20 in 2: The Double Decathlon, or Icosathlon, is a track and field competition in which the athlete must complete all twenty track and field events over two days (which includes completing a standard decathlon in addition to the ten other events,) scoring points based on performance from the IAAF scoring formulas. After finishing seventh in the 2005 World Championship, I began to train for the 2006 Worlds. This is the blog of my journey, dedicated to promoting the Icosathlon, as well as promoting a friendly, healthy track and field community...
email Dimitry: dimitry@yakoushkin.com
Performance & Goal Log Training Log
February 2006 Archive:
|
Blog Archive:
|
February 26, 2006 Almost Quittin' Time... The last two days produced more than one moment where I thought seriously about quitting it all. They were all different reasons, and they were all good reasons - and that's the toughest part. There's also some good reasons to continue, and that's the best part of any story: conflict. There's also a lot of thanks to go out in this blog - which means I'm not quitting. Here goes the story: I competed at the last UCB all-comers meet this year - the weather and atmosphere was paradise. Will Thomas (a 7900 point decathlete) and Matt Chisam (a 7900 point decathlete in the making and a fellow UCD Alum) were in many of my events. When two world-class athletes compete with you, it's a humbling experience. It's also a great learning opportunity for someone that trains in technical events a few hours per week. So my first heartfelt thanks go to Matt and Will - who were exceptional sportsmen, supporters, and even quick coaches when time permitted. Multi-eventers really do look out for each other, and that common plane helps you keep your perspective on your own goals when watching another guy (another guy your height and weight) throw the shot 15 feet further. If that does not seem like a lot - 15 feet means the shot went 7 1/2 feet higher during the throw, more than the height of an average person holding their hands up. If does not seem like a lot - well, you just have to be there. Which brings me to my second thanks. My two great friends from college, Emily and Dan, saw my last four of seven events at the meet. Seeing Em and Dan brought a lot of fun back into the track world and again put things into perspective. Thanks, guys - you arrived almost seconds after I was considering giving it up; not much was going right for me and my performances were lousy at best. It meant a ton to have some support - more than you may think you can provide by just being there. Which brings me back home - after finishing seven events (earning my first event score over 750 with a 2:06 800 meters, and throwing inches away from my best in the shot - literally minutes after the 800!) on Saturday we drove up to a "Sno-Park" to show Devin the snow for the first time. (Oh, and he LOVED it - those smiles were well worth the 7 hours of driving and changing the transmission fluid on the side of the road along the way -- don't ask -- those that know me well know a transmission fluid change on a road trip is pretty much a slow day at the circus.) When we got home my body was aching miserably, but I needed a run to get some road work in this week. I went for 3 miles, and every step was more agony than the last, until I got home and could not even talk from the pain. I seriously wondered what I was doing - and then my wife told me she was proud of me being a great dad all day and still finding the energy to go out at 10 PM in the freezing rain to run. She feel asleep, I gave her a hug and kiss and wrote this blog. I may not be an elite athlete, but I'm an athlete, and that feels great. March 2 & 3 I'm at Chico for my first decathlon. -- post/email comment -- 0 comments --
February 12, 2006 Early Season Competition The first ever Novato High School All-Comer Meet concluded today. It was run very well, and had the low-key and friendly (but small and almost entirely high school) atmosphere that is common to most all-comers. The track was brand new and rivaled some of the better collegiate facilities, and the weather was stellar - sunny and 72F. Quick recap of my results: ANOTHER high jump after a 1500! One week after high jumping after running a 1500 and writing "Actually, don't do much after a 1500. Except lay down, drink, and maybe sleep" in this very blog, I do it again. I did manage another 1.52 meters in the high and a 4:39 in the 1500, a 2 second improvement over last week and a great score for that event. I could use a few more of those improvements every week up to October. An interesting phenomenon with sprinting; I ran the 200 and 400 at the meet (something I wanted to avoid - I should be distance running) and did fairly well: 24.26 and a 53, respectively, after no sprint training and lots of road running. I got great advice from some double decathletes at my last meet - whatever you naturally are (me=middle sprinter/middle distance) you won't lose by training the opposite (distance) - and it's showing. I met another great master's athlete/decathlete - Sam McClellan, who is another personification of the non-elitist, friendly track athlete (my original dedication of this blog (above) is to "promoting a