Happy holidays!
I am writing this blog entry as I am putting the finishing touches on the newly founded Altius Track & Field club (founded by former World and Olympic Champion, Stacy Dragila)
http://www.usatf.org/clubs/search/info.asp?zipcode=91915
Stacy Dragila (now Stacy Waltz as of last weekend) started the club to help develop some of the local kids in the area in track and field, the pole vault and sprints specifically. A former heptathlete and World Athletics Female of the Year, Stacy has a huge amount of information and coaching expertise and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work with her. This club is a perfect fit for me and In the Arena because it will finally allow me to bring in hand picked athletes and I will be able to coach and train them the way I see fit. This is a big difference from the Eastlake Flash track club days in 2007. The Altius Track Club will start workouts the 1st week of January and will hold practices Sunday, Wednesday and Friday and will continue all the way through the summer months. I am super excited to get started and cant wait to start up some really cool relationships with the kids in the area.
In shoulder rehab news, I am waaaaaay ahead of schedule. In fact, I cant even tell that I have had surgery! The range of motion is 95% and my strength levels are around 85%. That being said, I am still sticking to the program that was laid out for me and letting pain be my guide (not always the smartest thing for me ;) I al cleared to start joging and swimming on Monday and I started tennis ball throws last week. The ball is rolling in the right direction, now its time to make it roll a bit faster.
Have a great Christmas and dont forget the real reason for the season....yall!
M++
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Under the Knife ... again
First off, please excuse the shortness of this blog entry. Its a bit difficult to type one-handed with my arm in a sling. I had surgery this weekend on my shoulder and am still feeling the effects of the anesthesia and enjoying my pain medication. On my last update, the doctors in San Diego anticipated a small procedure called an acromioplasty that is just a few weeks recovery. After further examination of the MRI's and x-rays, a labrum tear was found, which is usually a 9 month recovery period. This would mean that I would miss the entire 2010 season. I flew to Birmingham, Alabama to see Dr. Andrews and Jeffry Dugas, arguably the best doctors in the world.
The surgery was completed with mixed results, some good some bad. The good news is that I will be able to compete this season (we had previously thought otherwise). The bad news is that I will have to do so with a torn labrum and ruptured bicep tendon. The bicep tendon rupture was a surprise because it never showed up on the MRI and I didnt show any signs of it. According to the doctors, it looked like a bomb went off in my shoulder, but believe it or not they have seen worse. I was told that if they fixed everything that had went wrong, I wouldn't have been able to throw again. That being said, they did do the acromioplasty, as well as de-debried the laburm and joint socket, removed a few bone spurs and freed up some capsule space. They told me that I under went the exact same surgery as guys such as Bret Farve, Troy Aikman and John Elway. I guess they had ok careers after all. I have enjoyed the company of a few of my rehab-mates, Bob Sanders (Indianapolis Colts) Chad Pennington (Miami Dolphins) Mike Goff (SD Chargers).
Next up for me...rest, rehab, more rest and look for a job to help pay some of these medical bills. Unfortunately, ITA activities are all on hold until all of the dust settles. Till next time,
M++
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ready…Set…Go! Now hit the breaks!
After 5 weeks of rest and relaxation, 2 of which included a smidgen of athletic training… I was ready to start my fall training period and I couldn’t wait to get started! No sooner than did it get started, that it looks as if it is going to be brought to an abrupt halt. Not a complete stop, but a huge deviation from the plan that was written.
Back in March of 2009, I was having massive shoulder problems that included shoulder impingement and a small labrum tear. I traveled to Atlanta Georgia for a week of treatment and therapy and was fixed up good enough to get through the season. In the big picture, we didn’t really fix the underlying problem; we just patched me up good enough for me to be able to compete in 2009.
That underlying problem came back to show its ugly head the first week of training for me this fall. I hoped that a 5-week break from competitive throwing would make a difference, but that gamble turned out to be a loosing bet. I was diagnosed (again) with shoulder impingement, and will have another round of ultra-sound imaging, x-rays and MRI’s this week to find out what exactly is causing the shoulder pain.
What we expect to see from initial evaluations is a few bone spurs and a acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint that needs to be shaved down to allow for more range of motion of the labrum and other rotator cuff muscles. It’s a pretty easy procedure called an acromioplasty.
“Acromioplasty is a arthroscopic surgical procedure of the acromion.
Generally, it implies removal of a small piece of the surface of the bone (acromion) that is in contact with a tendon causing, by friction, damage to the latter tissue.”
This is not all bad news; it just may come off that way because it’s not what my coaches and I have planned for. If we can manage to get this thing fixed and be back throwing before January, I should be in great shape by the time the season comes around. The procedure should keep me out of throwing for about 4-5 weeks, which will still leave me over 6 months to get ready for USA Champs. The other good news is that I should go into the 2010 season with a fresh arm. The danger of throwing with the issue that I have now (and that I threw with in 2009) is that eventually, the labrum that is being rubbed against by the AC joint may actually tear or rupture and that surgery looks at almost a year before your back in the mix. If that where to happen in 2011 or even 2012…well lets just say that would not be ideal for London. Not to mention that I had to change my technique in 2009 to get away from the pain in my shoulder and the results showed the difference. In 2008, I had 11 meets over 80m, and this 2009 yielded only 2.
The only real bad news is that I will have to take a small break away from my ITA activities. I was all set to begin coaching with the local High Schools here in Chula Vista and had several meetings and interviews scheduled with their respective athletic directors. My immediate plan now is to get the shoulder fixed asap and rehab full time until I am healthy enough to get back out into the community.
Till next time…always looking up!
M++
Back in March of 2009, I was having massive shoulder problems that included shoulder impingement and a small labrum tear. I traveled to Atlanta Georgia for a week of treatment and therapy and was fixed up good enough to get through the season. In the big picture, we didn’t really fix the underlying problem; we just patched me up good enough for me to be able to compete in 2009.
That underlying problem came back to show its ugly head the first week of training for me this fall. I hoped that a 5-week break from competitive throwing would make a difference, but that gamble turned out to be a loosing bet. I was diagnosed (again) with shoulder impingement, and will have another round of ultra-sound imaging, x-rays and MRI’s this week to find out what exactly is causing the shoulder pain.
What we expect to see from initial evaluations is a few bone spurs and a acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint that needs to be shaved down to allow for more range of motion of the labrum and other rotator cuff muscles. It’s a pretty easy procedure called an acromioplasty.
“Acromioplasty is a arthroscopic surgical procedure of the acromion.
Generally, it implies removal of a small piece of the surface of the bone (acromion) that is in contact with a tendon causing, by friction, damage to the latter tissue.”
This is not all bad news; it just may come off that way because it’s not what my coaches and I have planned for. If we can manage to get this thing fixed and be back throwing before January, I should be in great shape by the time the season comes around. The procedure should keep me out of throwing for about 4-5 weeks, which will still leave me over 6 months to get ready for USA Champs. The other good news is that I should go into the 2010 season with a fresh arm. The danger of throwing with the issue that I have now (and that I threw with in 2009) is that eventually, the labrum that is being rubbed against by the AC joint may actually tear or rupture and that surgery looks at almost a year before your back in the mix. If that where to happen in 2011 or even 2012…well lets just say that would not be ideal for London. Not to mention that I had to change my technique in 2009 to get away from the pain in my shoulder and the results showed the difference. In 2008, I had 11 meets over 80m, and this 2009 yielded only 2.
The only real bad news is that I will have to take a small break away from my ITA activities. I was all set to begin coaching with the local High Schools here in Chula Vista and had several meetings and interviews scheduled with their respective athletic directors. My immediate plan now is to get the shoulder fixed asap and rehab full time until I am healthy enough to get back out into the community.
Till next time…always looking up!
M++
Friday, October 23, 2009
Giving back that which can't be given back...
He told me that he was on his way out to pick up another wounded soldier out on the field...that is all he remembers.
Last Wednesday I had the opportunity...scratch that, honor to coach some of America's disabled warriors. The USOC Paralympic Military Program brought some of its disabled vets who had been wounded in action to the Olympic Training Center last Wednesday.
"The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Paralympic Military Program provides post-rehabilitation support and mentoring to American servicemen and women who've sustained physical injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, visual impairment/blindness and stroke. Veterans are introduced to adaptive sport techniques and opportunities through clinics and camps and are also connected with ongoing Paralympic sports programs in their hometowns."
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
I had the privilege to hang out and show some real heroes what I do on a daily basis and I was humbled by how much they have sacrificed. Alot of times I get angry when I look at what kind of notoriety Olympians get in the USA and when I think about how much I have sacrificed to get to where I am now. Then I see what these guys have sacrificed and I realize that I have had a walk in the park.
I spoke to one guy named Chris from Michigan...he caught me by surprise as he came up to me from behind without me knowing, I couldn't figure out how I didn't hear him and then I realized its because they guy has no legs and moves at about 1 mile per hour. He was "walking" up to me on 2 stems that looked like something NASA had put together, made of all kinds of carbon fiber and space age plastics, it actually looked like something a space age robo-cop would use. He had this ridiculous sparkle in his eye and said "dude this looks cool, I have been wanting to try this forever!"
I hung out with him for about 20min as we talked about all kinds of things ranging from javelin training to hobbies to where we grew up. As our time began to come to an end before he moved on to the next station (where the discus was being taught) the conversation shifted to what happened to his legs. He told me he was a Marine Medic and he was serving in Iraq...what he told me next sent chills up my spine. He said that he had just jumped out of his Hum-V and was running out to help other injured marines that had just been involved in an IED (improvised explosive device) he was only about 20 seconds from the Hum-V...thats all he remembers.
here is a quick video of just what that may have been like...just a glimpse
(some of these are graphic but need to be seen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLIvJqv7Mxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88K5vjJyxsg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7RQ9Os_zRk&feature=related
He was told that he was on his way out TO HELP other injured marines and thats when the 2nd IED went off, taking both his legs. Meanwhile, Chris is hanging out with me talking javelin and thinking what I do is cool...I couldn't help but to give the guy a hug and remind him that I...WE, couldn't do the everyday things that we take advantage of without their sacrifice and service.
I only heard one of a few thousand stories that have yet to be told, but it just reminds me everyday that I need to be grateful for what I have...that has been given to me through what I have sacrificed. It also reminds me that what I have sacrificed is no sacrifice at all compared to these heroes. Its easy to get caught up in the glitz and glam, and massive salaries and egos of football, baseball, basketball and other major sports that Americans hold so dear to their hearts. I used to be the one who wanted to be on MTV cribs, buying out the bars and having 8 cars in the driveway worth a quarter million dollars each. Now, I would prefer to be able to lay my head down at night knowing that I served a greater purpose other than being entertainment for the very people who take advantage of the right to have that entertainment...That to me is worth more than any contract can pay.
Please take 6min of your time to watch the video on the The USOC Paralympic Military Program, ITS JUST 6 MINUTES!! ...you can sacrifice that for what they have done! It can be found on this page:
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
Last Wednesday I had the opportunity...scratch that, honor to coach some of America's disabled warriors. The USOC Paralympic Military Program brought some of its disabled vets who had been wounded in action to the Olympic Training Center last Wednesday.
"The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Paralympic Military Program provides post-rehabilitation support and mentoring to American servicemen and women who've sustained physical injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, visual impairment/blindness and stroke. Veterans are introduced to adaptive sport techniques and opportunities through clinics and camps and are also connected with ongoing Paralympic sports programs in their hometowns."
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
I had the privilege to hang out and show some real heroes what I do on a daily basis and I was humbled by how much they have sacrificed. Alot of times I get angry when I look at what kind of notoriety Olympians get in the USA and when I think about how much I have sacrificed to get to where I am now. Then I see what these guys have sacrificed and I realize that I have had a walk in the park.
I spoke to one guy named Chris from Michigan...he caught me by surprise as he came up to me from behind without me knowing, I couldn't figure out how I didn't hear him and then I realized its because they guy has no legs and moves at about 1 mile per hour. He was "walking" up to me on 2 stems that looked like something NASA had put together, made of all kinds of carbon fiber and space age plastics, it actually looked like something a space age robo-cop would use. He had this ridiculous sparkle in his eye and said "dude this looks cool, I have been wanting to try this forever!"
