IN THE ARENA WITH MIKE

The State of the Union

2011-10-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

You should sit down for this one, if your not sitting down, I hope you have comfortable shoes on because this one may take a while. If you don’t have a while to read this blog, I suggest you just come back later when your bored.

Still there? Ok, here we go...

I recently had an interview with Tim Huntley, and “My athletics Life” … It pretty much summarizes most of this blog, so if you want the toned down version, go here:

http://myathleticlife.com/?p=655

Wisdom: "A deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to choose or act or inspire to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time, energy or thought". You know the saying, with age comes wisdom? Well I never really thought about how accurate that saying would be, until... well...one gains wisdom with age. If you really look at the definition of wisdom, I mean really look at it, I believe that it could be the ultimate goal that encompasses everything in life.

“A deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations” Understanding the people around you, the things that influence those around you, the situations that influence the things that effect those around you...and knowing how to manipulate all of those things and be in control of your own environment so that you are always acting, not reacting to the world around you.

“...Resulting in the ability to choose or act or inspire to consistently produce the optimum results with a minimum of time, energy or thought". That to me sounds like the ultimate goal of all athletics, and equally life as well.

This blog is my last blog, the final blog of my, um… blogging career? I have had a few months to reflect on my last 4 years of writing blogs for In the Arena, and I believe that it is fitting that the 1st thing that I address is how vital and important ITA has been, and still continues to be in my career. I can honestly say, hands down, without a doubt, that Amory Rowe, and In the Arena, has been the single most influential factor in my athletic career. That’s a huge statement, given the amount of people who have helped me along my journey. But of all the help and support that I have received throughout my journey, none go as far as good old-fashioned financial support. Some people offer emotional support, moral support, nutrition support, training and technical advice...but at the end of the day, all of that support is void if you cant pay your bills. That’s where Amory stepped in and took a chance on me. My parents took a major hit in this department as well, delaying their own retirement as they helped me chase my Olympic Dream for almost 4 years. There are no words to describe the depth of my gratitude to my parents and to Amory.

I titled this blog, “The State of the Union” because I felt it was fitting for me to reflect on what I have learned in the last decade, traveling the world, throwing a stick and trying to make ends meet. The State of the Union, if you didn’t know, is the annual address presented by the President to the Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda. Well, my State of the Union is about the world of professional athletics. And the State of our Union is in total chaos.

Track and Field is dying, and dying fast and the “Olympic Movement” is as weak as it ever has been. One of the best interviews that I have ever heard was from my old roommate, 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist in the pole vault, Toby Stevenson. It pretty much wraps up the State of our Union. The interview can be seen here:

http://www.flotrack.org/speaker/7406-Toby-Stevenson/video/482077-Toby-Stevenson-Life-After-Track

If you have another 30min or so to hear the 2nd greatest interview of all time, have a listen to another one of my old roommates, 2011 National Champion in the Discus, Jarred Rome:

http://www.throwerspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/Podcasts/jarred%20rome%20%28edited%29.mp3

Since we are on the topic of awesome interviews, here's a piece from my fellow Olympian and Oregon Track Club poster boy, Nick Symmonds:

http://www.flotrack.org/blog/38650-Im-Tired-of-USATF-and-IAAF-Crippling-Our-Sport

In my opinion, the only thing that keeps the sports glimmer of hope alive is the strength in numbers. As Toby said, we have 350 million people in this country. Someone, somewhere will come out of the current system we have, and for now, that seems to be ok for our National Governing Body. We currently have without a doubt the world’s greatest track and field team, so why would USATF change what they are doing? In the words of Woodrow Wilson, ”If you want to make enemies, try to change something” But how good could we really be?

Jarred outlines the difficulties associated with being a USA athlete, a thrower at that. An athlete that makes his or her living based on a competition schedule that takes place almost exclusively in Europe and Asia. Since I started competing “professionally” in 2005, I have competed in the USA a grand total of 20 times, and that includes 6 National Championships, that I am “required” to compete in according to USATF.

** side note** La Shawn Merritt didn’t have to compete at Nationals this year, and still got a free ride to Worlds, and that after coming off a doping suspension… I thought I remember USATF saying something about “zero-tolerance” … remember that?

http://www.usatf.org/about/legal/antidoping/ZeroTolerance_actionPlan.asp

Oh yeah, he didn’t compete at Nationals, even though he was the reigning World Champion, USATF Rules state:

“A reigning World Champion who competes at the 2011 USA Track & Field Championships receives an automatic bye into the World Championships for the event in which he or she is reigning World Champion whether or not he or she has achieved the corresponding entry standard. These athletes are not required to compete in the same event in which they are reining World Champions at the 2011 Outdoor Championships in order to receive the bye. “

I guess the kicker here is the “Other Requirements” section that also states that:

“In order to be eligible to be a member of the Team, an athlete must be a USA Track & Field member in good standing at the time of the 2011 USA Track & Field Championships and for the duration of the World Championships.”

So let me get this straight, we let a guy who didn’t compete at our Nationals, AT ALL, not even in a different event onto the World Championship Team. Furthermore, was he in “good standing” with USATF at the time of Nationals? No, he was serving a doping suspension… Zero Tolerance MY ASS!!

Anyways, back to the meat of the story… I competed in the states a total of 20 times, 6 of which I was eh hem ...” required”. That leaves a total of 14 competitions that where "discretionary" and I guarantee you, yielded no financial return. That compared to over 70 competitions while traveling abroad. As Jarred mentioned in his interview, most of the times the chips are stacked against you as you have to travel over 30 hours, live out of a bag, eat foreign food and fight with jet lag...while trying to bang with the best in the world who almost always have a 2 hour travel day and slept in their own bed the night before. Life as an American thrower is tough, but that’s what makes us who we are, it is what it is and it will never change. All we can do is get ours while we are in the mix and get out and pass on what wisdom we picked up along the way to the next group.

“Making the Team”
Making the USA World or Olympic Team is hands down the hardest team to make, and in some events, harder to win than Worlds itself. Do we send our best team? Absolutely not, we send who was good on that day, which is often a full month or more away from the actual major championship. It happens every year, whether it’s our best sprinter, pole vaulter, or thrower, someone is always left at home when they have established themselves as the best we have the entire season. It’s a system that is broken and needs to be amended. I have my own idea on how to fix the problem, but to save you some boredom, I wont detail it here. I remember seeing a banner in Eugene at the trails in 08 that said “The hardest team to make” … I wonder how many of our European competitors have to see that? They don’t need to make a team, they are the team.

“World Ranking and the Tier System”
The Tier System...it could go down as one of the stupidest ideas that has ever been contrived. It shows the true lack of understanding of how the World Ranking system is implemented. The current US “funding system” is based upon a “Tier System” that puts athletes into brackets based on their “World Ranking”. However, the current World Ranking System awards performances at Diamond Leagues only. Outside Diamond Leagues, you of course have the World and Olympic Games, but those are only 1 meet per year, so if you are not on a World or Olympic Team, and do not compete in a Diamond League meet, you virtually have NO chance at securing enough points to get a high enough world ranking for USATF to fund you in the tier system. For example:

I received a grand total of 100 bonus points for winning our National championships this year. Think about it, 100 points for winning nationals...winning Nationals for the "Worlds Greatest Track Team?" That’s the same amount of bonus points for getting 6th at a Diamond League event...so basically, if I hung around the Diamond League Circuit all year and got between 6th-8th place with the exact same throw that I had at Nationals, my world Ranking would jump 20 places and I would be top 10 in the world. However, I won several meets in Europe or placed in the top 3 with the same distance, and earned only 10-15 bonus points. The same throw, same places, 80-90 points less...that equals a drop in the World Ranking and a drop in funding. Just another awesome idea by USATF.

As I wrap up this final blog entry, I want to make it very clear that I would have not changed anything that I have done, and am truly blessed and grateful for all the opportunities that have been provided to me. I have had an enchanted athletic career thus far and I look at where I am now and where I came from and it gives me great pride. I look at it this way, I love my job… I just hate my boss!

I learned something a few months back, that the greatest energy of all is gratitude. But gratitude comes from the heart, not from the head. And that being said I would like to sign off once and for all with a heart felt thank you to Amory Rowe and In the Arena for all of her help and support the last few years. No words can explain the depth of heartfelt gratitude that my family and I have for Amory and ITA.
A huge heartfelt thanks to Tom Jackovic, Jack Wickens, Larry Litzky, Mark James, Willie Banks, and the rest of the USATF Foundation. Unlike USA Track and Field, the USATF Foundation actually understands what development is and targets potential athletes who not only possess the physical talent but the drive, character and determination to push through the numerous difficulties that accompany post collegiate athletics. They do a great job of identifying athletes who have the intangibles and make future Olympic Teams – these are the outliers who don’t fit into the USA Track and Field traditional “development” model. Without the support of the USATF Foundation, I would not be where I am today.

My coach, Ty Sevin...The only coach I have really ever had. Ty let me crash on his couch for almost 4 months in 2003 while I tried to figure this sport out and look for a job. He put up with my techno music before and after practice and my OCD, and his patience with me is a virtue that not many people posses and to him I am unbelievably thankful. I only wish I had a federation that wouldn't take away his coaching stipend that I and he rightfully earned through hard work, because he is technically an employee of USATF.

The State of our Union is dying...but with the help of Amory Rowe, the USATF Foundation, the Professional Athletes Association, and athlete ambassadors such as Adam Nelson, our sport may have a chance. But the change must start at the top.

Dear USATF:
"Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
—John F. Kennedy

Sincerely,
Mike Hazle

2008 Olympian
2011 USA National Champion
Top 10 Performances Ranks #3 in American History
2 Times Ranked Top 10 in the World
3 Times Ranked #1 in USA
4 Times USA National Championship Silver Medalist
2 Time World Championship Team Member
2010 World Cup Team Member
2007 Pan American Games Silver Medalist

Luzern / Stockholm and The French Fighting

2011-07-24T13:39:00.001-07:00

Well, I just have to do this... I pretty much feel obligated too, this past weekend I was trying to find a link to watch the best training partner in the world, my training partner, Kara Patterson, throw in the Monaco Diamond League. While I was cruising the internet to find a way to watch it, I stumbled across one of the funniest videos I have seen in quite a while.

Below is a clip of 2 French dudes going at it after a run in circles, the 60k jog/race or something boaring like that... what unfolded was pure knee slapping entertainment... enjoy:

you have to give it to them, over the next few days, more people searched that love spat on youtube than the actual Diamond League event itself! Well done boys! I mean... at least its nice to see the French fight SOMETHING!

Alas, I feel obligated to explain my position... allow me:

...enough said

Oh yeah track news, threw in one of the coolest meets of my career last Thursday, The Luzern Spitzen Leichtathletik, in Luzern, Switzerland. I threw below my seasons average, but could care less because I had a blast. All of my close friends and competitors where there and it was just a great time. The Meeting director, Terry McHugh did an amazing job...probably because he is a former javelin thrower! Thats just how we roll! Up next is my 1st Diamond League Meeting...Stockholm, which is a nice treat because it just so happens to be my #1 all time favorite place to throw..see
http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2011/06/to-do-or-not-to-do-and-then-some.html

After Stockholm, its home to reload for worlds...and then, who knows ;)
M++

(yeah I know there is no mag in there...thats why I said its time to re-load, duh)

The infamous Top 10 ...

2011-06-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to reflect back on the last 7 years of my career and make a top 10 list. I don't think I have seen a list like this so far from anyone else...but then again I don't read any blogs or look for things like this, so maybe that explains it? However, I have met more people in the last week who have said that they have been entertained with my last few blog entry's and they have thanked me for "keeping it real" and saying what so many people have wanted to say for so long... So, why not run with it for now.

I have been blessed beyond belief to have traveled all over the world throwing a stick, and below is a list of my top 10 favorite meets. My criteria for ranking these meets is compiled on the following criteria:

1) ease of travel, location of the airport from the meet (hotel ect.) and transportation to and from the airport to the hotel and to the competition.
2) accommodation... the quality of the hotel, the food, the rooms, view, A/C ect...
3) the meeting itself... the quality of the track, the crowd, the money (if any) and the local organizing.

*** It may have been a few years since I have been to some of these meets and some of the meet directors could have changed as well as hotels ect, but I'm going to give you my fill... the lowdown...no filter...and I'm going to call people by name, so this could get fun! So lets take a quick ride down memory lane!

Here is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Meetings:

#1 Stockholm DN Galan (Stockholm, Sweden)
Every thing about this meet is amazing. From the time you arrive at the airport to the time you check into the hotel (you get your own rooms! :) everything is extremely easy and flawless. The Hotel is awesome, great food, great people. The Swede's are a very knowledgeable track crowd and the meet is run to perfection, no wonder it is now a Diamond League Meeting. Hands down, my favorite meet of all time! Well done Rajne!

#2 Athina Tsiklitiria (Athens, Greece)
I don't think this meet is running anymore, and thats a shame. The Athens GP was my 2nd favorite meet. I mean, come on, its Athens...the Olympic Stadium...the history, just an amazing meet. My buddy Georges was the meet director when I was there and he went out of the way to make everyone as comfortable as possible and he was a pleasure to be around, generous is an understatement! The hotel was amazing, right across the street from the Acropolis, the food was awesome, just an amazing meet over all. The only down side of that meet was that sometimes you didn't get paid (so I heard) and there was almost no one in the stands... But after getting to visit Athens for free, Ill take that trade.

#3 Huelva Meeting Iberoamericano de Atletismo (Huelva, Spain)
My 1st time to hit the Olympic "A" standard was in Huelva back in 2007. Even if I hadn't have thrown well there, it would still rank among my favorites. We stayed at a 5-Star beach resort! On the water! The food was top notch and the crowd was amazing, packed to capacity. The Local Organizing Committee even made nice little to-go breakfast and lunch bags for the people who had to leave early in the morning...nice touch!

#4 Rovereto Palio Città della Quercia (Rovereto, Italy)
Speaking of food and wine...hands down the best food and wine on the circuit! Rovereto is one of the most beautiful and amazing places I have ever been...The hotels are quaint bed and breakfasts, the stadium is brand new mondo, and your basically hanging out in the most beautiful part of Italy. The drive from any airport, be it Milan or Venice is amazing! Little villages with coffee shops and the most beautiful lakes you have ever seen...oh yeah you are at the base of the Swiss Alps! Great meet!

