Last before Competition

August 17^th (2 days left)

Woke up early to meet Sheldon for practice because we wanted to train at the same time as I would be competing. After doing shot put and block starts I returned to the hotel with Sheldon and we met Jack and Sharon to go to lunch at the ASICS hospitality for lunch. Lunch was so good. All the food was flown in from Italy for the Italy team that was sharing the hotel with ASICS.

I returned to the stadium to watch the Women Vault and my friend Chelsea jump. What a night because Chels got silver after Isinbayeva no heighted in the vault. Amazing awesome cool wow. It was so cool to watch a friend do so well. Night everyone will write when I get done.

August 16^th (3 days left)

Today I met with Sheldon at the apartment and got him in and settled before I headed back to the hotel to chill out and then went to the track to watch the men’s 100 meter. I arrived at the track and watched the women’s hep javelin and then the quarters of the 100 meters. After watching many events the main event came up and the electricity in the Stadium was ridiculous before the men’s 100 meter final. As I sat there waiting for it to start the stadium got quiet and then the race started and BOOM it got so loud and crazy as Usain Bolt ran 9.58 a new World Record. If you don’t understand how fast that is it like moving at 30+ mph as a human. What a thing to watch in that stadium. Well off to bed. I start in three days.

August 15^th (first day of World Competition)

It nice that competition is starting up because it gives me something to do during the day. I went over this morning and watched the women’s hep hurdles and high jump. I also saw the first round of 100meters for men and other events. After watching I did a workout at the warm up track doing High Jump and Javelin approaches. The workout went very well and I am feeling awesome with the competition coming up.

For dinner I met up with some friends from the states the were in Berlin and we went to central Berlin for some Thai food. This Thai restaurant I learned how to make a flower out of a napkin it was so cool. After having a awesome dinner I return to the hotel to sleep before I had to meet Sheldon in the morning.

August 14^th

Pretty simple day but an awesome day at the track. I did the hurdles, Long Jump, and discus today and all of them went really well for me. Tomorrow the meet starts and I will head over there to watch the morning session of the heptathlon.

Berlin Cont...

Aug 13^th

Today was an interesting day. I apparently was very tired and didn’t wake up until 10am and went to bed at 11pm. I finally got moving at around 11am and went and got lunch at noon. I was planning on doing some touring but we had a USA mandatory meeting at 3pm which I thought

would take maybe an hour but it took 2.5 hours. This ruined all my plans for the day. I was also going to watch a friend compete at 4:30pm but missed that as well. After a lazy day I am getting a good night sleep to have a good day of training tomorrow where I will do hurdles, long jump, and discus.

Aug 12^th

Woke up early and got a deep tissue massage which was good for me but definitely not relaxing. She really got all the bad stuff out and moving in my muscles. Because I got the massage I had to change up my training and not do the all out sprints I was planning on. The body is feeling good and I am ready to go. After practice and everything I decided to go over to the Olympic stadium and check it out.

WOW!!! That what I thought when I saw it. I arrived at the warm-up track first and it was all types of sports facilities surrounding it. It was very amazing. After checking out the warm-up track we took the long walk through the tunnel. This tunnel was 400 meters long and took a

while to walk but once you left it you were in this enormous stadium that really makes you lose your breath. Amazing that this stadium was used during the 1936 Olympics and I am going to be competing in less then a week. I walked around the track and then returned to the hotel. I hope to tour around tomorrow because I have the day off of training.

Berlin

Aug 11^th

The day was very easy I woke up at 9:30 to get breakfast and meet Trey downstairs to get the poles over to the track so we could return the car by noon. Well our poles were fine we just tied them on the car again but the girls with poles put them in the v

an and cracked the windshield. After getting them to the track I did a short shake out. The practice track was awesome and so nice. After some time at the trac

k I returned to the hotel and passed out for 2 hours. Grabbed some dinner and went back to sleep after watching a movie. I am so lucky to be here and I hope that I can show the World how good I can be.

Aug 10^th

Trey and I took are time getting going this morning because we couldn’t get the car until noon. Trey and I decided to rent a car to drive to Berlin because with poles and everything we felt it was easier to drive and split the cost. Well after breakfast and packing w

e grabbed a taxi to get the car. We then returned to the hotel and grabbed my brother and our luggage after dropping my brother at the train station we went to go get the poles. Oh it is fun tying two pole bags to the top of a car and getting ready to go as fast as we can on the autobahn.

So the drive to Berlin was a fun and interesting drive. The fun part was pushing a 4cylinder engine to it limits. When on an open autobahn we avg about 170km(104mph) and the max was on a slit downgrade of 197km(110+mph). It would be so cool to get a better car and really see what you can do because we were going 180km and an Audi A4 car went by us like we were standing still. People in Germany know how to drive because if they stay out of the left lane and really keep traffic going.

The interesting part of the drive came when we hit a huge rainstorm about an hour into the drive. The storm had hail and was dumping buckets. The best thing was that we tied the poles through the doors so the weather stripping was pulled back and water started to pour in the car on my right shoulder and Trey left shoulder. We were SOAKED in a car so we pulled under an overpass and waited it out. Other then that the drive was awesome and we arrived at the hotel at 6pm grabbed dinner and headed to bed. My roommate is Nick Symmonds the 800m runner but he won’t get here until the 16^th of Aug so I have a room to myself.

Aug 9^th

I woke up feeling better then the first day of competition. Competition started at noon and I was doing a quick hurdle warm-up but not running, discus and pole vault. I did 3 x 2 hurdles out of blocks. The hurdle starts felt really good and fast. I then did discus the ring was a little slick and I threw 44.69 (147’) which was ok for me. I then went and did pole vault where I jumped 5.05m (16’ 5 ¾). I was over 5.15m twice but both times caught it coming down on the backside. Overall it was a very productive day and as my legs start to become fresh it will get better.