friendly, healthy track and field community".) Sam put up some great early season marks in the high jump (1.45m, or 4' 9.25") the 100 hurdles (17.82) the long jump (4.90m, or 16' 1") and the 400 (64.21.) That high jump in his 50-55 age group gives him 607 points in age-graded decathlon and double decathlon scoring, and a great score considering the early date in the season and room for improvement in the the short approach and jump. To be selfish here, however, the best news from Sam is a lead to a pole vault coach that in PETALUMA, close to my home. The rest of the details are so incredible, I will save them until after I see it with my own eyes. I will post pictures, I promise. (Yet again, after posting "I've got a standing open offer to whoever can coach me in the vault - even 30 minutes a month - will pay, or trade track work, or trade event training. HELP! I CAN'T VAULT!" just below in this very blog... Actually, nevermind. I haven't met the guy and it's sooo good I don't want to spoil anything... Let's just say I owe Sam a steak dinner if things pan out. To pay something forward to this community, hopefully, I get some time to coach the kids at San Marin high in Novato in hurdles. More time at the track=happier Dimitry. (During Devin's nap, of course.) Also, I've been to Petaluma high school track at least once a week - no hurdles or pits are out, the jump pits are packed solid sand and untouched, the throwing rings are covered, and the only two track athletes I've seen before 4PM were throwers from Casa Grande High. Am I missing something? Another quick note - the Chico Decathlon is only a few weeks away - my first official decathlon. Should be interesting. I'm going to need to cram ten years of pole vault training into three weeks, if I can even get a vault in. -- post/email comment -- 0 comments -- February 5, 2006 A Sore Shoulder is a Good Shoulder When... I've thrown the javelin once in competition, probably about 50 times total in practice. All throws have been in the 28-32 meter range, with the longest measured throw an anemic 28.18. Which is why it was a tremendous surprise, with no training, coaching or even friendly advice, to throw 40 meters (39.96 exactly - to stay true to my "no white lies" promise) at the UCB all-comers, taking throws in between long jumps and after the 1500. Trying to find a dark line in the silver cloud I guess the bad news could be that 40 meters is all I can muster now that I'm throwing correctly. But the real good news is: 1) I'm probably not even close to throwing correctly. 2) A 12 meter PR in a throw is always good news, particularly in February with little weight training, no explosive work, little throwing and nothing else but lots of road mileage. 3) It was off of a short run-up and the poorest (but world's least expensive) javelin. And my shoulder has a soreness to it I've never experienced, behind and all around the shoulder blade. I won't be throwing again for a few weeks, most likely. Other news from the meet: a decent but needs-work 5.67 (18'8") long jump into the wind. A 1500 which I hobbled in 4:41, a year's best, a good early year mark, but a long way to go. (Also, if you notice on the performance section of my blog, my goal is 4:39. This goal is for a double-decathlon, in which a 4:39 is probably equivalent to a 4:19 in an open 1500 -- hence the "a long ways to go.") I no-heighted in the High Jump, which was 5 minutes after the 1500. Important lesson learned: don't high jump after the 1500. Actually, don't do much after a 1500. Except lay down, drink, and maybe sleep. But the real great news is that outside the hard-core "just-the-facts-ma'am" disgruntled shot-put official (I could not get into either flight of the shot put, as "there was no room" and sign ups were over (over? IT'S AN ALL COMERS!) By contrast, I signed up for the high jump after competition started, continued to high jump after no-heighting, and was allowed to take two throws back-to back in the jav because I was long jumping at the time. The soup Nazi has NOTHING on the shot-put official at the UCB all-comers.) Anyways, like I was saying, aside from a minor glitch, I met some awesome fellow competitors, and did not experience much elitist attitude from others. I even got a great offer to come out and learn the hammer from UCB's hammer stud Carrie Johnson, who was also the official in the jav that let me take the back-to-back throws. Thanks Carrie! You and a few others are reinforcing my positive outlook that track can build a healthy community. Most likely, at the Feb 25 All-Comer's I'll be learning to throw the hammer... Next on the plate, however, is the Feb 11 Novato HS All-Comers meet, where I plan to do at least two field and three running events in a 2 hour span so I can make it home for lunch with Devin. That, and I've got a standing open offer to whoever can coach me in the vault - even 30 minutes a month - will pay, or trade track work, or trade event training. HELP! I CAN'T VAULT! (This is where I would insert a comical picture of me clearing 8 feet, but alas, all those with a free camera the one time I vaulted were running for their life or floating away in the monsoon.) -- post/email comment -- 0 comments -- February 3, 2006 This is me...