I hung out with him for about 20min as we talked about all kinds of things ranging from javelin training to hobbies to where we grew up. As our time began to come to an end before he moved on to the next station (where the discus was being taught) the conversation shifted to what happened to his legs. He told me he was a Marine Medic and he was serving in Iraq...what he told me next sent chills up my spine. He said that he had just jumped out of his Hum-V and was running out to help other injured marines that had just been involved in an IED (improvised explosive device) he was only about 20 seconds from the Hum-V...thats all he remembers.
here is a quick video of just what that may have been like...just a glimpse
(some of these are graphic but need to be seen)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLIvJqv7Mxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88K5vjJyxsg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7RQ9Os_zRk&feature=related
He was told that he was on his way out TO HELP other injured marines and thats when the 2nd IED went off, taking both his legs. Meanwhile, Chris is hanging out with me talking javelin and thinking what I do is cool...I couldn't help but to give the guy a hug and remind him that I...WE, couldn't do the everyday things that we take advantage of without their sacrifice and service.
I only heard one of a few thousand stories that have yet to be told, but it just reminds me everyday that I need to be grateful for what I have...that has been given to me through what I have sacrificed. It also reminds me that what I have sacrificed is no sacrifice at all compared to these heroes. Its easy to get caught up in the glitz and glam, and massive salaries and egos of football, baseball, basketball and other major sports that Americans hold so dear to their hearts. I used to be the one who wanted to be on MTV cribs, buying out the bars and having 8 cars in the driveway worth a quarter million dollars each. Now, I would prefer to be able to lay my head down at night knowing that I served a greater purpose other than being entertainment for the very people who take advantage of the right to have that entertainment...That to me is worth more than any contract can pay.
Please take 6min of your time to watch the video on the The USOC Paralympic Military Program, ITS JUST 6 MINUTES!! ...you can sacrifice that for what they have done! It can be found on this page:
http://www.usparalympics.org/pages/5137
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
And the Winner is .... what?
So, Rio it is...
Last Week I was sitting in a crowded athletes "connection center" here at the training center, patiently awaiting what the announcement of the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. The "AT&T Athletes Connection Center" was packed full of athletes from various sports as well as media from San Diego and all over California in general. I was actually in the training center cafeteria grabbing a coffee headed back to the connections center...when I heard the news. They where supposed to announce the winner around 9:3o am local time and I figured that since it wasn't even 9am yet, I had time to go grab a quick coffee and head back in time for the celebration. Thats when I heard the results from the 1st round (not the 2nd, or the 3rd...but the 1st!) and heard the announcement
"Chicago, receiving the least amount of votes in the 1st round will be excluded from the following rounds."
Just like that, we were out. As I made my way back to the connections center, 5 min away, the news was already spreading and there was some dis-belief as some of the camera crews hadn't even fired up their gear yet when the news came through. I happen to have 1st hand knowledge of Rio and Brazil very well, having competed in Rio 3 times over the last few years, most notably the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio.
Now, before I go about on a "Rio-bashing tangent" let me first clear a few things. Rio is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been in regards to natural beauty. The beaches and mountains that surround the city are nothing short of breath taking. But, Rio is also hands down the most dangerous place I have ever been to. Just to take a taxi cab ride to Copacabana or Ipanema beach, it was a necessity that you stripped down to bare essentials. That meant no watches, no sunglasses, no cameras, jewelry or anything that might give the slightest hint that you may have anything of value on or around you. Even after getting out of a taxi (which have to be pre-arranged by local authorities) and having to walk only 5 minutes to the beach...Its a 5 minute walk that is one of the most intense of your life, that involves you ducking in and out of buildings to ensure that the people behind you keep walking and aren't following you. I'm a fairly big boy at over 200lbs and Rio is the only place in the world that I have been and been scared for my life.
In 2007, I competed in the Pan American Games in Rio and it was my first encounter with Anti-American fans. It was the 1st time that I have been booed for wearing the Red, White and Blue and it was like a slap in the face...but it also motivated me to kick everyone's butt and as a result I won a silver medal and couldn't help but have a over whelming feeling of "take that!" I remember times when the US team would win a race..boos! If one of our athletes missed a bar in the pole vault of high jumps, massive cheers would erupt! It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. I specifically remember watching the women's pole vault competition and April Steinar-Bennet of the USA was in a race for the gold medal with the local favorite Fabiana Muerrer or Brazil. As April would make her way down the runway, the stadium of over 50,000 people erupted into massive boos and whistles and if she missed, the stadium erupted into a deafening cheer. It was the most backwards thing I have ever seen.
One of the lasting impressions that I had of Rio was waking to gunfire every morning in the barrios a few miles behind the athletes village. I have been to the 05 and 09 World Championships in Helsinki and Berlin and the 08 Games in Beijing, and Rio is the only place where armed guards with Riot Gear and M-16 assault rifles would actually board the athletes bus prior to entering the village to check credentials. I can only imaging the security carnival that Rio is looking at going into 2016. If I where still competing in 2016, which I dont plan to be, I would feel that Rio would be the Olympic Games that I would not want my family to attend due to security problems.
The last feeling I had as I left the "announcement viewing party" here at the training center was one of anger and disappointment. As a USA Olympian, I have the feeling everyday that what Olympians have accomplished are overshadowed by the inflated salaries and egos of the 4 major sports that dominate the American media. With the games being held in Chicago, at least for a small glimmer of time, being an USA Olympian would actually be considered "cool" again. As the Olympic movement and dream seems to be fading in America, I hope that loosing the 2016 Games doesn't damper the fire that burns in Olympians. The general public always forgets that for us, its not every 4 years...its every day.
As I walked back to my room at the center I passed another an athlete giving an interview to local media... The quote that I will remember was...
"I get notoriety and recognized for 3 weeks every 4 years for what I have done and accomplished...With the Games in Chicago I kinda hoped it would it would be extended to a few months every 4 years...oh well, I'm late for practice."
April Jumping in Rio with Boos, quality is bad...but TURN IT UP! unreal
The view of the ghettos behind the Athletes Village (view from my room)
Another View of the Ghetto from my room
Another View to the left of my room...another problem area for local police
...and to the right
The Amazing View of Rio at Sunset, Copacaba Beach
The other side of Rio, Ipanema Beach...amazing scenery
Last Week I was sitting in a crowded athletes "connection center" here at the training center, patiently awaiting what the announcement of the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. The "AT&T Athletes Connection Center" was packed full of athletes from various sports as well as media from San Diego and all over California in general. I was actually in the training center cafeteria grabbing a coffee headed back to the connections center...when I heard the news. They where supposed to announce the winner around 9:3o am local time and I figured that since it wasn't even 9am yet, I had time to go grab a quick coffee and head back in time for the celebration. Thats when I heard the results from the 1st round (not the 2nd, or the 3rd...but the 1st!) and heard the announcement
"Chicago, receiving the least amount of votes in the 1st round will be excluded from the following rounds."
Just like that, we were out. As I made my way back to the connections center, 5 min away, the news was already spreading and there was some dis-belief as some of the camera crews hadn't even fired up their gear yet when the news came through. I happen to have 1st hand knowledge of Rio and Brazil very well, having competed in Rio 3 times over the last few years, most notably the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio.
Now, before I go about on a "Rio-bashing tangent" let me first clear a few things. Rio is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever been in regards to natural beauty. The beaches and mountains that surround the city are nothing short of breath taking. But, Rio is also hands down the most dangerous place I have ever been to. Just to take a taxi cab ride to Copacabana or Ipanema beach, it was a necessity that you stripped down to bare essentials. That meant no watches, no sunglasses, no cameras, jewelry or anything that might give the slightest hint that you may have anything of value on or around you. Even after getting out of a taxi (which have to be pre-arranged by local authorities) and having to walk only 5 minutes to the beach...Its a 5 minute walk that is one of the most intense of your life, that involves you ducking in and out of buildings to ensure that the people behind you keep walking and aren't following you. I'm a fairly big boy at over 200lbs and Rio is the only place in the world that I have been and been scared for my life.
In 2007, I competed in the Pan American Games in Rio and it was my first encounter with Anti-American fans. It was the 1st time that I have been booed for wearing the Red, White and Blue and it was like a slap in the face...but it also motivated me to kick everyone's butt and as a result I won a silver medal and couldn't help but have a over whelming feeling of "take that!" I remember times when the US team would win a race..boos! If one of our athletes missed a bar in the pole vault of high jumps, massive cheers would erupt! It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. I specifically remember watching the women's pole vault competition and April Steinar-Bennet of the USA was in a race for the gold medal with the local favorite Fabiana Muerrer or Brazil. As April would make her way down the runway, the stadium of over 50,000 people erupted into massive boos and whistles and if she missed, the stadium erupted into a deafening cheer. It was the most backwards thing I have ever seen.
One of the lasting impressions that I had of Rio was waking to gunfire every morning in the barrios a few miles behind the athletes village. I have been to the 05 and 09 World Championships in Helsinki and Berlin and the 08 Games in Beijing, and Rio is the only place where armed guards with Riot Gear and M-16 assault rifles would actually board the athletes bus prior to entering the village to check credentials. I can only imaging the security carnival that Rio is looking at going into 2016. If I where still competing in 2016, which I dont plan to be, I would feel that Rio would be the Olympic Games that I would not want my family to attend due to security problems.
The last feeling I had as I left the "announcement viewing party" here at the training center was one of anger and disappointment. As a USA Olympian, I have the feeling everyday that what Olympians have accomplished are overshadowed by the inflated salaries and egos of the 4 major sports that dominate the American media. With the games being held in Chicago, at least for a small glimmer of time, being an USA Olympian would actually be considered "cool" again. As the Olympic movement and dream seems to be fading in America, I hope that loosing the 2016 Games doesn't damper the fire that burns in Olympians. The general public always forgets that for us, its not every 4 years...its every day.
As I walked back to my room at the center I passed another an athlete giving an interview to local media... The quote that I will remember was...
"I get notoriety and recognized for 3 weeks every 4 years for what I have done and accomplished...With the Games in Chicago I kinda hoped it would it would be extended to a few months every 4 years...oh well, I'm late for practice."
April Jumping in Rio with Boos, quality is bad...but TURN IT UP! unreal
The view of the ghettos behind the Athletes Village (view from my room)
Another View of the Ghetto from my room
Another View to the left of my room...another problem area for local police
...and to the right
The Amazing View of Rio at Sunset, Copacaba Beach
The other side of Rio, Ipanema Beach...amazing scenery
Monday, September 28, 2009
Rest & Recovery Can Wait for 1 More Meet
Ok, now its official...The season is over! ;)
As of my last blog entry on the 13th, I was all ready to call it a season looking at a long stretch of 16 meets that started back in the beginning of May. But then, whats just 1 more right? I got the call to go to Daegu, Korea late Friday evening and was on a plane for a 20 hour travel to Asia 72hrs later. I had no expectations on doing well because I had been on "vacation" for a few weeks since the last meet of my season. Although it wasn't a true vacation...I had to move in and out of the Olympic Training Center and into my new place a few blocks away, twice! It was a very busy time for me that included NO Training. So, my expectations for Daegu where to me more of a tourist than an athlete...and it worked!
I managed to throw 79.86m for 3rd place in what turned out to be my 3rd best performance of the year. This was my 2nd trip to Daegu and I have had 2 solid performances there. Things are looking good for the 2011 World Championships that take place at that very stadium in just 2 years. After speaking with arguably the best javelin coach in the world, Kari Ihalinen of Finland...It turns out that a few weeks off at the end of the season can actually do some good for technical event athletes, given that they are still in somewhat decent shape before the 2 week layoff. Here are just a few examples of what some of the best athletes in the world have done after some rest and relaxation...
exhibit #1, Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008 after winning Olympic Gold. In his words "was drunk for a week straight, and wasnt even going to go to Zurich I decided to go at the last second..." Result, he had the greatest series of his life, threw over 90m and had 4 throws over 88m.
exhibit #2, Barbara Spotakova of Czech Republic in 2008 after winning Olympic Gold. I was sitting at breakfast with her at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, she was telling friends that she hadn't trained in 2 weeks and was drunk for most of it, her hometown threw her a party that lasted a week straight...she had no idea how she was going to even warm up for the meet...Result, a new world record!
exhibit #3, Andreas again, in Zurich...again! After winning World Championship Gold in Berlin, goes to Zurich again with no training for a week. Result, throws 91.28m, his 2nd best throw ever and wins by over 6m!
