ill. Cold (50s), wet and windy on day one. No prelims in 100H/110H. In 400H prelims, Logan (59.22) and Brian (60.31) qualified. Mike just missed, running (61.98). nate ran 73.04. Holly (69.64) and Kasey (79.53) both qualifed. In multis, Mollie jumped 4-6.75 and Brad 5-1. Mollie ran 100H in 18.85.

5/3 At Lisle, Ill. Day 2 was bright, breezy and sunny with temps in upper 60s. Jerome won HJ, tying the meet record of 6-8. Joe took 3rd in 110H with a PR 15.15 (#2 all time). Holly took 3rd, too, running 16.72, and came back later to get 3rd in 400H (67.75 #2 all time), contributing to her NACC Freshman of the Meet award. Mike tied for 6th in HJ (6-2). In men's 400H, Brian finished strong to grab 4th (PR 58.37 #5 all time) and Logan was 7th (59.45). In women's HJ, Kasey was 6th (4-7.5) and Alex 8th (4-7.5). Madeline and Mollie both jumped 4-5.5. In decathlon 110H, Brad ran 17.39.

Men finished 2nd, women 7th in the 10-team meet.

Complete results

Workouts: 4/28, 4/29, 4/30

4/28 At KC. Another day in 40s with rain and wind, so we stayed inside. Did a brief warm up, then some hurdle work, including 6H speedbuilders, 1H starts, 3H relative spacings, 2H random spacings. Training were Holly, Brian, Joe, Mike, Logan, Nathalie, Kasey. Missing: Nate. Annika (work).

4/29 At KC. After warm up, spent time working on approach and approach with scissors -- about 10x. Followed with a couple bungee bar jumps near opening height. Also took a regular bar jump at opening, and then about 3 jumps at opening +3 inches. Worked on staying in curve (no step out), pushing the speed and lean, quick last step and good plant angle. Mollie, Kasey, Madeline, Alex, Mike, Brad and Jerome all jumped.

4/30 At KC. Circles, swings, skips, pickup, accel and then a timed fly. Brad PR 8.78 mps, Joe 9.42, Mollie 7.61, Nate 8.54, Holly 8.02. Timed 30m block start. Brad PR 4.09, Mollie 4.80, Nate 4.52, Holly 4.54. Hurdle warm up was H1 falling, H2 3-pt, H3 block -- all -3. Then block starts, H1, H2, H3, H4. Within those reps, timed H1 starts. Brad PR 2.20, Joe 2.12, Mollie 2.33, Holly PR 2.07, Annika 2.22. Also timed splits. Brad PR 1.38, Joe 1.31, Mollie PR 1.36, Holly PR 1.17, Annika PR 1.46.

Beloit Relays: Strong showing with several PRs

4/26 At Beloit. Joe let the way again. This time with a couple 2nds, running a PR 15.37 in 110H and 58.30 in 400H. Brad also got a PR with his 17.38 (#10 all time), and he also got a PR in HJ (5-8) -- both were large improvements. Holly had a small improvement in 100H for a PR 16.47 (#3 all time), and she got a major improvement in 400H, with her 68.85 (#2 all time). Brian's first 400H race of the year was a good one, running a PR 58.42 (#5 all time) for 3rd. Logan had a good race, too, running 60.66 in 5th. Mike scored, too, jumping 6-0 for 6th in HJ and running 62.9 for 8th in 400H. Annika ran 20.42 for 9th in 100H and 87.12 for 10th in 400H. Great day for Alex in HJ, getting a PR 4-8.25 (#6 all time) for 6th and Madeline with 4-6.25 for 7th. Nathalie, Kasey and Nate were no-shows.

Complete results

Drake Relays: Jerome sets school, conference outdoor record

4/26 At Des Moines. Opening height was 6-6 in a 30-jumper field on a breezy, sunny, 70-degree day. Nice crowd with a couple thousand on hand on the south end of the stadium. Jerome made it on his second attempt. Made 6-8 on second attempt and record-breaking 6-9.75 on third attempt. Came very close to making 6-11.5 on third attempt, just folding a bit too soon.

Workouts: 4/21, 4/22, 4/23

4/21 At MU. Drizzle gave way to sunny skies for our 400H workout. Circles, swings, skips and an up/back progression (10s, 20s, 30s). 2H 3pt start followed by a workaround (2 to 5, 3 to 6, etc.). Rest interval was about 4 min. Everyone ran reps near race pace. Stretched. Joe, Logan, Brian, Mike, Nate, Holly, Nathalie and Annika were present. Kasey was missing.

