Workouts: 1/27, 1/28, 1/29

1/27 At KC. Joe, Kasey, Nate and Logan did a 400H workout consisting of a brief warm up and then some power hurdles and 8-step 3-pt starts, working on a good entry angle and foot position. It's an area that could use more attention. Main part of workout was 10x3H over 40m+ set at relative spacing for 19 steps (Kasey, Nate) 17 steps (Logan) and 15 steps (Joe). Joe did an extra set of 5x3. Foam rolled. Took a rep or two for some to find their rhythm, but reps after that were consistent. Kasey's shins held up OK. Logan had good quick entries and exits. Joe worked on squaring up and getting the trail leg through to the front. Nate worked to eliminate bending during clearance.

1/28 At KC. Jerome, Mike, Brad, Kasey, Mollie, Jana, Annika and Alex did HJ work that consisted of warm up, a couple practice jumps then a couple jumps at opening height, a couple about -2 of best height, a couple more at best height and then a couple more about an inch over that. Some took a few extra jumps in an attempt to make some corrections.

1/29 At KC. Mollie, Nathalie, Jana, Annika, Joe and Brad loosened up and then did deadlifts (290-180). Stride, pickup, accel then a couple practice starts over H1 at race height and spacing. 6x3H starts with timed splits. Bests: Joe PR 1.27, Brad PR 1.44, Mollie PR 1.37, Nathalie PR 1.38, Annika PR 1.62. Comments: Joe squared up well on his PR, running aggressively and finishing the trail leg well. Had a good trail leg all night. Brad continues to improve his technique and consistency. Worked some on the lead arm, which was swinging wide and high. He improved that at times. Mollie steadily improved her split times throughout the workout and got her 3-step every time. Nathalie tried some 8-3s but we later shifted to 8-4 and then 9-4, which appeared to be the winning combination as she dropped her split time by a couple tenths. Annika continues to gain experience and confidence, running consistent splits just over 1.6. Should be able to start working on some smaller technical issues now that the step pattern and confidence is set. Jana continued to struggle with her attack on H1. Takes patience along with a good measure of aggressiveness and determination. Concluded with 10x lunge jumps, 10x single-leg squat jumps and 10x double-leg squat jumps. Foam rolling.

Workouts: 1/20. 1/21, 1/22

1/20 At KC. Mollie and Kasey warmed up and lifted 2x3x200 deadlifts with bounding, elevated push ups. A stride with jog back, a pickup with walk back and a short accel. A few 4- and 6-step power hurdles, working lower to higher heights to get the entry step correct. Some of those were oppo. Kasey dropped out with shin pain. Mollie continued with multiple H1 reps from blocks, working on her entry step off the 8-step block start. While able to get some of the lowest hurdles with a good shin angle and footstrike, the 30s led her to reach a bit -- even though she was beyond the takeoff point.

1/21 At KC. Jerome, Mike, Brad, Mollie, Madeline, Alex, Jana, Annika did 3x jump circuit: 5x ramp jumps, 5x ea single leg medball ups, 5x 1/2 circle run with rim jump, 5x ea single leg box jumps, 5x double leg jumps (optional weight), 10x lunge jumps, 5x 3-step circle jumps, 10x ea single leg stair hops. Looked at some video from Saturday's meet.

1/22 At KC. Brad, Joe, Annika and Nathalie trained. Jana had shin issues. Mollie trained on Monday. Zuzka moved to sprint group. Kasey also has shin issues and may need to go low/no impact for a while. Loosened up with circles, rolling and swings. Strength series included deadlifts (NO 200, AH/JH 180, JB/BL 290), 20x Russian box jumps, 10x elevated pushups, 2x6 hurdle walkovers. Hurdling included some 4-step power hurdles, 1H and 2H block starts (women), 2H block starts (men), 4H (-3" -2(m) -3(w). Annika made some nice gains, attacking hurdles better and carrying more speed through H1. Nathalie was good on her 3s and consistent throughout. Joe worked the trail leg pull through but had some bending issues out of blocks and into hurdles. We will continue to work on a more upright posture to attack the hurdle. Brad's lead leg was getting down quicker and everything smoother and more consistent. Best H1 times: Nathalie 2.23, Annika 2.41, Joe 2.11, Brad 2.24.

Carthage: Jerome sets school, conference marks at 6-8

1/18  Jerome jumped the bar at 6-8 and landed once again in the record book. Jerome's mark sets a school record and indoor conference record. His jump was his 9th of the competition. He took three more jumps at 6-9 and came very close on his second attempt, just slightly folding on that one. Currently, Jerome's jump ranks 3rd in NCAA DIII. Top 15 will go to nationals later in March.

