7814 and a look at Toyota

The Claremont Decathlon was a success. Here is how it went:

The first day started off well with a solid 100 meter time with 11.25 and I felt strong and fast and ready to compete. In long jump I only had one fair mark at 6.99 about 23 feet which was a bummer because the two jumps after that were closer to 25 feet but I scratched them by an inch or so. A little discouraged I moved on to shot put were I struggled to muster a 44 foot shot put. Knowing that I had strong events ahead I didn't let it get me down and pressed on to high jump. Jack and I have been spending a lot of time working on the penultimate step leading up to the plant, and without him at the meet I had a hard time telling if I was doing the correct motion. I only jumped 6'4, but I know how well I can jump and look forward to the meets ahead and doing the correct motions. Felt a little exhausted during the 400 meters but still ran a decent 50.48. After decompressing the day I knew that even though I was already a tad behind on my previous score at Mt. Sac Relays I could still post a better second day score and put up a season best.

The second day I ran a tentative 14.88 and felt really close to the hurdles so I backed off a little and tried to work on the form and running solid. Both days saw a lot of tail wind and I did my best to compensate and work on the rhythm. Discus I put out a great throw at 151 feet that caught the wind perfectly. Still feeling great we moved on to pole vault where I jumped 15'7 and felt confident at the next heights but just needed a bigger pole. Javelin was an event that I was really looking forward to and I threw close to a personal best at 202 feet and really wasn't hitting the point so I know there is more in the tank. The 1500 felt great also as I concentrated on my training and ran a season best time at 4:32 and felt strong and confident all the way through the end. Total points for the meet rounded 7814 and broke the stadium record which always makes you feel good.

As the days continue to pass after the meet it is good for me to look back and see the moments where I competed very well and also the moments where I struggled with my concentration. A decathlon is always full of ups and downs and never turns out the way you think it would. The best thing to do is to focus on what YOU can do to compete to your full potential. And I am getting much better at finding that place. Its exciting to see where I can pick up close to 400 easy points in the next decathlon.

This week is mostly recovery and a preparation for the meet in Jamaica next week for the America's Cup. I am really looking forward to getting down there an putting up an even bigger score!

In other news if you missed the Toyota commercial that I was in check this link and click on the "Beyond Limits" video. It was pretty cool to see this on the IAAF site. Stay tuned for another update next week before the Jamaica dec, let me know if you want to see anything!!