Assault on an Oak

I’ve only been home for three days now, and I feel like I have already achieved so much. With the conclusion of my indoor season, I was tempted to visit an NCAA last chance qualifier to further solidify something special I felt happening performance wise. However the cost of attending the USA Indoor championships was a bit higher than normal and another big trip seemed like a stretch. I returned to Idaho from New Mexico to spend a few much needed days with friends. The outdoor season is around the corner and there is still much to be done. A 650 mile drive on Friday, with 150’ of role out rubber bottoming out the suspension in the trusty Subaru, landed me home, but a few days prior, a large storm landed a hefty oak tree in my parent’s driveway. So my plans were delayed a day and the collective family assault on the tree took place comprised of two chain saws, two hand saws, four bodies, and one massive burn pile. After a sunny day of hard labor, saturated in laughs and strained muscles, full use of the driveway was back in play, and plenty of fire wood for next winter was stacked. I turned my attention back to my main project.
Installing a pole vault facility at home has been a healthy task. It is a massive effort that is only going to become a reality thanks to the powerful connections of the pole vault community. A plant box from Mike, Rubber from Coach Dave, 150’ of cement bought, mixed and poured by my Dad, standards from Wilson, a pit from Kent, and the constant labor efforts of a few others like myself, my Mom and my Girlfriend. Looks like I’ll be taking jumps from a full run on Friday of this week.
The idea of putting in a runway at home has a lot of reasoning behind it. Working around an injury makes me limited, and planning has proven more difficult than you’d think. I seem to have much more success on the fly. If I’m feeling good, I want to be able to take advantage of it right then. I have a great deal of support out here, and have been given access to a handful of great facilities, but being unemployed, broke and in debt, putting gas in my car to get to those places, and scheduling in advance is no easy task. It’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s the truth and this is the path I have chosen knowing full well that this is going to work. With 5 to 6 weeks of down time from competition and a good looking forecast, I am going to eat right, sleep right, do my therapy, bike, run (uphill only mind you), do my ring workouts, rest properly and Pole Vault, all in one place, no scheduling or gas necessary.
Magic.