So what does all this mean? Should world class technical event athletes just decide to take a few weeks off prior to World Championships or Olympic Games? Hardly, there is enough science to show that isn't the smartest option, but there is enough science to show that an athletes mental state plays a huge role in their performance. To find the magical combination of physical preparation and tapering with the relaxed mental state of 2 weeks vacation...that is the key!
So whats next? For me, task #1 is kick this jetlag! Next on the list is finish getting moved in to my new house down the street. After that is to get my fall ITA ducks in a row and make sure that I am ready to start working with the local kids full time. Last but not least...
Rest and relaxation! My plan is 4 weeks off...let see if I stick to it.
Until next time,
M++
As of my last blog entry on the 13th, I was all ready to call it a season looking at a long stretch of 16 meets that started back in the beginning of May. But then, whats just 1 more right? I got the call to go to Daegu, Korea late Friday evening and was on a plane for a 20 hour travel to Asia 72hrs later. I had no expectations on doing well because I had been on "vacation" for a few weeks since the last meet of my season. Although it wasn't a true vacation...I had to move in and out of the Olympic Training Center and into my new place a few blocks away, twice! It was a very busy time for me that included NO Training. So, my expectations for Daegu where to me more of a tourist than an athlete...and it worked!
I managed to throw 79.86m for 3rd place in what turned out to be my 3rd best performance of the year. This was my 2nd trip to Daegu and I have had 2 solid performances there. Things are looking good for the 2011 World Championships that take place at that very stadium in just 2 years. After speaking with arguably the best javelin coach in the world, Kari Ihalinen of Finland...It turns out that a few weeks off at the end of the season can actually do some good for technical event athletes, given that they are still in somewhat decent shape before the 2 week layoff. Here are just a few examples of what some of the best athletes in the world have done after some rest and relaxation...
exhibit #1, Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in 2008 after winning Olympic Gold. In his words "was drunk for a week straight, and wasnt even going to go to Zurich I decided to go at the last second..." Result, he had the greatest series of his life, threw over 90m and had 4 throws over 88m.
exhibit #2, Barbara Spotakova of Czech Republic in 2008 after winning Olympic Gold. I was sitting at breakfast with her at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, she was telling friends that she hadn't trained in 2 weeks and was drunk for most of it, her hometown threw her a party that lasted a week straight...she had no idea how she was going to even warm up for the meet...Result, a new world record!
exhibit #3, Andreas again, in Zurich...again! After winning World Championship Gold in Berlin, goes to Zurich again with no training for a week. Result, throws 91.28m, his 2nd best throw ever and wins by over 6m!
So what does all this mean? Should world class technical event athletes just decide to take a few weeks off prior to World Championships or Olympic Games? Hardly, there is enough science to show that isn't the smartest option, but there is enough science to show that an athletes mental state plays a huge role in their performance. To find the magical combination of physical preparation and tapering with the relaxed mental state of 2 weeks vacation...that is the key!
So whats next? For me, task #1 is kick this jetlag! Next on the list is finish getting moved in to my new house down the street. After that is to get my fall ITA ducks in a row and make sure that I am ready to start working with the local kids full time. Last but not least...
Rest and relaxation! My plan is 4 weeks off...let see if I stick to it.
Until next time,
M++
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Rest & Recovery
For the 1st time in over 4 months, I am blogging from....home ;)
I just returned home from a ridiculously long season and am finally taking some time to lick my wounds, do some laundry and get things in order for the fall training period. As far as I know, I don't have any more meets scheduled, but I have been told that I am supposed to make a end of the month run to Japan and Korea (again) but i am honestly not in the mood. Considering I had to take 800mg of caffeine and a shot of demoral in my big toe just to get through my last meet, I'm going to stick with my instincts and say its time for a rest...but then again there are bills to pay, so who knows...
Here is a quick recap of this seasons destinations:
Doha, Qatar 8 May
Tucson, Arizona 23 May
Hengelo, Netherlands 1 Jun
Seinäjoki, Finland 6 Jun
Kuortane, Finland 13 Jun
Eugene, Oregon 25 Jun
Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 30 Jun
Pátra, Greece 6 Jul
Roma, Italy 10 Jul
Athína, Greece 13 Jul
Heusden, Belgium 18 Jul
Stockholm, Sweden 31 Jul
Berlin, Germany 21 Aug
Tallinn, Estonia 25 Aug
Riga, Latvia 26 Aug
Rovereto, Italy 1 Sep
Bruxelles, Belgium 4 Sep
The end of the season was a whirlwind of meets that included 5 meets in 14 days. In the javelin throw, that kind of schedule is asking for trouble, if not injury. I told myself that I would not do that kind of schedule anymore, but somehow the lure of potential money (which is never there) always sucks me in, I guess the idea of making money always sounds good especially when you don't have any. That brings me to my main topic of this blog...Being on top of the world...and staying there.
I read an article a few days ago that asked why so many of the US athletes (throwers in particular) travel to Europe only to have sub par performances and have a hard time staying in the mix with the Europeans and don't put up any big marks...allow me to take an exert from this article:
"But there is a consistent performance problem for athletes when making the National Team. 2009 like 2008 produced reps in Mens javelin, then hitting Europe and performing below par. Golden League poor performances, Grand Prix events low level and culminating in qualifying rounds at World Champs where distances are lower than expected. In the period after NCAA Finals and US Nationals there are drops of 8+m in the important European season. When the Mens event took just over 78m to make the final, each of the 3 US mens throwers PR's were sufficient to go through but what occurred was a marked drop.
Allow me if I may to put some of these questions at rest...if your interested.
First of all, in regards to the top guys in the world, when you are on top of the world in any sport, often times its not that hard to stay there. Its getting there that is the kicker. Most of the guys who travel and do the (now non existent) Golden League events exclusively are traveling business class, staying in 5 star hotels and have access to good food and even better medical and therapy and alot of rest. With the exception of a 3 week span in July, these athletes have multiple weeks in between competitions to recover and get ready for the next one.
The problem arises when you don't know if your are included in these competitions until a day or 2 before hand and you are left trying to squeeze in smaller meets on far ends of the globe to pay the bills in between...then you finally get the go ahead for the big meets and 9 times out of 10, you catch a plane, arrive the day before and throw on maybe 3 days rest...Thats not the exact recipe for big throws. The "wait and see" schedule is in effect for the majority of throwers on the circuit with the exception of the top guys in the world, who have their schedules set early in the year which allows them to design training plans and peaks for major championships. Heading to Europe with your bags packed and on the eternal "wait list" is a way of life for the majority and its just not an effective training plan for big results. So once again, its seems as if your able to climb that mountain, it gets a little easier at the top and its alot easier to stay there...so the question is asked, how to climb that mountain, faster and more effective?
back to the drawing board...
Until next time...
M++
I just returned home from a ridiculously long season and am finally taking some time to lick my wounds, do some laundry and get things in order for the fall training period. As far as I know, I don't have any more meets scheduled, but I have been told that I am supposed to make a end of the month run to Japan and Korea (again) but i am honestly not in the mood. Considering I had to take 800mg of caffeine and a shot of demoral in my big toe just to get through my last meet, I'm going to stick with my instincts and say its time for a rest...but then again there are bills to pay, so who knows...
Here is a quick recap of this seasons destinations:
Doha, Qatar 8 May
Tucson, Arizona 23 May
Hengelo, Netherlands 1 Jun
Seinäjoki, Finland 6 Jun
Kuortane, Finland 13 Jun
Eugene, Oregon 25 Jun
Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 30 Jun
Pátra, Greece 6 Jul
Roma, Italy 10 Jul
Athína, Greece 13 Jul
Heusden, Belgium 18 Jul
Stockholm, Sweden 31 Jul
Berlin, Germany 21 Aug
Tallinn, Estonia 25 Aug
Riga, Latvia 26 Aug
Rovereto, Italy 1 Sep
Bruxelles, Belgium 4 Sep
The end of the season was a whirlwind of meets that included 5 meets in 14 days. In the javelin throw, that kind of schedule is asking for trouble, if not injury. I told myself that I would not do that kind of schedule anymore, but somehow the lure of potential money (which is never there) always sucks me in, I guess the idea of making money always sounds good especially when you don't have any. That brings me to my main topic of this blog...Being on top of the world...and staying there.
I read an article a few days ago that asked why so many of the US athletes (throwers in particular) travel to Europe only to have sub par performances and have a hard time staying in the mix with the Europeans and don't put up any big marks...allow me to take an exert from this article:
"But there is a consistent performance problem for athletes when making the National Team. 2009 like 2008 produced reps in Mens javelin, then hitting Europe and performing below par. Golden League poor performances, Grand Prix events low level and culminating in qualifying rounds at World Champs where distances are lower than expected. In the period after NCAA Finals and US Nationals there are drops of 8+m in the important European season. When the Mens event took just over 78m to make the final, each of the 3 US mens throwers PR's were sufficient to go through but what occurred was a marked drop.
Allow me if I may to put some of these questions at rest...if your interested.
First of all, in regards to the top guys in the world, when you are on top of the world in any sport, often times its not that hard to stay there. Its getting there that is the kicker. Most of the guys who travel and do the (now non existent) Golden League events exclusively are traveling business class, staying in 5 star hotels and have access to good food and even better medical and therapy and alot of rest. With the exception of a 3 week span in July, these athletes have multiple weeks in between competitions to recover and get ready for the next one.
The problem arises when you don't know if your are included in these competitions until a day or 2 before hand and you are left trying to squeeze in smaller meets on far ends of the globe to pay the bills in between...then you finally get the go ahead for the big meets and 9 times out of 10, you catch a plane, arrive the day before and throw on maybe 3 days rest...Thats not the exact recipe for big throws. The "wait and see" schedule is in effect for the majority of throwers on the circuit with the exception of the top guys in the world, who have their schedules set early in the year which allows them to design training plans and peaks for major championships. Heading to Europe with your bags packed and on the eternal "wait list" is a way of life for the majority and its just not an effective training plan for big results. So once again, its seems as if your able to climb that mountain, it gets a little easier at the top and its alot easier to stay there...so the question is asked, how to climb that mountain, faster and more effective?
back to the drawing board...
Until next time...
M++
Friday, August 28, 2009
Berlin in the Rear View
Berlin in the Rear View
It was about this time last year that I blogged about “Beijing in the Rear View” …Well, here we are 1 week after the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and I have had some time to reflect on the week and my performance. I threw 78.17m to finish 10th in my flight in some terrible conditions. I missed qualifying for the final by 48cm. At the time, 78.17m was my 2nd best throw of the season (far from the results of my Olympic year campaign). There were intermittent showers and a cold front blowing in which brought with it swirling winds up to 25mph. The 1st flight of 24 throwers saw only 2 guys hit the automatic qualifying mark of 82m and even saw some 90m guys throwing in the mid to low 70’s. Such is the game at major international championships. Usually, stats and previous season and personal best carry no weight in the qualifying rounds. Looking back (hind-sight is always 20-20) I am starting to think that I need to practice in terrible weather as much as possible. 2007 Rio De Janeiro’s Pan Am Games, Beijing last year and Berlin this year all have been cursed by downpours and ridiculous winds. Not the best conditions for a southern California based guy (I’m laughing of course as I type this ;) In summary, I was very satisfied with my performance and would not have changed a thing. I got what I deserved and those who made it into the final all earned it.
Probably the strangest thing about Berlin was watching very close friends and training partners of mine win medals. Often times we only dream of performances that lead to the medal stand and to see so many of those dreams come true for many friends of mine, it made me realize that great things are not as far off as they seem. This really hit home as I watched the javelin final on Sunday and saw 82m take a bronze medal from an unheard kid from Japan.
The city of Berlin was absolutely amazing! Although the stadium was rarely filled to capacity (rumors of ridiculously high priced tickets) the crowd that showed up was passionate for every athlete in every event. Berlin has hosted major international competitions before as in 1936 the Olympic Games and more recently the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Of course there are the now non-existent Golden League meetings that I have participated in Berlin, but none were as amazing as this years World Championships. I was stunned to watch a 22 year old Jamaican kid run 9.58 seconds over 100m and then follow that performance with a 19.19 200m. Although he running on some “special fuel” (if you get my drift) he is still good for athletics as it is slowly dying. According to what other athletes and managers are saying, even though he is good for the sports popularity (he is the 1st track and field athlete to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 9 years) he is also killing the sport with how much money he is making. He now is demanding the entire budget of some competitions just to show up, which means he can hand pick where he wants to race, at what time and against whom to ensure that he is not beaten. There are confirmed reports that he is getting $425,000 JUST TO SHOW UP at the Brussels Golden League next Friday (which I will be at but not sure about competing in).