4/22 At KC. Kasey, Alex, Mollie and Madeline jumped early. Mike, Jerome, Brad late. Pre-meet warm up and then work on some technical issues and/or higher bars. Alex worked on some approach issues (right leg crossing over left at turn). Change "mid" mark to 6th step -- 48 feet at start mark, 19-8 at step 6 (8" in). Had some nice approaches and jumps as that got worked out. Kasey had many good jumps except when jumping toward bar. Mollie worked to get plant foot closer to standard and away from middle of bar, getting quicker on final step and leaning into curve (away from bar) along with a stronger lead knee drive. Madeline also worked on knee drive and arm drive that starts back and goes up rather than across bar. Most jumps were around 4-7, some a bit lower. Jerome took all of his jumps around 6-8, opening height on Saturday. Did 3 with bungee and another 5 or 6 with bar. Had one very close attempt and a couple others that were pretty good. Mike worked around 6-0, having some problems committing to the jumps. Brad was jumping into bar most of the time but worked on staying away by leaning into curve more. Might need to move a bit further out, but better to stop jumping in and start jumping up.

4/23 At KC. Joe, Brad, Nathalie, Holly and Annika worked highs. Loosened up and did a Cheetah strength set. Skip series. 1-step hurdles. Add-a-hurdle H1 to H4 and H4 back to H1. Stretch and roll. Good progress again by Brad, getting some splits in 1.3s and even a 1.2. Joe got a couple in mid-1.1s. Annika got some in 1.4s. Holly into upper 1.2s.

SNC: Joe notches another win; everyone scores

4/17 At De Pere. Temperatures started in low-50s and drifted down to mid-40s later, but winds remained light, making conditions OK. Joe took another 110H this week, running 15.84. Brad got 3rd in 18.28. Holly was 2nd in the women's race with a season best 16.78/16.48 (#3 all time). Mollie also made the final, finishing 6th (18.85/18.64).

In 400H, Holly ran a PR 70.00 (#2 all time) for 4th. Kasey was 12th in 81.79. On the men's side, Nate hit the scoring column again this week, taking 6th with a 73.58.

In HJ, Jerome finished tied for 2nd at 6-6.75., Brad made 5-3 for 8th. For the women, Mollie cleared 4-9 for 5th, while Alex equalled her 4-7 PR for 7th and Kasey made 4-5 for 8th.

Holly was named NACC female track and field athlete of the week for her performance.

Complete results

Workouts: 4/14, 4/15

4/14 At KC. Wind and snow outside kept us inside. Joe, Brad, Nathalie and Mollie trained first, warming up and then doing reactive hurdles off a 4-step into 1-step, 3-step, 1-step, 3-step, 1-step, 3-step, working on individualized improvements (with good progress). 2 Gazelle sets. Stretch/roll. Kasey and Brian were next, working on relative-spacing 19- and 17-step, respectively. They did 10 reps on short recovery. Brian made some good improvement on trail leg and Kasey on lead leg. Brian also did some block work -- and that got pretty good, too. Holly was next. She did a few power hurdles on each leg, working on stepping up. She then did 5x2H, starting low and working up to 33s at -1. Rest and then 3x4H at 30. Splits were in 1.3s. Finished with a few reps over 2H, working on a tight trail leg, and she dropped those reps into the mid 1.2s. 5x3H relative spacing followed and then 2 sets of Gazelle kettlebell.

4/15 At KC. Pre-meet style warm up, including some opening height jumps and then about 6 jumps at moderate height for those competing Thursday. Others took a few more jumps. Kasey, Madeline, Mollie and Alex were jumping in 4-5 to 4-7 range, with a lot of clearances at 4-7. Brad took most of his jumps at 5-3, making most. Jerome worked mostly at 6-5.

WLC: Joe gets 2 more hurdle wins

4/12 At Wisconsin Lutheran. Weather wasn't what was advertised. Started with cold and rain, then cold and wind, then cold and sun, then cold and clouds. Never got warmer than 46. Despite the tough conditions, everyone did what they could. Joe battled headwinds in the highs for a 17.01 win. Brad was 3rd (20.03). In the women's highs, Nathalie was only about a half-second off her season best despite the wind, finishing 4th (18.92). In the 400H, Joe won in 57.16 (splits, starting with 5-6: 4.7 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.8 6.0), and Nate ran a PR 72.47 for 5th. Nathalie was 11th in the women's race (80.08). In HJ, Jerome was 2nd (6-2.75). Alex and Mollie tied for 7th (4-5). DNC: Jana (injured), Annika (injured), Mike (ill), Holly, Kasey. Madeline withdrew from HJ. Logan ran other events in this meet.

Complete results

Nate en route to his PR. Splits (starting with segment 2-3: 5.8 5.9,5.9 6.1 6.6 7.3 7.2 7.0 7.0)

Nathalie off hurdle two during one of just a few sunny moments at the meet. Splits (starting with segment 4-5: 6.8 7.0 7.5 7.6 7.6 7.9 8.3)

Workouts: 4/7, 4/8, 4/9

4/7 At VF/KC. Loosened up outdoors on soccer field with a jog, circles and swings. 2x hurdle extensive tempo runs, running hurdles on long sides and walking short sides on soccer field. Early shift did a shuttle-style relay with a mix of sprints, hurdles, hops, crab walk, bear walk, etc. Later shifts did 2 sets of Springbok dumbbell lifts. On hand: Logan, Joe, Brian, Nathalie, Kasey, Holly and Annika. Missing: Nate and Mike. Jana was excused.