#5 Daegu Colorful Athletics Meeting (Daegu, Korea)
Not sure if they will have a meet after this years World Championships? But I hope they do. As most Asian meets, the people make it worth the trip. I am always amazed at how polite the Asian culture is, and Daegu is no exception. The hotel is HUGE and the rooms have COLD AC! the stadium is of course top notch and the crowd is excited and packed. They dont really have a clue as to what they are watching, but the seem to be happy to just be there! They hold a nice banquet the night before the meet and a raging party afterwards...all in all a fun place to be!

#6 Kawasaki Super Meet (Kawasaki, Japan)
Again, Asia...amazing people! I had the privilege to see Japan about 2 months after the earthquake and tsunami disasters. It reminded me of the USA post 9-11 and I was proud to see how upbeat and determined the Japanese people where to get things back to normal. Return to the "positive flow" as Koji put it. The meet, awesome as expected, the stadium is perfect and the crowd just the same. Karla, the meet director takes great care of the athletes and is a pleasure to be around!

#7 Pátra Tófalia (Patras, Greece)
Another greek meet, another beautiful city, great stadium. Georges again running the show and doing a great job. Anytime you can get to Greece to compete, you should do it. If not just go for the food, wine and the Mediterranean!

#8 Doha Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix / Diamond League (Doha, Qatar)
The travel to Doha sucks a bit as you can imagine. But the fact that you will probably never go to the Middle East for any other reason kicks this meet into the top 10. The hotel is the best as is the food and pretty much everything else you can think of given the economic state of Qatar. I even saw gold plated floors in the mall...overkill. The stadium is small but they usually have a good wind but no one in the stands. But still, its Qatar...why not.

#9 Roma Golden Gala (Rome, Italy)
What else do I need to say, its Rome...its Italy...wine, coffee, sun, the Colosseum...Its like competing in a museum! About the only bad thing I can think of about the Rome meet is the traffic to and from the stadium. Gigi puts on a great meet and I hope I get the chance to go back one more time.

#10 Melbourne Telstra A Series (Melbourne, Australia)
Aussi Aussi Aussi ... what a fun city, of course the travel sucks if you coming from the states, but if you get the chance to hang out for a month its well worth it. Melbourne is a rocking city and the meet itself is pretty nice. The meet director, Maury Plant is a non stop riot, could be one of the funniest guys on the planet and he looks after the athletes well! He hooked me up with a hell of a hotel and all the perks that came with it, he knows what I'm talking about! ;)

Now for the bottom feeders, and if there happens to be any rookie track guys reading this...trust me, you should steer clear of these meets:

#1 Moscow Open (Moscow, Russia)
No amount of money could get me back to Russia. Everything about this meet was garbage, the travel, the accommodations, the food, the weather, the people... you name it, it sucked. Never again, you cant buy piece of mind!

#2 Zhukovskiy Znamenskiy Memorial (Zhukovsky, Russia)
Again...Russia, enough said, read the previous meet and that should do it. Oh, if you want to take some illegal drugs and get some ridiculous marks, then you should go here, I saw some freaky stuff go down there. F-R-EEEeaky stuff, girls that looked like guys, mustache's and all...no thank you!

#3 Riga Cup 2008 (Riga, Latvia)
Basically the armpit of Europe, the hotel sucked, the meet sucked, the weather, the crowd, the food, all SUCKED! You spent most of the day in your hotel room telling the drug dealers and prostitutes in the hallways to stop knocking on your door. Then you have to deal with Baltic Airlines who likes to break and loose your luggage...Then they act like they don't understand English when you go to file a claim. Hey Latvia, you suck!

#4 Sao Paulo GP CAIXA de Atletismo (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
#5 Belém GP Brasil CAIXA de Atletismo (Belem, Brazil)

Sao Paulo and Belem have pretty much the same problems. The travel, hotel, and food are all down right dangerous. Its hot and there is a water and toilet paper shortage...both of which you need when you are dehydrated and have a case of the mud butt, which is about an 80% chance that you will get that there, just ask anyone who has been.

#6 Villeneuve d'Ascq Meeting Lille Métropole (Lille, France)
What can I say, its France...Do I really need to explain? Maybe its because I cant speak French? Actually, I know a little bit of French ... "I surrender"
enough said.

#7 Baie Mahault Meeting International Guadeloupe (The middle of the Caribbean)
I have mixed emotions about this one... Your in the Caribbean, which is cool, but it takes forever to get there. Its a 3rd world country, so you have the food and water problem, but most of all, they just dont know how to run a track meet. The Hotel is nice, but its just not on my list to do again. Oh yeah, the speak French there...figures.

#8 Tallinn Meeting (Tallin, Estonia)
Not too much bad to say about this one, just a dull meet, and the meet director Aivar is a jerk. The hotel is lame and so is the food, good luck with the weather, you never know what you are going to get. Only good thing I can say about this meet is that the Estonian people as a group are awesome, very polite and hospitable.

#9 Linz Gugl Meeting (Linz, Austria)
There is a reason this meet isn't around anymore, the meet director Harald Edletzberger is a crook. Hey didn't pay a large number of athletes, including me! Hey Harry you owe me about $1,500! Not only did you not pay me for Linz, but you screwed me on Zagreb as well, maybe thats why you got fired...jerk!

#10 Göteborg Folksam Grand Prix (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Threw here this year, pretty lame meet for the Swedes who have such a deep athletics heritage. Nothing stands out as terrible about this meet, just an overall dull, boring meet with nothing to get excited about. There is almost no money available and chances are you will spend more on food than you will get for winning...sigh

Well, that was fun...looking forward to doing that again soon, or another top 10 list in the future...

Track updates, I won nationals last weekend, finally! I'm in Edmonton, Canada for a meet today, so far this meet has ALOT of work to do or it will be bumping Gothenburg off the number 10 spot! Stay tuned!

M++

Oslo / Dessau / Gothenburg

2011-06-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Heres a first…writing a blog on a train, with wireless internet. I'm on the way from Gothenburg to Oslo and was just video skyping my parents in Texas. Technology sometimes just amazes me. After shuffling in and out of airports all over the world, and being crammed into seats in the back of planes, I actually prefer this whole train thing…its pretty nice. Got plenty of room to stretch out and walk around and no stupid seat belt signs!

I’m really biting my lip while typing this blog… I want to speak my mind about some of the stuff that’s happening in the track and field world, but I will hold my tongue…for now. I have been in Europe for a few weeks now and have watched the Prefontaine, Oslo, and most recently the New York Diamond League meets. After watching these meets, I feel discussed with this sport. Not from the athletics perspective, but from the “politics” of the sport. I am actually looking forward to the day when I can walk off the runway for the last time and speak my mind. You should mark the day on your calendar because that blog entry will be biblical! It will be the stuff that they write books about! I should probably do so now, but Ill hold off…for now.

I threw on June 1 in Dessau Germany (77.57m) for 4th place and 1st place in Gothenburg with 77.37m yesterday. Not big results if your looking at the top lists, but I’m a few meters ahead of where I was in 2009 heading into USA Champs, where I went 82m into a nasty headwind, so all things considered… Ill take it. Actually, even if I was throwing 50m right now, I would still take it. It absolutely doesn’t matter to me how far I’m throwing…I sleep the same every night! You might say that its easy for me to say that since I am “ahead of schedule” as far as my performance goes. But you will see, I can guarantee you that I will have a few ridiculously bad meets coming up, thats just the way the javelin is...and my tone will be the same.

My countdown to the exit from this stage is ticking and its what comes after that countdown is over that carries importance to me, not what some pathetic meet director thinks about my last throw. Quote it, tweet it, or write that on your wall/mirror or wherever you fell the need.

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Until next time
M++

Oslo

2011-05-31T12:32:00.001-07:00

Im sitting here in Oslo typing up my blog, trying to come up with a theme, and Im looking out my window and noticing that the sun isnt quite down yet and its almost midnight (thanks jet-lag)! So how about this: This blog is about thankfulness, a.k.a gratitude. Thankful that back in San Diego, the sun sets in the evening, bringing a bit of closure to the day...thankful that back home oatmeal/raisins and 2 cups of coffee doesn't cost $50. Thankful for good friends who let me crash in places that I have no way of affording them! There is plenty more but for time sake Ill cap it at that.

Im in Europe for a quick 2.5 week trip to hit 2 maybe 3 meets, Im confirmed for Dessau, Germany, June 1 and Gothenburg Sweden, on June 11 and hopefully if the business end of the sport goes well I will get to sneak in the backdoor meet of the Oslo Diamond League on June 9....all sounds good huh, hold that thought. I took another synvisc injection in my knee the day before i was to come over and the night before I got on the plane my knee doubled in size and looked like a strawberry, red spots and all... I almost bailed on the trip but then decided to do it anyways, and it turned out to be the most interesting, challenging flight I have had in quite a while... Some good mental practice on meditation and pain management...."jedi mind tricks" as a super close friend would say. I'm learning some really cool stuff on how to deal with "feelings" and associations of certain feelings and how we react to them and it has made a big difference in some of my last performances... It is even more helpful in allowing me to focus on what lies ahead for me after my track career is done...those close to me know where I am headed, and in time you may too.

Last week I hit a meet in Tucson AZ and let one go out to the right side...still not connected with the jav as I would have liked to be, but given the fact that I have almost never broken 70m in training, I was comfortable...not happy...not mad...not satisfied....just comfortable with an 81.09m throw and 2 others over 80 and a 79.97m toss....all in all its just part of the process and makes no difference in anything else in life...its just the smoke that goes along with the mirrors...I hope to have more comfortable news from Europe this week...stand by
M++

Tokyo / Kawasaki

2011-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

no big news from my 1st meet of the season over here in Japan... 75m all over the place, lots of power and no control...not surprising though. Japan is amazing and the people are in great spirits here given what the have been through the last few months. In fact, I love it here, the people are amazing and extremely polite! Nice change of pace from so-cal... Home in 21 hours... bonzai! M++

"Fitting In or Standing Out"

2011-04-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to a collegiate track and field meet for the 1st time in several years. What stood out to me most was what seemed like the overwhelming and glaring need for most of the people there to be associated with some sort of group...in most cases a team, and in some of the unattached cases, some kind of affiliation with a shoe company. It brought back memories of my earlier years of competing on the circuit without sponsors and support and the need that I had to be associated with some sort of group or company.

I can remember trying to find out what the Nike/Adidas/Asics competition kits looked like and then I would go out and try to buy something as similar as I could to their kits. I also remember borrowing or trading for USATF National Team gear when I went to meets when I was in college. At that time, I thought it meant something...like you achieved something, if you had national team gear on...like "look at that guy, he has been on a team".

Its ironic how your view of what "successful is." I remember seeing guys who I watched on TV in the Olympics and World Championships, guys who had medals, money, sponsors ect... and I was always amazed at how little they cared to show off their accomplishments. I remember seeing a high school kid training at the Olympic Training Center last fall...the kid actually made the World Junior Team and actually did quite well. He came to the track about 3 times a week and every time he came, he wore his full national team gear, head to toe! Fully decked out... I can relate to him being proud of his accomplishments and wanting to "show" the athletes at the training center that he was legit and wanted to be accepted there.

I'm guessing he didn't realize that as you get older, its not the actual teams that you make that makes you value those National Team kits... Its all the teams that you sold your soul for that you didn't make. The years of living on couches, nursing injuries with no medical insurance and raking up debt...searching for the elusive secret or holy grail of your event. Putting all your eggs in one basket and watching them all crack one by one... but then having your 5 minutes of fame where you make that team, and you realize how special it is. I often think that the few lucky guys and girls who sign big sponsor deals and make World and Olympic Teams their 1st year out of school miss out on those times. Thats not a bad thing, it just makes me understand why they probably don't care that much for those Team USA kits, because it was just another team...

So you see kid...I see you with your USATF team jersey...the one that you probably bought on the USATF website, and its ok. Because I know given the opportunity to do so, you would probably sell your soul as I did to earn you own Team jersey.

I'm looking at a massive box of Beijing 2008 Olympic gear that got worn almost everyday for at least a year. That box hasn't been opened in at least 2 years now.

Until next time,
M++

Life After College ... "Pick up a Golf Club"

2011-04-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Last week I stumbled across an interview that my old roomate, Toby Stevenson, gave to Flotrack after a practice session at Stanford University (were he currently coaches.)

This interview is probably one of the greatest perspectives of life after college, by one of the greatest pole vaulters to ever live. And this is from an Olympic medalist, a guy who has reached the pinnacle of the sport. His advice to an aspiring NCAA "up and coming" athlete...someone who has the "potential" to make it in the professional ranks..."pick up a golf club and learn to play golf". This is the funniest, yet truest advice I have ever heard.

In Toby's interview, he talks about sacrifices and support. We all know "sacrifices sound cliche" but in professional track and field, especially the technical events where athletes don't reach the international level until their late 20's and 30's... sacrifice is an understatement.

I was speaking to the Olympic Training Centers sports psychologist last week about life after track, and what I can take away from my career when it is over. My opinion seems to be echoed by most retired and older athletes, most of whom are Olympians and even some Olympic medalists. I...we... believe that we have put in more than we will ever be able to get out of track and field. Even if I where to win an Olympic Gold medal, I believe that I will still feel as if I have dedicated half my life to an ideal that did not give back. I have had a pretty blessed career thus far, made an Olympic Team, World Championship Team, World Cup Team, won an International Medal, traveled the world 10 times over...but yet I feel that the sport has made me more cynical and bitter than thankful. I admit, that the majority of my animosity comes from the lack of support from our National Governing body, who ironically should be the number one place of support. Maybe one shinning light in hindsight was the support that I received from my family and a few close friends and organizations that put faith in my talent and ambition...amazing people and friends such as Amory Rowe and In the Arena, Jack Wickens and the USATF Foundation. Let me make that statement clear, that would be the USATF FOUNDATION, not our national governing body USATF...there is a BIG difference! Help from the United States Olympic Committee and guys like Tracy Lamb, for taking a gamble on me back in 2006. Support from amazing friends like these help ease the burden of trying to fight the sometimes impossible fight and for that I am forever thankful.