I am now at the Riga, Latvia airport on my way to Venice, Italy and have just left Tallinn, Estonia. I competed in Tallinn on Tuesday the 25th and was back over 80m with a throw of 80.11m and took the win over the 2005 World Champion. The Estonian guy who threw exactly 1cm better than me in Berlin was 2nd with 78m…ah revenge ;) Once I get to Venice, I will hopefully have some information on if I am throwing in Rovereto, Italy on Monday the 1st before I head off to my final stop in Brussels Belgium for the last Golden League in the history of the Golden League’s…Brussels is the only Golden League that I have not competed in, and it would be a great treat to be upgraded from the waitlist to the start list….time will tell. But for now, with Berlin in the rear view, it’s on to the rest, and end of the season.
M++
It was about this time last year that I blogged about “Beijing in the Rear View” …Well, here we are 1 week after the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and I have had some time to reflect on the week and my performance. I threw 78.17m to finish 10th in my flight in some terrible conditions. I missed qualifying for the final by 48cm. At the time, 78.17m was my 2nd best throw of the season (far from the results of my Olympic year campaign). There were intermittent showers and a cold front blowing in which brought with it swirling winds up to 25mph. The 1st flight of 24 throwers saw only 2 guys hit the automatic qualifying mark of 82m and even saw some 90m guys throwing in the mid to low 70’s. Such is the game at major international championships. Usually, stats and previous season and personal best carry no weight in the qualifying rounds. Looking back (hind-sight is always 20-20) I am starting to think that I need to practice in terrible weather as much as possible. 2007 Rio De Janeiro’s Pan Am Games, Beijing last year and Berlin this year all have been cursed by downpours and ridiculous winds. Not the best conditions for a southern California based guy (I’m laughing of course as I type this ;) In summary, I was very satisfied with my performance and would not have changed a thing. I got what I deserved and those who made it into the final all earned it.
Probably the strangest thing about Berlin was watching very close friends and training partners of mine win medals. Often times we only dream of performances that lead to the medal stand and to see so many of those dreams come true for many friends of mine, it made me realize that great things are not as far off as they seem. This really hit home as I watched the javelin final on Sunday and saw 82m take a bronze medal from an unheard kid from Japan.
The city of Berlin was absolutely amazing! Although the stadium was rarely filled to capacity (rumors of ridiculously high priced tickets) the crowd that showed up was passionate for every athlete in every event. Berlin has hosted major international competitions before as in 1936 the Olympic Games and more recently the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Of course there are the now non-existent Golden League meetings that I have participated in Berlin, but none were as amazing as this years World Championships. I was stunned to watch a 22 year old Jamaican kid run 9.58 seconds over 100m and then follow that performance with a 19.19 200m. Although he running on some “special fuel” (if you get my drift) he is still good for athletics as it is slowly dying. According to what other athletes and managers are saying, even though he is good for the sports popularity (he is the 1st track and field athlete to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 9 years) he is also killing the sport with how much money he is making. He now is demanding the entire budget of some competitions just to show up, which means he can hand pick where he wants to race, at what time and against whom to ensure that he is not beaten. There are confirmed reports that he is getting $425,000 JUST TO SHOW UP at the Brussels Golden League next Friday (which I will be at but not sure about competing in).
I am now at the Riga, Latvia airport on my way to Venice, Italy and have just left Tallinn, Estonia. I competed in Tallinn on Tuesday the 25th and was back over 80m with a throw of 80.11m and took the win over the 2005 World Champion. The Estonian guy who threw exactly 1cm better than me in Berlin was 2nd with 78m…ah revenge ;) Once I get to Venice, I will hopefully have some information on if I am throwing in Rovereto, Italy on Monday the 1st before I head off to my final stop in Brussels Belgium for the last Golden League in the history of the Golden League’s…Brussels is the only Golden League that I have not competed in, and it would be a great treat to be upgraded from the waitlist to the start list….time will tell. But for now, with Berlin in the rear view, it’s on to the rest, and end of the season.
M++
Monday, August 17, 2009
Locked & Loaded
You know the feeling of seeing a present under the Christmas tree a few days before Christmas day? Well that’s about how I feel about my upcoming qualifying round this Friday in Berlin at the IAAF World Champs. But you always know there is a catch right? Well in my case, if I shake that present to try to guess whats inside, it will break before Christmas comes…so instead I have to see it everyday and just look at it and wonder…
I have been in Berlin since August 9th and am in lifetime best shape, which is very good but also very dangerous. I am learning from my experiences in Beijing and from what I have seen several athletes go through thus far in the championships…Being in the best shape of your life for a World Championships is great, but I also have to make sure that I don’t let my emotions take over and place expectations on myself. I have goals and dreams sure, but expectations no…well maybe 1 great expectation and that is I expect to go out and do my best. I have watched my roommate, the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist and 2005 World Champion place 5th last night. He has been around a long time and seen it all, and he summed it up the best that I have heard thus far. As he was walking out the door to go to the final…I said “good luck bro!” as he was just about to shut the door he smiled and said, “just another day at the office”
Berlin has been great, the hotel is nice (been here a few times before for the Golden Leagues) and the weather has held up nicely. The stadium has been almost at capacity for every session and it has all the makings of a great championship. Tomorrow I have a short sprint session followed by a few full approach runs with the javelin. After that, it’s a rest day on Tuesday as I will watch my teammate Rachel Yurkovich compete in the women’s javelin final. Its exciting times for the USA javelin team, for the 1st time ever we have a woman in the final and we have a full squad of 3 guys. Wednesday is a light lifting session and Thursday is a pre meet shakeout before the show on Friday. I will also be watching my fellow ITA teammate Zoila Gomez compete in the marathon! GO ZOILA!!!!!
I will try to give a few more updates as the qualifying round gets closer, but for now…Locked and loaded in Berlin, and its just another day at the office ;)
By the way, some guy just ran a 9.58 in the 100m dash…that’s kind of fast, 24 mph to be exact…wow
M++
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Berlin Bound
Multi-tasking:
"The apparent simultaneous performance of two or more tasks by a central processing unit"... try more like juggling 5 or 6 tasks! arrggggg!
This blog comes to you, with a bit of sarcasm and frustration. Just a quick update on the current situation...
I am in Saarbrucken Germany, where my training base for the upcoming IAAF World Championships are in 3 weeks (and counting)... The current problems are that I am unable to get into my room that I am staying in, because my roomate has proceeded to head into town for a few beers and has taken the room key with him, thus I'm locked out. 2nd problem, I have been wearing the same clothes since Saturday morning (its now almost midnight and Monday morning is just a few minutes away). I flew back from the Stockholm Super Grand Prix Saturday afternoon, but Frankfurt International misplaced my bags (and where supposed to be here 9 hours ago) and they now refuse to answer the phone... (see Doha disaster 2008 AND 2009) The last issue is my computer, I have been on and off the phone with German and USA tech support and they have been great as usual but we keep getting disconnected due to bad connections...So imagine telling a story for about 30min, then hang up, and start all over again, now repeat this process 5 more times and this is where I am now.
So...I am healthy and in good shape physically, just a bit flustered and dirty and am ready to get things back in order...always looking up shall I say ;)
Quick updates on the competition schedules...last update was from Athens as I was on my way to the Rome Golden League meeting. I threw below average in Rome and took 6th place which was ok for me in a stacked field full of medals. From Rome I went back to Athens and took 4th at the Grand Prix there with another average performance. I then had a short break and just got back from the Stockholm Super Grand Prix yesterday...
The Stockholm meet (which was on Universal Sports in the US if you missed it) was the most fun I have ever had at a meet by far. The food, the hotel, the organization, the Swedish people, everything was awesome and 1st class. The competition itself was ok, I took 4th place (again) in another stacked field and was finally able to knock off the 2004 and 2008 Silver medalists from Latvia as well as the 2003 World Champion. The conditions where bad, strong headwind, 50 degrees and rain, but I have thrown in similar conditions this year several times and managed a 78m throw.
I am now heading into the final preparations for Worlds and have a few good weeks of training ahead of me before resting for the big show. Ill try to updat emore from Berlin as I did last year from Beijing, but for now, I need to get in my room, shower and get to bed!
Till next time,
Auf Wiedersehen
M++
"The apparent simultaneous performance of two or more tasks by a central processing unit"... try more like juggling 5 or 6 tasks! arrggggg!
This blog comes to you, with a bit of sarcasm and frustration. Just a quick update on the current situation...
I am in Saarbrucken Germany, where my training base for the upcoming IAAF World Championships are in 3 weeks (and counting)... The current problems are that I am unable to get into my room that I am staying in, because my roomate has proceeded to head into town for a few beers and has taken the room key with him, thus I'm locked out. 2nd problem, I have been wearing the same clothes since Saturday morning (its now almost midnight and Monday morning is just a few minutes away). I flew back from the Stockholm Super Grand Prix Saturday afternoon, but Frankfurt International misplaced my bags (and where supposed to be here 9 hours ago) and they now refuse to answer the phone... (see Doha disaster 2008 AND 2009) The last issue is my computer, I have been on and off the phone with German and USA tech support and they have been great as usual but we keep getting disconnected due to bad connections...So imagine telling a story for about 30min, then hang up, and start all over again, now repeat this process 5 more times and this is where I am now.
So...I am healthy and in good shape physically, just a bit flustered and dirty and am ready to get things back in order...always looking up shall I say ;)
Quick updates on the competition schedules...last update was from Athens as I was on my way to the Rome Golden League meeting. I threw below average in Rome and took 6th place which was ok for me in a stacked field full of medals. From Rome I went back to Athens and took 4th at the Grand Prix there with another average performance. I then had a short break and just got back from the Stockholm Super Grand Prix yesterday...
The Stockholm meet (which was on Universal Sports in the US if you missed it) was the most fun I have ever had at a meet by far. The food, the hotel, the organization, the Swedish people, everything was awesome and 1st class. The competition itself was ok, I took 4th place (again) in another stacked field and was finally able to knock off the 2004 and 2008 Silver medalists from Latvia as well as the 2003 World Champion. The conditions where bad, strong headwind, 50 degrees and rain, but I have thrown in similar conditions this year several times and managed a 78m throw.
I am now heading into the final preparations for Worlds and have a few good weeks of training ahead of me before resting for the big show. Ill try to updat emore from Berlin as I did last year from Beijing, but for now, I need to get in my room, shower and get to bed!
Till next time,
Auf Wiedersehen
M++
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Always looking up…Part 2
Καλησπέρα από την Αθήνα!
This blog comes to you from Athens, Greece...how cool does that sound! I am such a fan of the Mediterranean culture...it is similar to Southern California, but without the egos! ;)
I am here at the Athens airport about to catch a flight over to Rome, Italy for my next shot at the IAAF Golden Leagues...Rome will mark the 3rd Golden League that I have been in the last 2 years, the others being Oslo and Berlin, the only remaining meets left are Paris Brussels and Zurich, all of which I probably will not be attending (explain below)... After being in Rome for a few days last year, I can say that it will probably be the coolest Golden League Meeting, aside from Oslo because I have so many close friends there. The city of Rome is literally one big museum and I cant wait to go back.