4/8  At KC. An individualized workout that included about 10 full jumps at challenging heights. Some did some drill work to work on some improvements, others just did RTs, scissors and fulls. Alex, Mollie, Madeline and Holly jumped early, with Holly focusing on some basics, Alex on knee to bar and Mollie on holding the top a bit longer. Mollie made a 4-8 jump. Alex 4-6. Madeline made 4-6 repeatedly. Holly jumped at 4-4. Jerome, Mike and Brad jumped later, at 6-5, 5-10 and 5-3, respectively. Holly marks: 12 / green line / 50. Madeline: 8 / 24-6 / 52.

4/9 At MU. 400H/HH group was over at windy MU under sunny skies with temps in upper 50s. Some jogged to MU. Others loosened up and then did a 50m stride followed by 2x50m pickups. Everyone joined in for some progressive up and backs over a low, going 2x10-, 20-, 30-yards. 400 group then did 2x6 at race pace with 16 min recovery and followed that with 3x5H oppos (7-yd spacing) with a cruise into a random hurdle and down to endline with a walkback recovery. HH group started with 3x3H (1st rep -3"). 2x6H speedbuilder (ended at -2). 1x10H (zone 1 -1, 2 -2, 3 -3). Brad did some extra speedbuilders while the rest of the HH group did 1x6 400H and 2x5 oppo + random on turf. Stretched.

Carroll: Women high jumpers elevate their game; Jerome sets HJ mark; Joe PRs 110s

4/5 At Waukesha. A sunny day with temps in the mid-40s and mild winds made for a good day on the track. Had a number of PRs and revisions to our top 10 lists. Started off with very good performances by Jerome and Mike in HJ. Jerome made 6-8.75 to win the event and had a couple good attempts at 6-9.75. Jerome's jump improved on his former outdoor record that he shared with Brian Main and equaled the conference outdoor mark. He also was named NACC male track and field athlete of the week for his performance. Mike jumped 6-2.75 for 3rd.

The women's high jumpers also had success. Mollie leaped a PR 4-11 (#3 all time) and finished tied for 7th in a tough field and had very near miss on her final attempt at 5-1. Kasey also got a PR, jumping 4-9 (#5 all time). Alex PR'd, too, clearing 4-7. Madeline also made 4-7.

In the high hurdles, Joe ran a PR 15.42 in prelims. In the final, he came from behind to win in 15.79. Brad finished 4th (PR 17.87/18.02). In the women's highs, Holly ran 17.15/16.94 for 4th (#3 all time). Mollie ran 18.43/18.98 (9th). Annika ran 20.37/21.18 (11th).

In 400H, Joe had trouble from the outset and ran 59.24 for 3rd. Logan was right behind, running a PR 59.45 for fourth, tying Brian for #5 all time. Mike improved to 63.25 for 6th. Nate ran a PR 74.18 for 7th. For the women, Holly nearly missed the race but ran in Jana's spot that she vacated after getting hurt in the 100H. Holly ran a PR 70.61 (#2 all time). Kasey ran 79.65, Annika 1:26.84 (#8 all time).

Complete results

Mike hits a good bridge here.

Alex could use a little tighter rotation here and can get it by driving the lead knee higher. If the knee here was as high as the bar the wrap around the bar with the lower legs would be tighter.

Holly with good position and trail leg pickup coming off the hurdle.

This shot clearly shows the problem Joe has been working to solve -- dragging that low trail leg knee off the hurdle. The hurdler to his left has his trail leg in much better position. It's where Joe is trying to go. Often good in practice, the trail leg typically reverts to this weak position, reducing the amount of force it can apply to the track. Heel on trail side is nicely tucked, but the knee should be much higher than shown here.

Kasey makes this one but could possibly go higher by holding the bridge a bit better (as Mike above). Folding at this point places the back of the legs dangerously close to the bar, and likely would knock the bar off at higher heights. A prolonged bridge -- with a resultant landing on shoulders -- would offer a bit more room behind the legs because the hips would remain higher.








Mollie makes a great attempt here at 5-1 and might have made it if she had inverted instead of folding to level off. Similar situation as Kasey where folding puts the back of the legs close to -- or on the bar.

Workouts: 3/31, 4/1, 4/2

3/31 At MU. Warmed up and did a 2-set strength series in KC and then went to MU for 400H training with Jana, Annika, Kasey, Nathalie, Holly, Joe, Logan and Brian. Mike and Nate were missing. Started with an up/back progression (15-25-35 yards). 3x5H at race pace with 8 min recovery. Everyone was on target or a bit fast on the first rep. Logan and Brian were on target for rep 2 and the rest were mostly within a half second or so. Rep 3, a few were a second or more slower than target -- likely from having run the first rep too fast. Ended with 3x3H on turn with a walk across recovery. Stretched. Tough workout totaling nearly 1,000 meters of hurdling -- more than half at race speed.

4/1 At KC. Kasey, Madeline, Mollie and Alex jumped early. Joe, Brad and Jerome jumped late. Did some high-box backovers, 4-step scissors, layout and ramp jumps. Full approach RTs and jumps.