In a side note, how fun would professional sports in the USA be if they followed the track and field, golf and tennis model. What if... NFL/NHL/MLB/NBA players didn't get paid, unless they won their game? How hard would these guys fight every game to secure their multi-million dollar salaries, some of who receive millions of dollars and dont even play? How fun would that be? Maybe we would see a little "extra effort" or a few ground balls?

Here is Toby's interview, watch it, save it, hopefully you get an idea of what life is all about in the life of a professional track athlete and maybe get a laugh as well.

The interview can be seen here:

http://www.flotrack.org/speaker/7406-Toby-Stevenson/video/482077-Toby-Stevenson-Life-After-Track?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook

March Training

2011-03-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

March is almost halfway over and its flying by fast and furious. The weather has been great, surprise right. Can't say the same for whats happening in Japan right now. Watching all the tsunami stuff on TV reminds me of when I went through similar evacuations about a year ago in Hawaii, see below:

http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

I packed our condo all through the night and waited for the evacuation sirens to go off at 06:00am...

I haven't gotten confirmation if any of the problems in Japan will effect the May 8 competition in Kawasaki, which is supposed to be my 2nd meet of the season...I'm crossing my fingers. Not much news to blog about this time of year. The High Tech High Bruins have resumed practice at the Olympic Training Center and although I havent been able to spend as much time coaching them, it has been fun catching up with old friends and seeing some new faces.

Here is a random video I made from some of the past few days training, I plan to make several more, but am going to collect some more footage first...

All things New...

2011-02-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

New training block, new haircut ;) new javelin spikes, new music... The new training block starts, in about 5 hours (I'm a little bit sleep deprived) so if this blog comes off a bit random, it reflects how I'm currently feeling...but after this first round of coffee, things may clear up a bit near the end of this entry (but it may be too late by then)... By the way, if you have the ear for some amazing tech house/progressive EXCLUSIVE music, check out my new sponsor friskyradio.com...like NOW!

http://www.friskyradio.com/

ok, now that the rambling is out of the way... New 4 week training block starts today, which includes a bit more fast pace throwing, not too much, just a bit....and some of my favorite lifts...Here's a clip of my coach and I about 10 days out from Beijing in 08. Cool thing is I'm up about 30k since then...moving on

By the way, here is my coach giving an awesome interview at USA Indoors this weekend:
http://www.runnerspace.com/video.php?do=view&video_id=37546

Lets see, other updates, I cut my hair for the 1st time since September 2010. Nike is "rumored" to be working on a new javelin spike, which would be great, given that the current one is probably the...well never mind, lets just say its not ideal. Here is a cool pics of the current boot "melting" upon ground contact.

And here is one of Chris Hill's toe after one session...you get the idea

My DJ website if finally up and running, big thanks to sponsors Frisky Radio
http://www.friskyradio.com/

and Undastreet Music Enhancement:
http://www.undastreet.com/

http://djmisha.us/

I got approved for a guest mix on friskyradio last month, which is HUGE for me because Friskyradio is worldwide and reaches ears on all corners of the globe, anywhere there is internet and a love for music, my mix will be there. My last mix was all set to air but I messed up and put a link to it on facebook which violated the agreement with Frisky because all their mixes are EXSCLUSIVE! Thats how they make their money and what makes the special, you wont hear those sets anywhere else in the world. Anyways, since I made the last mix public, here is the link:

files.me.com/mikehazle/2lpzgo.mp3

I have dialed down my community service quite a bit the last month because I have been spending a HUGE amount of time doing therapy and rehab, and so far it working well. I still have a few bumps and bruises for the most part, but again that's to be expected for this time of the year. I will be in touch with the High Tech High gang this season but in a far less role than last year. Although being with HTH guys is buckets of fun and I really enjoy just hanging with the team, it does do a huge number on my ability to recover from training. Things are going so well right now that I would rather not change anything. "If it aint broke, don't fix it".

To wrap it all up, I read a pretty amazing quote last night... I'll leave you with where I read it and the amazingness that follows: you are welcome ;)

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."

-Helen Keller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bJmVJZbmIk

Freedom...

2011-02-13T19:04:00.001-08:00

Its usually this time of year that I get a kick out of cruising the mall on the weekend and looking at all the stressed out guys... You can always tell the ones who are desperate to get that last second gift that has to be just right, not too much and definitely not too little. Sometimes I can even tell by looking which guys have been in the doghouse. I know these thing, because I used to be in their shoes... and now, I am as excited as ever to celebrate tomorrow's holiday! My holiday is a bit different however, I celebrate, what some call "Singles Awareness Day" but I just refer to it as the celebration of... FREEDOM!

If I may present...a great gathering of happy men, celebrating their FREEDOM! ;)

Training is going uber fantashtic! I'm going on the 3rd week of a 4 week training block and this is the week that I usually feel the worst, but so far so good. My coach and I are looking at upcoming meets and getting workouts ready for the season that should start the end of April. My training partner Kara Patterson is looking scary good and I'm having to do everything I can to keep up with her. She is a totally different athlete from last year, and I honestly have no idea how far she may throw this year. I'm trying to negotiate a "training partner" bonus clause in her contract ;)

In the community service arena, I have dialed down a bit of my services in order to devote more time to my training and recovery, but will be in touch with my High Tech High crew throughout the Spring and will do what I can to get them ready for more school records. Until next time, have a great "Freedom" day.

Same 'Ol ...

2011-01-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

Not much new to report since my last blog update. I am still enjoying the amazing San Diego weather and really feel blessed to live in this city! I just happened to catch a funny joke on tv the other day... A guy who lives in the O-C (Orange County) was talking to some people who live in the Midwest and the Midwest folk where saying how they could never live in Southern California. They said "I could never live in SoCal, I need to live in a place that has seasons..." the reply was, "me too, I love seasons, that's why I moved to a place that skips the crappy ones!" That pretty much hits the nail on the head. Anyways, enough rubbing it in ;)

Training has continued to go well, and I'm starting a new block this week and am looking forward to doing a bit more quality throwing sessions. However, coming off a rest week, well...half of a rest week, I suddenly found myself bored crazy. See previous blog entry "Balance" http://in-the-arena-mike.blogspot.com/2010/07/balance.html
I have been doing alot more gymnastic work and much less weightlifting and it looks as if its paying off. Heres a quick video from some new ring "tricks" and a big thanks to my training partner Kara Patterson's crazy camera skills!

Until next time...M++

Back in the Mix...again...

2011-01-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks in San Diego have been great. Unlike much of the USA, we have been blessed with better than average weather in the high 70's and low 80's. That kind of weather usually just makes being outside, much less training, very enjoyable. The entire month of January has been one of the most pleasant training months that I can remember. My volume is extremely high and the intensity is getting higher each week, yet I'm holding together fairly well, minus the normal aches and pains. As January rolls on and we get into February, the volume will continue to climb and if my calculations are correct, this is what I will have in store over the next few weeks:

Squat 44,160 kilos (97,152 lbs)
Power Clean 19,840 kilos (43,648 lbs)
Throw 2,400 medballs
Take 800 javelin throws
Throw 1,600 weighted ball throws

I'm throwing heavy javelins at the moment, and am really liking the new technical changes as well as being able to train full time with my training partner Kara Patterson and my old buddy Andreas Thorkildsen is here as well until early February.

In other news, today was a very frustrating day for me as BOTH of my NFL teams lost today...and yesterday the team that I hate the worst in the entire world, the Steelers, won...It just about ruined a perfect weekend for me, then add to that a Tom Brady and Wes Welker loss to the 2nd worst team in the world, the J-E-T-S .... I feel sick right now....yup, just threw up in my mouth. Oh well, my lone hope for any redemption of this season is in the hands of the Green Bay Packers...here is me crossing my fingers.

I am waiting on the start of the High Tech High Bruins season. I have not heard back from the principle and head track coach on when the kids are allowed to resume practice, but I'm assuming it will be any day now and I am on stand by until further notice. Until next time,

GO PACK!
M++

Here is a 1k jav throw with the new technique....cheers!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

2010-12-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to re-live a few of my past Christmas's and training experiences...so here goes.

This time last year, I was gearing up for working with the High Tech High School Track Team and just coming off shoulder surgery. December of 2009 was filled with a ton of bike workouts and some job searching to help knock off some surgery bills. December of 2008 looked like a fairly good month of training, given that all of November was basically a waste due to a rotated SI joint in my low back. I was also nominated for the December "Athlete of the Month" at the US Olympic Training Center, which was odd because there where no competitions going on at that time, I was told it was because I had the most community service hours ;)

December of 2007...actually December 17, 2007 was the 2nd coolest day of my life to date. December 17 was the day that I had the privilege of training with the Navy Seals. Its ironic, because as of that date this year, 3 years later...I met my neighbor, who happens to be a SEAL and found out that there are 3 other team members on my street. Good company to be around, and I'm sure they will be able to answer most of the questions that I have about my future when I'm done with throwing sticks.

Heres wishing happy holidays to everyone, until next time:
M++

Déjà vu

2010-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

... I have the feeling that I have done this before. Yesterday I had my knee scoped...again. I was just thinking shortly after my last blog entry, "maybe I shouldn't be talking so much about how healthy I am...I might jinx myself", oops!

Last Monday I twisted my knee in the weight room while spotting my training partner, Kara (http://karapatterson.blogspot.com/) I heard a pop and some cracking, but managed to continue lifting for about 10min before me knee went into lock-down. After the initial evaluations in the training room, I headed off to get x-rays the following morning and compared the x-rays to the images I had in September...there was 1 glaring difference, a piece of bone almost the size of a dime floating above my knee cap. The doctor said that that fragment was previously stuck in my ACL graph from the reconstruction in 1999 and they couldn't remove it because it would compromise the stability of the graph. It was bound to come out sooner or later, it could have come out in 10 years from now, or in the Olympic year, or this summer...but it was going to come out eventually and I feel blessed to have it out now. The surgery was a piece of cake and I got 12 hours of sleep last night and am in virtually no pain. All good news as far as I am concerned.

My thanksgiving weekend was pretty cool as my parents came out from Texas and we visited Catalina island. I think I can say that it was an experience but not a place we will visit again. The entire shuts down at 4pm and there is no transportation, so if your not where you want to be by then...good luck.

The High Tech High Chula Vista Bruins are still scheduled to resume practice for the 2011 season in January. Time will tell what kind of shape the kids show up in and I'm anxious to get started on Spring workouts with them.

In other news, In the Arena had its 1st couples hook up as Brain Gregg and Caitlin Compton got engadged this weekend. To see more details, photos and a super cool ring, check out his website at: http://xcskilife.com/

until next time: M++

(just some good memories from the past few upgrades ;)

(the infamous shoulder shots)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MifLldmqJLI

The Knee shots

3 down ... 46 to go!

2010-11-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

3 weeks down, 46 weeks left until the Daegu World Championships... I just finished my 1st 3 week block of the season, and this week is a much needed unload week. Good timing for an unload week because of the holidays and my parents are coming back to visit. We have a great weekend planned that includes trips up the Pacific Coast Highway and a trip to Catalina Island. The rest of this week includes meetings with the San Diego Free Divers Association and a few spearfishing sessions in the chilly San Diego water. I checked the surf forecast for this week and the water will be hovering around 58-60 degrees all week...yuk!

The last 3 week training block was very successful and I am enjoying my new schedule and program. The new schedule makes for a very long day, but plenty of time for me to double up on my therapy and rehab. My training partner, Kara Patterson, has been making great strides in her throwing technique even though we are only doing walking throws on the grass. She has a really great chance to be over 70m this year and make a push for a World and Olympic title the next few years. My coach, Ty Sevin, now only has 10 people he is coaching which is better than the last few years so we are enjoying some much needed one on one time. The unload week will be a nice rest but we are all back in the mix for a brand new 4 week training block after the holidays.

Here are a few pics of Mom and Dads last trip to San Diego...until next time! M++

Back in the Mix...

2010-11-07T17:43:00.001-08:00

...this blog comes to you as the 1st week of fall training is completed. It was a hugely successful week as I made it through healthy! The knee seems to be holding up just fine and after 2 low intensity throwing sessions, the shoulder is in rockin' shape as well.
The week was filled with alot of "back to work" stuff such as testing and measurements and some extremely boring and useless meetings... I did do a new test that I have never done before, measured my resting metabolic rate, or RMR. My training partner, Kara Patterson (http://karapatterson.blogspot.com/) and I both had the test done with the new USOC nutritionist here at the center. Basically it measures how many calories you burn during the day at rest. In other words, if you where to wake up, and lay in bed all day, how many calories would you burn...doing nothing. I was stoked to find out that I burn almost 2,900 calories at rest. I'm guessing that's why I returned from Hawaii lighter than I have been since high school, a whopping 192lbs! That was on Monday and as of yesterday (Saturday) I was already back to 197 so I think it wont be hard to put it back on. My goal is to be at least 210lbs by the time the season starts and keep my current body fat percentage which is hovering around 6%.
I spoke with the High Tech High principle last week about resuming practices at the training center but it doesn't look like the kids will be released for Spring sports until January 2011. Therefore I have some time to get back in the mix of things and get into freak show shape before I start pounding away with the HTH Bruins.
I uploaded a free dive video from Maui that I shot...here it is, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwmx8ayh708

M++

1 More Week...

2010-10-23T18:43:00.001-07:00

...then its back to work, and I am just about ready. Hawaii has been cool and I have enjoyed the break from training but my body hasn't quite recovered the way it should. I have been doing a large volume of water activity, surfing, diving, spearfishing, boogie boarding, body surfing...you name it, I have been doing it. Unfortunately, I haven't rested quite as much as I would have liked and I'm going to do my best to get back to the theme of this trip which was "do less".

My roomate, Brad Walker, and I relocated to the west side of Maui last week and it was a great move. The water on the west side (Lahina) is much more suited for underwater activities and we have speared enough fish to feed us both every night. Lahina is a tourist town, much like most of Maui... but Lahina is virtually all tourists and resorts so the atmosphere and mood over here is much more relaxed and enjoyable. I have just about had my fill with the local "attitudes" and was delighted to hang out with a more pleasant crowd.

