November was a HUGE month for me. In sports and outside of sports. I moved into a new apartment (until end of Dec.), I secured a new high-tech job, got back to normal training (stabilized my hamstring injury), got a coach (and team), was truly consistent in training and even had a wisdom tooth removed. That post is about training though, so in it we will cover:
- Track training
- Gym
- Issues to be fixed (recovery, overthinking about results)
- Next month (Spoiler: Competitions!)
Track training
Coach and team
I have a coach now! 3 months into training, the local coach at the stadium I was training at offered to help me with training. He is determined, open-minded and has more experience than me. Being with a coach is certainly better than being without one (ofc not any coach is better than no coach. But as long as there is open-mindness, place for conversation and most importantly - mutual will to improve, a new pair of eyes is way better than training alone). I was very grateful to receive that offer. I accepted it. Training got harder since. Training with people is amazing. You do more in each workout and not only that - you do it better. In addition to having a coach, I started training with people. Not 100% of my sessions are with a team but a big portion now, which is great!
Training
It's a crazy coincidence but this month, like the one before it, started with me being kicked out of the stadium. So first training of the month was being done on concrete. That produced that cool image: (Video):
Left hamstring injury
The first third of November - I worked on my left hamstring like crazy. Stretching and strengthening it almost each workout. I did strengthening exercises - Nordic curls, one leg bridge rolls on yoga ball, fast hamstring kicks against a ball, more bridge variations, etc and stretches - with bands, even gymnastics split... I kept working on my hamstrings (focusing on the left one) for the rest of the month with less intensity (Now around 2-3 times a weeks). Post-workout Nordic curls became a regular routine at this point.
Thanks to that, I got back in the game. There were days where my hamstring felt great. Many days it felt good only after a long, proper warmup. I think this injury won't be 100% behind me until I change my daily routine which will allow me better recovery (2026). So the days where my hamstring feels a bit off - are taken as understandable. I keep doing physiotherapy, already 6 sessions in. I aim to stop them somewhere in December though, as I am feeling way better than how I felt when I came to them.
Sprint work
This month, I did a lot of sprint work. Not with full recovery yet, but a decent one allowing me to run pretty fast. I ran 100s, 150s, 200s, 90s in-and-outs, block starts, wicket runs.
Plyometric work
In track & gym: throwing ~6kg balls, jumping, drills combining sprints & plyo.
Long jump
My main issue is the last steps. I block much of the speed I get from the runup. Also, I am not aligned properly in the take-off, which prevents me from using power in addition to the speed I gain when jumping.
Here is a bad long jump example, where because I am stuck at the back on takeoff I am flying too high and not long:
Here is a better take-off:
Many small details like these. Adjusting my runup, working on the push phase. My coach and I did a lot of good work in that area this month. The fact that all of this is in my head - is also a good sign. I got some good jumps in training, especially in the November's last Friday training, showing what's possible with proper technique. I didn't do any tests though and I didn't measure any jumps - so I can't say "what I'm worth" yet. Still, I believe I move in a good direction in the long jump.
Mobility
kinda squeezed out in trainings. We work with hurdles or sometimes on the warmup matress. Opening those hips is extremely important.
Gym
Note: I am 64kgs, 169cm
I am either explosive or lifting heavy in my sessions. Most of the time combining both. Unfortunetly, I kinda got stuck with clean lift at 85-90kg (132-138% BW) after PBing (95kg, 146% BW) in mid October. I think it can be because my recovery is worse, because my current clean setup is lower than it was or because I just train a lot harder overall. We do a lot of different exercises so I just make sure I am getting challenged by the weights. I don't really try to push specific exercises except for the clean which I love for some reason. Example for weights I lift: Bench press - myself+5kgs (~70kgs) for 10X3 reps, hipthrust at 200% BW. Squat - around 140kgs, ...
Food & Sleep
I am eating and sleeping well. I sleep now, at age 21, better than ever before. Maybe it is because school and army are over, maybe it is because I moved into a new aparment and live basically alone ("basically" because I have someone renting the apartment with me). Could be many things but the fact is... I am sleeping well. I can still improve. I am averaging 8-8.5 hours daily. I am making all my food at home. Getting to 130g of protein is a fun challenge, which I believe I overall succeed in.
Key issues:
Tiredness
My job, home and training stadium are very far apart. Usually I do:
- 1hr bus ride to work
- 2.5hr 2-buses + train ride to stadium
- 1hr 2-buses ride to home
- +LOTS OF WALKING (around 40-60 minutes total)
Usually leaving home at 9:00 am and returning around 9:30 pm
That means not only are ~5 hours of my day are kinda lost (or invested into reading and doing other work. I never just sleep or be idle in those rides. I usually write, read, do calls, work, change clothes, eat...) but that I travel always with lots of bags and items which sum up to a pretty heavy load. A load that I carry with myself for the whole day.
This is not optimal and will change surely. In 2026 I'll rent a new apartment and start working in a new, more exciting, more flexible job. The job and apartment will be closer to the stadium (around 1hr ride). Both of those should boost my recovery and hopefully fix that tiredness issue.
About December though, which is not a short period, I'll try to optimize what I can. That's what I did with November. Train near home when I can (gym, light sessions...). Try to carry less stuff, drop stuff at home (mid-day) if possible, keep my bags light as possible, sleep well, etc. I already feel like I'm pretty optimized in that area but there is always room for improvement.
Not knowing
A lot of the time this year I am struggling with training without really knowing if it's worth it... If results will come. I keep thinking - If I were a 7.30m jumper, then I know I am a decent long jumper. I know I actually achieved a decent mark in track and field. But I am not, I am a 6.75m long jumper... I get endorsements from time to time, which are great to hear but still - I have no idea how long can I jump. I jumped far on some training sessions. Competitions are couple of weeks away. I keep telling myself to actually enjoy that period of not knowing, because I can find out that:
- I am not good as I think I might be (and that won't be fun)
- If I am actually good, the pressure for good results will come with it.
I will be happy for 2, but for now, I tell myself, to just enjoy the present (& be patient!).
December
My October goals were pretty much checked out - I am back from the injury, I jump a lot (though not always 2 times a week), I lift heavy and I did a lot of sprint work.
For December - the goal will be to feel even better. Sleep better. Training wise, I got my coach on the wheel and so I just need to focus on execution. That's what I'll do! When tired in training, remember I'm blessed to do competitive sports and that each run must be done in good technique and willful effort. Keep improving in long jump technique, focusing on runup and its last steps.
Competitions - I'll probably compete twice in the last week of December (25th and 31st). That is super exciting and I can't wait for them to arrive. Next month recap we'll know how long can I jump, and right now, I really believe that could be longer than my PB. Will I break my PB before 2026 rolls in? Whether yes or not, I am all-in for breaking it this in-door season.
Compared to November goals written in October - these December goals written here are not very specified, which is usually a bad thing. You usually want specified goals and a very detailed plan. Right now, I actually think that my current approach is good for December. First of all, I have a lot of things to figure out that aren't sports-related. I had a lot of those in November but I couldn't choose to focus just on execution as I had no coach. I had to plan my training. But right now, after months of detailed planning, I chose to focus on just doing (in training) and leave the planning for my career, apartment searching, etc.
