Thursday, July 22, 2010

I'm Sitting On Top Of The World...

It's a beautiful night to live my beautiful life!

I keep on the winning track. I mean, during my '08 season I won 18 of my 23 races, including indoors, so it's not as if winning is foreign to me, it's just the fact that every competition I go to, I treat it like a celebration. I celebrate the fact that I am in these competitions and doing what I love to do. I remember 365 days ago what I was doing and I know it is not my birthright to be doing this. I am so thankful for my talent, my health and what I have going on between my left and right earlobes (well 95% of the time because I do my share of dumb things too).

I went out tonight, probably ran the worse first couple of hurdles of the season, but was able to stay focused and come out on top with another win, this time running a stadium record of 13.01 (+1.0w)

It is very hard for me to get my usual groove in my warm-up here in Monaco. It's not a facility with an actual warm-up track, so for us hurdlers, we've got to try to get creative with our warm-up. My warm-up is a gameplan that I have been developing this entire season, tweaking a few things here and there, but I think I have found the recipe that works for me, but here, it pretty much goes out of the window.

My start is still sort of erratic, so I really try to focus on doing multiple starts over multiple hurdles when I'm getting ready. Today, I was relegated to one start over one and it showed in the race that I didn't have my stuff grooved in. I wasn't fully set to react to the gun either and my hips were not up in a good position to attack the first hurdle. I don't think any of us were really ready for that gun looking at the reaction times.

I've said on this site time and again that one of the keys to being a profession athlete is having the ability to make changes on the fly and that no one really cares how you feel, when your name is called on to perform, you perform.

Although I feel that my first few hurdles weren't up to par, I feel that in my middle set of hurdles that I ran them as well if not better than in my races where I was running under 13 seconds. Then I sort of lost it again towards the end. I was having trouble with this surface too. With it being so new, it is really responsive. If you put a lot of power in to it, it will give it back to you and I felt as if I was being thrown into the next hurdle. I really noticed it at practice yesterday. I just tried to stay focused and aggressive and get the job done and that I did.

I hit probably half the hurdles in the race in one way or the other, completely taking out about three. My saving grace is that I NEVER hit hurdles with any part of my trail leg (knee, ankle, foot etc). I always hit them with my lead foot or hamstring. It comes with the territory, when I'm trying to step down off the hurdle and get back on the ground, that happens.

There is a reason why when you look at the IAAF Biomechanical Study from our 60m hurdle final at World Indoors this year that I am the hurdler that spends the least amount of time in the air out of the best of the best. I am .32 over the first and .30 for the remaining four hurdles, while other greats like Robles and Trammell are between .02 to .04 slower than me. That isn't a great deal of time and I'm not on their level as far as indoor hurdling, but you've got to start somewhere.

Hey if a few hurdles have to pay the price, then so be it. In one of Allen's fastest races ever, he hit about nine hurdles, but you can't make up any time in the air. When you start hitting hurdles with your trail leg, then you start running in to problems. You lose balance and run a great risk of not finishing the race at all, one thing I know for sure is my trail leg knee stays clean. Now if we take it back a few years, then that wouldn't be the case for sure LOL, got a lot of war wounds on that left knee.
So I come out of the Monaco Diamond League meeting with four more points, a total of 16 for me this season, with two more 110 hurdle competitions in the League to go. I set a goal to be the champion of the Diamond League and I'm inching closer to achieving that goal.

Now I'm heading back home and I'm excited. I can get this dental procedure done so I can get rid of this painful toothache I've been dealing with since Prefontaine and I am in dire need of a haircut!! I hate walking around without a fresh cut.

I appreciate the support you guys give me, I love reading the great comments yall post, even the bad ones that I reject, it all is just fuel to my fire!

15 comments:

Tee Reese said...

Nice work! Keep that energy and definitely enjoy the ride... and I'd say it again, I'm hitching a ride!

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for more from you! Good luck!

reggaegirl3 said...

CONGATTSSS MR. OLIVER!!!! Keep the WINNING STREAK going. Ur FL.young fans always SUPPORT U. Stay HEALTHY n GOD BLESS.

DCBrown said...

Congrats on another great race.
It may not have been the race everyone was expecting but you made a great comeback in your middle hurdles.
Enjoy your trip home for some much needed rest...so you'll be refresh to take the Diamond League title you already know is yours.

I hope and pray your dental procedure goes well...you have such a beautiful smile..would hate to damage that...lol
And the "hair cut" thats needed...you may see a problem but the image on my tv was just fine.

Look forward to catching your upcoming races.

ejheat said...