The last week was a whirlwind of activities, with alot of help from the Pacific Whale foundation. The week started off with a snorkel tour of Molikini crater and "turtle town" followed by a dolphin cruise out to the island of Lanai. It was a great tour because I saw all 3 species of dolphins out here, bottle nose, spinner and spotted dolphins. The spotted dolphin pod was over 100 in size and they put on an impressive aerial display, jumping out of the water over 10 feet high. Next was a submarine tour of the bottom of reef outside Lahina at 130ft deep and a para-sailing boat ride that was cut short due to a rainstorm. Since then I have been spearfishing everyday for several hours and have collected enough fish to live on for several days, and have gotten a few surf sessions in on the north-west swell that came in the middle of the week.

My coach, Ty Sevin gets to Maui for his vacation tomorrow morning so it will be fun to hang with him and show him around and probably get some quality golfing in. I have exactly 7 days left on Maui and am looking forward to getting back to San Diego and starting my training for the 2011 season. The High Tech High track team should be in mid-fall training and I cant wait to line up a full schedule of training and workouts at the Olympic Training Center. The only remaining question is the condition of my knee...only time will tell if it holds up when I start training...here is me, holding my breath and crossing my fingers.

M++

Howsit Bah !?

2010-10-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

...still getting used to the local lingo around here...this is my 2nd blog entry from Maui, not much has changed. Its more like groundhog day around here. Wake up to the same weather, same birds, same waves...spend the day underwater, on top of water and underwater again looking for food. The only thing that has really changed is my tan and my facebook friends list ;) I have met some really cool people over here and am still trying to get a grip on how people go about their lives. Its an interesting perspective and one that I appreciate but I also know that its not for me. Its fun for now, but eventually I think that people will grow out of the Hawaii phase and move on with their lives. Its a story that I have heard over here, and its all to common.

Most of the people that I have met over here seemed to have what most people would consider "normal" lives back in the mainland, and for this reason or that, they decided to leave everything behind and join the island life. The reactions are all the same, "I will eventually go back, but for now I am here and loving it".

I have been staying on the north side of Maui for 2 weeks now and everyday I find myself driving to the south part of the island looking for better water and bigger fish...I guess its what the locals call "the search" although they are looking for waves, Im looking for lack there-of. Brad and I are about to relocate to the west side of the island, near Lahina. I visited Lahina this week and fell in love with it. Asides from being on the other side of the island and the weather being different (sunsets and no rain) the attitudes of the locals are completely different.

Its a sore subject around here and I wont go into too much detail, but certain parts of the island aren't too friendly to outsiders and sometimes can be EXTREMELY racist, or reverse racism if you can call it that. I have seen a few shirts and stickers around here that say "don't come to Maui, we are full" and one that said "kill howlie!" (howlie is slang for white guy not from here) Its confusing for me to see people act such a way when its the exact people who they hate who put clothes on their back and food on the table with the tourism they bring in.

Anyways, Lahina is virtually all tourists and its hard to find that attitude there because....everyone is on vacation! Whos in a bad mood on vacation!

Brad and I have upgraded our spear fishing equipment to state of the art spear guns and have snagged a few nice sized fish already, unfortunatly we ate them before I remebered to take pictures of them... I do have a few pics of the last few fish however. 3 more weeks left on the island and its time to get back to work and for once, I feel like Im ready to get home...

until next time, M++
Fire Dancers at sunset:

Coconuts from the front yard

Trigger Fish

More Trigger Fish

Goatfish and Parot Fish

Spraying for Invasive Species with the Maui Hunting Club

aloha!

2010-09-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

This blog entry comes to you from Maui, Hawaii. You guessed it, vacation! I got to Hawaii Wednesday night and my flight home isn't until October 30. It has been a well needed break and thus far and I am enjoying every second of it. I am hanging out with my roommate and training partner Brad Walker and another good buddy of mine was born and raised here and lives about 20min from our condo. We chose a spot about 30 seconds from the water and we have been spearfishing everyday looking for dinner, but have come up with nothing so far. I have access to kayaks, kite boards, wind surfing and any kind of water/board sport you can imagine...unfortunately I cant do too much at the moment because of the knee.

A few hours before my flight to Hawaii, I took another injection to the knee. This time it was synvisc, the same shot that I took for my shoulder back in May. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but with the help of my doctors and training staff at the Olympic Training Center, we chose the shot over the knee scope. The knee is pretty beat up and I was advised to get another knee scope to remove some floating debris and clean up some rough edges...But given my history with the prior surgeries, we decided to take the less invasive option in hopes that I get the same result as the surgery would provide. We made the same move with the shoulder in May and it worked great. If the shot doesn't work, then we will go for the scope in November and go from there. This is me, crossing my fingers!

The view from the backyard

"Welcome to the NFL"

2010-09-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

Whats that? The NFL? That’s what the Americas Team doctor told me after having a look at my knee. “This is the same thing that I see when my former NFL guys come in with knee pain”. “You have a 10 year old ACL reconstructed knee, right about this time stuff just starts to fall off and break loose, its just the life of NFL player…or in your case, a professional javelin thrower”…sigh. Well, what to do? After talking with my team doctors here at the Olympic training center and getting outside opinions from Vail, Colorado and Dr Steadman, arguably the best knee doctor in the USA… we still have yet to come to a conclusion. After my initial exam on Thursday, I thought I would be in surgery right now getting the knee scoped out. That hasn’t actually come to be yet, thankfully, the doctors think there may be another way. That way has yet to be finalized, but I am hoping to have that decision made by the end of the day tomorrow.
In other news… I am on vacation! Sort of… I am still at the Olympic Training Center, waiting on the decision on the knee, but the season is over and I have some time to lick my wounds and get ready for next year. My performance at the Continental Cup was less than acceptable, but given the circumstances, I have accepted it and moved on and I actually think that it has motivated me in a way that I could not have expected. I wont go into detail, but lets just say that I am making a few changes next year and I have had great conversations with my coach and training team. The sub-world class performances of the last 2 years will not happen again, you can count on that. I reflect on how I felt after I left Beijing in 2008, and the feeling is the same and can be summed up by what I said then…”Never underestimate the power of ambition.”

The Chula Vista High Tech High Bruins have returned to school for the 2010-2011 season but have not started practice yet. I look to join the team in November to get ready for an amazing 2011 season and more school records. I am headed to Hawaii for the month of October for a much-needed vacation and down time. Hopefully the next blog entry will be from the beach in Maui….until next time,
M++

When you shouldnt, but you do it anyway ...

2010-08-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

"Foolish" resulting from or showing a lack of sense; ill-considered; lacking forethought or caution."

At this point in my career, I am surely smart enough...wise enough...experienced enough...to not go to a competition if I was, lets say, not necessarily less than a 100% (because that's hardly ever possible), but I wouldn't go to a competition injured. Or world I?

This entire season (that almost never existed for me) has been a continuous series of last second decisions. Some have paid off, others haven't. Last week was one of those that didn't.

I traveled to Slovakia last weekend on an injured knee. The knee got swollen and inflamed shortly after a training session last Wednesday. I spent the following 2 days eating a more than healthy amount of anti-inflammatory medications and abused my ice privileges at our hotel. I couldn't fully extend my knee and had some nasty cracking sounds in it. Instead of not competing or training and trying to get ready for the World/Cont Cup, I got on planes/trains and automobiles for a 7 hour travel day to Dubnica Nad Vahom Slovakia. I pounded about 9 espressos the day of the competition as well as 1/2 a bottle of aleeve pain medication (another "foolish" idea). All things considered, I was actually pretty happy with the result. My parents where actually able to watch the meet streaming live from Texas and where able to watch my 1st throw of the meet, which cruised out to around 79m. The problem is in my event there is a foul line, and with no block leg/knee sometimes you end up on your face...on top of the foul line.

I returned to my training base in Köln, Germany and promptly scheduled an orthopedic appointment (BIG thanks to Viola Cruz at the USOC Elite Athlete Insurance department, Viola you are the BEST!!) The doctor found some good news, small pieces of cartilage that had been knocked off. So small that he thinks that it will not require surgery, but large enough to mess things up in their. So, another round of cortisone injections

(see shoulder issues) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MifLldmqJLI

and its back to the road to recovery for the World Cup...Its a road I'm good at and have alot of practice.

That still doesn't answer the question of why I would do such a "foolish" thing... here's my best shot at that:

I came to Europe the beginning of August because I have the IAAF World/Cont Cup the beginning of September. My "plan" was to throw 2 times the entire month of August, and then at the Continental Cup. That was to give me the necessary 5 meet minimum to receive a world ranking.

Why is the world ranking so important? Because I compete for a federation (USATF) that is based solely on numbers and doesn't take into account athletes current medical, physical, mental...or any state for that matter. Its all put up or shut up and in this years case I wouldn't have been able to come to Europe at all if I didn't have the world ranking that I had last year. Since I finished #15 last year, I was given a small travel stipend to help offset expenses of traveling and living while in Europe. Thanks for that...I guess?

In order to receive the same kind of support next year, I am in a scramble to accumulate enough points to get my ranking back to where it was the last 2 years (preferably 2008)... In my current physical condition, that's not the best idea to ensure that I have a successful lead up to the trails and games of 2012. I would LOVE to do what the majority of the smarter athletes have done this year, which is sit out half or the entire season...hindsight...sigh.

In the meantime, I will continue to be thankful for the opportunities that I have been given, knowing that others would love the chance to come compete but cant. I need to change this ice bag now, until next time:
M++

From the dr's office in Köln...dont worry the screws in there are supposed to be there!

Deutschland ich komme!

2010-08-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Do you know what the hardest part about doing a blog is?.... finding a name. I spend most of the time trying to come up with something clever enough to be catchy, but yet explain what may be in the blog. I'm going to try something different on this one. Type the blog, then name it after I'm done...maybe that will work. Now that the useless information is out, lets move on.

The European Championships are concluding as we speak...I didn't actually spend much time monitoring what was going on, but the Euro Champs in the javelin is usually the Olympic or World Championship final plus or minus maybe 1-2 guys. So needless to say, the jav was an event that needed to be watched. I was shocked at how well the German throwers did not only in the javelin, but other events as well. It got my coach and I thinking and I decided to look up some stats over the last 2 years. Going back to Worlds last year in Berlin, this is what I found.

Berlin World Champs 2009:
Womens Javelin: Steffi Nerius wins gold with a seasons best.
Mens Discus: Robert Harting wins gold with a new lifetime best (PB).
Mens Shot: Ralf Bartels wins bronze with a new PB
Womens Shot: Nadine Kleinert wins silver with a new PB.
Womens Hammer: Betty Heidler wins silver with a new PB (only got silver because the gold was won with a new world record). Kathrin Klass barely misses the bronze with a seasons best.

Now lets look at the Germans in Barcelona for the European Championships:

Womens Javelin: Linda Stahl wind gold with a new PB. Christina Obergfol wins silver.
Mens javelin: Matthias De Zordo wins silver with a new PB.
Mens Discus: Robert Harting wins silver.
Mens Shot: Ralph Bartels wins silver.
Womens Hammer: Betty Heidler wins gold with a new seasons best.

And a side note: at the 2010 World Juniors in Canada, Till Wolschler wins the javelin with a massive 5m lifetime best.

The success that the German throwers are putting up at major championships is just amazing. Especially when we are dealing with technical events. My coach and I have come to the conclusion, that the current system that the Germans are using allows them to train and taper for major international championships without the stress of having to perform at high levels throughout the season leading up to these major championships. Most of the German athletes, from what I have been told are WELL taken care of by their federations and more importantly, their clubs. Without going into too much detail...It allows the athletes to remain in and around Germany to train and receive proper training (and therapy) from some of the best coaches and physios in the world. All the while, living very comfortable lives and thriving in a country that passionately loves their sport!

I sincerely hope that USATF takes a good long hard look at the German Development system and tries to implement the same ideas, especially in regards to their funding.

Continuing on the German theme...I'm headed back to Germany next week to re-unite with my training partners who are based out of Cologne (and have been so for almost a month now). My coach and I are headed over for a little over 1 month and I think I have meets in Belgium and Slovakia line up before hitting the IAAF Continental Cup in Split, Croatia. Oh yeah, I forgot...I made that team by the way ;) If you would have told me a few months ago that come August 1, I would have the 2nd farthest throw in the North America, South America, Latin America and the Caribbean...I would have told you that you are absolutely insane! That seems to be how they are picking the team this year, which is backwards from all previous years.

The IAAF Continental Cup formally known as the IAAF World Cup in Athletics will be a four continent competition between Africa, the Americas, Asia/Pacific and Europe. The Americas team will be composed of athletes from NACAC ( North American, Central America and Caribbean track & field federations) and South America. The Continental Cup title will be awarded to the continent with the highest collective point total of both men and women teams.

The Americas Team is selected by the top 2 marks in the world for our region, which is Guillermo Martinez from Cuba and myself. I am very grateful to be able to make my 4th consecutive US National Team, but it is a little bitter sweet. I was only able to get the 2nd best mark by beating my good friend Sean Furey, who just happens to be this years National Champion. In the previous editions of the IAAF Continental Cup (or World Cup as it used to be named) the National Champion was sent to the World Cup to represent the Americas Team, and I think that's the way it should still be.

The current system allows for too many "phantom" marks in shady meets that aren't always under the best supervision. Its just not the best way to send a team and the safest way, the way that is earned...is to send the National Champion. Sean won National this year with his 2nd best throw ever and followed that performance up with another 2 best throw in his life when he threw 79.91m against me last weekend. I was lucky enough to get back over the 80m mark for the 16th time in my career and went 80.05m to take the Cup Team spot....reluctantly that is.

In other news, the last javelin kid I have been working with threw today at the Junior Olympics but I haven't received any word on how he did yet. I am getting scuba certified next week (to continue with my water theme from last months blog ;)...and then will be headed over to Europe Monday morning at 06:30am.... wait...thats early ;(

Bis zum nächsten Mal ... Deutschland hier komme ich, ich habe dich vermisst!
M++

(heres the 80.05m throw from last week)

Balance

2010-07-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

Balance - "Balance is an ability to maintain the center of gravity of a body within the base of support with minimal postural sway...balance is used to mean a point between two opposite forces that is desirable over purely one state or the other, such as a balance between the metaphysical Law and Chaos — law by itself being overly controlling, chaos being overly unmanageable, balance being the point that minimizes the negatives of both."