Jerome's performance wasn't the only highlight, though. Joe continued his steady improvement in the hurdles, running 8.15 for 3rd, just .02 off his personal best, and he ran a (24.9/28.6) 53.5 leg on the 4x4, which finished 2nd. Nathalie also made the hurdle final, running a PR 10.03, which is #4 on our all time list, and she ran 31.91 in 200.

Mike jumped 5-10.75 for 4th, ran a 25.71 200 and a 57.5 4x4. Madeline also scored in HJ, getting 6th with a season best 4-5 (=#10 all time). Alex scored in HJ, too, placing 7th at 4-3.25 (also ran 35.43 in 200). And Jana, in her first HJ competition, tied for 8th with 4-1.25 (also 32.24 200). Her hurdle race started off well enough, having 4-stepped the first four, but she then stopped. Annika had a better hurdle debut, 4-stepping the whole rack, finishing in 11.23 (#10 all time) (also 33.42 in 200). Logan had a very good 200, running 24.32 (12th) and a (26.5/30.1) 56.6 4x4. Jerome also 4x4 (25.7/30.9) 56.6. Brian (25.8/28.1) 53.9. Zuzka ran 9.29 in 55. In hep, Brad ran PR 9.28.

4x4 pool is shaping up well with Mike, Matt, Joe, Dan, Garrett and Brian, all having run sub-54.

1/17  Kasey and Mollie competed in their first pentathlon and did well, finishing 4th and 3rd, respectively. Kasey had a particularly good HJ, with her PR 4-7 jump (=#5 all time). Mollie jumped 4-4.75. In hurdles, Mollie ran 10.25 and Kasey 10.85. Kasey had a good throw (27-0), Mollie a good LJ (14-5), and both broke 3:00 in 800. In hep, Brad jumped 4-10.25.

Complete results

Jerome's 6-8 jump

Great jump but still folding a bit early.

Joe's start and H1

Could push the head and shoulders into the hurdle more to increase extension. Trail leg is hanging. Needs to finish up and in front.

Nathalie's start and H1

Extra step to H1 cut the entry speed.

Workouts: 1/13, 1/14, 1/15

1/13 At KC. Annika, Jana and Zuzka hurdled tonight. Warm up included circles, swings, deadlifts (170#), 5x 1-leg hops, elevated push ups. Next, walkovers, skipovers, jogovers; 4-step power hurdles; H1 block starts. Shot video of entries (working to stay off heels). Made improvements at times with that, but more work needed. Also timed the H1 starts at 33. Bests were Jana 2.62, Annika 2.66, Zuzka 2.81. Jana and Annika were consistent on 8-step. Zuzka worked 9-step and was able to do it early in the session but not later. Did a few reps with 4-step at regular height and spacing for 2H and 3H. Also did some 4H sets, with last hurdle at 27. Annika and Jana both succeeded in completing a 4H set. Stretched.

1/14 At KC. Annika, Jana, Mollie, Madeline, Kasey, Alex, Jerome and Brad all jumped tonight. Spent some time looking at meet video and/or new video from tonight's practice. Worked on technical improvements at moderate heights. Jerome worked on dropping the head back and seeing the wall to avoid folding on the bar. He did a great job of that on his last few jumps. Brad was dropping his head back on takeoffs, arching a bit off the ground, which stopped his rotation, making it impossible to get perpendicular. Because he also jumped toward the bar, he also hit his high point well past the bar and pulled most bars off with his heels under the bar. Annika was doing the same thing -- arching back on take off. Later, she managed to make a correction on that and had some better jumps. Jana had some nice plants and her approach was good. Takeoff had her head going toward bar before she ever left the ground. Madeline made some improvements, but like the others, was launching toward the bar. On various attempts, everyone worked on trying to get more vertical. Leaning into the curve to stay away from jumping into the bar is critical. Clear what everyone needs to be working to improve. Just a matter of doing it and then repeating it enough to make it consistent.