After competition was a big celebration for all the athletes and workers. We had the party at a local bar that had been so generous all week to give us meals and drinks for free. It was no different for this night all food and drinks were free to everyone there. If you can believe it my little brother showed up just in time for the party. Everyone had a great time and I got to meet so many new people. I went home early because I have to get sleep before we drive to Berlin tomorrow. Berlin the last stop before World’s!!!!

Road to Berlin

August 8^th

Today is the first day of the decathlon for the Thorpe Cup. I ran the 100meter dash and ran an 11.05 which was good for me. Long jump was bad but a plus was that my run was really good and even though I jumped bad I really feel that I am ready to make a big jump. High Jump was not better. My legs were just not there today so I am not really upset but disappointed in what I did. I am ready to do awesome at World’s just need to get the body fresh and over jet lag. Doing the discus and pole vault tomorrow. Off to bed.

August 7^th

Today was a low key day because the competition is tomorrow for the Thorpe Cup. I am doing the 100m, Long Jump and High Jump. My legs are still very tight so hopefully they will be good to go tomorrow before I compete. Otherwise everything going really well and training is really good. I can’t wait to have my legs fresh and put up a big score at World’s.

August 6^th

We had wake up early today to train because we were headed to visit an US Army base in Frankfort. Wiesbaden was the base. We went to the track at 7:30am trained which was still rough for me. Every day gets better. After training we returned to the hotel and 10:30am we headed on a bus to Wiesbaden to have lunch with the soldiers and take a tour around the base and the youth center. It was a very cool thing to do and I enjoyed sitting with the soldiers and hearing there stories and just getting to know them. The bus rides were horrible because there was no real AC and it was like sitting in a sauna for and hour each way. We finally returned at 5pm and we were all pretty beat at this point but were back on the bus at 6pm to head to the Licher Brewery for dinner and a tour.

The Licher Brewery was a lot of fun. We had a good dinner with the German team then got a tour around the whole Brewery. We saw how they made, stored, and bottled everything. It was a very good time but when I got home around 10pm I went straight to bed because I was beat. I don’t think sitting on a bus and all this stuff is very good or my legs but I have two weeks to feel good and kick ass at World’s.

August 5^th

After a long flight I made it to Frankfort, Germany it was 9:30am when we arrived which was like 12:30am Arizona time. I was all messed up and it was a long day because I was so tired and had to force myself to stay awake the whole day so I could get on to the time over here. Well we got picked up at the airport and drove an hour to Marburg where we checked into the hotel grabbed lunch and headed to the track. It was a very good facility and they rally have gone the extra mile to take care of us. After practice we returned to the hotel and Trey and I went to an early dinner because I was fading fast. We returned to the hotel about 8pm and by 8:30 I was out cold and didn’t wake up til 6:30am.

July 31^st to Aug 4^th

Training is going awesome right now. I had such good practices. Can’t wait to get to Germany and compete. Other then that….

This last week has been crazy for me. I remodeled a bathroom changing up the sink and tiles for the vanity. I then flew home for a wedding o Thursday and back on Sunday to leave to Germany on Tuesday the 4^th. The bathroom came out really good and I am glad I got it done because my roommates are moving in when I am gone.

The wedding was Daniel Weber and Kristy Sather and it was an amazing wedding and I had a great time. When I returned Sunday night I realized I had so much more to do then I thought. I woke up and went to practice and then ran around doing errands, did stuff around the house, and finally packed at 10pm. I got to bed at 12am and woke up at 3am. What a week but that all done now to World’s. Berlin baby.

USA and July Training

July 13^th – July 30^th

The first day back to training on the track was a rude awaking to how hot Tucson really was. The first day back I was out there at 9:30am and it was already 98* and by the time I was done at 12:30pm it was 106*. I was dying but I had a good practice. This was the way practice went for the last three weeks really hot and exhausting but really good. There were a few days that it was a little cooler but most were in the 100’s. Training has been really good the past three weeks and I have figured a lot of stuff out and really feel that World’s will be the perfect stage to put up a huge score.

Well training not all I have been doing. I have been finishing up my house and getting it ready for my roommates. My dad even came down for a week to help. My dad would wake up at 6am and get all the stuff done outside before it got hot. I would go to practice and return to help him with the projects we had. As a team we got a lot done and the house looks great. Well it July 30^th and I am headed to Santa Rosa to go to Daniel Weber and Kristy Sather wedding. I am very excited for these two and hope them the best because they are such a great couple.

Well I leave Tuesday the 4^th at 6:45am out of Phx. I go to Frankfort Germany first where I will go to Marburg to compete in 5 events at the Thorpe Cup before I head to Berlin on the 10^th for World’s. I compete Aug 19^th and 20^th in Berlin and it can be seen on VS sports channel.

June 27^th – July 12^th

Well after my competition I decided to hang out and watch USA and all my friends compete so I stayed until the 30^th up there then I headed to Tucson for a day and then off to Catalina for a short family vacation. I left Catalina in the middle for a little to train at UC Irvine but then returned for our annual Golf Tournament which my brother Tom and I won with a friends wife and their son. It was a lot of fun and a relaxing time. I wish I could have stayed longer but I needed to get back to the 105 heat and training. Catalina is such a wonderful and relaxing place to go for me. I have been there every summer since I was born.