Competition updates: After having placing 2nd at our National Championships with my 2nd best throw ever (82.06m) and qualifying for World Championships in Berlin...I have done absolutely nothing ;)
I flew straight back to San Diego and moved everything that I own into storage units because the training center is once again re-evaluating the program and they wanted everyone out before they went to Europe. So, to make a long story short, I moved pretty much non-stop from the time I walked off the plane until about 2am, I got up at 5am and finished packing a few last minute items and headed straight over to France. I got in around 8pm that night and threw the next day...not a good idea.
ahhhh France, where do I start...without being too hard on them let me just say it was not the place I wanted to be as the July 4th holiday was approaching, I was oozing red white and blue and it must have showed all over my face! Let me just say that all of the stereotypes that you hear about the French...are true! I was blown away, in a bad way, but like I said, I wont go into too much detail about it but I realize now that stereotypes are usually based on fact! I even refrained from dropping the best one liner EVER! I was being spoken to (in a very condescending and sarcastic tone) by a French guy at the Paris Nord Train station, about my javelins "being in his way" as he was trying to pass... All I heard was blah blah blah wee wee wee, and he was looking at me like I knew what he was saying! I refrained, but all I wanted to say was,
"Im sorry, the only French I know is I surrender" :) (don't worry, I didn't say it out loud, but he deserved it)
anyways, after the sub par meet France, I met up with some of my training partners from the training center in Saarbrucken, Germany, a very very cool little town with a nice training center, I hung out there for 2 days and then headed down to Greece, Patras to be exact and threw again last night, another sub par result. My technique is hiding once again, but I'm sure it will come back, I just hope it comes back before I get to Rome and bang heads with the best in the world.
After Rome, I head straight back to Athens for the Athens Grand Prix on Monday the 13th and then off to Zaragoza, Spain on the weekend...after that, it may be time for a small, very small training period to rebuild a bit before Worlds in Berlin.
Till next time, missing the fireworks and BBQ's
M++
"Athletics is a balancing act, its a series of highs and lows, its how you manage your average that counts."
Roma Stadio Olimpico
Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο Αθήνας
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Always looking up…
"My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations." –Michael J Fox.
I started this blog off with that quote for about 100 different reasons…mainly because I am in the middle of Finland with nothing to keep me entertained in between throwing sessions other than my own thoughts. Last night, I was watching one of four channels on tv here at the training center in Finland, and happened to come across an interview with Michael J, Fox and Jimmy Kimmell. What I heard over the next few minutes really struck a cord in me and I felt compelled to ramble about it. So….Michael J. Fox just wrote a book called,” Always looking up, the Adventures of an Incurable Optimist”. For a quick re-cap, Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 1991 and since has been active in helping change peoples lives with what he coins his new outlook on life.
What does this have to do athletes or people that are totally healthy? I believe that it directly corresponds to athletes’ mental state leading up to major competitions and more importantly afterwards. Lets backtrack a few minutes (or months) looking back on the Beijing Olympic Games. There was a great deal of research done by the US Olympic Committee and USA Track & Field on why so many of the US athletes did poorly or not as well as was “**expected**” (**key phrase here**) at the Olympic Games. There where graphs, charts, and tons of calculations and many other scientific means of evaluation that a lot of people spent endless hours searching for the elusive answer of “why”. I heard one answer that came from the very top of the USOC Sports Science department…this answer was derived after countless meetings and reviews on why so many athletes did worse than “**expected**” and that answer was exactly this…and I quote,
“Mike, you know what we found out? Sometimes Sh*t just happens”
Lets jump forward now, back to what I saw in one of the most enlightening 10 minutes of my life. Michael J. Fox was asked, “how is it that you have found so much happiness through acquiring a disease that most people would find extremely hard to deal with?” His answer was simple, he said “"My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations." He began to explain how he has accepted the fact that he has Parkinson’s disease, there are no options there, he has it, didn’t ask for it, cant give it back, its there. So he has accepted it, where he has options is how he deals with it and makes choices around it. His happiness grows with proportion to his acceptance. He then began to explain that his “**expectations**” are often times what leads to his disappointment, if he has no expectations then he cannot be disappointed.
Now before you run off and say, how can you have no expectations! Lets define expectations… here is a good quote to help set it up:
'”Hope is the product of knowledge and the projection of where the knowledge can take us.” Christopher Reeve
Expectations in athletics are sometimes confused with hopes and dreams…at least I think so. I am all for dreams, but expectations maybe not. I know that I had all of these expectations of myself for Beijing and when I did not meet those expectations, I was beyond devastated, it was a feeling I cannot even put into words, and I don’t think I actually accepted the result for many months. I made excuses to myself to help cope with the tremendous disappointment of my performance. Looking back (the famous phrase) I would have saved myself a few grey hairs and a lot of grief if I would have just went into the competition with no expectations and accepted the result and moved on. Easier said than done when the eyes of the world are focused on you I know, but it seems as the ones who did well were just happy to be there and had no expectations, only dreams.
How can this help athletes in the future? I know that every athlete that competes in any sport wants to do the very best they can possibly do on any given day. No one intentionally performs poorly or doesn’t try hard. So it just seems like common sense to me now to have no expectations for your upcoming performance, regardless of where you training is, or your last competition. Accept the results, and make your decisions on how to deal with whats next. I know that track and field is a very “what have you done for me lately” sport and often times your only as good as your last meet in the eyes of the general public. In my event if you are consumed about how far you are “**expected**” to throw or how your managers, meet directors and coaches think of you… then you are in for a few sleepless nights.
“what other people think of me is none of my business” Michael J. Fox
I started this blog off with that quote for about 100 different reasons…mainly because I am in the middle of Finland with nothing to keep me entertained in between throwing sessions other than my own thoughts. Last night, I was watching one of four channels on tv here at the training center in Finland, and happened to come across an interview with Michael J, Fox and Jimmy Kimmell. What I heard over the next few minutes really struck a cord in me and I felt compelled to ramble about it. So….Michael J. Fox just wrote a book called,” Always looking up, the Adventures of an Incurable Optimist”. For a quick re-cap, Michael was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 1991 and since has been active in helping change peoples lives with what he coins his new outlook on life.
What does this have to do athletes or people that are totally healthy? I believe that it directly corresponds to athletes’ mental state leading up to major competitions and more importantly afterwards. Lets backtrack a few minutes (or months) looking back on the Beijing Olympic Games. There was a great deal of research done by the US Olympic Committee and USA Track & Field on why so many of the US athletes did poorly or not as well as was “**expected**” (**key phrase here**) at the Olympic Games. There where graphs, charts, and tons of calculations and many other scientific means of evaluation that a lot of people spent endless hours searching for the elusive answer of “why”. I heard one answer that came from the very top of the USOC Sports Science department…this answer was derived after countless meetings and reviews on why so many athletes did worse than “**expected**” and that answer was exactly this…and I quote,
“Mike, you know what we found out? Sometimes Sh*t just happens”
Lets jump forward now, back to what I saw in one of the most enlightening 10 minutes of my life. Michael J. Fox was asked, “how is it that you have found so much happiness through acquiring a disease that most people would find extremely hard to deal with?” His answer was simple, he said “"My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations." He began to explain how he has accepted the fact that he has Parkinson’s disease, there are no options there, he has it, didn’t ask for it, cant give it back, its there. So he has accepted it, where he has options is how he deals with it and makes choices around it. His happiness grows with proportion to his acceptance. He then began to explain that his “**expectations**” are often times what leads to his disappointment, if he has no expectations then he cannot be disappointed.
Now before you run off and say, how can you have no expectations! Lets define expectations… here is a good quote to help set it up:
'”Hope is the product of knowledge and the projection of where the knowledge can take us.” Christopher Reeve
Expectations in athletics are sometimes confused with hopes and dreams…at least I think so. I am all for dreams, but expectations maybe not. I know that I had all of these expectations of myself for Beijing and when I did not meet those expectations, I was beyond devastated, it was a feeling I cannot even put into words, and I don’t think I actually accepted the result for many months. I made excuses to myself to help cope with the tremendous disappointment of my performance. Looking back (the famous phrase) I would have saved myself a few grey hairs and a lot of grief if I would have just went into the competition with no expectations and accepted the result and moved on. Easier said than done when the eyes of the world are focused on you I know, but it seems as the ones who did well were just happy to be there and had no expectations, only dreams.
How can this help athletes in the future? I know that every athlete that competes in any sport wants to do the very best they can possibly do on any given day. No one intentionally performs poorly or doesn’t try hard. So it just seems like common sense to me now to have no expectations for your upcoming performance, regardless of where you training is, or your last competition. Accept the results, and make your decisions on how to deal with whats next. I know that track and field is a very “what have you done for me lately” sport and often times your only as good as your last meet in the eyes of the general public. In my event if you are consumed about how far you are “**expected**” to throw or how your managers, meet directors and coaches think of you… then you are in for a few sleepless nights.
“what other people think of me is none of my business” Michael J. Fox
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Tucson Elite, Relay of Champions and Back to Europe:
This blog comes to you live from about 28,000 feet somewhere over western Arizona. I'm on the way back to heaven, oops I mean San Diego, after competing in the Tucson Elite Throwers Meeting yesterday. I finished 2nd with just under 76m and in my opinion had a way below average meet. Coming off the 78m show in Doha, which was my best opening meet of my career, I was expecting something just under 80m. But after watching the throws on video, I am not worried, upset, or flustered in any way, in fact, I’m rather pleased. Why you ask…well, since you asked… I have absolutely no vertical lift on my throw at the moment and the throws are going a decent distance just on good old-fashioned horsepower. If I can maintain my current fitness level and fix the technical problems (which is always the battle) then I should see some throws well over 80m in the near future.
Community news…last week was the busiest week of community activity that I have had since last fall. Last Saturday was the Rady Children’s Hospital, Relay for Life. This annual event celebrates the local kids that have overcome cancer or any other life threatening illnesses and also remembers the ones who have passed on. This was the 2nd time I have been to this event and it is a great reminder of how lucky we are (I’m assuming your feeling groovy at the moment ;) to have our health. The next time I’m having a bad day all I have to do is reflect on my time with these kids who are just happy to wake up in the morning because they never know when their time is up. I would upload some pictures from the event but an autistic kid named Mike decided he would give my camera a little bit of a beating and I couldn’t get it to work for a few hours, no worries though its all good now ;) Mike was a good sport and it was all in good fun. The only bummer of the day was when I got paired up with some of the local San Diego Padres (that’s baseball for some of the Euro-blog readers)…As usual these guys are too cool for school and where only there because they had to be. I got rubbed the wrong way a few times though…let me paint the picture for you. I got approached by several kids and parents holding programs, flyers and pictures and sharpie markers, here is how the conversation goes.
Kid - “Hello, can I have your autograph!”
Me – “Of course, what’s your name, blah blah blah”
Kid – (states his name…with Mom & Dad hovering behind him) “What position do you play?”
Me – “Oh I don’t play for the Padres, I’m a javelin thrower and 2008 Olympian”
Kid – “Oh, sigh ummmmm, where did the Padre’s go?” (As Mom & Dad scurry the kid away like I had the swine flu or something)
Now take this conversation and repeat it about 20 times…so it was a little bit of a buzz kill, only until my man Mike comes running up and tries to throw my sunglasses in the San Diego Bay…then I could care less ;)
The rest of the week was filled with 3 classes of 2nd grade students from Eastlake Elementary. These were great kids as usual and are still at the stage where they think that being an Olympian is kinda cool, or maybe it was the Beijing highlight video we watched together that helped out? Either way, it was a great week that culminated with a 2 ay trip to Tucson. Next Thursday I am headed back over to Europe for a 2-week circuit. My 1st stop is Hengelo, Netherlands, or Holland, or whatever you want to call it. It is a IAAF Grand Prix 1 and I am hoping to solve this mysterious vertical lift component on my throw. From there the tentative plan is Kuortane, Finland on June 6, Thessaloniki, Greece on June 10 and I am currently on the wait-list for the Berlin Golden League on June 14th. I hope the next blog comes from somewhere in Europe with a beer and new personal best!
M++
Community news…last week was the busiest week of community activity that I have had since last fall. Last Saturday was the Rady Children’s Hospital, Relay for Life. This annual event celebrates the local kids that have overcome cancer or any other life threatening illnesses and also remembers the ones who have passed on. This was the 2nd time I have been to this event and it is a great reminder of how lucky we are (I’m assuming your feeling groovy at the moment ;) to have our health. The next time I’m having a bad day all I have to do is reflect on my time with these kids who are just happy to wake up in the morning because they never know when their time is up. I would upload some pictures from the event but an autistic kid named Mike decided he would give my camera a little bit of a beating and I couldn’t get it to work for a few hours, no worries though its all good now ;) Mike was a good sport and it was all in good fun. The only bummer of the day was when I got paired up with some of the local San Diego Padres (that’s baseball for some of the Euro-blog readers)…As usual these guys are too cool for school and where only there because they had to be. I got rubbed the wrong way a few times though…let me paint the picture for you. I got approached by several kids and parents holding programs, flyers and pictures and sharpie markers, here is how the conversation goes.