Why balance? because the last month of my training and everyday activities, I thought I had "balance" in my life...sport, social, spiritual...but I was wrong. About a week before USA Champs, I decided I wasn't going to go (see previous shoulder issues in older blogs)... So I sat down with my coach and the distance coach from the training center Joaquim Cruz (1984 Gold 800m). It was a conversation that lasted over an hour, but Ill summarize the key point. Basically, it was like ok..Your not going to nationals, so now what? What do you want to do? Get a job? Go on vacation? I had no answer...no clue as of what to do with myself if there was no sport, no season, no competition, nothing to drive for, nothing to focus on...it was a pretty helpless, and embarrassing feeling... So I have spent the last few weeks searching for the elusive "balance" that I have been missing. With the help of my parents (who came out for a week long visit) and the beach, I think I have found an idea of where I need to be.

Its ironic that what I was searching for mentally, also has helped me tremendously physically. I have spent alot of time at the beach, in the water, on surfboards, boogie boards, and my new toy, my skateboard (that has a bottle opener built in on the bottom of it! oh yeah, its that sweet!) working on, balance. Its not something that I tried to do purposely, but it was a bi-product of me just trying to stay as loose as possible and not stress out about the rest of the season, or lack there of, if there is a season at all?

My typical routine after lifting sessions or throwing sessions is to jump in the ice bath...55 degrees for 15 minutes. It usually does the trick, helps flush out inflammation, removes lactic acid, and all the waste products that accumulate in the body during training. But I thought it was time to...switch it up. So for the last 2 weeks, after each of my more high volume or high intensity sessions...I hit the ocean, just to see if the ocean water, which is rocking around 62 degrees right now, would yield the same benefits as the ice bath, or maybe even something better...I have read that ocean water could be used as a replacement for blood plasma and that the ocean have every single trace element in the periodic table of elements in it. So far, Im REALY liking what I'm seeing.

So whats next for me? Good question...I have a guess on whats going to happen over the next week or so, but I'm not going to tip my hat on here until I see it happen. But the next blog entry will hold the details for the rest of my summer. The High Tech High season is long been over and Coach Earl's Team Elite summer season has also come to a conclusion and everyone seems to be looking for some time off away from the physical and mental stresses of the sport...sounds like a good idea, if only you can have both!

Heres a few picks of my last few weeks...Until next time
M++

Buckle Up, Venting Time!

2010-07-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Buckle up for this one!

This blog comes to you as I’m sitting on my couch watching the IAAF Diamond League, The Pre Classic. I’m doing everything I can to keep from throwing up in my mouth and throwing random items at the tv. Watching this meet makes me realize why Track and Field will never be popular in the USA. Just to prove my analysis, I put it to the test at random times of this competition, which just so happened to have some of the greatest athletes in the world competing there.

The meet has been on for exactly 30min as I type this...here is what I have tried: Switch channels every 5 minutes for approximately 30min, just to see what was on if I happened to be “channel surfing”…here is what I saw: A shot of the stadium…people standing around…more people walking around, introductions of the men’s 85k or something…guys jogging…guys in a press box, a few shots of starting blocks in funny angles…

So I wonder to myself, if I’m your average person channel surfing on a Saturday afternoon, would I stop and watch the Pre Classic, the answer is an overwhelming no.
This brings me to the coverage of last weeks National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. My training partner Kara Patterson destroyed the American record in the javelin throw, and got a whopping 18 seconds of coverage! 18 seconds of coverage by Universal Sports, who is supposed to be the greatest advocate of our sport…18 seconds…really? For an American Record, and one of the best throws in the history of the event….that added to the 50 or so spectators just makes me wonder if we are fighting a loosing battle. But if you want to watch 9 minutes of a 5k race or something, you’re in luck because you can see the entire thing, start to finish! Des Moines, Iowa is the host for the annual Drake Relays, which is a local high school and college meet, and the meet is sold out well in advance every year, packing thousands into the stands…so how it came to be that our NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS was contested with a less than half filled stands is kind of mind boggling…but then I reflect on the TV coverage, and it starts to make sense.

Speaking of TV coverage, we may not see an increase in interest in track and field until we get a fresh outlook from television commentators who aren’t jaded and biased from the own performances from the 80’s. How many years will we have to continue to listen to the rambling of guys like Dwight Stones? I remember watching the rebroadcast of last years Stockholm Super Grand Prix. Andreas Thorkildsen won with arguably one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen going 86m into a nasty headwind and intermittent rain. I placed 4th and Dwight made the comment that I just couldn’t hang with the Europeans and lacked the arm speed to contend…I’m guessing he didn’t notice that I knocked off the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalists as well as the 2003 World Champion in that meet. It was a great source of motivation for me for the rest of the season and still continues to be today….you can imagine my pleasure when I got a friend request from him on facebook! It was also great to hear Dwight say about my roommate, Brad Walker, "Brad is built like a hammer thrower not a pole vaulter" …he then went on and broke the American Record…no big deal right?

Anyways, enough of the negative Nancy stuff… I did manage to throw almost 79m last weekend in Des Moines to take 2nd…again! That makes 4 silvers in a row, always the groomsman, but never the groom! Wait wait wait, not saying I want to be a groom anytime soon, but it would be nice to get a National Championship out of the way! It was a pleasant result, given the fact that I wasn’t even going to compete and the only reason I went is because USATF was threatening to make me reimburse them for my ticket if I didn’t go. I didn’t even take any javelins and was reluctant to even pack my spikes, luckily I did.

I'm sorry I cant even write about the meet right now because the television broadcast of the Pre just finished and guess what…NO JAVELIN COVERAGE! Kara won again with another throw waaaaaay over the previous American Record and kicked the Reigning Olympic Champs butt…I guess that’s not good enough to interrupt a 9 min jog around the track….seriously….I'm going to be sick

M++

Nationals Week

2010-06-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

This blog comes to you the week of National Championships. I depart for Des Moines Iowa this Friday for the competition on Sunday afternoon. Most of the training center will be taking off Tuesday and Wednesday so it will be an empty nest around here for a few days...plenty of time to talk yourself in and out of competition form. I am sticking with my gameplan that I developed last year...which is...have no game plan, just lace 'em up and hit it as best I can and let the chips fall where they may. My parents are coming out to San Diego for their first visit since 2007 shortly after nationals, so any plans to try to hit the Euro circuit will have to wait a few weeks post nationals. As I mentioned in my last blog, the High Tech High Bruins season has ended and Coach Earl's Team Elite Club program is in full swing and are departing for Youth Regional Champs this week in Vegas. I have 1 jav guy who looks to be a lock for Nationals and a few others that may squeak in but will take some dramatic improvements to make the cut.
Sorry if this blog seems short in nature, I’m having to send it via a 1993 PC at the training center as my wonderfully amazing macbook is still in the shop, thus holding my recent videos and pictures hostage...Until next time.
M++

Back to the Drawing Board...again

2010-06-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

This blog comes as I just returned home the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. I was there for 2 weeks doing rehab and analysis for my shoulder. It was a very successful trip and I got a large mount of quality work done and am anxious to get back to work in San Diego and get ready for the season...maybe...

No word from my management team yet on the New York Diamond league, but my gut feeling is that I am not going and will make a last second decision on USA Champs in 3 weeks. I am literally taking it day by day and I know when I will be ready and unfortunately I just haven't felt that yet.

The high lite of my trip to Colorado Springs was my visit to Pikes Peak at more than 14,000 feet. It was a stunning view that literally takes your breath away. Heres a few pics from Pikes Peak and a nasty video of my cortisone/novacaine and synvisc shots last Saturday...not for the weak of stomach (5.5 inch needle)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MifLldmqJLI

Until next time,
M++

Change of Scenery

2010-05-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Once again, this blog comes from an airport terminal, but I’m not flying to a meet as I would normally do this time of year. I’m headed to Colorado Springs, Colorado to train at the “other” USOC training center, which just happens to be the headquarters.

After several evaluations and countless hours of rehab and therapy, it was decided by the USOC medical staff that I take a few weeks to get treated in the Springs by a different group of doctors and therapists. My plan is to stay until I’m ready to throw competitively again. When I say competitively, I mean 80m shape. I can throw in the mid 70’s every time out but not without a considerable amount of pain and I know that 75m will not be medal contention. In a perfect world, I would be ready to throw by the June 12 New York Diamond League, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m taking it day by day and will do the best I can with what I have.

The High Tech High season has come to an end, on a bittersweet note. Last weeks CIF preliminaries where marred by a conflict in schedules between the administration and athletic offices that lead to a few of our best athletes missing the meet completely. Other had to work internships all day and rush to the competition, and in most cases arrive only minutes before the start time. All in all, it was a frustrating but fairly successful day. This weekends CIF meet in North San Diego County put a few of HTHCV athletes against the best in Southern California. Although we escaped the meet with a few personal and school records….the performances where not enough to advance to CIF Finals and the season has come to an end. It was a bumpy but fun ride and I now look forward to working with Coach Earl Cabanas “Team Elite” track club and will even get a chance to coach a few young promising javelin throwers.
My flight is boarding now....gotta bounce.
M++

new personal best in box jumps, 59" = 4.91 feet (1.49m)

Where to even start this one? I cant even think of a title for this blog?

2010-05-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks were an extremely busy few weeks that included a high volume of training, visits from international friends and athletes, and a few outstanding performances by the High Tech High Bruins.
For the past 14 days I have had the pleasure of linking back up with my friend and training partner from Norway, Andreas Thorkildsen. This training camp will be my 4th training camp with Andreas and the Norwegian team and it has been just as good as the previous camps and maybe even better. Although my physical capabilities are better than ever, my throwing is still way behind where I would like it to be, and I had to withdraw from my 1st 2 meets of the year in Shanghai and Daegu. As of right now, I plan to open my season on June 12, in New York at the NY Diamond League. It has been a hard decision for me the last 48 hours. I would love the chance to go back to China and Korea, (where I have thrown well the last 2 years) but I am simply not ready. Speaking of being ready, I would expect to see big results soon from Andreas as he opens his season in Shanghai May 23, and big results as well from another (part-time) training partner Sean Furey of the USA. Sean and Corey White will be throwing in Daegu on May 19 and should both be up for some impressive results and I wish them the best. I know they will enjoy the city and hospitality of the Korean people, they do a great job!
The High Tech High Bruins put up another massive showing at last weekends dual meet with High Tech High Point Loma. During the weeks preparation, I decided to add a some different stimulus to their training and it paid off. In the previous weeks meets, I notice that my guys where doing much better in training than in the meets. They where almost backing off the intensity in the meets and competing "scared". After a few conversations with my guys they admitted to me that they where worried about "fouling" and it looked like they where worried about not doing well in front of others. That was my impression. So last weeks training involved back overhead shot competitions within the team and I was amazed at the results. Most of my guys found their inner-competitive drive and stepped up and put up big efforts and and as a result big throws at the competition (with a little help from Starbucks ;) There are still a few who lack the drive that I would like to see but as a group, they did great and I was actually very proud. This week is League Finals, followed by CIF Finals...Im not quite sure they realize the scope of what they have in front of them, but Im sure coach Earl Cabanas will do a great job firing them up. Until next time
M++

Bling Bling ...

2010-04-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Its a good thing that the High Tech High kids don't need to travel via air, because they would have a hard time getting all their medals through security! This weekends Grizzly Invite brought home 2 more personal bests for the HTH Bruins. Its an ironic occurrence when these kids step in the ring, the training volume is going down and their bodies are starting to react a bit quicker and as a result the are having a hard time "keeping their wheels on the ground". Lots of power in their throws (compared to when they 1st started) but they are having a hard time putting it into the right direction. It would be nice to get to a meet where they are allowed to actually have 6 throws rather than 3...but we do the best with what we got. There are no more "invitationals" this season, as the California CIF finals are approaching in a few weeks. So for the HTH Bruins, its a taper and tightening the screws...

On a side note, in case there are any potential coaches who just happen to be reading this...a word of advice...no matter how bad you feel you may be able to help out another teams athletes by pitching in your 2 cents, DON'T DO IT! There is nothing worse than investing hours and hours into a project (your kids) only to have an egotistical coach come over and throw his 2 cents in and screw everything up. I heard my kids say, "coach Mike, that guy said to do this, but now Im all confused?" uuuggh... wooooh - saaaaaahhh .... ;( So, lesson to be learned by me and others, if Im at a meet and feel like I can help out another jav thrower, you can bet your butt I'm not saying anything, out of respect for their coach, and his time and efforts, no matter how bad they might be!

No big news in my training, other than setting a few lifetime bests in back over head shot throws, hang cleans, standing long jump, hurdle hops...just to name a few ;) If the shoulder holds up (after the cortisone injection last Wednesday) then maybe....just maybe...we will see something cool this summer. If not this summer, next summer should be an eye opener....here's a few pics and videos from this weekend...till next time,
M++

Psychological Warfare

2010-04-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

Psychological Warfare (PSYWAR) "Various techniques are used, by any set of groups, and aimed to influence a target audience's value systems, belief systems, emotions, motives, reasoning, or behavior. It is used to induce confessions or reinforce attitudes and behaviors favorable to the originator's objectives, and are sometimes combined with black operations or false flag tactics."

well.....maybe warfare is a over-exaggeration, maybe mind games is a more accurate term:

This is usually the time of year when most people are putting the finishing touches on their spring preparations and getting ready for the season...this would include most people...except me. Still working on my shoulder, my throwing is still way behind schedule and my main goal is USA Champs the end of June. If that means that I cant throw until that time, so be it. The hard part is not committing to meets even though I need the money and points...never mind the 4 day trip to the Caribbean that I just had to turn down...uuugh! I will admit that there are times that I want to try to rush back and get into the mix as soon as possible (hence the Psychological Warfare intro) and there are plenty of people who want to know when and where i will be back. Its a non stop battle between what I know I should do and what I want to do. Going back to the investment I made in my shoulder back in November of 09, I knew that this year could be used as a re-building year and many others have done the same. Most recently, a friend of mine, Yelena Isenbayeva (World and Olympic Record Holder, Womens Pole Vault) has just announced that she will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from competition.
http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=56414.html

So, Im guessing, I will continue my leave of absence until I am sure that I am ready to get back in the mix with all I got. To be continued...