June 26^th (Day 2 Decathlon USA)

Day 2 I woke up feeling really good except that in the middle of the night my shoulder blade was giving me problems but saw the chiro and it was gone. The winds for the hurdles were really good with a straight tail wind so I was excited. I was in the first heat lane 2. The gun went off and I was flying but about the 7^th hurdle I was moving so well that I got to close and hit the last three hurdles and ran a 14.16 getting second in my heat by .01. The day started well with hurdles and then discus went well throwing 45.75 (150’ 1”). Then came the pole vault we had to wait an hour because of the Juniors and by this time my left hamstring was giving me trouble which was weird because it is usually my right that gives me trouble. Warm-ups were good and I looked like I should jump well. Well I waited til get got to 4.70(15’ 5”) and made it my second attempt but my hamstring was really tight and I was being very timid which you cant do in vault. I failed to make 4.90(16’ ¾”) because I was being a baby and wouldn’t run right. This ultimately cost me second place losing 90pts in one event. Javelin was ok but I was fighting the head wind by going harder which is the wrong way to do it. I threw 57.82(189’ 8”) which sealed my place at third but with me that not good enough so I went and ran 1500m to get second. The race started and I hung with Ashton and a few guys for the first lap but no one wanted to take it out so I took the lead the second lap into the head wind I pushed it all the way til the end but having the lead took a toll on me and in the last 200 meters Ashton passed to take second. I really was trying but his 1500m skills are better and he took it. Well I did what I needed to and competed to make the World Team. Score wasn’t very good at 7984 but it was enough to make the team which was the goal. Now the real work starts for Germany.

http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/results/F39.asp

Day 1 USA

June 25th (Day 1 Decathlon USA)

 

Day one went well but not great.  I am feeling really good but I just can’t get the marks.  With Clay dropping out that made me move up to 3^rd in the rankings. This was good but maybe bad because I felt some pressure go away.  I compete well under pressure and with me being in a drivers seat I may have been lax.  I wasn’t though I competed and had a PR in the 100meters 11.01 a .02 PR my first of the year.  I then went 6.95meters in the long jump which was good and then 14.69meters in the shot put.  High jump was a disappointment with a 1.96metrs.  The 400 was good compared to the field but I was disappointed with a 49.49 sec.  Thanks for all the support. 

 

RESULTS: http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/results/F39.asp

Days before USA Championships

June 24^th

I woke up around 8:30am and was ready to go but hung out doing things on my computer until Nick woke up.  We then grabbed my brother and went to get credentials.  After we headed to breakfast at 5^th Street Market with Nick, John, Andy, Tom and myself.  After breakfast we chilled at Nick house until my parents came and picked me up so we could check into the hotel.  I then grab lunch with my parents and headed to the track.  Warming up at the track I remember what level I was at when I am running past gold medalist and world record holders.  Amazing I love this feeling of competition.  After the track shake out I headed back for dinner at Olive Garden. Nothing to exciting but I am feeling good and ready to kick some ass tomorrow.  Berlin here I come.

June 23^rd

Training up to this point has been really good and I feel healthy.  I really haven’t felt this good since NCAA in 2007. I had a long travel day from Tucson to Portland then a drive to Eugene.  I left my house at 10:10am and arrived at Nick’s in Eugene at 9:00pm.  It was a long trip but I am here and ready to compete.  Night Everyone.

 

Toronto Meet

June 11^th

Because we had all day to kill before the meet we asked Jenna a heptathlete at University of Toronto to take us around town and the campus.  She took us to something street where there were lots of crazy second hand shops. Then we went China town.  Around 1pm we headed back to the hotel where we grab lunch and got ready to head to the track. I left around 3pm with Paul to go warm-up because we had the Pole Vault at 5pm. 

This meet was very different then I had seen because we were doing 3 events starting with the Pole Vault which we only got 6 attempts (Miss or make), then it was the 110HH, and 25mins later the 400meters.  We had 5 competitors Clay, Hardee, Terek, Canadian, and me. Pole Vault went well I made 4.90 (16’ ¾) and 5.00 (16’ 4 ¾) first attempt and then took 4 attempts at 5.20 which I did not make.  Then it was a 2 hour break before the hurdles and at this point Hardee had dropped out and we had 4 guys. It was raining and there was a slight head wind at this time.  I ran a 14.13 which is my second best ever by .01sec and only .13 behind Clay.  It was a very good race for me. By the time I got my stuff and sat down I had to put my shoes on and run the 400meters.  That sucked because I wasn’t ready.  I ran a 49.65 and won the 400meters but feel short of beating Clay overall by 40pts. Overall it was a fun meet and it went really well. Toroonto is a very cool city and I hope to visit there again.

 

June 10^th

I woke up late after falling asleep around 1am.  I grab lunch and then meet Jim Dilling to explore the city of Toronto and go in the Toronto Tower (similar to the Space Needle in Seattle).  We traveled on the bullet which is the subway to city center and went by the Toronto Blue Jay Stadium and to the Toronto Tower where we paid to go to the highest observatory spot in the world. It was really cool to go up to the top and see the whole city from one vantage point. Around 5pm we returned to the hotel so that we could get ready and head to the track.  At the track we both did our pre-meet warm-ups.  At the time Usain Bolt was doing his as well and there was a big group of people and media people there to watch him.  Usain was getting paid $250,000 to run the 100meters.  Jim and I finished our warm-ups and returned to the hotel and headed to dinner.  After dinner we were headed back when we saw Jesse Williams and Paul Terek so instead of heading back with Jim I went with them to a second dinner so I could catch up with them.  By the time I got to bed it was 1am but I didn’t compete until 5pm so I was ok.

 

June 9^th

After staying in Santa Rosa from the 1^st to the 3^rd I returned to Tucson to train but am off again for a meet in Toronto.  I left from Phoenix because it was a direct flight on US Airways and they were able to carry my poles.  I arrived at 10:30pm in Toronto and got to my hotel around 11:45pm.  This was fine because my body was so confused on when to sleep and be awake after spending so much time in Europe that getting there late was fine.  This Toronto meet will be interesting because I am only doing 3 events the pole vault, 110 HH, and 400 meters.  We are doing that because they wanted to include decathletes but it was only a 3 hour meet with Usain Bolt running the 100meters as a finale.  I compete June 11^th.