1/15 At KC. Annika, Jana, Mollie, Nathalie, Brad and Joe hurdled tonight. Mollie was in early. She did some 2H starts and 4H reps, where she got her 3s at -1. The rest of the group started off the usual warmup, deadlifts, hops, elevated push ups and hurdle mobility. Followed with 3x pickups and then 3x fly sprints (Bests in mps: Nathalie 7.87, Annika 7.72(?), Jana 7.46, Brad 8.67 and Joe 10.0!) 3x2H starts at regular height -1 spacing. 3x4H at -3" -1'. Everyone made some good adjustments and improvements. Annika was able to run a better line by keeping her trail leg tucked better and taking her lead leg straight on. Jana improved her H1 attack but was bit sore from previous workouts and had some struggles coming off the hurdles -- often straightening or leaning back a bit. Nathalie was able to power through some 3s early but ran out of strength late in the workout, reverting to 4s. Had a couple good reps, though, where she ran with good rhythm (and no reaching) through H2. Brad did a good job lowering his arms and getting the lead leg down a bit earlier -- but still dropped the trail leg most of the time. Joe started out dropping the trail leg but quickly fixed that and had a lot segments in the 1.2 area. When we dropped to 39, he took the last rep and used more of his speed and went into the 1.mid-teens. Very good practice -- lots of work, lots of improvements, lots of effort. Well done. Stretched/rolled.

Chicago: School indoor record for Jerome

1/11  At Chicago. Jerome set an MSOE indoor high jump record, clearing 6-5 (1.96) on his third attempt, good for 2nd. He also had a great jump at 6-7, narrowly missing on his third attempt. Jerome and Mike jumped 11 and 13 times, respectively -- a few more than what we typically would want but on target for an early season meet where we wanted a lot of jumps. Mike wasn't feeling well and inconsistent jumping showed that, but he still managed to make some clutch jumps to stay in the competition, finishing 4th at 6-1.25. In women's HJ, Kasey and Mollie each cleared 4-5.5, tying for 2nd. Kasey's jump was a PR and places her #7 on the all-time list. Alex cleared 4-3.5 for 5th, finding a little better rhythm late in the competition. Madeline struggled with her approach and no heighted at 4-3.5. In the 55H, Joe was within a step of his all-time best, clocking 8.22 for an easy win. Brad was 2nd in 9.36. In the women's race, Nathalie's 10.21 in 6th puts her #5 on MSOE's all-time list. Mollie was right behind in 7th with her 10.35, and Kasey ran 10.74 for 8th. In other events, Logan - 55 (9.06) 400r (56.6). Joe - 400r (52.9). Nate - 200 (27.75) 400r (61.5). Mike - 400r (62.2). Alex - 55 (9.11). Jana - 55 (8.76) 200 (32.86). Annika - 55 (8.92) 200 (33.26). Nathalie - 200 (32.25). Zuzka - 200 (35.42) TJ (24-9.25). Mollie - 200 (31.56). Jerome - 400r (56.7). Brad - 400r (56.7) LJ (17-7) SP (35-7.25).

Full results

Here are some takeoffs from Saturday as well as a wireframe of an elite jumper. Leaning in to some extent. Some more than others. Need to work on "staying away" by leaning into the curve, not the bar. Takes a little courage, patience, practice. We will take a closer look on Tuesday, but there's enough here to make the point.

Mollie is nearly identical to Kasey at this point. Kasey's takeoff leg is more vertical but both are pushing toward the bar -- especially with the head and shoulders.

This isn't necessarily ideal, but it's a good wireframe of a good jumper. Jerome comes fairly close to this, but he's still leaning in a bit more than this wireframe.

Workouts: 1/6, 1/7, 1/8

1/6 At KC. Jana and Zuzka continued their progress with the hurdles. Started with usual warm up and then 3x deadlifts at 170#, single-leg hops and elevated push ups. Hurdle work included some marchovers, skipovers and slowlows before some 4-step power hurdles from 27 to 33. Next, block starts to H1 up to 33. Zuzka worked 9-step rhythm, Jana 8. Moved into second hurdle next, using regular hurdles. Zuzka worked 4-step rhythm and Jana 3-step. Zuzka worked at race spacing, Jana at -3. Both worked at 30". Finished with some 4H reps at 27 -5 with 3-step for both. Major accomplishments included getting the stride patterns to H1 and H2, and getting over 33-inch hurdles. Stretched.

1/7 At KC. Great night of jumping for Mollie, Madeline, Kasey, Alex, Jerome and Mike. After warm up, we started jumping at -6" best height for women while the men started at 5-8 (opening height for Saturday). Madeline and Alex cleared bars around 4-6, while Kasey and Mollie cleared about 4-8. Jerome cleared 6-4, Mike 5-10. Everyone got some jumps at higher bars, and while our goal was just to get ready for Saturday, there was a lot of good jumping and some nice adjustments made tonight.