My High Tech High Bruins just had their 3rd meet of the season this weekend. There was mixed results with a few personal bests and a few would be personal bests if they could have saved the sector fouls. I'm still getting used to the kids having to rush over to competitions from taking their ACT's. Its not quite what I'm used to but I'm amazed at the sportsmanship at their level. Its sometimes a character trait that gets lost in the professional ranks and it is refreshing to be around. Until next time,
M++

heres a few pics and videos from the meet!

The Grind ...

2010-03-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year, the mad dash to get in the last serious volume cycle before the competition season starts. This usually means practices are very long, rehab is tedious and getting out of bed in the morning gets harder and harder... On the good side of things, Southern California has warmed up and it is definitely beach weather!

My training is at lifetime best in every aspect, except the one that counts...throwing. I am still planning to open up in early June at the New York, Adidas Diamond League. I will scramble to find a meet if I feel like Im up for it but I don't have any plans on throwing just for the heck of it and will take a page out the world record holders book..."throw when I'm ready to throw, not because I have to."

The High Tech High track squad had another exceptional week that included 4 personal bests and a few 1st place finishes. They had a pretty chill week this week because of their quarterly exams, but Monday was quite the treat. Somehow, the team found out that it was my birthday (Im guessing facebook tipped them off) and they surprised me with cupckaes and a nice birthday cake. It was alot of fun to step away from the track for a day and just hang with some genuine kids.

This week should be a bit more hectic as the competition season approaches and the stress levels and intensity of the workouts begins to climb. It is also a current European invasion at the training center, as UK Athletics has brought in 70 athletes! Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands are all on their way in. My close friends from Finland will be here in a few weeks and so will my Norwegian training partner Andreas Thorkildsen. Until next time,
M++

Track Season is Here!

2010-03-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the chance to watch the High Tech High Chula Vista track and field team dominate their opening track meet of the year. I have been working with the High Tech High Bruins since early February and have seen some pretty cool changes in their technique and performance. My throwers took the following results:

Mens Shot Put: 1st Place
Mens Discus: 1st Place
Womens Shot Put: 1st and 3rd place
Womens Discus: 1st and 2nd Place

Unfortunately, they don't throw the javelin in their league...However, I wish they did because I'm sure we would have a few throwers move all the way up the ranks on the prep USA list!

The kids have progressed very well and are just now learning how to apply force in the right positions and I expect to see even bigger results this weekend at the next meet. The only struggle I have now is fighting to keep my kids in the program. There are so many other activities that these brilliant kids are involved in. It makes it hard to keep them all coming back everyday because they are spread out over so many different social activities. Thats just the selfish coach in me coming out! ;)

My training is going amazing, the shoulder is pain free and I'm doing everything I can to not do anything too much or drastic and to make sure that I'm ready for the big meets later on in the year and into 2011 and 2012. We had a national team camp here last weekend as well and it is easy to see that we are the deepest we have ever been in the mens javelin. We have a few young guys that have more talent than they know what to do with! There will definitely be some BIIIIIG throws by USA javelin throwers this summer...stay tuned!

M++

Surfing, Paddleboarding, Kayaking...and dodging Tsunami's!

2010-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Aloooha from Hawaii!

About 2 weeks ago, an opportunity presented itself that I couldn't turn down. The scenarios all fell into place... and I packed my bags and headed to Oahu, Hawaii for 10 days of "training".

The last 15 weeks of shoulder rehab were very intense and although my shoulder was getting very strong, maybe even stronger than before surgery...but the flexibility and range of motion where lacking. At the end of week 13, my coach and training partners did a round of testing, which saw me post new personal bests in the 30m sprint and back overhead shot throws...we also did extensive strength testing on the shoulder and the results where good, but as I mentioned, the range of motion was lacking and I needed to back off (again) and give the shoulder time to heal from 13 weeks of pounding. I was due for a rest week, and my coach and all my training partners where going to be out of town for USA Indoor Championships.

Then Hawaii called...

My roommate and training partner, Brad Walker (pole vault) (http://www.bradwalker.us/)
just had some minor back surgery and wasn't able to train at all in San Diego...so he contacted a few of his friends in Hawaii to see if he could come out and do some core and balance training in the water at the islands. It just so happened that he had a friend who was out of town (watching the games in Vancouver) and needed someone to house sit and watch his golden lab Pele'... housing situation...done

He also had another close friend and former coach at the University of Hawaii, Spencer Chang, who doubles as an orthopedic surgeon and pole vault coach as well... He was able to get us access to the University's facilities as well as numerous outlets of therapy... training facility and rehab situation....done

Finally, we where able to link of with a few of the U of H athletes to lend a hand in the pole vault and javelin events. Brad also linked up with the reigning World Youth Pole Vault Champion from Sweden, who was in town for a holiday with her family. It was awesome to get a chance to see 2 current World Champions go at it. It was a good chance for me to give back a bit of what I have learned over the years in throwing a stick.

I had an amazing training week that involved a ton of low intensity kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling and even a few horrible attempts at boogie boarding a few waves that where way out of my league! The lifting and sprinting sessions at the University where also much better than expected and the break from throwing did wonders for my shoulder.

Friday night and Saturday morning where quite the adventure. Let me set the stage for you.... dramatic pause....

We got a call around 3 in the morning from the guy who owns the condo (from Vancouver)..he says, "have you heard the news? there was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile and there is a 30ft Tsunami headed for Hawaii!"

Turns out, he got a call from our neighbor, who just so happens to be the worlds biggest drama king and blows things waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of proportion! He told him the story of the earthquake and therefore he called us and began giving us instructions on how to pack up his entire house (which was in the evacuation zone, right on the water)

The view from our back patio

We packed all of our stuff and the home owners belongings from 3 - 8am... There was a bunch of random things to do, trying to haul boats out of the marina, moving tool boxes and surf boards to the front of the house, packing food and water for 7 DAYS!!! (thanks CNN...what a waste!) all of this on no sleep and the local media trying to scare everyone into a mellow-panic, if there is such a thing.

The most eerie part for me was the blasting of the Tsunami Sirens at 6am...

We finished packing up the house around 8 and evacuated at 9 and headed for a hilltop about 2 miles away....we joined about 100 other local residents who had set up shop in the cars, jeep and tents and prepared to watch.....NOTHING!

Everyone had their radios on, blasting news and eye witness reporters from every side of every island...then came the news of the 6 foot surge from French Polynesia... It was pretty intense for several hours, but as the waves came closer, then news reports predicted the waves to be 12 feet, then 6 feet, then 3 feet...

Then the sirens blasted again, and the Tsunami that was created from a 8.8 magnitude in Chile struck the island of Oahu and the Hawaii Kai bay with the force of......nothing!

The best report came from an eye witness reporter on the big Island...the radio guy asked, "the time for the Tsunami has come and past...can you tell us what you see now?"

The eye witness said..."well its a beautiful day here and it looks like a great day to be in the water!" ....the reply came from the radio... "wait, you mean you dont see the Tsunami wave surge?" ... "no, no wave at all here"..... "so nothing in the 6 foot range as the reports have been indicating?" ..."hahaha, no man, nothing even in the 1 foot range."

We listened to the radio reports as the dj's desperately began to search for things to talk about as the drama of the killer wave that never showed up quickly disappeared and the locals frustration and lack of interest began showing up. After all, this is the 4th or 5th time that this has happened in the Islands...evacuation, panic...and then nothing.

We hung out on the hill next to the bay for about 4 hours before we finally gave up and headed back to the house and got a kick out of the people who where hanging out on the bay, some of which had already taken their boards and boats out for a spin...it was clear that the panic that the media inflicted on the rest of the world was just a big swing and a miss...

I have 2 more days on the island before I head back to the training center in San Diego and the High Tech High Track Team. I am looking forward to their first meet on March 11 and myself getting back to throwing after a week of "training" here in paradise!

Here are a few cool pics from the week... Catch up with you from San Diego
M++

Olympic Memories

2010-02-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

USA...USA...USA...USA...USA...USA...!!!!!!!! that's the sound that I remember as I came down the tunnel and neared the opening of the stadium that seated 100,000 fans in Beijing...

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, my eyes teared, and my heart hurt as I watched Team USA Vancouver file into the stadium on Friday night. I don't know what I was expecting to feel, or feel anything at all as I watched the opening ceremonies. It was just a really cool thing to watch with a glass of wine on Friday evening...so I thought.

As the ceremonies began, I was immediately brought back to Beijing and all the emotions that came with the journey of getting there, competing, and post Olympic depression. I watched with envy, pride, jealousy, and a heavy heart as many of my close friends and part-time training partners where living out their Olympic Dream. I'm sure it was an emotional day for almost all of the athletes as word of the Georgian Luge athlete was passed on throughout the village. However tragic it seems, I feel it is a accurate representation of athletes and the bond that they form with their Olympic Dreams and journeys. It would not surprise me to hear that many athletes would give all they have, maybe even life itself, to live out Olympic glory.

As the Winter Olympic Games play out, you can be sure that I will be rocking my TEAM USA gear everywhere I go and will be supporting my friends and fellow Olympians with every ounce of my being! Watch out for fellow ITA athletes bringing home some serious hardware!!!!!!

LETS GO EMILY, TORIN & CAITLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In community news. I am now the proud owner of a new title. High Tech High Volunteer Track Coach! I will be working with a local High School's track and field program throughout the rest of the 2010 school year and beyond. I met the team last week and they are a great group of highly energetic kids and I cant wait to get started this week!

Here are a few memories from opening ceremonies in Beijing....enjoy!
M++

Beijing to Vancouver

2010-01-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

This past week I have had the pleasure to hang out with the 2010 Team USA mens and womens Bobsled Teams here at the Olympic Training Center. One especially cool treat, was to hang out with fellow ITA athlete and fellow Olympian, Emily Azevedo.

A former 100m hurdler in college, Emily capitalized on her speed and shed her track spikes for the ice of the bobsled track and since has climbed to top of the world in her event! Join Emily's journey to Vancouver as she lives her Olympic dream on her blog here:

http://in-the-arena-emily.blogspot.com/

Joining team USA at the training center is also the Dutch Bobsled Team, as well as the Dutch and Chinese women's field hockey teams. It has been a very busy environment with all the teams tuning up for their respected summer sports and of course the Winter Olympic Games just a few days away. This is a special time of year for an Olympians, past and present. For a few weeks every few years, the eyes of the world are on you and the overwhelming pride of representing the USA on the Worlds largest stage shakes you to the core. I have no doubt that team USA will be locked and loaded and ready to pay for overweight baggage as they haul around all the medals that they are sure to rack up!

ITA Winter Athletes in Full Swing and Vancouver Bound!

2010-01-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

This blog entry comes from a rainy San Diego, California...very different from the past few weeks where we have had temperature in the mid 80's and most of us here at the Olympic Training Center have been training like its the middle of Spring.

As the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games are approaching in under 20 days, the first news of fellow In the Arena athletes punching their tickets are rolling in! Emily Azevedo, a bobsled athlete, and member of the 2 man USA Team III, has just been named to her first Olympic Team.

Follow along with Emily as he Olympic Dream approaches here:

http://in-the-arena-emily.blogspot.com/

As other winter events are in the midst of qualifying and fierce competitions, In the Arena athletes Torin Koos and Laura Valaas both took Gold at the Methow Valley SuperTour Sprint Event. At the same Super Tour event, ITA athletes went 1-2-3 as Caitlin Compton won gold and Laura Valaas and Nicole De Yong picked up silver and bronze respectively in the 15k thriller. You can follow each one of these athletes here:

Torin Koos: http://in-the-arena-torin.blogspot.com/

Laura Valas: http://in-the-arena-laura.blogspot.com/

Caitlin Compton: http://in-the-arena-caitlin.blogspot.com/

Nicole De Yong: http://in-the-arena-nicole.blogspot.com/

The Altius Track Club, that was launched at the beginning of the year has gotten off to an unexpectedly slow start. Although Ian Waltz and Stacy Dragila have began personal training sessions, an ITA merger looks to be in the near future and maybe within a week. Hopefully I will have some quality community service news to report on in the upcoming weeks...as the saying goes, its been way too long!

M++

Happy New Year.....US Airways, Your Fired!!!

2010-01-03T22:34:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, bet you have heard that a few times. Most people would like to start their new year off in a favorable fashion...you know, great New Years Eve party, starting all the New Years resolutions on the 1st and looking forward to all the promising things that the start of a new year brings...almost a clean slate so to speak. Mine was more of a "humbug new year" than a "happy new year".

Christmas was great, minus the usual drama that comes along when families get together over the holidays...I was all set to travel back to SD on the 31st, when my travel luck struck again!

It started with my US Airways flight from Austin-Phoenix-SD was delayed over 1 hour. I only had a 45 min connection in Phoenix if we where on time, so I knew that the possibility of making that connection was zero. Then the gate attendant came on the PA system and said that all passengers that had connecting flights in PHX could either stay in Austin and get re-booked for the morning flight, or fly to PHX and if they missed their connection, stay the night in PHX and get re-booked for the morning. Then she said, "except all passengers traveling to SD, there are 15 of you so they are going to hold the plane in PHX for you." lucky me, so I thought.

As I landed in PHX and made my way to gate 22, all 15 of us realized that there was no flight to SD..they did not hold it, nor even attempt to, it left right on time. The entire PHX airport basically shut down at 9:30PM, which left a few hundred stranded passengers on New Years Eve, all of which had big plans that night for sure. For the next 4.5 hours I waited in line at customer service to be re-booked, baggage claim, shuttle to the hotel, and then the 40 people long line to get checked in with 1 lady working the front desk. So yes, I watched the New Years celebrations while standing in line in a hotel lobby, tons of fun!

