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Chris trying to pole vault ! :-(

A very dissapointing pole vault session, or the little of it I managed.

Did a few one and two step drill in the sand and that was ok. We then moved to the pit and did the same. That was also ok. Rosie said ok back to 4 steps. First try I was too close and felt the ankle on take off. So I moved back. Second try Felt it a little in the 4 steps and then ouch on take off. Full extending the foot on take-off hurst the front of the ankle. I tried one last time running flat footed, that worked for the approach but I had no drive on take off. Ankle is still not healed well enough to vault properly. So I did some walking drills and talked to Rosie whilst Tim warmed up.

Not sure what to do now, I hope my vaulting days are not over.

I'll rest the ankle from running till Saturday and try compete at interclub. If I join the 180cm start I can do a 2 step take off at least and that gives me 2 vault comps and I only need one more to qualify for finals. I can still do standing hammer and shot put. 

Once again I'll keep you posted.  The saga of the aging injured athlete continues.

Went along to Collingwood Masters last night and ran the 60, 600m and 3.3 km runs. No blistering pace but I survived and the ankle is only a little stiff today.

So one down and one to go. Pole vault training tonight. That is what I am waiting to try. Hopefully all goes ok and I can start some solid training again next week.

Will keep you posted.

Yep, had my last "planned" physio visit on Saturday and Belinda is happy for me to stop seeing her unless I have any issues. That means I can restart vaulting, high jump and hurdles. Interclub restarts this weekend so I'll know soon enough how strong the ankle is.

Masters tonight and we have a 60m, 600m and 3.3 km run on. Will try them all and see how I go. Then hopefully Pole Vault training Wednesday night.

Seems like it's all or nothing.

Will update on my progress tomorrow.

Hi all, hope you have recovered from New Years. We headed into the city for the family fireworks along with thousands of others. We had some free rides in Alexandra Gardens and then sat for two hours waiting for the fireworks. 8min later we packed up and headed for the station. That took another 40mins. But it was a good nigh and the kids enjoyed it. Will probably not worry next year.

See MMS post for one a shot I took.

Yesterday we had a late start and I managed to do a few jobs I had been putting off.

Will try get for run tonight after work and help Adele with her Gym training "homework"

Hi all,

 well Christmas has come and gone and I am back at work :-(

We headed across to Perth for a family get together and had a great time. Rockingham is a wonderfull part of the world. I could happily move there if things were different. Freemantle was great to look around and is a lot like Melbourne with the coffe lanes and elfresco eateriers every where. Very nice.

The kids  had a good time and got lots of Chrissy presents and loved spending time with their cousins.

I only managed one run whilst away and a short ride. I did get out a cople of times in the few days before we left, the weekend before Christmas. The ankle is stronger and flexabilty is slowly returning. Not back to normal yet, neither is my fitness. I struggled around my 4k circuit yesterday.

Not sure I will ever get back to how I was, I know it is still early days but I don't like my chances of getting to the vic champs and state decathlon this season.

Will update again after new years, yep I'm working Friday.

PS: Yes StuMac we have a wobble board, from when my wife did her ankle whilst rock climbing. I have been using it and it does help heaps. I missed it whilst away, but will be back on it tonight. Merry Christmas

Last night I went down to masters for the big Christmas breakup night. As usual I ate way too much! John organised a great supper and as per usual Graeme ran a terrific night.

My family stayed home this year in order to get an early night. Adele desperately needs it with 4 days of Gymnastics before breakup demonstration day Saturday.

As for me the ankle is definitely getting better. If I was not an active person it would be called fixed.  However it still lacks strength and flexability that is causing some issues still. I cannot toe sprint at all and last night I only ran 2k which was enough for it.

The last week I have riden the bike twice 6 and 10km as well as having run 1k 3 times and round the block (1.5k) twice. I have been happy just to get around and the clumpyness of the ankle is going. Last night I pushed the 2k and managed to run with Carmel we crossed in 8m40. No where need my best, but I was only hoping to do 5min/k so I'm very happy. It was a 20min time trial but I was never going to manage that. The ankle was noticable on the last lap so was happy to finish after 5 laps and walk one as cool down in the 20 min period.

Fitness is now the bigger issue. No race or speed fitness at all. I guess that will come back with time. The anlke still neeeds more work to be my normal again, but I feel now that the end is in sight.

For a while there I did think that this was the end of my athletics career. I am still not sure how it will go doing pole vault long jump and hurdles, time will tell !