Kid - “Hello, can I have your autograph!”
Me – “Of course, what’s your name, blah blah blah”
Kid – (states his name…with Mom & Dad hovering behind him) “What position do you play?”
Me – “Oh I don’t play for the Padres, I’m a javelin thrower and 2008 Olympian”
Kid – “Oh, sigh ummmmm, where did the Padre’s go?” (As Mom & Dad scurry the kid away like I had the swine flu or something)
Now take this conversation and repeat it about 20 times…so it was a little bit of a buzz kill, only until my man Mike comes running up and tries to throw my sunglasses in the San Diego Bay…then I could care less ;)
The rest of the week was filled with 3 classes of 2nd grade students from Eastlake Elementary. These were great kids as usual and are still at the stage where they think that being an Olympian is kinda cool, or maybe it was the Beijing highlight video we watched together that helped out? Either way, it was a great week that culminated with a 2 ay trip to Tucson. Next Thursday I am headed back over to Europe for a 2-week circuit. My 1st stop is Hengelo, Netherlands, or Holland, or whatever you want to call it. It is a IAAF Grand Prix 1 and I am hoping to solve this mysterious vertical lift component on my throw. From there the tentative plan is Kuortane, Finland on June 6, Thessaloniki, Greece on June 10 and I am currently on the wait-list for the Berlin Golden League on June 14th. I hope the next blog comes from somewhere in Europe with a beer and new personal best!
M++
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Doha in the Rear View...
Marhabad...I struggled for a long time on what to name this blog entry and flip flopped back and forth between "the no name blog entry" because there was so much that I had on my mind, to "how much does piece of mind cost" to finally "Doha in the rear view".
Looking back at my trip to Doha, it was a huge success in many ways. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I was there training with my fiends from Norway and we had a great time. My body was holding up well until exactly 1 week before the Super Grand Prix. I was warming up for my last "slam-session" or throws session before the meet, when my knee decided that it wasnt going to cooperate, as a result I made a few technical adjustments to get away from the pain and it back-fired...I had at the time what I thought was a total relapse of the shoulder injury that I had in Norway (see below)
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2009/03/making-lemonade.html
and the injury to my knee that I had in the beginning of April...again below if your bored
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2009/04/close-call.html
Now for the dramatic entrance...so there I was...1 week out from my 1st meet of the year, the meet that set up the rest of my season last year and maybe my career to date...the eyes of the athletics world are all there watching, waiting to see what shape everyone is in. On top of that, I have been training with the Olympic Champion for 3 weeks and am expected to be in lifetime best shape...so I thought.
In actuality, it couldn't have been farther from the truth. Part of the problem that many athletes have is that they get addicted to training and in alot of cases, addicted to success (which is sometimes what pushes athletes to greatness) but in my case, that addiction has been the source of alot of unnecessary stress and worry. After that last training session, I thought for sure that my career was almost over. I was in pain and I had absolutely no confidence what so ever. I imagined not being able to compete at the meet or even worse, competing and doing terribly.
I began to look at my situation and really look hard at what I was made of. I realized that I was on the other side of the world experiencing places and cultures that most people would never get to do, and I was doing all of this because I throw a stick. Who I am as a person wasn't going to change because that skill was no longer what it used to be and the result of the upcoming competition had no impact on my life and all the things that really matter. On top of all of the things that where racing through my mind, I realized that I have been competing all over the world for about 5 years now and I haven't really had a chance to "stop and smell the roses" and enjoy my "job". It made me realize how lucky I am and I immediately changed my outlook on things.
As a result of this "revelation" I had an amazing week of preparation in Doha before the meet. On Monday I went with a few athletes from New Zealand into the desert and rode camels and 4 wheelers through some of the most amazing sand dunes I have ever seen and did it all in a raging sandstorm...(and almost got lost in the desert, that story is for another time :) and had a blast by the way. The rest of the week was filled with laying on the beach working on my tan and sipping wine. Dont get me wrong, I still trained everyday, but with a different attitude...and it worked!
I threw 78.11m to take 6th place, which is my best result for an opening meet of my career. Guys 1-5 all had World Championship or Olympic Medals so I was ok with 6th place. There was a considerable amount of back and shoulder pain during the comp, but it was also alot of fun!
So now what? I have some time to get adjusted back at the training center and get some work done on my shoulder, back, knee and head ;) I have a meet in Tucson Arizona on May 23 and may have chance to hit a new PB thanks to the windy conditions in Arizona. After that I am off to Europe to Hengelo, Gothenburg, Berlin and Ostrava.
Now back at the training center, I have a bit more free time on my hands since Im not putting in the volume that I used to, so its a perfect time for me to brainstorm on some new community service projects and get back to the kids. Some time away from the center is just what I need to that my "training addiction" doesnt creep back in.
Till next time, have some fun and stop and smell the roses!
M++
Ill upload pictures later!
Looking back at my trip to Doha, it was a huge success in many ways. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I was there training with my fiends from Norway and we had a great time. My body was holding up well until exactly 1 week before the Super Grand Prix. I was warming up for my last "slam-session" or throws session before the meet, when my knee decided that it wasnt going to cooperate, as a result I made a few technical adjustments to get away from the pain and it back-fired...I had at the time what I thought was a total relapse of the shoulder injury that I had in Norway (see below)
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2009/03/making-lemonade.html
and the injury to my knee that I had in the beginning of April...again below if your bored
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2009/04/close-call.html
Now for the dramatic entrance...so there I was...1 week out from my 1st meet of the year, the meet that set up the rest of my season last year and maybe my career to date...the eyes of the athletics world are all there watching, waiting to see what shape everyone is in. On top of that, I have been training with the Olympic Champion for 3 weeks and am expected to be in lifetime best shape...so I thought.
In actuality, it couldn't have been farther from the truth. Part of the problem that many athletes have is that they get addicted to training and in alot of cases, addicted to success (which is sometimes what pushes athletes to greatness) but in my case, that addiction has been the source of alot of unnecessary stress and worry. After that last training session, I thought for sure that my career was almost over. I was in pain and I had absolutely no confidence what so ever. I imagined not being able to compete at the meet or even worse, competing and doing terribly.
I began to look at my situation and really look hard at what I was made of. I realized that I was on the other side of the world experiencing places and cultures that most people would never get to do, and I was doing all of this because I throw a stick. Who I am as a person wasn't going to change because that skill was no longer what it used to be and the result of the upcoming competition had no impact on my life and all the things that really matter. On top of all of the things that where racing through my mind, I realized that I have been competing all over the world for about 5 years now and I haven't really had a chance to "stop and smell the roses" and enjoy my "job". It made me realize how lucky I am and I immediately changed my outlook on things.
As a result of this "revelation" I had an amazing week of preparation in Doha before the meet. On Monday I went with a few athletes from New Zealand into the desert and rode camels and 4 wheelers through some of the most amazing sand dunes I have ever seen and did it all in a raging sandstorm...(and almost got lost in the desert, that story is for another time :) and had a blast by the way. The rest of the week was filled with laying on the beach working on my tan and sipping wine. Dont get me wrong, I still trained everyday, but with a different attitude...and it worked!
I threw 78.11m to take 6th place, which is my best result for an opening meet of my career. Guys 1-5 all had World Championship or Olympic Medals so I was ok with 6th place. There was a considerable amount of back and shoulder pain during the comp, but it was also alot of fun!
So now what? I have some time to get adjusted back at the training center and get some work done on my shoulder, back, knee and head ;) I have a meet in Tucson Arizona on May 23 and may have chance to hit a new PB thanks to the windy conditions in Arizona. After that I am off to Europe to Hengelo, Gothenburg, Berlin and Ostrava.
Now back at the training center, I have a bit more free time on my hands since Im not putting in the volume that I used to, so its a perfect time for me to brainstorm on some new community service projects and get back to the kids. Some time away from the center is just what I need to that my "training addiction" doesnt creep back in.
Till next time, have some fun and stop and smell the roses!
M++
Ill upload pictures later!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Doha : Déjà vu
This blog entry comes via the Aspire Athletics Aspire Academy in Doha, Qatar…if this location sounds familiar, its because it is where I threw my lifetime best last year under some ridiculous circumstances. I am here training with my friend Andreas, my friend and Olympic Champion from Norway, and his training team…the same group of great guys who I stayed with on my training camp in Oslo a few months ago. We are here doing a 3 week training camp and will finish the camp with the Doha Super Grand Prix on May 8.
http://www.qatarathletic.com
Well…this year’s trip to the Middle East started off with a very familiar feeling. The flight from San Diego to DC went off without a hitch, much better than last year. The connecting flight from DC to Doha was also very pleasant and the plane was virtually empty and I was able to spread out and get fairly comfortable. It was probably the easiest 13-hour flight I have ever been on. As I arrived in Doha, I was taken back to what seemed to be a VIP area and given an expediated VISA and totally skipped the few hundred people waiting in the passport control area. Everything was going very well until I arrived to baggage claim. You guessed it, Doha Déjà vu, no bags…again!
At least this time I knew I had a few weeks to wait for the bags to show up, unlike last year. After 24 hours of waiting, my bags showed up and everything since has been quite normal.
The ride to the airport was an interesting one…I was at the mall near the training center looking for toothbrushes etc. When I was notified that my bags have arrived. I went outside and jumped in the taxi line (which was about 40 people deep) when a Pakistani named Shamir approached me and said “do you need a taxi?" I said yes and he proceeded to walk me out to the parking lot to get into his car (which had no markings of a taxi on it anywhere and it was parked with all of the other cars). It struck me as odd so I was hesitant to get in and asked him where was his taxi license? He told me it was a private limo service and it was a few $ more than a taxi but the service was better…so I said what the heck and got it. After I got in, Shamir’s cell phone rang and he began to take a few calls in Arabic and I couldn’t help but let my mind wonder what he ways saying. Then the nervousness started to set in, not panic…not yet, just nervous. I couldn’t help but wondered if he was setting me up for something with the guys he was talking to and I started to have flashbacks of scenes in movies where Americans were held hostage etc… My senses all began heightened and I started to experience an adrenaline rush similar to that of the one I got in Beijing and I immediately started sizing up Shamir and everything in the car that was in reach that could be used as a weapon. Even though it was about 105 degrees outside I even rolled the window down (much to Shamir’s dislike with his cold AC) so that I may jump out if needed to. Only to make things worse as we got farther away from the mall and the training center…Shamir’s English got worse the father we drove. He understood me perfectly at the mall but then would fail to answer some simple questions in the car such as “where are you from” and "can we turn on the radio”. As you can imagine, my mind was racing and my adrenaline was pumping and for the 1st time in my life, I thought that I was actually ready to fight for my life. It is a very strange feeling to describe but I actually felt like every muscle and nerve in my body was ready to fire at a moments notice…I only wish I could duplicate the feeling when needed in the weight room or a competition.
As quickly as my emotions and imagination began to take off, it all came down just as fast as I began to see the airport in the distance. We pulled right up to baggage claim even raced around to the other side of the car and opened my door for me. I gave him 50 Qatar Rea for the ride and in return he gave me a nice receipt and a business card that said clear as day “Shamir’s Limousine Service” He said “thank you sir and please call me if you ever need transportation in Doha…have a nice day!” I looked him in the eye and said “Shamir, you scared the S*** out of me” and gave him a firm man shake. He looked at me with puzzle eyes and had no idea what I meant.
After I returned home from the airport, I was so emotionally drained that I didn’t even bother to unpack or shower, I just went straight to bed…disgusting I know. I did manage to swap a few txt messages to my Mom in Texas on the ride but failed to mention any of these adventures in the texts because I wanted to make sure I didn’t cause a panic for no reason, that and I knew she would absolutely lose it! I did have the call the FBI text ready to send if needed however! Come to think of it, after she reads this blog entry I know my butt is toast when I get home! ☺
Since my adventure to the airport, everything has been pretty mellow, I am training once again with the best in the world and it is always a humbling experience to see how the best do it. For now, its all about tightening the screws over here and oiling the machine…the ball is already rolling and now I just am trying to make it roll a bit faster and smoother and hope that the ball doesn’t fall apart…
Doha Déjà vu to be continued….’till next time
M++
Sunday, April 12, 2009
close call...
