Jen Freemas set W35 national record in decathlon despite injuries
Jen just likes to have fun. Welcome to masters!
Here’s my quickie Q&A with Jen, conducted via email:
Masterstrack.com: How did you get the idea of trying a dec?
Jen Freemas: I actually never thought I would do a dec, but I always loved the idea of trying out the jumps. I met Dimitry (Yakoushkin) one day at the track and we got talking. I was currently training by myself. It sounded like a great experience, so I decided to join up with the team. I loved the idea of training for events I had never done.
What events did you worry about the most in preparation?
I actually came to the meet battling some injuries, so I was a bit more worried than normal. But initially it was the 1500. Anything over a lap is hard for a 400 sprinter to imagine. I had some issues with the jav and pole vault early on due to some old injuries in my shoulder so we switched me to lefty on both events. It actually came easier than I thought. But the marks were low because I didn’t get much time training. I feel pretty ambidextrous these days.
What research did you do on women’s dec records? What did you learn?
I actually didn’t do much. Dimitry is a ball of knowledge regarding the sport, and I soaked up as much information as I could from him..
What individual events will you try in masters meets?
Depending on my current injuries, I’d like to possibly do the 400H, high jump and long jump.
What are your competition plans next year? Nationals in Michigan? Perth worlds?
All of the above! If my body can stay healthy and I can balance my work/life schedule enough to train, than I’d love to really compete and have some fun.
What were your favorite moments in Texas?
I loved just being with the team. The camaraderie and sharing such a challenging yet fun experience together, those are the moments I hold on to. Oh, and I loved soaking in the river after Day 2 and going to Salt Lick for some amazing BBQ!
What are your goals in masters track?
Besides being injury-free, I would love to get my 400 hurdle time to 65 seconds. Outside of the Texas meet I had never competed in long jump or high jump, so to beat those scores would be great!
Anything else people should know about your track career or plans?
I think early on when I got back into track after college I put a lot of pressure on myself. I kept comparing times to what I did in college. That started to take the fun out of the sport. Now I’ve come to realize that I can’t do that. I’m not the same person, and I have other things going on in my life. Track is an outlet, something I love and enjoy and I try not to take it too seriously. I want to do it forever, and as I get older I’m coming to realize that means training smarter, not harder.
3 Responses
Great job Jen!
I suggest Jen 1st to be free injury and compete than the contrary round. If Jen start to injure at 35 what about when she will be 50 and 60. Health 1st record afterward even it is hard to combine both when you compete at max
Congrats Jen, and Yves makes sense, but then I know how the competitive juices get going and you compete anyway. Good luck in the furture.
Injured decathlete
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