4/2 At KC. First group was Joe, Nathalie, Mollie and Brad. Holly and Nate came in around 5, and then Jana and Annika around 6. After loosening up, we did a Cheetah set, some strides, pickups and accels, some hurdle drills and then 4x2H and 2x4H (some down and in, some at regular height). Joe worked on trail leg, Nathalie on bent arms, Mollie on speed of attack and Brad worked on trail leg and takeoff point, making some good improvements on taking off further away and finishing the trail leg higher. Nate worked on "elbows and knees" and made some major improvements in his technique as a result. His workout was 400H style, working 19-step relative space for 10 reps. Holly did the same workout as the others but did a few extra reps to work on keeping the trail leg tight, improving knee drive into hurdle and staying off heels. Annika had some good reps and is getting more consistent alignment, especially on the preferred leg. Oppo could use more work to avoid arms going outward rather than forward and backward. Jana still suffers from a sore leg but made some progress on lead leg cut down. 2x Greyhound dumbbell series ended the workout.

North Park: Joe sweeps hurdles; lots of hurdle and high jump scoring

3/30 At Chicago. Temperatures in the 30s and a chilly headwind were the biggest barriers in the hurdles. Joe won the 110H (16.36) and later took the longer event (57.41) for a double win. Joe was named NACC male TF athlete of week. Brad was 5th in the 110H (19.64). In the 400H, Logan was 5th, just .02 off his PR with a 61.19, Mike 7th (64.24) and Nate 9th (77.12). Joe's 400H splits: 6.6 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.7 5.1 (reached for H6) 5.5 (added 2 steps here and rest of way) 5.7 5.9 6.2.

The women's hurdles also showed strength. Holly was 2nd in the 400H, running the 2nd fastest time in MSOE history with 72.02). Nathatlie was 8th, just off her PR with (78.35) and Kasey 11th (80.64). In the 100H, Holly was 4th (18.48 #7 all time), Nathalie 5th (18.65) and Mollie 8th (18.93).

In men's HJ, Jerome notched another win (6-4.75) and Mike was 4th (6-0.75). In women's HJ, Kasey was 6th, equaling her PR (4-7 =#6 all time), Mollie 8th (4-5) and Alex 9th (4-5). In other events: Logan 100 (11.99), Brian 1500 (4:17.91), Madeline PV (8-0.5), Mollie LJ (13-3.25), Holly TJ (32-9.75) JT (68-4), Brad JT (132-1).

Complete results

Why they die at end of race. Conditioning? Ah, no.

I attend a lot of track meets. Youth, high school, collegiate, masters. You hear a lot of crazy stuff. Some of it makes my head explode.

Most of if happens in the 200 and 400 races as well as hurdles. Often, when a kid gets run down at the end of a 200 or 400, I hear coaches, parents or athletes say, it's lack of conditioning, and they need to work on that. Typically, that gets translated as aerobic or interval work. Don't get me wrong here, conditioning (work capacity) is important, but it isn't for the reason lots of kids, parents and coaches think. You need it mostly to be able to do more high quality work in practice and to help your body recover more quickly. And most of that is best done in the off season or preseason.

Even around MSOE, I hear things like: "I need to get in better shape," or "When can we do some intervals?" or "Why aren't we doing more longer sprints?"

When someone "dies" at the end of a 200 or 400, there's the knee jerk reaction to what's needed without understanding the key elements involved in optimizing sprint performance. Working hard is good, but it needs to be on the right things at the right times.

The whats and whens are readily available from coaches' education programs of track and field organizations across the planet. They aren't new and aren't secrets.

While conditioning is part of the equation in 400 training, getting run down in a 400 or 200 are more likely attached to the three concepts below:

Energy
If the anaerobic energy system is not adequately developed, athletes often decelerate rapidly at the end of their race. This is frequently the cause in the 400 and sometimes in the 200 (never the 100). In a nutshell, when coaches do too much aerobic and interval work and not enough acceleration, top-end speed, specific endurance, strength or power work, sprinters fail to develop the qualities required to be successful in the sprint events. Most sprinters, even 400 sprinters, don't need more high-volume, low-intensity intervals. They need more work at or faster than race pace to develop the energy system needed to run fast longer. That includes longer sprints and intervals at times but near race speed to help execute a race plan that properly distributes speed and effort for 400 meters.

Coordination
After operating at top speeds for more than a few seconds, your motor control systems start to fail and efficient movement patterns fall apart. You often see this at the end of shorter sprint events and sooner in the 400. Coordination development is done in many ways -- hurdle mobility, plyometrics, sprinting, strength work, stride drills, med ball, etc. Doing all of those actions precisely (well coordinated) helps develop that biomotor skill that will help deliver and maintain speed.