1st Meet of the year, Dakar Grand Prix in Senegal this Saturday....not going ;(
About 6 days ago, during a high intensity throwing session I felt something give way in my knee. After a few days of sweating bullets and several doctors visits, it was determined that I had just a small bone bruise that caused some inflammation to the tissue and fluids surrounding the knee. Typically this wouldn't be that bad of a problem, but given my knee history of 2 surgeries...I was a bit worried. I have a few bone spurs left over from a 1999 ACL reconstruction and when the fluids and tissues around my knee get inflamed those bone spurs turn into a painful problem. My doctor compared it to someone biting their cheek. It swells up and rubs against your teeth and hurts but when the swelling goes away, so does the pain.
So where am I now? I am going to attempt to take a few throws on the grass tomorrow and see how it feels. My manager has pulled me out of the Dakar meet and we are pushing the season opener back to May 9 in Doha Qatar for the IAAF Super Grand Prix. The past few months have been ridiculous with injures and set backs and this years training season has been one to test every last nerve and ounce of patience and diligence that I have. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do hardly any community service work as almost every waking hour the last few weeks has been spent on rehab of an ailing shoulder and now knee.
I am hoping that better times lay ahead and that the upcoming competition season will interject some much needed confidence and motivation for the 2009. I keep hearing people say the grass is always greener on the other side..but they fail to tell me how to get there! Till next time,
M++
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Bonsoir...MarHaban, Kayfa Haaluka...and oooohh Jessica Simpson!
I'm attempting to brush on on French and Arabic as I am looking at my upcoming schedule over then next month. I just received the 1st 2 confirmations of the 2009 season.
I am headed to the 1st IAAF Grand Prix of the season in Dakar Senegal on April 18 and then headed back to Doha, Qatar for the IAAF Super Grand Prix on May 8. If you didn't have a chance to hear what happened the last time I was in Doha....here is a quick recap.
Flight from San Diego was cut short due to medical emergency in board, as a result, missed my connection in DC (and also lost my luggage). I was re-routed through London and eventually to Doha and 36 hours later arrived in Doha, with nothing with me but what I had on. After 3 days of hassles with Qatar authorities I still had no luggage and competed in borrowed spikes and a Qatar uniform. After all that, I ended up setting a lifetime best.
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2008/05/doha-disaster.html
Although I am hoping for a similar result this year, I am planning to bring as much necessities with me on my carry on as possible. Even if my luggage gets lost this time, at least I will have a few weeks in Doha to rest up and wait for it. I am flying from Dakar to Casablanca then to Doha and will meet up again with my buddy (04 ad 08 Olympic Champion) Andreas from Norway. We will have 2 weeks of training to prepare for the Super Grand Prix. After Doha, I will return back to the states for my 1st meet in the USA (other than USA Championships) since 2006. The Tuscon Elite Throwers Meeting. This meeting is the site of numerous personal bests from other athletes last year and promises to have near perfect conditions. It is there that I am hoping to chase a big throw and take advantage of the conditions that other athletes get to do every year.
My shoulder has healed up nicely and I am now going on 1 week with no pain and am thanking my luck stars (a.k.a God) for helping me through these trying times. No matter how you try to talk your self through an injury, nothing feels quite as good as being able to train pain free. All is well here at the Training Center and the invasion by some of the best foreign athletes in the world has started. Some of my friends from Norway are already here with other long time training partners from the UK. Some of my closest friends...of whom I lived with in Finland will be here by the end of the week.
Overall, it seems as the hard training period is starting to wind down and many athletes are using the spring to tighten their screws, so to speak. For now, I am going to sit here and watch my roomate Karl type his blog and then Im going to go look for Jessica Simpson, rumor has it she is here at the Training Center! Look here for more details: http://in-the-arena-sarah.blogspot.com/
Here are a few pics from my visit in Atlanta, had a chance to speak to the Duluth High School Varsity Soccer Team....till next time,
M++
I am headed to the 1st IAAF Grand Prix of the season in Dakar Senegal on April 18 and then headed back to Doha, Qatar for the IAAF Super Grand Prix on May 8. If you didn't have a chance to hear what happened the last time I was in Doha....here is a quick recap.
Flight from San Diego was cut short due to medical emergency in board, as a result, missed my connection in DC (and also lost my luggage). I was re-routed through London and eventually to Doha and 36 hours later arrived in Doha, with nothing with me but what I had on. After 3 days of hassles with Qatar authorities I still had no luggage and competed in borrowed spikes and a Qatar uniform. After all that, I ended up setting a lifetime best.
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2008/05/doha-disaster.html
Although I am hoping for a similar result this year, I am planning to bring as much necessities with me on my carry on as possible. Even if my luggage gets lost this time, at least I will have a few weeks in Doha to rest up and wait for it. I am flying from Dakar to Casablanca then to Doha and will meet up again with my buddy (04 ad 08 Olympic Champion) Andreas from Norway. We will have 2 weeks of training to prepare for the Super Grand Prix. After Doha, I will return back to the states for my 1st meet in the USA (other than USA Championships) since 2006. The Tuscon Elite Throwers Meeting. This meeting is the site of numerous personal bests from other athletes last year and promises to have near perfect conditions. It is there that I am hoping to chase a big throw and take advantage of the conditions that other athletes get to do every year.
My shoulder has healed up nicely and I am now going on 1 week with no pain and am thanking my luck stars (a.k.a God) for helping me through these trying times. No matter how you try to talk your self through an injury, nothing feels quite as good as being able to train pain free. All is well here at the Training Center and the invasion by some of the best foreign athletes in the world has started. Some of my friends from Norway are already here with other long time training partners from the UK. Some of my closest friends...of whom I lived with in Finland will be here by the end of the week.
Overall, it seems as the hard training period is starting to wind down and many athletes are using the spring to tighten their screws, so to speak. For now, I am going to sit here and watch my roomate Karl type his blog and then Im going to go look for Jessica Simpson, rumor has it she is here at the Training Center! Look here for more details: http://in-the-arena-sarah.blogspot.com/
Here are a few pics from my visit in Atlanta, had a chance to speak to the Duluth High School Varsity Soccer Team....till next time,
M++
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Making Lemonade...
...Isn't that what you are supposed to do when life gives you lemons?
I am typing this blog as I just have finished packing for a 4 day trip to Atlanta Georgia. Why? I am headed top the east coast to see a specialist who is going to try to repair some small tears in my posterior labrum.
I just returned home from my 6 week Scandinavian training camp and learned so much about my event...and unfortunately wont be able to utilize what I learned until I get my shoulder back to 100%. I was having some shoulder pain while in Europe but thought it was due to the volume of training and throwing. However, after being diagnosed in Europe and here at the training center of having labrum tears, I have decided not to have surgery and try to rehab the shoulder and throw this season. If I can get my range of motion and strength back then it will just be a pain tolerance issue, which is one that I have learned to deal with fairly well over my career. I have tentatively scheduled my 1st 2 meets of the year for Dakar Senegal and Doha Qatar on April 18 and May 8 but now everything will depend on how fast I can get back to full strength.
My community service projects are now starting back up after the 7 week break and I will be making my 3rd visit to the Brady Children's Hospital next week for the annual Relay for Life. Along with the Children's Hospital I have booked 3 classes of 5th graders here at the OTC and cant wait to get back in the mix with the kids!
I hope I have some better and more exciting news to report in 2 weeks time...now how much sugar goes in the lemonade?
M++
I am typing this blog as I just have finished packing for a 4 day trip to Atlanta Georgia. Why? I am headed top the east coast to see a specialist who is going to try to repair some small tears in my posterior labrum.
I just returned home from my 6 week Scandinavian training camp and learned so much about my event...and unfortunately wont be able to utilize what I learned until I get my shoulder back to 100%. I was having some shoulder pain while in Europe but thought it was due to the volume of training and throwing. However, after being diagnosed in Europe and here at the training center of having labrum tears, I have decided not to have surgery and try to rehab the shoulder and throw this season. If I can get my range of motion and strength back then it will just be a pain tolerance issue, which is one that I have learned to deal with fairly well over my career. I have tentatively scheduled my 1st 2 meets of the year for Dakar Senegal and Doha Qatar on April 18 and May 8 but now everything will depend on how fast I can get back to full strength.
My community service projects are now starting back up after the 7 week break and I will be making my 3rd visit to the Brady Children's Hospital next week for the annual Relay for Life. Along with the Children's Hospital I have booked 3 classes of 5th graders here at the OTC and cant wait to get back in the mix with the kids!
I hope I have some better and more exciting news to report in 2 weeks time...now how much sugar goes in the lemonade?
M++
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tips For Record Breaking
For this blog entry, the In the Arena athletes have been prompted to respond to a recent article about a UK man, Richard Jenkins, who is attempting to break the world land speed record over ground by a sail powered craft. Throughout his battle to break this record he has had to had to over come many obstacles, some personal, some financial, but all potential set backs... He compiled a list of "Tips for Record Breakers" and my task on this blog is to create my own, "Tips for Record Breakers" using what I have learned throughout my athletic career.
TIPS FOR RECORD-BREAKERS
• Develop a plan that continually evolves and adapts to your circumstances. If part of your plan fails, then learn from that and modify it. Most importantly, trust in your plan.
• Hope for the best, but plan for the worst... pack an extra pair of shoe laces or backup uniform. The phrase its better to be safe than sorry was coined for a reason.
• Develop your own training plan through trial and error, find out what works for you and try to make that aspect of your training stronger.
• Be goal oriented. Make immediate goals that can be accomplished every day. Make short term goals that can be accomplished in the near future and finally and most importantly, make long term goals that drive you to be who you are.
• Don't stick to conventional training. Think outside the box, just because the book says it is to be done one way, doesn't mean that there are better ways that work for you.
• Start from the ground and work your way up. In most athletic events, the initiation of movement or action starts on the ground. If you are having trouble with your technique in your upper body, track the flow of power or movement backwards and try to find out where the problem starts. Where you see the problem isn't always the cause.
• Lastly and most importantly....stay healthy. This comes at all cost. In the athletics arena, he who stays healthy longest wins. It doesn't matter if your the worlds strongest or fastest, if you are injured you cant compete. World class performances also require world class treatment. If you are aiming for world records then you have to treat your body the same way.
The last tip for me is often the most important one. Don't be afraid to spend money to stay healthy, after all, if you cant compete because your injured, then you cant make money in the first place. One of the greatest coaches in the world said, "be prepared to spend 15% of your income on treatment." When an individual is competing at the highest level, it is no different than driving a formula 1 car. Do you think that after the F1 drivers take their million dollar vehicles out for a run, the simply just park it in the garage? No, they change the oil, check the tire pressure, monitor the cars computer systems, tighten screws, replace fluids...and so on and so on. The human body is no different. I hope that theses tips give some insight to what I have learned over the last 5 years.
TIPS FOR RECORD-BREAKERS
• Develop a plan that continually evolves and adapts to your circumstances. If part of your plan fails, then learn from that and modify it. Most importantly, trust in your plan.
• Hope for the best, but plan for the worst... pack an extra pair of shoe laces or backup uniform. The phrase its better to be safe than sorry was coined for a reason.
• Develop your own training plan through trial and error, find out what works for you and try to make that aspect of your training stronger.
• Be goal oriented. Make immediate goals that can be accomplished every day. Make short term goals that can be accomplished in the near future and finally and most importantly, make long term goals that drive you to be who you are.
• Don't stick to conventional training. Think outside the box, just because the book says it is to be done one way, doesn't mean that there are better ways that work for you.
• Start from the ground and work your way up. In most athletic events, the initiation of movement or action starts on the ground. If you are having trouble with your technique in your upper body, track the flow of power or movement backwards and try to find out where the problem starts. Where you see the problem isn't always the cause.
• Lastly and most importantly....stay healthy. This comes at all cost. In the athletics arena, he who stays healthy longest wins. It doesn't matter if your the worlds strongest or fastest, if you are injured you cant compete. World class performances also require world class treatment. If you are aiming for world records then you have to treat your body the same way.
