HJ approach marks

Jim: 16, 8.1, 2.8
Joe: 16.7, 7.8, 3.1
Dan: 16, 7.8, 3.6
Mike: 16, 7.7, 3.7

Tight hamstrings

Hurdlers often have tight hamstrings, particularly with the lead leg, which gets an extreme stretch on every hurdle.

Lots of people, including hurdlers, have a hip tilt, which you can check by how much arch you have in your lower back while sitting back in a chair. The greater the tilt, the greater the pull on the hamstrings -- sort of a nonstop stretch. So when you do a hamstring stretch, you end up stretching an already tight muscle. 

So what to do about that? Stretch your hip flexors and quads, which helps get the hips to a more neutral position, allowing the hamstrings to get back to their normal length. You will feel better and likely improve your  running and recovery.

Whenever you feel your hamstrings or lower back are tight, stretch the hip flexor and quads first. Lengthening the muscles on your front side will help out the backside.

Workouts: 11/28, 11/29, 11/30

11/28  Tim, Jim, Mike and Aaron got things off to a great start. Good warm up, 4x3H (39/43) 5-step, 30m block acceleration (TL 4.03, AR 4.23, MC 4.23, JF 4.32), 8.5m fly (TL 9.55mps, JF 9.14, AR 8.85, MC 8.85). Next, 4x1H (33-42) solo and 4x1H (42-36) racing style. Ended with 4x4H up/back 5-step (36) on 45-sec rec. Wall stretches. Consistency and quality was good, particularly for the first night.

11/29  Jim, Mike, Joe and Dan determined approaches and practiced runthroughs. Marks in meters: Mike 16, 7.7, 3.7; Joe 16.7, 7.8, 3.1; Jim 16, 8.1, 2.8; Dan 16, 7.8, 3.6.  Approximate equivalents in feet: 16=52-6; 16.7=54-9; 8.4=27-7; 7.8=25-7; 7.7=25-3; 3.7=12-1; 3.6=11-10; 2.8=9-2; 2.6=8-7.

11/30  Emily ran 3x8.5m flys, with a very good best rep of 8.17 mps. Did 3x3H 5-step and then 1H, 2H, 3H, 4H (reg height/space) and then 4H-3H-2H (33 -1) 1H. Best splits around 1.2 ht. Some in mid-1.3s. Block/H1 auto times ranged from 2.51 to 2.68. Some work to do, especially with acceleration through H1 but overall a strong practice given race heights and spacings. Finished with 5x4H up/back 5-step on 45-sec recovery. Hurdle stretches.

8 great bodyweight exercises

During vacation breaks, workouts can be hampered by lack of facilities and poor weather. Here are 8 great exercises you can do anywhere, anytime with no equipment and little space. One rotation takes about 5 min. If you do more than one rotation, rest about a minute or two between sets. Do 2 to 3 sets.

This is a minimal workout. Get outside or use whatever indoor facilities you can access for general fitness training. You also can expand this list, using some other exercises you know or can find online. 

Great 8
40x High knee run in place (count steps)
35x Pogos (legs straight, jump with ankle flexion, tapping down on ball of foot)
30x Hip bridges (15x with one leg up then the other leg)
25x Jumping jax, cross jax or stance jax (choose one)
20x Oblique high planks (alternate bringing knee toward elbow)
15x Pushup jax (legs go apart on way down, pull back in on way up)
10x Power jumps (feet wide, jump up, hands to knees, pause at bottom)
05x Burpees (squat down, push legs back, pull legs forward, jump up)

Jump rope, medicine ball throws, tempo runs on grass, hills, weights, sprints, etc., also are good strength/conditioning activities.

Workouts: 11/15, 11/16

11/15  Aaron warmed up and then ran about 10x 3H 5-step (39-39-42 for most). About 5x2H 3-step (42 -3). Hurdle stretches. Did well considering all the reps were done in trainers. Handled the higher hurdle heights well. Trail leg position was excellent. Lead leg tracked well. Just a bit of rotation causing the left arm to wrap behind the back slightly.

11/16  Emily did 3x20m falling start acceleration work, 2x3H 5-step, 1/2-space and 1-step drills and then: 2x1H, 2x2H, 2x3H, 2x2H (1st reps at 30, 2nd 33, ranging from -2 to -1). Good splits in 1.2 to 1.25 range. Worked some on lead arm and trail leg mechanics. Need to continue to work on power off the hurdle to close the distance between hurdles without reaching. Ended with 5x4H up and back 5-steps (33) and hurdle stretches.

Practice starts

10/31  Halloween and first day of practice. Jonathan came as a guy on crutches. Aaron showed up with a cast on his arm. Sadly, they weren't costumes. Emily, Tom, Mike and Aaron (with cast) did a full warm up plus 10 laps of ins and outs.

Keeping the emphasis on general conditioning the next few weeks. We will ease into hurdles and high jump over the next couple of weeks. After break, we will pick up intensity and specificity a bit.

Emily named Academic All-American

Emily was awarded second team Capital One Academic All-American status in the college division in District 5, sporting a very nifty 3.94 GPA in biomolecular engineering. Congratulations on dominating the track and the classroom!