Blogs : Lamont Johnson

Training above sea level...waaay above it!!!

Well as most of my close people know, I moved outta the Midwest this October (those that knows me know why) and headed to the great Southwest, and I tell it was a change...in more ways than one. As soon as I got here and settled in on that Sunday, I started my fall training. The first week was just alot of shake out stuff, drills, and weights, now the following week is when all hell done broke loose.

I knew where I was living was above sea level, but good lawd!!! My first workout was some 100's about 10 of them, after the fifth one, I would of swore someone had put my lungs in the figure four leg lock...lol! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't catch my breath, the 100's felt like 400m repeats, it was just bad all around. I kid you all not, normally, it would take me about a month to get in shape...NOPE NOT DOWN HERE, I swear to the high heavens it took me about 7 weeks to get right, its a different monster up here, now I see why distance runners love it so much, many say that sprinters don't really see any major improvements due to training in altitude, well hopefully, I can prove that theory wrong this season, cause I'm hittting times that I never really hit this early in my training program before.

I had a good workout session today, did some sled pulls, four of them. Did some blocks with the auto timer touch pad. Using that timing system makes the starts more intense, cause you're  pretty much saying to yourself "ok I wanna hit 3.8, I wanna hit this 3.7 high" so pretty much you have something to shoot for, rather than putting out cones and running to the them. My first 30m is getting much better, I'm working on much more technical stuff and using more power thru my drive phase. My block clearance is right where I need it, and to go back to my drive phase, its getting much better, I can actually hold the position more naturally and without thinking about actually staying in the "drive/power position", so I feel good about my block workout today. After the blocks, I did 4x100m inside the football practice arena, normally I would do 6, but I worked out Sunday, and I got 3x250's tomorrow so we only did 4 and not to mention, I was going pretty fast running in my training flats. On the field turf, I was running high 11 second sprints, mostly working on form, foot strike, and rotation, too many people worry about running fast, instead of running right, if you learn how to run right, you are going to run fast, its that simple, doesn't take a rocket scientist that looks like Napolean Dynamite to understand or figure that out. Word to you coaches, learn how to coach, just don't focus on recruiting ready made talent to where your job will be "easier".

Anyway, thats all for now, take care and I will get you all updated with the wonderful world known as my upside down athletic life.

P.S. Ms. Brianna Glenn, if we are at a meet together again, and you act like you can't speak to me, I'm a throw a balloon filled with hot water at you and frizz your hair up...LMAO!!! But you still fine tho!

Know what...

11:21 PM, January 7, 2008 .. Posted by UnrTrack

I was gonna wish you well and hope you get acclimated to the altitude sooner rather than later... but you had to go and start threatening people at the end! You got issues boy! haha... Honest though, it takes probably 2 weeks or so to start gettin used to the altitude. You'll survive. Then when you get back to sea level it will feel like you have an oxygen tank on your back!

don't mess with the hair!

11:51 AM, January 8, 2008 .. Posted by missbri

you know better then that!!! :)

if i did that, i am sorry! honestly, i'm not that good with names and faces in the track world--at least not together. i might recognize you but not know from where or why. most of the time i try to just pretend and play it off but i obviously didn't do a good job of it with you. so next time you see me just come up and say "hey this is justblaze from trackshark." i'll act like we are best friends, i promise!