Turnhout Epilogue - the Day After

 

After a good trip back from Belgium I've had time to look back over the weekend's achievements.  Apart from finding it difficult to walk or carry anything, and having a glowing face from two days outdoors in roasting heat, I seem to be in one piece, and one silver medal the richer.

I began in March with the aim of getting a good double decathlon PB with the benefit of scoring in a new age group.  But after a much slower recovery from my ankle op than anticipated, and then a hamstring tear three weeks before the event, it seemed unlikely that I would finish, and fitness levels were far too low to consider a good score even if I did.  So by matching my PB from 4 years ago, when I was pretty fit, I think that means that I am ahead of the age graders.

All this can only mean one thing.  The Road to Helsinki and the World Indoor Tetradecathlon Championships begins here!

D-day + 1

Day 2 - Non-stop Action and Exhaustion

The events came thick and fast today.  No time to be writing updates during the day unfortunately.

110m Hurdles 22.66
Discus 20.82
200m 28.46 season's best, despite barely being able to walk to the start area to warm up
Pole Vault 2.20
3000m 13'52 even hotter than yesterday's 5000
400m hurdles 80.2
Javelin 27.85
1500m 6'05
Triple jump 8.66
10000m a very painful 56'53

At the end of the competition, a Silver medal with total points 8929.  EXACTLY the same as my M50 score 4 years ago in Yeovil.

D-day part 2

The lack of fitness is starting to tell but day one is over.
800m shocking 2'55
High jump 1.35
400m 67.0
Hammer 20.65 PB!
Steeplechase 16'16
Points at the end of day 1: 4614
Sore but mobile.

D-day part 1

First five events done and dusted. Hamstring still intact so far.
100m 13.71
Long jump 4.18
200 hurdles disaster 37.44
Shot 7.54
5000 very hot 24.28
2344 points so far.

D-1 Almost on the starting blocks

8.30 am start. 12.15 ferry. Everything went smoothly until the 2 hour traffic jam at Antwerp. We missed the flag parade but made it to the registration and food. One night to go.

D-2 Nutrition

Well that's food sorted for the weekend.

D-4 Revising Targets

Let's Get Real

Sadly this is not going to be the explosive young M-55 performance that was in my dreams.  I had vaguely entertained hopes of a 10,000+ score if everything went well.  Then I thought at least I'd want to beat my M50 PB of 8929.  But with sprints - my best events - needing to be run very conservatively, and my fitness level being so low, it's time to be more realistic.  If I finish, it's looking like 7600 is possible :-(

D-7 Tiptoeing Gently

In a week's time I will step on the Track to start the 100m.  I hope.

So after 2 weeks of almost complete rest, during a weekend trip to Plymouth, I started a succession of laps with 10s effort, 10s easy at the Brickfields track.  Beginning with jog/walk, I finally concluded with a 95s lap at around 400m/5k pace.

Still in one piece.

D-14 An Unwelcome Upgrade

Osteopath 1

I managed to get to see Simon, the osteopath, on Tuesday, 5 days after the injury.  I'd been gently exercising on a gym bike and focusing on my upper body to avoid banging my head against a solid object.  He pushed and prodded, I yelped and nodded, and he concluded it was probably a grade 1 hamstring tear.  Some very welcome massage was accompanied by advice to keep on gently cycling and doing some stretches.

Osteopath 2

The next session with Simon was just 3 days later.  Unfortunately the news was not good.  The massage had, unbeknown to me, brought out some bruising below the injury.  After another vigorous massage, the bruising had moved to just behind my knee and spread.

Upgraded

The presence of blood under the skin 8 days after the injury means it was going to be upgraded to a Grade 2 tear.  21 days to heal.

It's OK.  It's 22 days from the injury to the start of the competition.

At least I get several of the hamstringy things over with in the first three events - 100m, Long Jump, and 200m Hurdles.  What could possibly go wrong?

D-22 Injury!

I set out to do 6x150 with Basingstoke sprinters Ray, Rob and Sean today.  Ray and I being a bit (a lot) older took a 10m head start.  The first two 140m reps took 21 and 20s - pretty rapid, but the 5-6 minute recovery was plenty.  On the third - another 20s, we turned around to find Rob pulled up with a hamstring problem.  Then on the fourth rep, exactly the same happened to me.

I'm now sitting with strapping and ice, and will have to see whether any bruising comes out.  It's painful, but probably only a grade 1 strain (fingers crossed), so every chance of a recovery in the 3 weeks that remain.

I've heard that this is the time to sample a good single malt.