The next day the travel woes continued. As I went to the counter to check in, I was redirected to a waiting line that strangely enough had all 15 of us from the previous night. This was around 1pm. I stood in the exact same spot for over an hour and didn't budge. Come to find out, they canceled our re-booked flight to SD because of "crew rest" and couldn't get us even out of PHX until after 7pm, connecting in Ontario, getting into SD after 10pm! It wasn't even 2;15PM at this time, so I just walked over to Hertz, payed $288 !!!! picked up a car and drove the 5 hrs from PHX-SD. I got home around 9pm (which wasn't too much earlier than if I would have taken the later flight). Which in hindsight makes that $288 hurt even more. So 24hrs later than originally planned, I was home. Thanks US Airways! Happy New Year!

Im hoping that the rest of the year gets off to a much better start!
M++

"Altius"

2009-12-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

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++

Under the Knife ... again

2009-11-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

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++

Ready…Set…Go! Now hit the breaks!

2009-11-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

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++

Giving back that which can't be given back...

2009-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

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

And the Winner is .... what?

2009-10-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

Rest & Recovery Can Wait for 1 More Meet

2009-09-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

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++

Rest & Recovery

2009-09-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

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++

2009-08-28T11:10:00.001-07:00

Berlin in the Rear View

2009-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

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++

Locked & Loaded

2009-08-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

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++

Berlin Bound

2009-08-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

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++

Always looking up…Part 2

2009-07-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

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

Always looking up…

2009-06-14T01:41:00.001-07:00

"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

Tucson Elite, Relay of Champions and Back to Europe:

2009-05-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

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++

Doha in the Rear View...

2009-05-12T11:45:00.001-07:00

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!

Doha : Déjà vu

2009-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

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++

close call...

2009-04-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

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++

Bonsoir...MarHaban, Kayfa Haaluka...and oooohh Jessica Simpson!

2009-03-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

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++

Making Lemonade...

2009-03-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

...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++

Tips For Record Breaking

2009-03-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Oslo Training Camp

2009-02-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

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++

Nature vs. Nurture

2009-02-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

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++

Trading 85 for 25....degrees that is!

2009-01-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

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++

Home for the Holidays!

2008-12-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

This blog entry comes straight from gate 88 at San Fransico International...enjoy! I am en-route to my hometown of Temple Texas for 9 days to spend the holiday with my family. This trip home comes at an incredibly good time for me training wise. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have been hampered by a back injury that has limited the quantity of training that I have been able to do. I am pleased to say that issue has been resolved an I believe we can close the book on the winter back issues...hopefully!

I had almost 2 solid great weeks of training and may have pushed the gas a bit too hard as I was excited to be able to do normal training activities without pain. This Monday will be the start of the 8th week of training for me and I am anticipating a full 4 more weeks of successful training sessions before my next break. I was notified that the Australian and New Zealand Grand Prix series will not include the javelin this year because the Australian record holder and good friend of mine, Jarrod Bannister, is still rehabbing an injured elbow suffered in Beijing. The good news was that the javein was confirmed as one of the 2009 Golden League events for the 5th year in a row. This is virtually unheard of for 1 event and I am extremely excited about the opportunity to break back into the Golden league's.

The last 2 weeks was an extremely busy schedule for me in the community and was highlighted by the news that I am the Olympic Training Center December Athlete of the Month. When I was notified I didn't understand how I received the honor because its usually reserved for the athlete with the best competition performances for that month. However, with no competitions for any of the athletes at the training center, I was told that I was given the honor because of my role in community service for the month of December. Its a very special honor for me because I believe its the 1st time in training center history that an athlete has received that honor for performances away from competition. Never mind the fact that I get free golf for the month of January! ;P

Im attaching a few pics of my little buddy Jarmo from the Angels and athletes event last week...although we had a bit of a language barrier, we made it work and had an absolute blast...dude even gave me a hug as he left, awwwwwwwwww
M++

Slow & Steady...

2008-12-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have flown by and It hardly seem possible that its already the 2nd week of December. I suppose thats what happens when you compete through the end of September... Training here at the US Olympic Training Center has been very steady and as far as I'm concerned, acceptable...not great, not bad just average.
The reason I say that is because I am still ahead of last year at this time, however I have been struggling with back problems for the better part of 3 weeks now. I finally decided to go to the doctor last Friday for x-rays which thankfully showed nothing wrong structurally...however, I have a MRI scheduled for Wednesday morning to have a look at a few discs in my lumbar region that may be an area to watch. The doctor has assured me that its nothing to be alarmed about, rather its just something that they want to look at so we can better plan my training around it. In my event, which involves extremely high velocity combined with rotation and compression, every precaution is necessary.
Community activities were kept to a minimum the last 2 weeks, partially because of the holidays and partially because of the pain in my back. The next few weeks will incorporate 2 new community events for me. This Tuesday, December 9 I will be going to the Sharp Children's Hospital to visit with the ailing kids and hand out teddy bears in the 18th Annual Law Enforcements Teddy Bear Drive. I am extremely excited to visit these kids because it really helps me put life into perspective.

Similar to when I had the incredible honor of training with the Navy Seals last year, visiting the sick kids at the Sharp Children's hospital helps remind me how lucky I am to be able to do what I do. The next time that I wake up sore from a hard training session, I can reflect on our nations elite forces who endure more pain and extreme conditions that most of us can fathom...or I can remember my visits with kids who wont know if they will even see the weekend. Most of those kids would love to wake up and hurt from a training session. Its a great reality check for me and admittedly I think I'm due for one.

The last big event that I have planned for the year is the Athletes and Angels Event on December 12. This event is very similar to the "shop with a jock" event that I had to withdraw from due to back pain...so I'm eagerly looking forward to making up for my absence with the Athletes and Angels event. This event will be very fun because of the large amount of 1 on 1 time that the athletes can spend with the kids shopping and taking pictures with Santa. Thats all for now...to be continued after the holidays!
M++

Intergenerational Games, Version 3.0

2008-11-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been fairly "normal" here in San Diego at the Olympic Training Center. Almost everyone here is wrapping up their 3rd or 4th weeks of training and the days are flying by. The classes that I am hanging out with here at the training center have been steady and are keeping me on my toes. This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to speak at the 7th Annual South Bay Intergenerational Games . This was the 3rd Generational Games that I have spoken at and I was pleased to meet several people who remembered me from the previous IG Games editions.

The Intergenerational Games are designed to bring together older adults and young students for a series of games designed to promote health and physical fitness. My task was to inspire the kids with stories about the Olympic Games and my experiences as an athlete...as well as promote cooperation, interaction and teamwork through physical activities. My ultimate goal was to try to educate the kids on the importance of nutrition and health education at an early age and how that can translate into lifelong healthy habits. It was a beautiful day and I had the opportunity to hang out and answer 1 on 1 questions with many of the kids and even a few of the "older kids".

Over the next few weeks, I have 2 more classes scheduled at the Olympic Training Center, as well as my 2nd visit to the "shop with a jock". Shop with a Jock is was created by former San Diego Charger Junior Sea, and gives over 200 hundred kids to shop with local professional and Olympic athletes from the San Diego area. Last years event was an enormous success and I'm looking forward to a few more funny stories for this year.

Sunset Hills and the OTC...

2008-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

This past week was one of the busiest weeks of community service for me since I started working with In the Arena. The week started off with 3 classes at the OTC that were an absolute handful followed by an awesome visit to Sunset Hills Elementary School. Although it was over an hour drive one way, it was well worth it. The kids of Sunset Hills "adopted" me while I was in Beijing and sent massive amounts of good luck cards and emails and really made me feel proud to have so many kids cheering for me, even though I had never met them... The idea was brought about by another former USA Olympian, Mary Andrews, who just also happened to be a javelin thrower as well. With Mary's help and creative efforts, I was able to return to a "welcome back" day at Sunset Hills and had the opportunity to speak the the entire school as a group as well as visit individual classrooms and see the kids one on one. Seeing how well the kids were behaved as I visited their classrooms reaffirmed my faith in the public school teaching system. These kids were the most polite and well behaved kids that I have been around and it was truly a pleasure to spend the day with them.

Now that I am back in training for the 2009 season, my community service projects will be again resume on a weekly basis and in some situations, a daily basis. Im looking forward to a busy but prosperous fall. Till next time,
Mike++

Back Home in Texas...

2008-10-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the chance to return to my hometown of Temple, Texas for the 1st time since last Christmas. It was a fun filled week with alot of appointments in and around the community. The highlight of my trip was meeting Governor Rick Perry at the Texas State Capitol. Governor Perry held a nice reception for the Texas Olympians and it was a nice treat to get to meet him and his staff and get a chance to tour the capitol grounds.

I spent the entire week hanging out with my Dads 6th Grade Science class, answering questions about traveling and the Olympics and even had the chance to help out with a few lesson plans. It was nice to see the reaction of the kids as they were able to share with me the greatest experience of my life. This past weekend was the last few days of my "vacation" and it was an awesome one that included several football games, a round of Golf at one of Texas most beautiful courses and a TON of food. It has been a great break from training but I am 100% ready to get back to San Diego and get back to work.

Once I get back to San Diego, I will have a busy week ahead of me that includes several classes that I am hosting at the Olympic Training Center. One visit that I am looking forward to is my visit to the Poway Elementary School. These kids were kind enough to "adopt" me while I was in Beijing and I received numerous emails and cards wishing me well and I even received a generous donation to In The Arena for $200. This will be my first visit to the kids since I have returned home from the Olympics. I cant wait to get back to San Diego and get back to work! Catch ya later! Mike++

End of the season, beginning of the season...

2008-10-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hello again...the last time I blogged I was just leaving for the last meet of the year in Daegu Korea. I flew to Daegu, literally a few hours before the competition in attempt to test the effects of jetlag flying west to east. After speaking with my coach and looking at our training from Beijing, we figured I had about a 24 hour window straight off the plane to compete before the jet lag started to set in. Our plan worked well and my body felt fairly well given the fact that it was my 18th meet of the season and then end of September. I threw 80.16m to take 4th place and was able to beat a few guys who beat me earlier this season.

Daegu was awesome! The city was amazing and the more I think about it the more I realize that it is quickly moving up on my favorite cities list and is threatening Oslo at the number 1 spot. The people were just as nice and warm-hearted as those in Beijing. After I left Beijing, I mentioned in a previous blog, "The last meet of the year for me will be in Daegue, Korea on Sept 25 and it will be interesting to compare the 2 cities. I can’t wait to see if the niceness epidemic has spread throughout Asia, or if its progression was halted at the Great Wall." I found that the Asian culture and the values that they embrace do not stop at the Great Wall, in fact they extend far beyond. However, it was very easy to distinguish the difference between the communist run China and democratic South Korea. Daegu will be hosting the 2011 World Championships and I cant wait to return there in the next few years, its truly a beautiful place and I consider myself extremely lucky to have visited there.

Now that the season is over, I have been spending the last few weeks trying to answer all of the emails and phone calls to family and friends alike that I didnt have time to get to while I was in Beijing and Europe. It has been a very fun and relaxing time, but all too busy. I have given myself a window of 1 month to tie up all of the business aspects of my season such as trying to gather income from meets and acquire new sponsors. I have also finally been able to start up a few community service projects back here in San Diego.
This week I am restarting my classroom visits to some of the local Chula Vista elementary schools. Next Tuesday through Wednesday I will be speaking to the Chula Vista Elementary School about life as an athlete and the values you learn while training to represent your country on the worlds largest stage. The following week will be very busy for me as I return back to my hometown of Temple, Texas as a United States Olympian. I have plans to spend an entire week mentoring my dads (and many other classes) 6th graders as well as spending some time with some of the high school s most promising athletes. It looks to be a very busy week in community activities, but one I am eagerly looking forward to as it brings about an entire new direction to some of these kids. Im hoping to get lots of pictures and some video of the weeks to come and cant wait to post them here. Catch up with you then, Mike++

Home Again...Away Again!

2008-09-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, I can actually say that I have been around the world and back. I left sunny San Diego, Beijing Bound, on August 5 and since then continued my travels eastward and made stops in Belgium, Italy, Germany, Latvia and Germany all over again. My last stop in Germany was for the World Athletics Final, in which I saw the worst side of International athletics...the political side.
World Athletics Final, also known as Grand Prix Final takes the top 7 athletes on the World Athletics Tour. After 2 guys in the top 7 dropped out with injury, I was sitting a very comfortable #5, thus making me a lock for the Grand Prix Final...so I thought. After what I would consider one of the worst weekends in my life, I was notified that my manager "failed to confirm my participation" for the Grand Prix Final and as a result, 2 local guys were allowed to throw. After talking it over with my manager and several USA representatives on the IAAF council, we concluded...that I got screwed!
The IAAF went above and beyond everyones expectations on how low they can go and how bad they can "bend but not break" their own rules and I was unfortunately on the bad end of the stick. The dilemma now, go after the IAAF in legal litigation and get the prize money and possible bonuses that I would have missed on end of the year rankings...but then what? That would effectively end my athletic career. I could be the world record holder and number 1 in the world but strangely not accepted into any more Grand Prix events. So its a tricky situation, everyone knows the IAAF acted inappropriately, but everyone also knows that there isn't anything that I can do without ending my career financially.
I am now back in San Diego for a few days, just enough time to shake off the European jet-lag before I head back over to Asia to do it all over again. I leave for my last meet of the year in Daegu, Korea. This will be an awesome meet because Daegu will be hosting the 2011 World Championships. Never a better chance to get a shot at the city, stadium and maybe even the food! This will be the end of an unbelievable season for me, one I hope to be able to duplicate for several years to come. Once I return home from Korea, I will take a few days off and then begin working on my In The Arena Community Projects and begin sharing my Olympic and life experiences with the San Diego kids. I cant wait!
Mike++

08.28.08: Beijing in the rear view mirror

2008-08-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

With my Beijing experience now in the past by a few days, I have had a chance (including a 10 hour flight to Belgium) to reflect on everything that took place. I have had a chance to learn from a few mistakes, lick my wounds and take dead aim at the great city of London in exactly 1,456 days…and counting…

Beijing as a city was absolutely amazing; the people went above and beyond everyone's expectations. I kind of feel bad for the organizers of London 2012, they have one hell of an act to follow. The first thing my parents said as they returned home from Beijing was how shocked they were as to the rudeness of the American people in the airports…I have to remind myself that we Americans aren’t in fact being rude…it's just that those of us who have spent the last few weeks in Beijing have been spoiled by the “niceness epidemic”. There were actually times that the locals were so unbelievably nice and polite that it almost made me uncomfortable. For example, there would be times when a group of locals would be sitting at a table or huddled around a TV and as soon as you came in the room, they would all stand up and say hello. I don’t think there are 10 people who stand up in the States anymore when a lady enters the room (much less anyone else). I honestly can’t remember a single time when they weren’t smiling or saying “hello” or “is there anything at all I can help you with?”. Then there was the work ethic…It is no wonder why many of the world's largest companies look to China and Asia in general to produce many of their products. The Asians are the hardest working people I have ever seen in my life bar none, and they do it all while keeping a positive attitude. They may work for pennies per hour but they always seem to have a positive outlook on life. I remember thinking that if I opened a restaurant in the USA and had a full staff of Beijing locals, it would be one of the most successful restaurants in the USA within a matter of months (as long as I didn’t screw it up!) I realize that I may have not seen the way things really are or the way that Beijing was prior to the 29th Olympiad, but for what myself and almost all of those who visited Beijing saw…I am sold! Even as I was leaving the Olympic Village and airport, I was bombarded with gifts of every kind from the locals who pleaded and begged “please come back to Beijing… you are welcome back to China!” I for one, LOVE China and cant wait to go back. The last meet of the year for me will be in Daegue, Korea on Sept 25 and it will be interesting to compare the 2 cities. I can’t wait to see if the niceness epidemic has spread throughout Asia, or if its progression was halted at the Great Wall.