Congrats on another win & I think your 13.01 was the right time in this Monaco meet the way you have your .01, 1's up in the air again! Your blog father has spoken!!!!

Your bad company for your competition right now! Me & Coach E celebrated your win combined with just another 1 of my right-center field magic Marlins history wins again with a walk off win over the Rockies Thursday on a hit to right-center field, & again, we did our dystontic dance celebration OOM-PA-PA hip swivel right-center field magic twist & shout at the awesome Bad Company concert Thursday evening at The Lakeland Center! This was 1 BIG "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" dance with Coach E dirty diaper dancing again! It sure smelled like bad company with Coach E, but he was celebrating for Mr. Essence Sobefit 303 "Shooting Star" I mean Oliver "Shooting Star," whatever!

By the way, Coach E is warming up your championship Diamond League EJHEAT rollaway bed fit for a king with a diamond league of its own Zoom, Zoom , Zoom & ZZZZZZZ's! But, you got to keep DOING IT & DO it up BIG my "Herculis 2010" (from your blog picture) hurdling hero in those 2 other Diamond League meets with wins before you get this Diamond EJHEAT rollaway King of Diamond bed! It's on EJHEAT layaway right now with Coach E warming it up for you with half his body on & off the bed in his brand spankin' new diamond diaper yelling, "Oliver get your legs & OOM-PA-PA moving over those hurdles!" I always called you my hercules hurdling hero & that "Herculis 2010" from your blog picture says it all! A picture like that 1 with your shirt really DO say a thousand words! That's the bottom line because good company me & bad company Coach E said so!!!!

Eric

Claude said...

David, havent seen the race yet, but found your comments insightful and interesting. Seems that a number of things came into play prior to the race itself, foremost the new track; warm-up area, etc. However I kind of got the impression in this particular race, you were after something else other than the win, maybe chasing a WR. As you so eloquently state "records happen" you dont plan for them. I think this breat is good since a lot of the immediate pressure, be it self imposed or whatever, is now off. You still have some might important races ahead and being prepared is what is important. I still think, the Cuban Federation is going to try to "sneak" Dayron in on you at a meet he's not supposed to run in (dont know how they would do it, but you never know), so you need to be prepared for exigencies. Hopefully, will watch the meet on Versus. Take care.

clj

Josh Hembrough said...

Great race despite the conditions and the not so good warm up area. No worries on the time. 13.01 is still a very very fast time. Like you said, the most important thing is to win and then the times will come. Proud of you! Keep trucking on!

Ms.Mia said...

So proud of you Chipmunk! ;)Congrats!

Joy (from SH) said...

13.01 with hits some hurlds and you still the winner. You will break the WR sooner or later. LOL

Claude said...

David, I have now seen the video and what strikes me is that in a bad race, I really can see how you've become a complete hurdler. In catching up: you didnt loose your cool, maintained you form, relied on your mechanics and speed. As I've been saying all year, your technique has really been honed, but its your basic foot speed that is separating you now. A 13.01 is considered a bad race (by sme in the media---at least Ato Bolden realized just how significant that time was even those the race was less than perfect). Anyway, continued good luck.

Claude

Camilla said...

David, I just love to read your blog! It's so inspiring. I'm a young middle distance runner from Norway and to read your blog motivates me a lot to keep up the hard work and appreciate that I have two healthy feet to run with.
I also love hurdles, but I got a ligament injury in my knee this winter so I haven't been able to do the hurdles. But soon!

You always remind me that we should celebrate that we get to do what we love. You see, when I'm really tired or things don't go so well, it's sometimes hard to remember this. Then it's really great to read your blog to get a reminder! Thank you!
Keep up the good work. I'm sure you'll get the WR some day! Your 12.89 race in Paris really gave me goosbumps!

- Camilla

Aunt Celest said...

From your mouth to GOD's ears. The Diamond League is yours. There is no way you should have any haters. Everything you post is always postive. Keep up the good work.

LaLa said...

I enjoy reading the detail in your posts, I can feel your excitement jumping off the screen.

I think it's a good thing to delete the haters, although it never occured to me that anyone would post something negative about you. Keep positive!

Macdonald family said...

We are the two american girls who got your picture when you were getting on the bus in Monoco after the meet. You are an amazing athlete on and off the track. Thank you for your time: We both run the 100m hurdles in high school This was a highlight of our european trip. We hope you nail 12.84 and wish you the best:

Macdonald family said...

We are the two american girls who got your picture when you were getting on the bus in Monoco after the meet. You are an amazing althlete both on and off the track. Thank you for your time: We both run the 100m hurdles in high school and we appreciate your insight and example. This was a highlight of our european trip. We hope you nail 12.84 and wish you the best: