Training Update

Well, it's Joe here again. Lots to update on, so this entry could end up being a long one.

Since returning from Hawaii, my training has continued to be excellent. Many of the aches, and chronic issues that I had been dealing with healed while on the island. Sunshine is so important to my body's chemistry. It's like a drug. I am eager for the return of warmer weather here in Cali for that very reason. My training was top notch despite being away from Coach Pfaff. In some ways it was good to internalize some of the things I had learned from him, as there was no one looking over my shoulder. All in all, Maui was one of the best decisions that Laura and I have made since the all important decision to move to Cali. Tickets were $290, accommodations were shoestring, if not gifted to us by a friend, and we ate smart. So for a surprisingly small amount of money we were able to accelerate my winter training in preparation for the spring season.

Coach Pfaff had a contact in Maui that was an old friend and colleague. His name is Scott Sanchez and I was able to train at his facility and discuss training with him on a regular basis. Scott works mostly with downhill skiers, and windsurfers. He is a quiet man that is slow to warm up. Over time, we really connected and he shared much with me about what he has learned over the years working with many world champions in sport. Scott is a very knowledgeable and talented guy, and after working out one day I asked him what it was that he was best at. “Making people great!” was his response. The next day, I pushed him on this and he finally explained it this way. In downhill skiing, if you took the top 10 skiers and gave them unlimited runs on the mountain for a day, they would each eventually run about the same fast time. But in competition, when everything is on the line, there are only a few that are capable of pulling that same performance. Why? Distractions. They are great at eliminating the distractions, right? Nope. They use them. Scott claims that it is impossible to remove them. They are facts, and are part of the landscape. The key is to know how to recognize and identify them, gather them up, and channel them into a proper outlet or cue. I could go on, but you get the point. Scott has really started me on a path toward mental control and strength. Probably more important than physical strength at times.

Speaking of the physical. Dan is getting me flat out striped ape strong right now. This guy's understanding of how body chemistry works is amazing. He also understands that many people choose to use drugs, but feels that they are taking a cheap and uneducated route to excellence. Yes, steroids are powerful and scary in their ability to take people to the next level. But there is a price to pay in damage to body and soul. Dan has always believed that with a proper understanding of the human physiology, we can come close to the same effect, but without the baggage of guilt and fear that accompany illegal substances. There would be no way for me to explain how Dan accomplishes this at this point as it is way over my head. The best I can do is to say that he knows what each particular type of workout does to the body's chemistry (atp production, lactate, calcium ion depletion, testosterone levels, cortisol, etc.) and then knows how to order the workouts to maximize performance and recovery of those systems. The bottom line, cleans and bench are over 300lbs, and squat is over 600lbs. These are not my max, but rather workout weights. At 6' 4” and 200lbs these are huge wattage numbers. The crazy part is that it is only January, and these numbers will go up quite a bit as we taper toward competition season. Now let me say that these figures mean nothing if I can't channel the force properly into a shot put or high jump. But I am with a coach who is daily helping me to be able to do that too. Exciting.

Coach Dan Pfaff

Things have been a bit stressful around TigerBar sports for the past month. The man who began the non-profit and spearheaded the training facility has come upon hard times. His fortune was made in real estate and as you know, California has been hit hard. Despite doing everything he possible could to fund our program, he will no longer be able to do so. It kills him to not see his vision completed. But he needs to put his family first at this point and get back on his feet. We are forever grateful for Tony and can honor this indebtedness by making Olympic teams. There are a potential 15-18 athletes from this training group who could find themselves on the 2008 team. That is staggering, but illustrates why the energy is so good day in and day out while we train together.

The burden falls to the athletes to come up with the money to pay Coach Pfaff and maintain operating expenses. A similar non-profit track organization out of Livermore, CA has stepped up to aid us in this journey. Tri-Valley Vault Club has been working with highschool athletes for the past 7 years. They are in the process of incorporating us and changing the name of the non-profit to Tri-Valley Athletics (or something similar). The scope and purpose of the organization will change and evolve to meet the needs of Olympic hopefuls in the Nor Cal area.

On Friday we will be moving the entire training facility from Isleton, CA to Stockton, CA. The Port of Stockton has offered us one of their warehouses to use as a training facility. We have an incredible amount of work to do to accomplish this transition, and much of the load will fall on my and Tye Harvey's shoulders. I am leery of the toll it could dish out, but grateful and aware of how fortunate we are to have an option for location at all. I'll get some pics together once we get the new facility together. In the meantime, there are some more photos of general training (and a few of Rowan) at flickr if you click here.

Take care,

Joe

Port of Stockton