European Experience

MAY European Experience

My experience in Europe for the month of May was amazing and I was happy I could share it with my brother Tom.  As you know the trip started in Italy at The Multistars Decathlon where I scored 7994 and took First Place. We then found ourselves in Lienz, Austria where I trained for three weeks for Gotzis Hypomeeting where the best Decathletes in the world show up at each year.  The world record was set at this meet and I was really excited to compete against all the guys that this competition brought.  I got 10^th at Gotzis and was happy with my 8069 but knew that wouldn’t cut it at USA Championships.  Overall it was amazing trip from Italy to London to Austria.  Riding in a Maserati and going Paragliding.  Great thanks goes to Josef Schmidl for all his help with training and setting me up to stay in Europe for a month.  I will try to do this same trip every year because it was such a success. 

Gotzis

May 31^st (Day 2 of Gotzis)

 

I always like the start of day 2 because I like the events that I get to do. So knowing that I didn’t do as well as I wanted so I knew that I needed to start off well and move up so I could make some money and hopefully pass 8200.  Well it started off ok with a 14.27 sec 110 HH. I nailed the second hurdle and that slowed me from the beginning            but ran a great race after that.  Next was the discus and warm-ups were really good and I was ready to go.  My first throw was 45.76 (150’) which was 30cm from my PR.  It was a big first throw.  I didn’t improve but ended up 4^th in the event which was big. Then came the pole vault and if I wanted to get a big score today I would have to jump well. Well the weather didn’t want it to be easy and the winds started to swirl and at one point it began to rain.  I should have jumped better but I jumped 4.90m (16’ ¾) which moved me to 11^th and right where I needed to be to move up. 

 

Well the weather hated us in the first group of the javelin.  It turn to a straight head wind at about 4 meters/hour. One guy even held the javelin straight out in front of him and threw it up and it flew right back to him. Head wind is the worst in Javelin because as the javelin starts to come off the arc the head wind just pushes the tip to the ground.  That exactly what happened and I managed 56.84m which was 690 points.  Not good.  I was back a ways and needed to run a fast 1500meters.  I ran 4:31.13 (.09 of my PR) I made up 100points on the guy who was 8^th and 30 on the guy who got 9^th.  I missed 8^th by 19 points so I tried and only missed it by a little.  Overall it was an amazing experience and I was very happy with what I did but will be back to do better next year.

 

 

May 30^th (Day 1 of Gotzis)

 

I woke up excited and ready to go for Day 1 of  the decathlon in Gotzis.  This is considered the place to be if you are a decathlete because this place has had the best scores ever.  The world record was set here and many other big scores. The atmosphere is amazing with so many people surrounding the track with cow bells and clapping a each corner.  Day one started out good I ran 11.06 which is my second best start ever.  Long jump was good at 6.92 (22’ 10 ½”) but way behind the rest of the guys.  Then I had a bogey as they call in golf only throwing 14.20 (47’ ) in the shot put.  I was in 19^th place after shot but high jump and 400 meters were left.  High Jump has been very good lately and it was really good I cleared first attempts until 2.00m (6’6 ¾) I made it second attempt by a bunch.  The crowd was really into it now and it got me a little to excited and I ended up not making another bar because I was running to hard.  I felt I was going to PR in the high jump today but was happy.  This moved me to 16^th place.  I ran the 400m in 49.17 which moved me closer but I was still in 16^th place.  I scored 4039 first day which is average for me but I am in a good spot to move up with a good second day.  This meet is awesome and if you ever get a chance I would come and see this meet.  Wish me luck on day 2.

 

Austria Last days

May 28^th

 

Today we left at 11am to Gotzis and arrived around 3pm.  It was a beautiful ride and Tom, Lisa, Josef, and I made it safe and sound. Josef dropped Tom and me off at our Hotel and would meet him at the track at 5pm

 

May 27^th

 

The rain continued until around 2:30pm when I finally got on the track to do my training.  We returned from training and packed up all are stuff and got everything to leave tomorrow.  It has been 16 days and it went so fast since Italy. I then went to a massage at 5:30pm while my brother and Josef went and got stuff for dinner and placed a bet for Barcelona to win.  It was 5.20 to 1 so Tom put 10 euro and Josef 50 euro.  If Barcelona won Tom got 52 euro and Josef 260 euro.  So we had our team to cheer on tonight.  We ate dinner at Josef where he made pasta with shrimp it was so good.  After dinner we watched the Manchester United and Barcelona game.  It was so much fun and with Barcelona winning 2-0 we were all excited.  Well off to bed because we leave tomorrow.

 

May 26^th

 

What a crazy day!!! We went to meet a guy to go paragliding at 11am and hen we drove his little car on these back roads to the top of a ski resort.  We parked the car next to the chair lift where you get off.  At this point we got out all the gear and Tom suited up to paraglide first.  We were going for 45mins each.  The guy was real cool and because he knew Josef he gave us the same price as he charges but threw in that he would do tricks with us.  Tom was up for an hour and got up to 3100m which is like 9000+ feet.  He had an awesome time and I got some awesome pics.  Well it was my turn and I got suited up and we were off.  We were flying in the mountains and spiraling up and then back down doing tricks.  Then he said we had to land after only ten minutes I was on the ground because a storm was rolling in fast and we could get caught in the air or on the mountain in his little ass car. 

 

Paragliding was crazy and cool but nothing compared to how this guy drove.  After landing we packed quick as possible jumped in the car and were flying down these dirt back roads because he was worried it would rain and he couldn’t drive down with out sliding on the road.  Well he was going so fast he kept bottoming out because on dirt roads you have the ruts on the side and big mound in the middle.  Well this guy had trouble and kept bottoming out hard on these rocks and by the end Tom and I felt sick because he was flying down these curvy roads and hitting the brakes it was awful. Well after spinning in the air and the car ride Tom and I felt like shit after but I must admit it was awesome and a crazy day. I would do it again.  After all this it started raining and by night it was pouring with thunder and lightning.  The storm was amazing so Tom and I sat on the balcony and watch the storm over head.  What a day.