Momentum
This really means having a good drive phase. Once the gun goes off, poor sprinters react in a panic, just getting out of blocks as quickly as possible, using whatever technique feels most natural. Unfortunately, what feels natural often is garbage. So they throw the head up, move the lead arm about 4 inches, bend at the waist, step out of the blocks and start turning over as rapidly as possible, often stumbling. When that happens, they "shift gears" too quickly, getting out fast but never reaching top speed because they failed to build momentum, and that leads to premature deceleration, which is why they get run down at the end. Acceleration is always an important part of good sprint training. Sometimes, you have to give up a quicker start for a faster race. Fast sprinting requires the ability to express large amounts of strength and power throughout a race, and the most strength and power is needed at the start.

Along with conditioning, there are some other factors worth mention, such as strength, nutrition, hydration, rest and others, which all contribute to performance that help avoid getting "run down." However, energy, coordination and momentum are the main factors needed to reach top speed and maintain it for a good finish -- and a good race. You need enough reps in practice at appropriate velocities and intensities to allow these skills to be performed well in competition.

Workouts: 3/24, 3/25, 3/26

3/24 At KC. Would have been nice to be outside but with temperatures near freezing, we stayed inside to do as much as we could inside the Kern confines. Started with rolling, circles and swings before 2 Cheetah sets. Women lifted 180, men 300. Did a couple warm up pickups and accels and then right into 3x block starts over H1 at regular spacing (-3"). Average time: Mike 7.1, Joe 7.0, Logan 7.0, Kasey 8.2, Nathalie 8.2, Annika 8.4, Jana 8.4, Holly 7.9. Joe was on target time. Logan and Mike a tenth or two too fast. Kasey, Nathalie, Jana and Annika several tenths too fast. Holly probably is about right, but we don't have much to base that on. 3x2H at regular spacing (-3"). Average time: Mike 4.6, Joe 4.5, Logan 4.8, Kasey 5.8, Nathalie 5.6, Annika 6.2, Jana 6.2, Holly 5.1. Mike, Joe, Kasey, Annika and Jana were on target. Logan a couple tenths slow. Holly maybe too quick -- won't know until we get a race. 3x3H at relative spacing -- most held the rhythm -- Kasey sometimes added a step on H3. Ended with 3x2H at random spacing. Foam rolled. Pace targets were 58 for Joe, 59 for Logan, 61 for Mike, 70 for Holly, 75 for Nathalie and Kasey, 80 for Jana and Annika. Brian suffered a strain in over/unders during warm up. Jana hurt her lower leg on her first rep over H1. She ran a few more before shutting down for the day. Nate was absent.

3/25 At KC. High jumpers did some good work today. Alex, Kasey, Mollie, Madeline, Brad, Jerome and Mike all jumped. We worked from opening height and then 2 up on makes and 1 down on misses. Jerome had a 6-7 clearance, equal to his best-ever practice jump. Mollie made a 4-8 bar. Everyone else had good jumps, too, making some good adjustments along the way.

3/26 At KC. Brad, Joe, Mollie and Nathalie worked high hurdles. Started with a 2-set Cheetah strength series (200/290... 180/270) some stride drills, pickups, accels and then 4x3H 1/2 space drill. Falling start H1, 3-pt H2, block H3 and block H4. Brad and Joe each had an H3 stumble and took a re-do. Brad got his trail work working better and Joe showed good consistency and quickness aside from the one stumble. After the speed hurdles, we moved into endurance-focused reps with 3x4H up/back (-3" and in a bit on later return trips). 2 sets of Gazelle strength (kettlebells). Foam rolling. Later, Holly did a similar workout, though we took some time to work on trail leg improvements. Trail leg had been loose, so we worked to tighten that up and then apply it in some faster reps as well as the up and backs. Holly was able to make the fix and incorporate that on some of the hurdles, and later she had an up and back rep where she was able to do it well for all the hurdles. Here are before/after video frame grabs showing how she was able to tighten the trail leg:

Here is the loose trail leg -- foot out and way as lead leg touches down. Arm swings out wide to balance off the weight that is extending out to the side. Shoulders also rotate to help counter the loose trail leg, and the trail side arm's wide path and straight arm also contribute to pulling that shoulder back leading to the twist at touchdown.

Later, we shot this touchdown frame where you can see a higher trail knee and better heel tuck. Big improvement. Shoulders are squared better here, too, as a result of the tighter trail. Lead leg here is angled to middle instead of staying on white line, which we lined up with the right-side hurdle marking to get a straight line into and off the hurdle. You can see the hip over that mark but the foot off line. This off balance position also creates problems, but our focus tonight was on trail leg improvement to allow better position for force application as the trail leg drives down into the getaway step.

Workouts: 3/17, 3/18, 3/19, 3/21

3/17 At KC. Nate, Joe, Logan, Mike, Kasey and Nathalie did 400H training early, and Annika and Holly did the same workout later. Started with circles, swings and hurdle mobility (over/under, alternating walkovers, skipovers). High-knee march, jog, stride into hurdle about 30m out. High-knee acceleration into one hurdle at about 20 meters. 2x5x3H at relative spacing for 15-17-19-step equivalents. Rest was remainder of lap -- about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Rested about 5 min between sets. Did 30 hurdles at lower heights and closer spacing, mostly oppo. Did Gazelle strength set twice (kettlebells). Stretched, rolled. Nate, Kasey, Nathalie and Annika worked 19-step; Holly, Mike and Logan 17; and Joe 15.

