4th Title Canadian Championship-Thank God

I just want to say thank you to everyone that has supported me and sent me congratulatory messages. I am truly grateful.

Below is the video of my race. Thanks to my cousin for DVR-ing it...so that I could record it from my camera lol....Yea a little bootleg....you know how it goes sometimes. Enjoy the commentary from my uncle!

Round 1

Round 1 is officially over. And for those of you that have followed me during my last 6 weeks in Europe, know that I have been "flashed knocked down" (or down for the count and ready to throw in the towel).

It has been a very "rough" road, for a lack of a better phrase. I have been frustrated and disappointed, and those that have been on the receiving end of my venting, many many thanks.

At the beginning of this blog venture, I said I would talk about my experiences, if not for you the reader, definitely for me. So let's go back a little bit....

June 12th~Sotteville

I flew over to London and arrived on the 10th of June and flew right back out for my 1st meeting in Sotteville France. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) I was unable to run due to miscommunication between the meet organizers and myself. I say fortunately because it was freezing and I had 3 long flights right before this race. So the circumstances, on hindsight, may have saved me an injury or a poor run.

June 16th~Heroville

My next meet was a few days later in Heroville France. It was a decent race. I had a great start and 1st half of the race. I fell apart towards the end of the race. I started reaching and ran up on the hurdles. I ended up running 13.7 in a 3.1w. It was co

ld there as well but my body held up well. I knew I had work to do since my training had not been consistent since the end of May due to a little adductor issue. Hard work has never scared me so I came back to London to get it in!

I did get to catch up with some friends and meet some kids during training at the track....which is always fun

And at dinner the meet directors broadcasted the meet. So I filmed it.....check it out. Heroville,FR

Back in London, I had 10 days to train before my next meet in Wattencheid Germany. I am a true believer that hard work pays off. As a matter of fact, I am living proof of it.

*drifting back down memory lane...come with me--

I was never the super talent. Don't get me wrong, I am very talented, but if you ask my highschool coaches, they will tell you about a conversation they had my freshman year when they were trying to decide what to do with me. "What should we do with Karl....I don't know, he's a hard worker though." I ended up leading my team to their 1st group title and doing pretty well at "the meet of champions"--Big up NJ

*Ok back to 2010

So happy with the meet in heroville but knowing the need for training, I hit my old faithful track near my aunts house...good ol Tooting Bec. MISTAKE!

My speed hurdle workout was not up to par, and the track at tooting is very weathered and not ideal for training. Fortunately I was able to complete the workout; unfortunately my body suffered the consequences of running on it. Groin/adductor was not happy with me, and I was back to ice and stim

Above are the pics of Tooting Bec and the 12 hurdles I ran.

It's Not Always About What You Know, It's Who You Know

So on the 26th of June, I competed in Wattenscheid. My adductor was not in the best shape for competition....but as athletes, especially as a hurdler, we are ALL having some kind of act or pain somewhere. So a friend of mine gives me some german industrial strength icy hot, with instructions saying, only use a little and you have to use gloves to apply the product so you don't get it on your hands. My friends....industrial strength fenegol on the groin area is not...I repeat...is not advisable. A lot of extreme heat that intensified as time went on, in an area that is not socially acceptable to be "adjusting" in public unless you are wearing a glittered glove. I think that's all I am going to say about that....

However, the groin was a non factor and I got out of the blocks well. but something weird happened and I landed off of hurdle one weird....my body was all contorted and off balance and I had to do an action hero leap over the 2nd hurdle, clipping my foot and ended with a navy seal tuck and roll. I would give it a 8.4 on a scale of 10. That was actually my 1st time falling over a hurdle in a race!.....(sorry, no pics!)

At any rate, I emailed Dr. Larry Bell, a great chiropractor in Toronto and told him my issues. He was able to put me in touch with his friend who is a chiropractor and who happened to be in London. Both are very talented and practitioners of Active Release Technique (ART). He had me feeling so much better. There are a number of healers that when you get off their table, you feel like a million bucks. In Canada, these two Docs are top notch. I have to also give a "shout out" to Drs. Elna Munoz, Carmen Stillo and Wilbour Kelsick. Wilbour worked on me this spring and there are no words to really describe how good I felt at training the next day! These are truly great people to have in your corner.

Reims, France

I flew out to compete in Reims on the 30th. Again, great start through the 6th hurdle and then fell apart. Ended up running 13.78. At this point my frustration is HIGH! Only because my body felt good, and logic doesn't hold much water when you are in the midst of your season and you've trained really hard. In training I am consistently running 13.3/13.4 pace. A little injury and some time away from solid training should not be the cause of being so far off...should it?!? (a little sarcasm, but a questions posed to the reader).

However, I did get to see Dayron Robles, and as a true fan of the event, watching parts of his warm up, it amazes me just how quickly he's trained his lead leg to hit the ground. No wonder why he's ranked 2nd in the world right now.

I believe in this meet they paid top 4 and I was 5th. I ran in the 2nd heat....smh!! That just added insult to injury....but you have to have a thick skin in this sport....so I took an ice bath (for those that compete in Europe, you know this is a rarity....ice and bath tubes in the places I have been fortunate enough to compete and visit are not a dime a dozen. And I watched a little tv which helped pass the time.