 

May 25^th

 

Not to exciting today I did my training walked around town and mailed some postcards. But tomorrow morning we are going paragliding over the town of Lienz.

 

May 24^th

 

Today at the track Lisa and Josef had a guy coming out with electric timing to time Lisa so I took part.  Morning was slow because we were out late but I went to the track around 1pm and Tom stayed home because he was tired and sore.  I warmed up making sure my foot was ok to sprint and maybe hurdle.  After warming up I decided to run the hurdles with Lisa.  She ran her 100mH and I did my 110HH off the same start guy.  I ran a 14.40 which in practice with a 1.1 head wind was awesome.  I then ran a 300m in 36.77 and a 200m in 22.58.  I slowed up in the 300m with about 50 to go so not as good as I wanted but 200m was good after all that running.  Foot was a little sore but it was good to be able to get the training in.  Afterward we went to Josef to eat.

 

I can’t call it dinner because it was 4pm but we had a salmon and rice dinner that was delicious. Josef had it early because he was taking his nephew to hit golf balls at 5pm. Tom and I returned after dinner and I took a nap while Tom watched a movie.  I then watched a movie with him and we made some more food because we were hungry again.

 

May 23^rd

 

My foot is feeling better so I decided to see how good it felt.  While Tom and Josef went on a 45min run I warmed up and did sprints.  I started off with a build up and then did some hard starts for 30m, 40m, and 60m.  It felt good and instead of pushing it I got ready for long jump.  Josef returned and I asked where Tom was at and he said he lost him 5 mins earlier.  Josef ran just under 10k with Tom and he came in around 45mins and Tom came in 49mins.  He had gotten tired and had to walk but he finished the run under 50mins.  Tom didn’t realize that he was running that far before he left and when he returned he was happy he finished but a little pissed. HAHA After they returned I did long jump and had no pain in the foot so I was happy.  After training Tom and Josef went to golf while I stayed behind.

 

I did some work on the computer and then watch Kingdom of Heaven.  I returned home thinking Tom was coming back because they called and said they were but an hour went by and no one.  So I called and they were headed back after stopping for dinner and more beers then planned.  I then went out with them to the bars because I hate to just sit around and do nothing especially if I am in another country.  It was fun and I returned home around 1:45am.  Tom stayed out with Josef and they had a good old time.  Well the cool thing that came out of their long dinner was Tom meet a man that does paragliding and said he would take us one day.  We have to see about the weather but we will go soon.

Austrian adventures continued...

May 22^nd

 

Tom did not move this morning and when I left at 1:30pm to train he still had not moved.  But I was jealous he got to enjoy the nightlife and see how the people were here.  The truth is I don’t know if I would have ever come to Lienz and experience this if I weren’t training though.  I took today of training again and just did 20 mins on the bike and some weights. Tomorrow I am going to try and sprint and jump to test the foot. After training I returned home to get Tom up and go to Josef for dinner.  Tonight Josef made pasta with meat sauce.  It was really good and I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore. We then returned home and Tom and I went to sleep.

 

May 21^st

 

Today was a holiday for Austria.  Everyone had it off because everything was closed it was crazy.  We met Josef around 10am and went and got a cappuccino at a café in town.  Josef then took us out for a ride and showed us around town.  We stopped at a small pizza place where we grabbed lunch real quick and then headed home because we were training at 1pm.  Well because of my foot I decided to take a few days off from training.  Tom made up for it though. Tom ran with Josef for 32mins going about 5k almost 6k.  Then when he recovered he ran a 100m and 120m with Lisa as fast as they could.  After Tom was tight but did a good job.  I am sure he will feel it tomorrow.

After training Tom and Josef went out to play golf while I stayed at Josef to use the internet and get caught up on some things.  It is really weird being in another country and training because usually I would be out having all kinds of adventures.  But I have to be smart so that means no extra hikes to make me tired, mo-peds, or golf.  Sucks but I have bigger things to do.  Tom and Josef returned from Golf and we went to the local football (soccer) match at the track I had been training at.

Let me just say that this level of soccer was not very good but they get paid to play.  Everyone here drinks from 16 years old and up.  After the game was over everyone stayed to drink and listen to live music at the field.  Josef friend Hans who we met yesterday at golf was there and this became Tom new drinking friend for the night.  After hanging out at the field we proceeded to downtown to check out the bars.  The first bar we visited was Elsa’s which was the smallest bar you have ever seen which was owned by an older woman named, Elsa.  But this bar was the late night spot for entertainment and late drinks til the sun came up.  It was 11pm and we stayed for a little then headed to a bar called Yellow.  I took off about 12am to go home and sleep and left my brother with Josef and Hans.  My brother strolled in around 5:45am and if you want to know what he did you will have to ask him haha.  Now I know he is going to be sore tomorrow haha.  Lienz is a great small town. 

 

May 20^th

 

Tom and I have enjoyed our apartment and it has been nice to have a place where we can cook and chill.  Our apartment is stuck in the 70’s though.  With retro carpet and Disney pictures of the 7 dwarfs next to a shirtless woman petting a horse. It works though it is just funny.  I went to the track where I ran with Lisa and Tom again.  Tom is becoming quite the runner he has run 15 plus minutes each day.  If you know Tom he hates running so it cool to see him trying to get into shape.  After the run I tried to see if I could sprint but couldn’t so I changed my workout and did 3x400m at 65secs.  IT was a good workout.

