End of Europe/Beginning of 2012 Training

Ok y'all... How did I not know that I hadn't updated this thing since the land of good and plenty? My bad, my bad. Ok so the end of Europe went something like this:

Copenhagen:
1) immediately found out how expensive Denmark is by getting clowned at the clown downtown
2) lost rock paper scissors for the bed
3) couldn't convince anyone that Tivoli gardens is awesome
4) ate 25 hot wings with Greg 10 minutes before we warmed up for the meet
5) felt like crap warming up for the meet
6) tried to jump in the rain. No dice
7) dusin high salted a 3rd attempt at 5.25 for the win in a downpour
8) had the weirdest candle lit meet dinner ever
9) charged stuff to the room
10) blowout argument about women's tennis

Biel/Bern/Lausanne/Zurich/Basel:
1) Nicole brought chocolate hot dogs to the airport
2) took a bath in a public fountain upon arrival
3) Mitch blew over 5.50m in Lausanne
4) music festival + pale ale + club = hangover
5) learned to slack line
6) swam in the river lots of times
7) ate some really good sausage
8) drove to basel for a street meet
9) our car took home all of the money/wine
10) went to Tucino for some man time
11) fell in love with the swiss land once more
12) swam in clear blue waters, dove off of pale white cliffs, ended it all with a sketchy near-death departure
13) back to Biel and Zurich in the morning to leave
14) airberlin had a laugh, our poles "wouldn't fit" on the plane
15) shipped them home and got no receipt, confirmation, or tracking info
16) learned it feels weird to combine 11 hours of sitting with coffee, wine and tylonol PM
17) took 2.5 hours to get through customs at LAX... Welcome home.

OK well thats that. All in all I had a fantastic time in Europe and I am super glad to have had the opportunity to go on this trip. Thanks a ton to my manager, Chris Bencomo at Golden Spikes Management for putting it together and letting me on board the squad. When I go back the next time I know that it will be more business oriented, and it probably won't be for quite so long, but I have so many contacts now it will make it a blast every time we thrash in the future. More thanks go out to: Alhaji Jeng, Oscar Janson, Yoo Kim, Michel Frauen, Brad Walker, Andy Stubbs, Steve Lewis, Gio Lanaro, Chris Chappell, Tori Peña, Allison Stokke, Theresa Raub, and most of all, Mitch Greeley, Nicole Büchler, Dustin DeLeo, Gregory Woepse, Bobby Talley, Chris Bencomo and Robert Jan Jansen. Thank you!!! (also I probably forgot tons of people).

OK so now what am I doing now...

I'm currently back in Indiana getting my training going for the 2012 season. I'm back with my college coach, Jake Wiseman, and we are getting ready to fire everything up full steam and prepare for the indoor season. I learned in Europe and in San Diego that I am able to jump every 4 days or so from full approach and not be hurt, so we are going to definitely do more jumping this fall than we have done in the past, and I'm really excited for that. Physically I know that I am capable of much more than 5.50m, and my short run jumping suggests the same. This year I want to have about 10x the long run practices that i had last year, which would be about 20. Not too much to ask! Last year I practiced from full approach two times the entire year! That just doesn't really work out, so were gonna get a better handle on it this year. I am also excited to be back in at Force Fitness and Performance. We have a new focus this fall on functional strength, and activating the parts of my engine that arent quite firing right. I'm feeling really good about it and after a week I'm already happy with it since I'm sore in all of the places that I have never been sore before. Good feeling believe it or not!!

Ok well that's enough for now, but I do have a cool announcement coming soon for whoever stays tuned!

May the force be with you. And also with you.