3/18 At KC. Kasey, Alex, Mollie, Mike, Jerome and Brad all jumped tonight. Pre-comp warm up was followed with some backovers off boxes. Short approach jumps followed -- a few with scissors, a few with layout. Worked on a couple key elements: leaning into curve and away from bar and driving knee to bar height. Moved Jerome out to 14 feet. Moved Alex closer by a foot. Mike stayed with short approaches to avoid hurting achilles. Kasey and Mollie had some good jumps before leaving for class. Alex made the adjustment on her approach and had some good jumps late in session after some early ones where she was diving into bar. Brad worked on finishing his jumps with an extended layout and landing on shoulders -- and gradually got there. Jerome had some inconsistency early but had some nice jumps later in session. Mike's short approach jumps had great rotation around bar. Jerome, Alex and Brad did some single-leg box jumps to close out the night.

3/19 At KC. Joe, Brad, Mollie and Nathalie did a Cheetah strength set and then a couple pickups and acceleration. 2x flys (bests: Brad 8.67mps, Mollie and Nathalie 7.66, Joe nt), 2x30 accel (bests: Brad 4.21, Joe 3.92, Mollie 4.74, Nathalie 4.65). Warm up hurdles over H1 (-3" R). Timed block starts over H1 (bests: Brad 2.23, Joe 2.15, Mollie 2.31, Nathalie 2.24). Timed splits over 3H (bests: Brad 1.50, Mollie 1.47, Nathalie 1.45, Joe 1.30). Finished with two Springbok strength sets. At 6 p.m., Jana, Holly and Annika checked in. All were sore from earlier workouts or injured (Jana), so we scrapped the hurdling and went to rowing and lifting.

3/21 At KC. Annika and Jana trained at 6 p.m. Did a Cheetah strength set. Next, a couple pickups and accelerations. Tried a fly, but we needed new batteries. Instead, we did walkovers, skipovers and jogovers. Then, we did a standing H1 start at 27, 3 pt 30 and block 33 (Jana at 30). Did 3 more starts over 2H -- Annika at 33 and Jana at 30. Both had very good reps, alignment, posture all were good. Annika still needs some work on right lead but the left leads were much better. Jana got through the workout without problems on her previously injured hip flexor. Finished with 3x4H up/back hurdles at 30 (-2'). Foam rolled.

DIII Nationals: Jerome finishes 10th

3/15 At Lincoln, Neb. Checked in about 8 a.m., warmed up at 9 a.m. and competed at 10 a.m. Opening height was 6-4.25. Cleared that on first attempt. Cleared 6-6.25 on second attempt. Cleared 6-8.25 on third attempt. Had two very close attempts at 6-9.75 (first two jumps), over but folded on it. One less miss at any height would have put him in the top 8. Top 3 were 6-11 or better, but 4 through 10 all jumped 6-8.25. So close.

Workouts: 3/10, 3/11, 3/12

3/10  At KC. Rolled, circled and swung before a strength series of deadlifts, depth jumps, push ups and walkovers. Tried to go out to soccer field but a locked door kept us out. Still quite wet out there anyway, but it would have been good to be out on the first nice day in more than three months. So, we went inside and did up and back hurdles, and oppo hurdles. Our early group had Mike, Logan, Joe, Nate, Nathalie and Kasey. Later, Holly and then Annika. Later group did a few hurdle drills, including some power hurdles and quick 3s over 2 more hurdles before the up and backs. Finished with rolling/stretching.

3/11 At KC. Focus tonight in drill work was reverse flips and then backovers with rollovers. Moved into several scissors jumps from 4-step and then 4-step with layout, working to get the same vertical emphasis that was required in the scissors. Full run throughs were next and then full jumps, mostly with bungee, though Jerome and Alex took some with a regular bar late in session. Kasey had a good session, with consistent approaches and takeoffs, and good rotation around the bar. Probably bending toward bar a bit too much on takeoff but the takeoff leg was vertical, so jumps were still good. Madeline still pushing into bar quite a bit. Will need to get takeoff a bit closer and work to push up and not in on takeoff. Mollie and Alex both worked on improving knee drive to bar height, which greatly improved heel tuck and rotation around bar. Brad's approach, takeoff and layout all showed improvement, but the layout needs to be maintained longer to avoid folding on the bar. Jerome took all of his jumps in 6-6 to 6-8 range and started to zero in on his technique late in the session.

3/12 At KC. Joe, Nathalie and Mollie trained at our regular time, doing mobility and strength work before doing a technical workout consisting of block starts with video study. Worked into H1 and H2 at low heights. Did 4x4H at 30 (36 for Joe). Finished with some kettlebell work. Our objectives were to make some technical improvements and improve strength and conditioning. Everyone did some good work on all fronts. Annika, Brad and Holly worked the late shift. We spent more time on the technical work and didn't do the 4x4s or kettlebells. Still a good session, though, as we had a lot of high quality reps where we worked on improving block starts, hurdle entries and clearance technique. Foam rolled and stretched.