After training we went to the golf course where Tom and Josef played golf and I walked along and watched.  The coolest thing about the Golf Course was that there is a stream running through that is so clear and I pointed out that it looks like you could drink the water.  Well you can Josef showed us a place that the water comes out of the ground and it is the freshest spring water you will ever taste.  It was cold and so good.  After 9 holes Josef drove me to my massage and returned after at 8pm when we grabbed food and Tom and I returned home. At dinner we tried a new beer that called a Rattler by Gosser, it is a 2% alc. but it is beer and lemon mix that is so refreshing and good.  This trip is so cool living in a town and learning a culture I never thought I would know. 

 

May 19^th

 

I had to be up early this morning to go to the doctor to get chiro work and check my foot.  After work went to Josef to get the laundry we had done yesterday.  I went home and then got ready to try and train.  I went on a run with Lisa and Tom, the foot hurt but if you know me I will push through any pain.  I got through the run but couldn’t do anything else.  The foot is worse then I thought but I will be fine by the end of the week.  After training we went home and Josef got his brother in law MASERATI and came to pick us up. 

Josef took us up to Tristacher See, which is a lake in the mountains, where we got a iced coffee and then we went to the Golf Course.  The Maserati was so sweet.  That thing can handle the curvy roads with ease but also has so much power with 480 HP.  Damn it was so nice and clean inside too.  At the Golf Course we just hit on the driving range. Then Tom, Josef and I returned to Josef for dinner where he made a spicy curry chicken dish with rice.  It was really good but my brother Tom got lit up like a firecracker and was in tears from the spice. As we have been here Josef has been awesome and introduced us to so many good wines and beers as well as food.  It has been a great trip and once my foot good I can get back to training hard.

 

May 18^th

 

After being in Europe for almost two weeks I needed to do some laundry.  Josef allowed us to do our laundry at his apartment while he went to work.  Tom and I did work on the computer because we had internet and did laundry all morning.  At 1pm we headed to the track to get some real training in.  I was feeling pretty good after only a week after a decathlon.  I had block starts and pole vault for a workout.  They went really well until I had a bad vault and fell off the mat hitting my foot really hard and causing a bone bruise on the ball of my foot right below my right big toe.  I finished my workout with little pain.  By night time my foot was in a lot of pain and had started to swell.  Tom and I decided to go to dinner and found a place called Alder.  Dinner was really good.  We returned home and went to sleep.  Hope my foot ok in the morning.

London Weekend Crazy fast

May 17^th

 

Tom and I woke up at 5:45am showered and packed our little bags and headed out.  We got a taxi to the train station and then grab a train to Gatwick where we caught our flight on easyjet.com to Salzburg, Austria.  We arrive around 11 and had an hour and a half to catch a train to Kufstein to meet with Josef who was in Innsbruck for a meet with Lisa.  We meet with Josef and Tom and I jumped in the car back to Lienz.  When Tom and I got home we were so tired we just watched movies and sat on the couch. We talked about our quick but really cool trip to London and then we went to bed. Wwwwhhhhhhh breath

 

May 16^th

 

After seeing all of London in one day yesterday we had to go see the culture. After we woke up and we ate some food we headed out to find Tom old managers new Pub.  We found the Pub but it didn’t open until later so we went to a café and grab another breakfast because I was hungry again (shocking).  After we enjoyed our food we returned to the Pub and found John.  It was now 12pm and Danielle, John, Tom, and I had a beer while we chatted with John.  John was an awesome guy that had so much energy and I can see why Tom went so far to see him. After our visit with John we went to meet up with his son Steven and another Pub.  Steven was Tom biggest drinking buddy when he lived in London and that just says what happened next.  We sat at the Pub for the next few hours drinking with Steven and his friends.  It was such a fun time I didn’t want to leave but we had made plans to catch STOMP at 8pm. 

We went to Lester Square where all the plays and performances happen in London.  We got our tickets and went to STOMP. It was a really cool show with amazing music, funny gestures, and cool dancing.  After a long day we had to return home because Tom and I had an 8:30 am flight to catch out of Gatwick.

 

May 15^th

 

Danielle is in London because she works for Apple and will be there for 3 months.  So she had to get up early and go to work so Tom was going to show me the city of London.  We decided to do the Big Bus Tour that takes you around the whole city of London and see all the sites.  It was a beautiful day in London if you can believe it. The bus tour has two different lines you can ride, we chose to take the Red Line that has a person as your tour guide.  We went by the Buckingham Palace, the major parks, Big Ben, over the London Bridge, to the London Tower, the London Eye, and so much more.  With all these places Tom and I decided to get off at the London Eye and ride it so we could see the city.  We were lucky to watching the changing of the Guard from the eye and because of the nice day you could see everything.  After the London Eye we returned to the bus and rode it to the London Tower.

At the London tower they had a demonstration of different medieval weapons for all to see.  We then went in and caught the tour and followed it around the whole compound until it ended then we proceeded to see the Crown Jewels.  I can’t even tell you how amazing the Crown Jewels are.  There were diamonds as big as my fist and jewels you didn’t think could be real.  It was so cool.  After seeing the London Tower we returned to the bus and rode it back to the beginning where we caught the blue line which was the audio tour of London.  We took it to Harrod’s which my brother was very excited to see and was walking distance to the Pub he used to work at when he lived in London.

It was about 4pm now and we had started at 8am from Danielle’s and were suppose to meet her at 6pm.  Tom and I went to the Duke of Wellington Pub to see if Tom could catch some of the regulars he used to see 4 years ago.  We found a few and got stories on the rest.  John the manager when Tom worked there had moved to a new Pub and we got direction to try and catch him tomorrow.  After a beer we returned to get Danielle and return to the Duke for dinner.  We grab Danielle and as we were leaving Zach, Danielle co-worker, was headed out with his mom and they joined us at the Duke for beers.  The Pub food was really good and the beer was amazing too. The beer has the same alcohol content as US beer but tastes so much better.  At 11pm the Pub closed and we returned to Danielle’s and went to sleep.