Well that is the latest on me.

Adele has had a great year at gym and was awarded the clubs gymnast of the year, a great honour. We were not there for presentation night so it will be presented this Saturday and break-up. Well done Adele.

Eleanor is plodding along, growing and getting faster. She is still enjoying little aths and is training with Darren to try get minimum height in high jump. We are not there yet but looking a lot closer.

In case I do not update before A merry Christmas to all and a Happy new year.

Eat well and run it all off. See you on the track next year.

Yeah, the physio said I can now run. On the flat and not too far, but yes I can run.

It is not going to be pretty but I have to restart the best I can.

Every thing is going ok. Except the ankle joint is locking a little under load and stopping the full moving. I have more exercises with a strapp to do that should fix it. Here's hoping any how.

Bit tired today after a full weekend which went a little like this: Little Aths, ASV Star B Q at Heathcote, driving to Geelong and lunch before finally heading home to unpack and stop dead tired.

I'm now walking much better. No twanging pains for days now. I can walk at about my normal fast pace. It is only down stairs that are a pain. I do not yet have the range of the right ankle.

Exercises are still being done but as regemented as they should be. I can stand on one foot fot quite a while now, unaided. Do heal raises on one foot and only need a finger or two for balance. It is still swallen more than I would like but going down slowly.

I must confess to having done an old man shuffle run a few times when speed was needed. I have not been keen to take it any further or faster yet.

Friday is physio day and I hope to be able to run again soooooooon.

Isn't it fantastic !?!

Steve made it for us(Brenda's brother) the leaves and frame are stainless steel. I put it in Tuesday night and we love it. Will be great to be able to leave the front door open on summer nights to let the cool night air in.

attended a great workshop Sunday afternoon, apart from a bad case of sun burn it was a great day and well worth the trip to Box Hill.

Alan has a wealth of experience and has some different aproaches to training and technique to that of Mark and Rosie who I train under. Basic idea is the same but some ideas and especially time spent with vaulters varies. Alan was time short and had lots of vaulters so he devised a basic frame work for all to follow. This helped him produce many good juniour vaulters.

Mark on the other hand uses much smaller training groups and gives a much more tailered individual approach. Both have their place and work.

 It was great to see so many vaulters in the outside demostrations. I don't think I have ever seen so many vaulters doing drills at the one time together. It worked and gave me some good ideas on how to train ou group more efficiently. First thing is a high bar!

Below are some shots from the day

The ankle is improving by the day. After more physio Saturday I have been told running in two weeks. Yahoo!

Have some light strapping today and it feels good walking much more normal and only down stairs giving me grief at the moment. That is due to the lack of flex in the joint. So more exercises more wabble board and hopefully bike riding on the wind trainer if I can get my hands on one.

Apart from that lots of walking. All in all good news and I'm feeling better.

The ankle is coming along as well as could be expected, considering the pounding it was given. Looks like some of the tendons are still stretched and not supporting as they should. Apart from those occational twinges when the tendon twangs it is getting much stronger.

I am now able to go up and down stairs at last. walking across sloping ground is a little tricky. Walking speed and confidence in the ankle is getting better also.

No strapping on it at all now, just the pressure tube to keep swelling down and pressure on the ankle. I'm still in runners as street shoes and not comfortable yet.

Back the the physio again on Saturday, pleased to say I'm doing all my exercises at least once a day and untill today regular icing as well. Still feels swallen once down for a while. But I am please with progress.

I am not resigned to the fact I'll be lucky to compete before '09, as for gym class who knows. Not sure Brenda is going to let me ever go back.

I'm glad to say I am walking better today, all the moving, icing and compression must be starting to work. The swelling is begining to subside, it does however swell once it is down for a while and feels like a big soggy lump at the end of my leg. The soda crystals and anti inflam cream has helped as well, especially in bringing out the bruising. Good patches of purple and the whole ankle is a greeny colour .

I am trying to do cirles with it a every opertunity, there is not a lot of movement in the ankle that way however up and down is pretty good. A little sore at the extreames but I guess that is to be expected.

Back to the physio for the 3rd visit tomorrow night. Not cheap but I feel I need it if I am to make a full and quick recovery.

Eleanor is on school camp at present and it is odd having only Adele around. I wonder if she would be doing as much gym if she was an only child. You notice how little time we spend with her at present. It does give us more time to sit at gym and watch her. She is doing so well we are very proud of her achievements.