1/8 At KC. Kasey, Nathalie, Mollie, Joe and Brad's hurdle practice consisted of circles, swings, 3x3 deadlifts (190#/280#), 3x6 L+R hops, 3x over/under, 3x10 elevated push ups. Acceleration work with wall drive, hop starts and rope pulls. A few practice starts and then timed starts over H1. Best times: Joe 2.16, Brad 2.28, Mollie 2.38, Nathalie 2.44, Kasey 2.55. Next, starts over 2H -1. Finished with 4H (-2 for Nathalie and Kasey at 30; -1 for Joe and Brad at 39) and box exercises (step ups, bridges, thrusts and alt jumps). Most important aspect of tonight was to shake off some rust for those who hadn't hurdle until prior to break and to get some reps similar to race distance and height prior to upcoming meet. Also worked on technical improvements. Got some split hand times. Joe ran consistently around 1.2, Brad 1.4, Nathalie 1.4, Kasey 1.4 to 1.5, Mollie had to leave for class and didn't get a split time. Joe worked to improve alignment and keeping the lead arm moving, Brad on getting the lead leg down (good improvement there), Nathalie on consistent 3-step without getting back on heel at entry, Kasey on 3-step (got one) or quick 4.

UWM: Joe posts 9.02 in solo effort

1/4 At UWM. Running by himself, Joe ran nearly as fast as he did with a fast field a few weeks ago. Video shows he could get the hips up more (less bend) in the acceleration, but the block clearance was OK overall. Did some frame grabs from the video to point out some areas of note.

Good entry with takeoff foot here. Knees are close, so casting the foot forward and getting on heel are not issues.

Would like to get the triple extension here to straighten this line and get hips forward.

This is great. Toe up on lead leg. Slight bend in lead leg. Good arm positions. Trail leg is about as good as it can be here until the takeoff angle and extension improves.

As knee passes hurdle, lead leg is moving down and trail leg is starting to move forward. Lead arm is "stuck" in forward position. Would like to have that starting to move backward. Nothing should ever stop moving in hurdling.

 Arm is still out there as hips reach rail.

Although lead leg started moving down on time, it didn't get down fast enough, so the landing is just ahead of hip instead of under. This might be tied to that lead arm being stuck in that forward position. Left arm here should be bent like in sprinting rather than straight. Trail leg didn't finish; pulled forward well but never got up and to the front.

A few little things to work on in the weeks ahead.

Pix: Joe and Nathalie takeoffs

Would like to get a more vertical shin angle here, but knees are fairly close together, which is good. Getting that foot down on that last step into the hurdle a bit quicker would accomplish that and get the foot back near that first tape mark -- a bit further away from hurdle.

Would like more separation between hip and takeoff foot (pushing hips more into hurdle, creating a steeper takeoff angle).

Nathalie is casting that takeoff leg out too much. Note the shin angle, split between knees and heel strike. That is a significant "brake" to the speed generated to this point.

Some of the trouble here is set up by casting the takeoff foot out there as seen in the previous pic. While the shin angle on the takeoff leg is OK, there is a break (bend) at the knee, which is putting the upper body too upright.

Pro entry to takeoff. Shin slightly forward as takeoff foot hits the track. Knees even.

Pro takeoff. Great triple extension -- ankle, knee, hip, shoulder. Nice fold in lead leg. Note how far the hip is ahead of the takeoff point. All great hurdlers do this. They set it up properly with the takeoff entry (off heel and nearly under hip as in photo above), then they take an aggressive angle into the hurdle, pushing the hip toward the hurdle with the lead arm, head and lead knee getting out front ahead of the lead foot, which remains folded a while.

Upon further review...

Some video frame grabs from recent practices.

Nathalie shows excellent triple extension here (ankle, knee, hip, shoulder), allowing her to apply maximal force off the front pedal. Also note how the lead leg is maintaining a good angle that allows her to step down/back -- and not out.

When that lead foot does strike the ground, she's well up on the ball of foot, and the toe is just behind the hip, allowing a strong angle in that shin and great push on the second step. Good example of how to get off the blocks and accelerate.

Mollie has a break in her extension at the hip. Good extension at ankle and knee to hip but then a bend, which often leads to a "step out," which happens because of the bend that causes some rotation. To avoid stumbling, the front leg steps out to avoid a potential stumble. Compare this to Nathalie's to see the difference.

When the lead foot hits the track, you can see how far it is ahead of the hip. When you bend, the hips go backward at the same time support foot moves forward. You can't apply much force in the right direction when this happens.

Mollie's extension into step 2 is great. Nice line. Good arms. The first step should look more like this.

Joe has good extension here.

Toe right under hip and right on our tape mark.

A pro start. Note shin angles. Arm split. Full extension. If you compare our shin angles to this, you can see how our front leg angle is more than 90 degrees while this shows less than 90. 90 would be typical.

Bolt.