 

May 14th

After a long night we were a little slow in the morning but we got everything together which was a small backpack full. We then headed out on the train at 1130am to Klagenfurt where we were flying out on Ryan air to London Stansted.  We arrived around 5pm and then grab the train into Downtown London. It was getting late and we still hadn’t gotten hold of our friend Danielle so we checked into a hostel and got onto the internet to see if we could get hold of her.  We did get hold of her and found out where she lived and went to visit her.  Well she invited us to stay at her place, by that time were so tired that we passed out on Danielle couch bed and stayed there for the night.

Little side note about why we are in London.  Danielle birthday was today and Tom and Danielle have celebrated there birthdays together for the last four years and they made sure not to miss this one.  

Trip to Austria from Italy

May 13^th   (Brother Tom Birthday)

After sleeping in we hung around the apartment and then headed to the track where I ran and stretch out.  After only a few days after a decathlon I was feeling good but still a little sore. Tom found a new thing to do and that was to climb the rope at the track. Tom thought he was coming to Europe to hang out but really he is getting in shape haha. I also saw Lisa who I will be training with while here.  Lisa is coming to U of A next year as a heptathlete. By this time it was around 3pm so we headed back to the apartment and I got a massage.

At 6pm Josef took us to a really good place for Tom Birthday. Before we walked to dinner though Tom and I decided to book a trip to London for the weekend.  At dinner we had a three course meal with wine and beer.  It was amazing I had asparagus soup, tortellini, and this fried chicken.  Around the end of dinner Lisa showed up because she was going out in Lienz for the night because all the kids had finished finals.  So after dinner we all went out with Lisa to a bar.  I learned a new pool game (????) which was so funny because I was playing with a bunch of younger Austrian guys. After the bar we went to a club and Tom and I danced with Lisa and her friends.  After a long night I pretty much carried my brother home but Tom had a great time on his birthday and I was glad to be there.

May 12^th

 

Woke up early today to try and find a car to rent that we could take my poles to Austria.  Well, because we were in a small town that only had a few car rental places it was very hard to find a rental place to rent a car. Especially one we could leave in Austria instead of bring it back to Italy.  Finally Matt said that he would go with us and drive the car back to Desenzano.  So the challenge now was finding a car that could hold four people and all the luggage of three people including poles and a massage table.   We found a car and around 1230pm we were on the road to Lienz. 

Well I would like to say that it was an easy trip and we had no problems but sure we got pulled over when trying to find our way through a little town.  Lucky us Joel, the massage theropist, spoke German and talked to the Police about why we had the poles tied to the top of a car that had no rack and with some luck and little lies about me being an Olympian we were let go with no ticket or fine.  Dang that was close.  After that we got to Lienz as fast as possible and once there got hold of Josef, who is a coach there that I know and will be training with for a few weeks til Gotzis.  Tom and I got our apartment for the next 16 days and then we went to the track for a beer.  HAHA there is a bar at the track where I will be training because they have football (soccer) matches and everyone loves their beer here. We then went to another place for food and beer and then walked home. I must say that their beer is very good. 

Venice

May 11^th

Today Matt, my brother and I went to Venice to explore to city where roads are made of water.  We were suppose to head to Austria today but because of communication problems to do with the poles my poles were now getting left in Italy and had no way to get to Austria for my meet so I decide to rent a car and drive to where I needed to go. 

Back to our trip to Venice, after a night of fun craziness with all the athletes at the after meet dinner my two fellow companions were moving a little slow.  Most days you would want to stay in bed after a night like that but when can you say that you are going Venice for the day.  So I got them out and ready and we went to catch the 12:31pm train from Desenzano del Garda to Venice.  After a two and a half hour train ride we were in Venice and ready to go explore the city.  After getting off the train we jumped on the water taxi and rode it down to St. Marks Square where we looked around the square and went to the top of the bell tower to see all of Venice. 

The view from the top of the bell tower was amazing because you really could see, all of this amazing city on water.  After see the tourist attraction of St Marks square we went and got lost in the allies and streets of Venice.  After walking for a long time we sat at a café on the water and enjoyed a cappuccino before jumping on a water taxi back to the train station.   What a day in Venice with Matt and my brother. We all slept the entire way back on the train to Desenzano.  We returned around 9pm and then walked 20 mins to the hotel where we all jumped in bed and went to sleep.

Italy Decathlon Day 1 and 2

May 10^th (Second Day)

 

Starting out in third I was feeling good and ready to run fast in the hurdles and jump high in the vault.  I slept well last night because I was so tired from waking up the first day at 4am.  I can still feel the weird affects of Jet lag but it should be no problem and I am ready to compete.  Hurdles went well and I ran 14.28 and got third overall.  Next came the discus and I have been throwing really well but this ring was so slick that it made it tough to throw.  I almost fell twice both times at the beginning of my throw.  I was able to figure it out and threw 44.16m.  This put me into first place going into pole vault. During warm ups the conditions were amazing with a slight tail wind and I was vaulting awesome.  Well by the time I was vaulting the wind had done a total 180 degrees and was a strong head wind.  I managed to make 5.05m and tie for the best vault.  For the conditions I was very happy.  Javelin was a disaster and I only threw 55.48m.  Just enough to keep me in first by, 60 points.  I then went on to run 4:38.71 which was about a second slower then I needed to run to score 8000 points. I scored 7994 but won the meet in Italy.  I was happy with my performance for it being my first decathlon of the year but there is a lot that I could have done better and will in Gotzis in 3 weeks. Well it is off to Austria on Tuesday to stay in Lienz until Gotzis.