Carthage: Joe and Jerome get top 5 finishes

3/7  Joe closed out his outstanding indoor season with 8.08/7.99 55H races, finishing 5th. Jerome finished 2nd, clearing 6-6 in HJ. Tried moving the approach out a couple of feet to get the takeoff nearer the standard and clearance at the lowest point of bar. Seemed to affect the run up an plant, though, maybe trying to "navigate" to the "programmed" takeoff point. Still worth pursuing this, but this will be tabled until after the national meet.

Workouts: 3/4, 3/5

3/4 At KC. Nate and Jerome warmed up and took some jumps with bungee bar. Moved Jerome out to 15 feet to get the takeoff point nearer the standard and jump at midpoint of bar. Took jumps at 6-5, 6-7 and 6-9. Worked back down to 6-6 and got a bunch of backovers off a high box to work on rotation. Also worked that off a low ramp and 4-step approach, working on rolling it over. Also did some backflips in pit, also working on ability to get inverted -- all to help with rotation at end of clearance. Nate took his jumps in the 6-2 to 6-3 range. Joe did a pre-event warm up then worked H1 to H4 and then H4 back to H1. Worked on bent arms, quick lead, full trail.

3/5 At KC. Joe and Jerome did the following: circles and swings; 3x50 jump rope; 3x4 deadlift (230#); 3x4 bench/incline press; 3x8 speed jerk. Stretch and roll.

NACC: Jerome sets conference mark, Joe gets 55H title, many get PRs

3/1  At Carthage. Jerome won a high-flying competition, having to make a PR 6-10.25 (SR, CR) to get the win. Mike cleared 6-4, just .75 off his PR, to get 6th in a talented field. Particularly remarkable because he had been limited lately by a nagging ankle/achilles injury. Mollie got a 4-7.5 jump, which tied for 7th, and had some good efforts at 4-9.5. Also jumping well were Kasey and Alex, who made 4-5.5 and had good attempts at PR heights. Madeline jumped 4-3.5.

In 55H, Joe ran 8.11/7.97 to win his first NACC hurdle title. Brad ran a PR 8.90/9.03 for 6th. Nathalie ran a PR 9.82/9.89 (#4 all time) for 8th, and Mollie a PR 9.94/10.27 for 9th. Annika dropped another large chunk of time, clocking a PR 10.68.

Complete results

Jerome's winning jump



Mollie and Nathalie in first section of hurdle final



Joe's hurdle win

Workouts: 2/25, 2/26

2/25 At KC. Madeline, Mollie, Kasey, Alex, Jana, Brad and Jerome trained. Jana left after a few jumps because of the hip flexor problem. Kasey also left after a few jumps with a knee problem. Madeline, Mollie, Alex, Brad and Jerome continued. Started at opening height with a couple jumps and then moved up a couple inches (3 for Jerome). Took a couple more jumps and then added another 2-3 inches. Alex got some jumps at 4-6 (got her in a bit closer and stopped stepping out of curve). Mollie cleared a 4-8 bar, and Madeline had a couple jumps at that height that were close. Brad had some good jumps around 5-0 and jumped well at some higher bars. Jerome had clearances at 6-3 and 6-5, and a very close effort at 6-8 to close out the session.

2/26 At KC. Like last night, the group was sharp. Loosened up, did one set of strength with 5x deadlifts (190/310), 5x depth jumps, 6x walkovers and 10x elevated push ups. 30-minute pre-event warm up rehearsal, 5x2H with finish from blocks in pairs. Everyone was running race speed or faster at regular height and spacing. Foam rolled. We're ready to go for Saturday with everyone capable of running a PR.

UWM: Joe gets 60H and 200 PRs; several others perform well

2/22 At UWM. Joe's 8.51 (#2 all time) 60H highlighted the Panther Tune-Up. Jerome won another HJ competition (6-6.75), despite arriving late because of a test and not getting any run-throughs or warm up jumps. Brad also got a 60H PR of 9.71 as did Nathalie with her 10.60 (#2 all time). Mollie ran 11.06. In women's HJ, Madeline and Mollie both cleared 4-7 and had some good attempts at 4-9. Kasey and Alex both made 4-5 and had strong jumps at 4-7. All the high jumpers got 7 or 8 jumps in the competition.

In other events: Mollie LJ (15-5.5). Brad PV (11-5.75), LJ (19-0.5). Logan 60 (7.48), 400 (54.22). Nathalie 200 (31.06). Kasey 200 (32.25). Alex 200 (33.16).

Complete results

Workouts: 2/18, 2/19, 2/20

2/18  At KC. Jerome, Brad, Kasey, Mollie, Alex and Madeline all jumped. Mike (ankle) and Jana (hip flexor) out with injuries. After warm up, we focused on error corrections using ramp jumps and later full approach jumps. For all the women, we worked to stay away from the bar to jump up rather than across. Madeline and Mollie also worked on lead knee drive and lower leg tuck. Jerome worked on plant angle and staying back longer at the top. Brad made some good improvements, driving the lead knee up and keeping it up to set up a better rotation around the bar than he had been getting. Still needs to get inverted more consistently after hitting the top, but he had some good jumps tonight.