If Loving you is wrong... The experienced track athlete knows there is an elitist nature to the sport; unless you are the 99.9th percentile athlete, track must end after college (or high school, for most.) Why? Because you need to get on with your life? There's a funny double standard here; jog 8 minute miles with work buddies to your heart's content. Bowl every week, fly fish, play softball, soccer, steal televisions, join a touch football team, and they'll be a league, comrades, barbeques, friends, smiles and support from the community of hobbyists you join. Track? crickets and dialtones is what you'll hear when you go looking for some kind of support or community. In a sport so tied up in performance, there is a very well identifiable hierarchy structure - your performance. The 5 minute-miler is embarrassed to be around the 6-minute miler, and the 4-minute miler won't have anything to do with anyone not running a 1500 under 3:50. It's elitist, counter-productive to establishing a healthy community, and in some ways, wrong. Performance should be everything, but strictly relative to your own goals, not to someone else's, and definitely not as a judgment tool. Sure, the point of competition is to challenge yourself against others, to win - and this is a good thing - it's what makes competition great. To judge and exclude is wrong. Anyone out there coach the vault? [Cricket sounds.] (This is almost hypocritical of me, because a local high school asked me to work out their throwers - something I would love to do - but the schedule is impossible with this place that pays me money every two weeks - my job. Something's gotta keep my kid in brass instruments and me in pole vault poles.) This blog is dedicated to anyone who wishes to continue competing or training, having fun in their field, regardless of their ability or time they can manage. If you're healthy, becoming a better person and just having fun, good for you. Baseball does not have popularity and a community because of the Major Leagues - the Major Leagues exist because baseball is popular, because it allows for communities to exist. Little kids play it in parks and alleys, families play catch in the back yard, men and women play in softball leagues. No one tells the 5 year old, 20 year old or 50 year old playing baseball or softball to get on with their lives. I applaud efforts such as all-comer track meets, open track meets, training clubs (speaking of which, where are training clubs for anyone other than a distance runner?) and family, masters, and youth track events. These are the type of activities that will promote this wonderful sport in a country that dominates it, yet a country that must export it's athletes to overseas competitions for the support and competitions they deserve. -- post/email comment -- 0 comments -- February 1, 2006 How it all began... Call it a pre-emptive mid-life crisis. The summer 2005, I started the old legs back up with a few Empire Runners all-comer track meets, trained a little bit, and then got non-refundable tickets to Virginia, the site of the 2005 World Championships. To read my detailed account of the two-day competition, click here. The short of it; I was grossly under-trained, and worse, it rained 5 inches in the first eight hours of competition. After a disastrous 200 meter hurdles (the fourth event on the first day), my goals shifted from 11000 points to 10000 points to finishing. It was the most difficult thing I've ever done - and I've put in my own stitches on a torn-off finger. 1-2-3 went to David Purdon, from Australia, Doug Thomasey, from the US, and Leyti Seck, from Senegal. I finished seventh. A Master's T&F Blog also started another thread about the competition. The IAUM president, Brant Tolsma, set the world record for the 55 and over age group with some amazing performances. So many great athletes, wonderful people and volunteers made this meet incredible - pulling something like this off in a monsoon was impressive all-around. Some of the more interesting things that happened to me during competition:
So here I am, a few months later, ready to do it again. I'm taking it more seriously, training at least once a day, and fighting to stay healthy, keep my job, be a good father and husband, and see my friends now and then. I also gave up telling little white lies, which for an ex-track athlete, is difficult to do. So, I'm keeping track of real, verified performances and posting them here. No more "slightly elevated" PR's. I'm not going to the Olympics as a decathlete - I'm doing something more challenging - being the best athlete, person, husband and father I can possibly be. Here begins my journey... -- post/email comment -- 0 comments -- |
Links: Multi-Event Points Calculator - Enter your Marks & See Your Score IAUM - the governing body for the Double Decathlon All-Time Double Decathlon World Lists, Master's, Women's & Open. (individual & event performances) 2005 Double Dec. World Championship Complete Results USA T&F - United States Track and Field DecathlonUSA.org - history, records, current info on the decathlon VS Athletics - track and field supplies, equipment Change of Pace.com: N.California Running & Training Clubs Kip Janvrin's Post-World Record Interview Masters Track.com: Masters Track and Field Website Have a link you want posted here or that should be posted here? email Dimitry |