 

May 9^th (First Day)

 

Today I woke up at 4am wide awake and really never fell back asleep. This was tough because I hadn’t slept well since I got here and it was definitely starting to catch up.  I was feeling kind of sluggish going into the meet.  Warm ups went well and I felt ready for the 100m.  I was in the third heat and ran 11.17 but what got me was I was pretty much even with the guys who won and they ran 10.95 so I wasn’t sure if this was right but I went to Long Jump ready to improve. Well I didn’t I jumped 6.83m which was below average.  I felt great on the runway but things were just not firing.  At this point my left leg was very tight and causing my knee to hurt.  I threw shot 14.31m and again below average.  To this point though I was even with my marks for my PR decathlon 8215.  I went into High Jump and jumped 2.04m which was my best since Osaka in 2007.  I felt ok going into the 400m but my body was very tired from the lack of sleep.  I ran 49.53 because I tightened up the last 100m.  Overall 4020 was my first day score  which puts me in 3^rd only 13 pints behind the leader.  For being Jet Lagged and starting the season here I was very happy with the marks but this will not fly in Gotzis so I have some work to do.  Sorry they are not in feet but over here they do not convert and I have forgotten my book. 

Travel to Italy and preparation

May 8^th

I didn’t sleep well last night and woke up around 7am, wide awake, and ready to go.  I went down stairs and got breakfast and then returned to the room and did some stuff on my computer until Matt woke up at 9am.  After he returned from breakfast we headed to the track and did a pre-meet warm up.  Then we wasted the day really not doing much in the hotel.  I am feeling good and can’t wait to begin tomorrow.  I start at 10:15am (1:15am pacific time).  So I am off and will let you know how the meet goes.

May 7^th

Today was a good day with a trip to Sirmione and having a good shake out at the track.  Woke up around 9am and got breakfast at the hotel and about 9:45am Barbara picked some of us up at the Hotel and took us to the track to do a shake out so that we could get the junk out of our legs before Saturday.  I had heavy legs but after some running and full sprints to blow out the junk I felt much better.  I saw Joel for a massage and then returned to the Hotel for lunch. After lunch we headed to Sirmione to check out the castle and buy some gifts for some people back home.  Including getting a gift for my mom for mother’s day.  We then returned to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day and got to bed around 11pm after watching a movie.

May 5^th to 6^th

What a long day/two days.  I took off out of SFO at 6:56pm on the 5^th and landed in Milan Italy at 5:35pm on the 6^th.  After 14 hours I had arrived in Milan and then had a 2 hours car ride to the hotel in Desenzano del Garda.  Upon arrival at the hotel Abergo al Caccitore, Matt Chisam and I then did a 10 minute run and stretched.  We meet Joel Tull a massage therapist for Wake Forest who loves to travel to different meets and lend his services to all athletes at the meet. We then grabbed dinner and returned to go to sleep at around 11:30pm.  I had arrived in Europe and will return to the states on June 1^st.

May 1^st

Today I was suppose to take part in the All City Meet in Santa Rosa but due to Rain I was not able pole vault.  I was going to pole vault at the high school meet to bring some excitement to the community about track.  I was very disappointed that I was not able to Vault but I will set up to do it again.  I need to thank Greg Fog and HEART and SOLE running store for setting all of this up and being such supporters of me.

Outdoor Meets and Training Before Europe

May 1st

Today I was suppose to take part in the All City Meet in Santa Rosa but due to Rain I was not able pole vault.  I was going to pole vault at the high school meet to bring some excitement to the community about track.  I was very disappointed that I was not able to Vault but I will set up to do it again.  I need to thank Greg Fog and HEART and SOLE running store for setting all of this up and being such supporters of me.

April

I took part in the Sun Angel, Mt. Sac, Long Beach State meet, and Sun Devil meets for the rest of the month.  All the meets went well for how hard we trained going into each one.  I did the Pole Vault (4.90m) and 400 meter hurdles (54.55) at Sun Angel.  I decide to do the 400 meter hurdles as a change in training and had no training going into it.  I ran well but definitely off at each hurdle.  Mt. Sac I did the Pole vault (4.90) and high jump (1.95) on Friday and then did Long Beach State meet on Saturday where I did the pole vault (4.90).  The last meet I did was the Sun Devil meet where I did the Long Jump (6.77), Pole Vault (4.90), discus (46.09)PR, and 110HH (14.24).  The month went really well and I was excited at what I did and can’t wait to go to Europe for May and kick butt in the Desenzano and Gotzis Decathlons. 

April 3rd

Today was the second day of the Jim Click Multis and today I will do all the events except the 1500 meters.  I started with the 110 meter hurdles and ran a 14.30 which is a great opening time especially for the first time running 10 hurdles.  Second was the discus which was not great I threw 142’ which is ok but not to where I had been in practice.  The pole vault went great during warm ups but then the weather changed and it became extremely windy and I went 4.70 and couldn’t make anything else.  The weather was a big factor and I did Javelin but nothing good came of it.  Chris finished with a PR score.  Chris has been a great addition to my training.  After 5 years of training alone it has been good to have a partner to run with and push me each day.

April 2nd

Today was the first day of the Jim Click Multis and I will be competing in the Long jump, shot put, and High Jump.  It was a very good day with a 6.97 long jump, 14.54 shot put, and 1.97 high jump.  It was a good training day and I was excited to open up for the outdoor season with such good marks.  My training partner Chris McGovern had a good first day with PR in the 100 and long jump.  He had a PR first day and hope he keep it up to PR the second day.

March 14th

Well only a week after the USA Championships I decided to take part in the University of Arizona NFL Pro Day.  I took part in the 40meter dash (4.54secs), vertical jump (36inches), broad jump (10’ 9), 3 cone drill (7.22secs), 20 meter shuffle (4.50secs), and ran routes as a wide receiver.   The cone drills and shuffle gave me a little trouble.  Overall I felt I did really good and ran some good routes as a receiver.  For only doing football stuff for a week with Willie and Mike I felt I did very good and we will see.