Racing at Oakland University

It has been a very long winter! I am very ready for some consistent sun and warmth. After indoor season, outdoor season training begins. Most athletes at my level would be heading south to some island. I have many friends down on islands right now getting quality preparation for the outdoor season while I am home in Detroit Michigan where you could have a day in the 60s then the next is sub 20. I have still be training the majority of my day inside on a hard rubber surface. In order to do block work I have placed blocks on a rug at a wall and did starts with training shoes on. Lets hope the weather gets better so I can get outside for some quality workouts.

It is still very early in the year to being racing, but a majority of my season takes place at the university level still just to get as many races in as I can get. This year was a very special year for me. Oakland University, the school I attended, has finally built an outdoor track. I did not want to pass up the opportunity to participate in the very first competition on university grounds.

Leading up to this race I was dealing with some injuries. Lucky for me I lift at a physical therapy facility (Health Quest Physical Therapy and Performance), and they were kind enough to help me recover from some issues I was having in time to race.

Even with the interruption in my hurdle training, I was still able to work on my starts and sprints. The past 3 weeks I have gone over a total of 20 hurdles, and the race was the first time I had been over 10 hurdles in at least 2 weeks, and the first time through a full flight.

I was able to race fairly well on a not so great day. The conditions were about 10 C and a strong head wind. My goal was to finish the race and be consistent. I was first to cross the line against some of my former teammates and athletes (from when I coached at OU). My time was roughly eight tenths faster than I have ever started my season.

Knowing that I was essentially off hurdles for 3 weeks I am trying to keep optimistic. I was hoping for a bit faster race and to be in better position at this point coming into the season but sometimes things happen which slow you down. My Championship is still 4 months away, and that makes me excited and content with my training to this point. Four months is still a very long time and I will have plenty of time to fine tune the details. This first month is still important and I am starting to feel good again.

Its time to make some improvements. Next race is either this weekend or next. Stay tuned for more details.