The last tip for me is often the most important one. Don't be afraid to spend money to stay healthy, after all, if you cant compete because your injured, then you cant make money in the first place. One of the greatest coaches in the world said, "be prepared to spend 15% of your income on treatment." When an individual is competing at the highest level, it is no different than driving a formula 1 car. Do you think that after the F1 drivers take their million dollar vehicles out for a run, the simply just park it in the garage? No, they change the oil, check the tire pressure, monitor the cars computer systems, tighten screws, replace fluids...and so on and so on. The human body is no different. I hope that theses tips give some insight to what I have learned over the last 5 years.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Oslo Training Camp
God Morgen, jeg kan bare litt norsk! so that being said, I guess thats all the Norwegian that I will be able to use at this point but Im making it a point to pick up as much as I can. I am now in Oslo for a 2 week training camp with the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Champion, Andreas Thorkildsen. I come to Oslo fresh off my 3 week camp in Finland and am anxious to see what the training system is like over here. My coach, and my coaches coach, all learned the majority of their training systems from the Finns, so this will be a great learning experience for me. 
I arrived Saturday mid afternoon and so far have just been enjoying good company and hanging out enjoying Oslo. Sunday I had the chance to go with my training partner to walk his dog around a frozen lake outside of town. The lake was a hotspot...ironically, for cross country skiers and people walking their dogs. I got a chance to try out a new camera and took some pretty cool shots that I will try to upload soon.
Today we will have our 1st throwing session, indoors of course, which will allow me to continue to refine some of the technical changes that I picked up in Finland. The goal of this camp is to continue to work on technical changes and also try a few different training techniques and methods and hope that I come away with something that will help me generate more power and cleaner flights of the javelin. I will try to post a few of the throwing videos as I get them. For now, here are a few pics from the lake...Ha det bra! M++
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Nature vs. Nurture
This blog entry is taking place 4 hours north of Helsinki Finland in a town called Kuortane. I’m typing on my laptop and looking out the window wondering what in the world all of this white stuff on the ground is. Being a Southern California boy and a summer sport athlete, snow is often something I only see on the TV, and in fact, the last time I saw snow in real life was when I was here, 4 years ago. Needless to say, I have a huge appreciation for all of my fellow ITA athletes who have to compete in this "stuff". The In The Arena Athletes have taken on a task of responding to a fellow ITA athlete, Matt Chisam's, request to answer a few questions to help him out in a classroom discussion...so here it goes.
1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?
My family comes from a very athletic background. My father was a 2-sport standout athlete in football and track and field in college. He ventured into distance running as he got older and competed in numerous marathons well into his late 40's. My mother was also active in track and field as well as cheerleading throughout her collegiate years. My older brother competed in track and field in high school but opted for rugby in his collegiate years. Post college my brother found himself joining the Professional Disc Golf Association and is now a touring professional and has competed in a few world championships.
2. When did you begin participating in your sport?
I began participating in my sport full time my junior year of college in 2000. The 1st time I ever tried it was my freshman year in 1998.
THE EXTRAS (if you have time)
1. What was your early experiences with sport like?
I excelled in sports as a young kid. I remember being a bit undersized but faster than most of the other kids. I had no favorite as a kid; I was equally a fan of soccer, football and baseball but ironically showed the most promise in baseball due to my arm. Which strangely has ended up being how I make my living, with my arm. Growing up in the USA, football, baseball and soccer dominated the youth playing fields and track and field was no where to be found.
2. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete?
My parents were extremely instrumental in my success as a child. They provided the means for me to excel but not the motivation. I was never pushed into sports, it was something that I genuinely enjoyed. I am thankful for that as well because alot of time you see talented kids get burned out by the constant harassment of family and friends. As I reached the middle school and high school years, the coaches in my hometown of Temple Texas were as instrumental in my development as an athlete and as a person as my parents were. I believe that alot of my work ethic and character values were instilled in me by the coaches who I grew up with. I was fortunate to be coached by very moral and Christian men who knew the impact that they would have on developing core values and beliefs at a young age. They are values that I take with me even to this day and will pass on to my kids as well.
3. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in?
I began throwing the javelin as the result of injuries that forced me out of my primary sports. I attended Texas State University on a football scholarship and also played baseball for 3 years as part of a "package deal". Although scholarships are not allowed to be shared between sports at the collegiate level, I took a football scholarship and "walked on" to the baseball team. Throughout my 1st 3 years of school I bounced back and forth between football and baseball trading red shirts and never fully committing myself to either one against the wishes of many on the coaching staff. Heading into my junior year of football I tore my ACL in my knee, immediately ending my football career. I rehabbed the entire fall in hopes of making it back in time for baseball season but was unable to do so. Throughout the course of several conversations I decided to try out for the track team and attempted the decathlon. That didn’t last very long, a few months at most and my coach and I decided to stick with my best event which was the javelin. The rest, as they say...is history.
4. Is your success a product of nature or nurture?
I believe my success as an athlete is an equal combination of both. I also feel that it is not possible to reach the highest level of sports without an equal combination of both. I like to look at athletic ability and athletic success like a computer. You need to have equal software (mental) and hardware (physical) components. A lot of times you will see phenomenal athletes with amazing talent that have a massive "hardware" component but lack the "software" to run that hardware package. You also see the opposite. Athletes that have a huge "software" component, such as desire, coachability, and work ethic but unfortunately don’t have the hardware to keep up with the software package. I believe that it is when you combine both talented hardware and software components that you see athletes reach the top of their sports.
5. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)
I believe that I am now an expert in my field. Up until last year, I would say that I was a specialist but not an expert. As an expert, I feel that an individual should be able to self diagnose problem areas and be able to prescribe solutions to fix those problems. I am reaching a point in my career where I am beginning to understand what makes my body work and what it takes to get it to perform at the highest level. I am also continually learning as well, and I think that as soon as someone thinks they know it all about their event or sport, that they will start to see a decline in their performances. Even experts look to other sources sometimes for possible solutions to problems, that is the beauty of what we do. The continual search for knowledge and the "what if" factor when finding new and improved means to get higher performances.
M++
1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?
My family comes from a very athletic background. My father was a 2-sport standout athlete in football and track and field in college. He ventured into distance running as he got older and competed in numerous marathons well into his late 40's. My mother was also active in track and field as well as cheerleading throughout her collegiate years. My older brother competed in track and field in high school but opted for rugby in his collegiate years. Post college my brother found himself joining the Professional Disc Golf Association and is now a touring professional and has competed in a few world championships.
2. When did you begin participating in your sport?
I began participating in my sport full time my junior year of college in 2000. The 1st time I ever tried it was my freshman year in 1998.
THE EXTRAS (if you have time)
1. What was your early experiences with sport like?
I excelled in sports as a young kid. I remember being a bit undersized but faster than most of the other kids. I had no favorite as a kid; I was equally a fan of soccer, football and baseball but ironically showed the most promise in baseball due to my arm. Which strangely has ended up being how I make my living, with my arm. Growing up in the USA, football, baseball and soccer dominated the youth playing fields and track and field was no where to be found.
2. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete?
My parents were extremely instrumental in my success as a child. They provided the means for me to excel but not the motivation. I was never pushed into sports, it was something that I genuinely enjoyed. I am thankful for that as well because alot of time you see talented kids get burned out by the constant harassment of family and friends. As I reached the middle school and high school years, the coaches in my hometown of Temple Texas were as instrumental in my development as an athlete and as a person as my parents were. I believe that alot of my work ethic and character values were instilled in me by the coaches who I grew up with. I was fortunate to be coached by very moral and Christian men who knew the impact that they would have on developing core values and beliefs at a young age. They are values that I take with me even to this day and will pass on to my kids as well.
3. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in?
I began throwing the javelin as the result of injuries that forced me out of my primary sports. I attended Texas State University on a football scholarship and also played baseball for 3 years as part of a "package deal". Although scholarships are not allowed to be shared between sports at the collegiate level, I took a football scholarship and "walked on" to the baseball team. Throughout my 1st 3 years of school I bounced back and forth between football and baseball trading red shirts and never fully committing myself to either one against the wishes of many on the coaching staff. Heading into my junior year of football I tore my ACL in my knee, immediately ending my football career. I rehabbed the entire fall in hopes of making it back in time for baseball season but was unable to do so. Throughout the course of several conversations I decided to try out for the track team and attempted the decathlon. That didn’t last very long, a few months at most and my coach and I decided to stick with my best event which was the javelin. The rest, as they say...is history.
4. Is your success a product of nature or nurture?
I believe my success as an athlete is an equal combination of both. I also feel that it is not possible to reach the highest level of sports without an equal combination of both. I like to look at athletic ability and athletic success like a computer. You need to have equal software (mental) and hardware (physical) components. A lot of times you will see phenomenal athletes with amazing talent that have a massive "hardware" component but lack the "software" to run that hardware package. You also see the opposite. Athletes that have a huge "software" component, such as desire, coachability, and work ethic but unfortunately don’t have the hardware to keep up with the software package. I believe that it is when you combine both talented hardware and software components that you see athletes reach the top of their sports.
5. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)
I believe that I am now an expert in my field. Up until last year, I would say that I was a specialist but not an expert. As an expert, I feel that an individual should be able to self diagnose problem areas and be able to prescribe solutions to fix those problems. I am reaching a point in my career where I am beginning to understand what makes my body work and what it takes to get it to perform at the highest level. I am also continually learning as well, and I think that as soon as someone thinks they know it all about their event or sport, that they will start to see a decline in their performances. Even experts look to other sources sometimes for possible solutions to problems, that is the beauty of what we do. The continual search for knowledge and the "what if" factor when finding new and improved means to get higher performances.
M++
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Trading 85 for 25....degrees that is!
This blog entry comes as I am preparing for a winter training camp in Scandinavia. I am leaving the sunny Southern California weather on Friday and headed to Finland and Norway for some training with the worlds best. This is the time of year last year, that I left for Australian summer Grand Prix series. After being notified that the javelin would not be part of the 09 Aussi Grand Prix series, I decided to head to training camp instead.
The timing could not be better! After competing well into the end of September on the Olympic year, I felt I needed the extra few weeks of training and will now push my 09 season opener back to the end of April. Most of the worlds best javelin throwers are either in Portugal or South Africa on warm weather training camps this time of year. Fortunately for me...living in San Diego, I am at warm weather training year round, so its good for me to change it up and head north to get some solid technical training in.
Some people may wonder why I would leave the comfort of my home training camp and head to where the temperatures hover around 15 degrees and the sun is only out 4 hours a day...the answer is an easy one...thats where the best in the world do it. All of the northern European throwers and Scandinavian throwers, who just happen to be the best in the world...throw indoors 7 months out of the year. Throwing inside into a net takes away the distance factor in your training, which allows you to focus more on refining your technique. When you are changing your technique, the distances you are throwing are almost always very bad and subconsciously your body wants to revert back to what was your prior (and not necessarily better) technique in order to regain some of that distance. If you take away the distance component, there is no need or desire to see the javelin fly far and thus allows you to continually refine your throwing motion to perfection.
Lets use golf as an example, which is very similar to the javelin. All power and no technique will often result in sliced or hooked ball flights, and no power and all technique will result in straight flights but no distance. Its the same in the javelin. If you take a golfer away from the driving range and make him hit inside into a net where he cant see how far the ball goes, the golfer then focuses on the swing, not how far it goes.
Lets have a look at the top ranked throwers in the world this year and see where they come from...of the top 25 throwers in the world, here is the breakdown:
21 of top 25 throwers are from Northern Europe (myself, Canada, S. Africa and Australia are the only exceptions)
7 of the top 10 and the entire top 5 are from Scandinavia.
Impressive numbers for such a small region. I guess one can say going to Scandinavia for javelin training is like going to Mexico to learn Spanish, its simply where they do it the best and most often. I haven't been back to Finland since 2007 and I spent almost a year there from the fall of 2004 though the summer of 2005 and cant wait to see some of my old friends and training partners. My last week of my training camp I will be training in Oslo Norway and staying with the current world #1 and the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Champ, Andreas Thorkildsen. Andreas is one of the coolest guys on earth and has always gone out of his way to help me out even though we are competitors. For a really cool story, dig through my blog entry "The Doha Disaster". The airlines lost all my bags on my way to my 1st Super Grand Prix in Doha Qatar and Andreas let me borrow his old competition spikes and I ended up setting a new personal best. I'm hoping that I borrow a few pieces of his good luck while in Oslo and bring home some new technique and monster throws in the future.
Heres a clip of the some of the snow in 2004...
M++
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