Donnas Italy and Albertville France

Another 10 days off to train before my next two competitions. AND NO MORE TOOTING BEC! I was able to meet up with a track group at Crystal Palace...and let me tell you...leaps and bounds better than most of tracks I set out to find to train on in London. Coach decided to make my training minimal due to the adductor issue. Training was better and better each day and each rep, but has fallen off since my time stateside but I refuse to not work hard! Here's a preview of one of the better ones: Crystal Palace training over 7

Donnas was on the 10th of June, which was my 1st win of the season. I clobbered hurdle 7....it stood me straight up, and I still ran 13.81, so I know a fast time is in there....let's pull it out!!

Albertville was 13.91 with a -2.2w. I got 2nd. I have found myself on this crazy roller coaster that climbs slowly to the top, and you are anxious with anticipation for the immense drop and the thrill you are about to experience....and then you only drop 2 feet and begin the climb all over again!

Karlstad

My last meet in Round 1 was in Sweden. I left Albertville the night of the the 13th of June, flew back out of London the morning of the 14th. I competed on the 15th. I was tired but my body felt really really good!.

I ended up having a mediocre start, however, I closed well, which was something I've always done up till this year. This year my start has been great but my closing left a lot to be desired. 13.81 2.2w. 4th

Today

I Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me

Today I rest. I am back in London and I now must prepare for Canadian National Championships which will be held in the hometown, T dot starting on July 28th-Aug 1. It is also Caribana Weekend so I will get to hang out with the family that comes into town for that weekend...whoop whoop!!

I will formulate a plan with my coach to proceed with the next couple of weeks in order to compete for and try to obtain my 4th national title in the 110m high hurdles. It will be great to have some eyes for a couple of days.

I am flying back to Atlanta where I hear is hot as Hades but I'm ok with that. I am really looking forward to seeing my girlfriend! And of course my shadow (i.e. Titan).

Athletics can have you on the highest of highs and the lowest of lows all in one day if you allow it to. Those that have listened and advised me during this time (and you know who you are)....I appreciate it greatly. And of course my family's constant support I am always grateful for. I have learned a great deal about myself and those that I surround myself with during this round.

And I'm back! My college coach has always said of me, that I am the only athlete that he has had that has PR'd every year while working with him. So its time to get it in. No matter what the outcome, or His plans for me, I will not fail due to lack of hard work or the desire to accomplish the goals I've set out for myself. You only have a limited time in this sport and in this world, I will make the best out of both.

Training Partner-less

From high school to my days at The University of Tennessee thru my professional career as an athlete in Athletics, I've always known and valued the importance of having a training partner. Life is sooooo much easier when you have someone next to you during training, pushing each other to get the best out of every training session.

While over in Europe competing, unless you are fortunate to have the same competition schedule or base as the people you train with, many times you find yourself training alone. It is during many of those times, you have to muster up every ounce of motivation and get the work done. Especially when your coach gives you a workout that makes you scrunch up your face.

This past Sunday I had a pretty tough one, speed hurdles over 12, and I have to say...I found the motivation to get out on the track, and I really pushed myself and gave all I had...but the times and the speeds at which I would have liked to hit this time in the season were not there. I was fortunate enough (or maybe not so fortunate, depending on how you look at it), to get some locals at the track to film my 1st 3 reps (even though they didn't seemed all that excited...well one out of the 3 ppl I asked was more inclined to assist me :). I just downloaded and reviewed the tape of my reps, which is why today's blog is dedicated to training partners. I'm glad I got the reps in, and on hindsight it wasn't that bad (maybe lol) considering this is the 1st time I did this workout in yrs, so I can only get better from here right?!?! Ans: Right!

So Shout out to my training partners...those that are in my group now :

Ryan Moseley, Coach Reider, Joice Maduaka, Me, Angelo Taylor

Me'Lisa Barber, Justin Gatlin, Steve Flemming, Walter Davis, Dwight Phillips, Travis Padgett

Justin Gatlin, Danielle Carruthers, Eboni Floyd-Broadnax, Steve Flemming

Not pictured (Perdita Felicien, Nichole Demby, Chelsea Hammond)

And the friends I trained with in the past:

Jared MacLeod, Eric Mitchum, Josh Walker, Me

Eric Mitchum, Me, Derrick Atkins

Good Ol' Rocky Top

Genesis

Where do I start? I suppose the best place to start is with a purpose. The purpose of this blog is to provide an opportunity for me to journal my current and future experiences in my life primarily my life in Athletics. This however is impossible to document without talking about my life as a whole (my faith, family, friends, and past experiences) because as many athletes will tell you, you can't separate your athletic life from the rest of your life. Being an athlete (especially when you chose it as a profession) seeps into every aspect of your life.

I have been very blessed to find myself in situations that have fostered my survival and growth in the sport of track and field (there have been many with such talent and promise and contracts, that have been unable to support themselves or continue in the sport that they love). God has blessed me and surrounded me with people and situations that have supported me in my endeavors. It has not been easy all the time, and it has not come without a price. But it has made me stronger and all the "hurdles" (no pun intended) that I have had to overcome, has prepared me for this time. I look forward to what is in store, but I stay ever present in where I am now and am grateful for and thank God for, and am focused on what is happening now.

Therefore, I am joining all of you that have already blogged, not only to share these experiences, but primarily its a chance for me to have a document that I can look back on and gauge where I've been, and get a good idea of where I am going and where I would like to go.

That last paragraph was probably more for me (and may not make much sense to the reader). At anyrate, that's my genesis (most posts probably won't be as deep, but there might be a smattering of deepness here and there). I am going to try to post every sunday, but we'll see.

I gotta figure out how to get some pics and video's on this thing :-)

I think this is a good 1st post. Might put one up later in the week.

-Signing out (I'll probably test some signature ending phrases until I find a phrase I like)

KJ