2/19 At KC. Nathalie, Annika, Joe and Brad's workout included a 2-set strength series with 5x deadlift (200/300), high skip / long skip, hurdle mobility and elevated push ups. Drill work was 6x 4-step power + 1 3/4-step. Starts over 1-2-3-4 and then a few extra reps -- hurdler's choice. Foam rolled. Worked on some error correction. Brad on getting lead leg down, Joe on trail leg finish and arm movement, Annika on arm bend and knee drive into hurdles, Nathalie on better and more consistent speed into H1 and H2. Hand split times for Joe were around 1.2. Brad's best reps were around 1.3. Nathalie was a bit under 1.4 to 1.45. Annika ranged from 1.45 to 1.60.

2/20 At KC. Mollie loosened up and then did a strength series that included some sumo style straight bar deadlifts at 180#. Did some power hurdles +1 3-step and then starts over 1-2-3-4, as done the day before with the other group. She also did a few extra reps at 4 and fewer. Had a number of splits around 1.45 but then crushed one near 1.3 right at the end, showing what she can do at her best.

Platteville: Jerome has another record-breaking day

2/15 At Platteville. Once again, Jerome improved on his own school and conference records with a 6-9.75 jump, which to him 2nd in a strong field. Starting at 6-2.75, Jerome had no misses until 6-10.75, where he had some very good attempts, clearing on his final attempt but then folding on it. Mike tried out his ankle and managed 5-10.75, good for 7th. Brad tried the 5-5 opener but couldn't make that.

Joe had another strong performance, making the 60H final and finishing 8th (8.63/8.70). He nearly made the 60 final as well, running to a 7.31. Joe also ran the opening leg of the 4x4 (53.2). Also in 60H, Brad ran 9.73, and threw 32-2.25 in shot. In women's HJ, Mollie and Kasey both made 4-6, Alex 4-4. In women's hurdles, Mollie 10.96, Kasey 11.43, Annika 14.44 after taking a fall on the final hurdle.

In sprints, Logan ran 7.51 and 23.94. In LJ, Mollie jumped 14-8.75. Madeline, Nathalie, Jana, Nate did not compete.

Workouts: 2/11, 2/12

2/11 At KC. Jana, Kasey, Mollie, Alex, Jerome and Brad all jumped. After warm up, we had about 6 ramp jumps from 4-step and then a similar number of scissors jumps to work on getting vertical before layout. Took about 8 to 12 full jumps (Alex and Jana less, Alex leaving for class and Jana because of hip flexor injury). Full jumps started with a couple around opening height (4-2, 5-2, 6-2, respectively) and then up a couple of inches for a couple more jumps and then up a couple more inches for a few more. We moved back down for a couple additional jumps late in the session. Had some strong jumps at some sizable bars.

2/12 At KC. Kasey, Mollie, Annika, Nathalie, Joe and Brad loosened up and then did a strength series. Women did 180 to 200 on DLs, men 300. Couple sets of 5. Also did 20x Russian boxes, 10x elevated pushups and hurdle walkovers. Followed with stride-jog-pickup-walkback-accel. Falling start over H1, 3-pt start to H2 and block start to H3. About 5 minutes of individualized warm up and then starts over 1-2-3-4 all on regular spacing with first two at race height and the final two at -3". Foam rolled. Well-focused workout with good quality throughout.

Sterling: Joe moves to #1 NACC rankings; loads of PRs

2/9 At Sterling, IL. Joe had PRs in 55H prelims and finals (8.00/7.87), winning the event, as well as 200 (23.12), where he finished 2nd. He's now just .15 off the school record in the 55H (that's just .03 per hurdle) and ranked #1 in both events in conference. Brad also had a couple hurdle PRs (9.22/8.95), a 5th place finish and now is #10 in conference rankings.

In women's hurdles, Nathalie cracked the 10 mark with a PR 9.97 prelim (10.21 final for 6th), making her the 4th under 10 in MSOE history. Mollie finished 8th (10.33/10.40). Annika cut some time off her race, running a PR 11.07 (#9 all time). Our women now rank 6, 7, 10, 11 in conference.

In high jump, Jerome won again, this time at 6-5. Madeline had a breakout performance, clearing 4-7.75 for 4th place and #5 all time MSOE and #8 conference ranking. Mollie jumped 4-6 for 5th place.

In other running: 200 - Jerome 25.63, Brad 26.10, Nate 28.72. 400 - Nate 64.29, Logan - 55.02. 55 - Logan 7.02. 4x4 splits: Madeline 75.7, Annika 75.9, Nathalie 71.9, Mollie 69.7. PV - Madeline 7-9.75. SP - Brad 33-8.

In the team competition, the men won, and the women finished fourth with 43 points, gaining nearly half of its points in the jumps.

Complete results

Joe's start in 55H finals


Mollie and Nathalie start in 55H finals


Madeline at 4-9.75


Mollie at 4-7.75


Nathalie and Mollie prelim


Joe prelim