On to my performance in Beijing: For those who saw the qualifying rounds in the javelin, you saw the weather. For those of you who didn’t, the qualifying rounds were contested in a monsoon. I have never seen that much rain fall in that short of time. As much rain as there was and no matter how long my flight (group 2) was delayed…it didn’t matter. When I woke up at 4:30am the day of the comp and saw the rain, it actually fired me up because I knew most of the competitors wouldn’t be able to handle the conditions mentally and I actually felt like I had an advantage. I was the last thrower in the 2nd flight: thrower #48. Last thrower in normal conditions is a great place to be in because you get to watch the performances of everyone else and know exactly how far you have to throw in order to qualify…in normal conditions that is. But with as long as I had to wait…it didn’t matter, as wet as my javelins were…it didn’t matter. I was more ready physically and mentally than I have ever been in my life, maybe even too ready. I wasn’t even nervous…anxious yes, but nervous no. I have spent endless hours with my team analyzing my performance from every angle: physiologically, mentally, technically and emotionally. And the result of our analysis was…we wouldn’t have changed a thing. I have analyzed the film of my throws a few hundred times and it’s the best I have ever looked technically. My physical preparation was textbook, exactly where we hoped it would be. I was 100% healthy and 100% ready, mind body and soul. That’s why the results were so hard to comprehend. There were 90m throwers who couldn’t manage even 70m and 70m throwers who set new lifetime bests. In an event where the weather is so dependent on the outcome, one can only say “stuff happens”. All that matters is that you can prepare the best you can and leave it all on the track and then you must accept the results and the weather for what they are. Like the quote my coach said to me before I left for the stadium, “it is what it is”. The entire Olympic Games were filled with upsets and amazing stories. There were people who weren’t even supposed to make the team that ended up medaling and people who were locks to medal who were eliminated in the qualifying rounds…and the javelin was no exception. Here is one amazing story that you may not know the inside scoop on.

I had the opportunity to hang out with a friend/rival of mine who many of you know, Breaux Greer. Breaux was my roommate for several days while in Beijing and for those of you who don’t know his story, here is a quick rundown: Breaux is the greatest American javelin thrower in USA history and won a bronze medal at Worlds last year in Osaka and set a new American Record, which also happens to be the 9th farthest throw in the history of mankind. Breaux had his 11th major surgery of his career this past winter…yes 11th; most people would hang it up after 1. After breaking a bone in his throwing hand before the Olympic Trials, and not being able to take any training throws in several months, Breaux showed up at our Olympic Trials and finished 17th. A far cry from his 90m days of last year, Breaux dealt with an enormous media backlash for him doing some of the things he decided to do throughout the year. The javelin is a very "what have you done lately" event and Breaux received the full media fury. Still Breaux was nominated to the Olympic Team and came to Beijing. Why? I asked myself the question several times…the answer which we may never truly know, is not ours to worry about and we probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend. What I saw Breaux go through in Beijing was nothing short of amazing. He was told by several doctors not to even show up at our trials much less the Olympic Games. I saw a guy shoot up with pain killers just to take standing throws on the grass…I saw a guy who had everyone in the world telling him no and yet he said yes. Even the greatest javelin coach in the world (aside from mine) Kari Ihalinen of Finland (Breaux’s coach last year) told Breaux to go home that he would risk career-ending injury if he attempted to throw again. But those of you who know Breaux, know that he is capable of throwing 80m when he is not even remotely healthy. So, when I heard Breaux tell my why, it made everything crystal clear, not only about why he chose to come to Beijing, but why he does everything he does in life. Breaux looked me in the eye and said, “I'm going to give it one shot...one throw...one throw with all that I have, because I don’t want to go back home and watch the Olympics and wonder…what if?” In an event where it only takes 1 throw…this made perfect sense to me. So, kudos to Breaux for his larger than life attempt at representing himself and his country on the world’s largest stage. After my last throw in Beijing, Breaux came up to me and said, “remember this feeling and use it.” Breaux has gone through this 2 times and had the agony of being 1cm short of making the Olympic Team in 1996. He finished last in Sydney and last in Athens after posting the farthest throw of the Games in qualifying. He also said “you will grow more from this than anything else you do in life.” And I truly believe that I have grown more as a person and an athlete more in the last week than I have all of my life. I have to admit that I didn’t know what to expect from Breaux when I got to Beijing, but it was a great experience that I may never truly know the value of. All I know is, if I am stuck in a foxhole in a war, I want Breaux watching my back.

So now what? I am now in Belgium, post-Beijing and am now officially an Olympian having competed in the Games. So where does this leave me? As strange as this may sound, I believe that the disappointment of Beijing was in fact the best thing that could have happened to me. If I had qualified for the final or even medaled, I would have walked away from Beijing with a sense of satisfaction, which is extremely dangerous as an athlete. I swore to myself that I will never feel the way that I felt as I left the runway in Beijing and that very moment which will be etched in my mind forever set the stage for the next four years. I am more determined and driven now that I have ever been in my life, which I honestly didn’t think was possible. But knowing what I know now, I believe that the next 4 years will hold many far throws that will culminate in another amazing Olympic experience in London. The result in London will be irrelevant, it cold be a gold medal or a last place in qualifying, but the journey along the way will be something that I hope I can someday explain in words. The life lessons that I will learn over the next 4 years will be worth more than any monetary amount that a 9-5 job may offer and the reward at the end of the journey will be indeed priceless. It looks as if Breaux will be moving to San Diego this fall to join our training group. Put 2 of the worlds best throwers together to push each other physically and emotionally, couple that with the worlds best coaching, nutrition and sports science…one can only guess the end product in 4 years…London awaits in less than 1,456 days…
Never underestimate the power of ambition.

'Til next time,
Mike++

08.17.08: Five Days Out

2008-08-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

Today was the last “intense” training day for me. This morning I had a sprinting workout, which at this stage is more for hormonal increase and release rather than trying to get faster. After the morning sprints session, I had a technical session that included some light ball throws designed to generate arm speed as well as some runway work to solidify my approach. In the previous days, my upper body and arm was moving much better than my legs. My coach said that it looked like I had a Ferrari engine strapped to a bicycle and thus the timing was off. Today it was much better and my legs are finally starting to feel alive. My arm is in the best shape it has ever been in. My coach jokingly was looking for a radar gun over here to check my arm speed. I threw 95pmh from the outfield in college and I’m guessing I would top out around 99-100mph now. The majority of the track and field athletes from the USA who have not made the finals in their respected events are now finished for the most part and the mood around the village is getting more festive. Unfortunately for me I still have a few more days before I can let my hair down! Tomorrow is another rest and recovery day. I plan to do some laundry, check a few hundred emails and maybe catch a nap or 2. See yall on the 18th,
Mike

08.16.08: The Countdown Begins

2008-08-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

We are well underway with the track and field portion of the Beijing Olympic Games, and there have been a few upsets and a few stellar performances on the USA team. One of the toughest things to do is to sit back and watch all of your friends with whom you have trained and competed against live out their Olympic dreams. The javelin throw is one of the last events of the games, as it was also last at the USA trials. Due to the lateness of my event, I have had the opportunity to watch many of my friends compete. I had the joy of watching one of my best friends, Hyleas Fountain, have the performance of her life and win the bronze medal in the heptathlon. I have also had to sit and watch some of my other close friends see their dreams fade in the men's shot out and discus throw. It has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. Now that the javelin is the last throwing event to compete, the focus has been placed upon Leigh Smith, Breaux Greer and myself to pick up the slack in the USA medal count.

In my recent blog entries I mentioned that the amount of free time that I have is dwindling every day. I find myself staying up until well after midnight due to many of the things that I need to do during the day. The most difficult thing for me has been the juggling act of doing what I need to do to prepare for my event and also taking time to watch my friends compete and share their Olympic experience. As I have said before, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day and it doesn't seem possible that I have been in China for over 1 1/2 weeks. These games are indeed flying by and I am caught in the middle of the preparation vs. experience dilemma. My training has been great and the biggest focus now is just getting a sense of normalcy. I have competed well in 12 meets year...my program is timed perfect, my health is good and I am approaching lifetime bests in the weight room. As impossible as it may sound, I very well may just have to approach the Olympic Games as just another track meet (with over 1 BILLION people watching). My plan so far when its time to throw...."just push print."

See you on the 08.17.08
Mike

08.14.08 Back to the Chaos

2008-08-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

I arrived back into Beijing today, and was quickly reminded of how much busier things are here than at our training camp in Dalian. As I mentioned in my 1st blog entry, there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done! This blog entry is an example as I am running late for another team meeting in about 5 minutes.

Here is what is on schedule for tomorrow...

5:45am wake up
6am depart USA housing facility at athlete village
6:30am depart for Beijing Normal University (USOC headquaters)
7-8am breakfast
8-9am treatment and therapy
9:30-11:30 last throwing session
11:30-12pm treatment and therapy
12-1pm Lunch
1-3pm rest and recovery
3:30-5pm sprinting and jumps training
5-6pm treatment and therapy
6:30-7:30 Dinner
8pm depart Beijing Normal for USA housing facility at athlete village
9pm team meeting
9pm email and blog updates
10pm lights out

I will make an attempt to give everyone an idea of what my daily schedule is leading up to the qualification and final rounds here in Beijing.

Gotta run, catch up with you tomorrow!
Mike

08.13.08: Too Good to Be True…

2008-08-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

It would have to be a fairy tale ending to be able to go into the Olympic Games 100% healthy, maybe even too good to be true. And so it is…today was the first set back in my training, although it was a minor one. I have had problems with my low back and pelvis slipping out of alignment causing periodic pain over the past few days. I suppose that's what happens when you're loading 528lbs on your back. As a result I had to modify my training program for the 1st time. However, the modifications that we have made more than likely have more of a mental impact than physical. Basically, as my coach would say, “the hay is in the barn” and all we are doing now is tightening a few screws. Tomorrow I fly back to Beijing in preparation for my last throwing session on the 15th. I will be training at the USA Olympic Committee Headquarters at Beijing Normal University but will be staying in the Village with the rest of the team. I will send updates with what a typical day in the village looks like for me in the next blog. I have to get packing!

Catch you later!
Mike

08.12.08: Rest & Recovery

2008-08-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today was my 4th day at the USA Track & Field Training Camp here in Dalian, China. Another rest day…when I say rest day, it just means that there wasn’t any sprinting, lifting or throwing. The majority of the day was spent in and out of treatment sessions that focused mainly on my low back and hamstrings, which have been giving me issues since I arrived. I also had a short meeting with our resident sports psychologist, just to go over a few mental preparation techniques and tactics. For most people, the idea of “rest” or “off” days means that one can become a tourist or go sightseeing, well for most athletes in the games it serves a different purpose. Imagine if you can a Formula 1 race car…before a major F1 Grand Prix the driver takes the car out for a test drive on the course…after returning to the team garage, the driver just doesn't park it and not touch it until its time to race...the car is virtually dissected, analyzed and tweaked to the finest detail. Not only to ensure proper future performance but to analyze past miscalculations and potential future problems. That is essentially what most of us here do. After we take the machine out, we bring it back in and make sure its ready for the next test run and eventually the competition… which for me happens to be the Olympic Games. Tomorrow is another heavy day, lots of weighted ball throws and a lifting session in which I hope to tie or set a few new personal bests.

Catch up with you tomorrow,
Mike

08.11.08 Back To Work

2008-08-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the first hard training day since I arrived to Beijing. I had a hard throwing session this morning in the pouring down rain (which you may have seen on TV). I followed this morning’s training session with a sprints and jumping session this afternoon. The rest of the hours in between training were spent resting and recovering and then preparing for the next session. It was a pretty quiet day here at the USA Training Camp other than the practice sessions. We have had a streak of bad weather for 24 hours but it should be clearing by tomorrow. No major news from Beijing other than a few updates on the medal counts and the Chinese have put up an impressive showing so far. The American Track & Field Machine is set to roll in just a few more days…should be one heck of a show!

Catch up with you tomorrow,
Mike ++

08.09.08 The Day After...

2008-08-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Today I arrived at the USA Track & Field training camp in Dalian. It was a very long day, in which many of the athletes who attended the Opening Ceremonies were going on 3-4 hours of sleep. Most of us arrived back to the Olympic Village around 2 A.M. and departed for our training camp around 6 A.M. Our flight wasn't until around 11, but due to heightened security measures were had to depart early. Once we arrived in Dalian, we were shown the full force of the awesome Chinese security. Dalian is a city of almost 6 million people and they closed all the roads leading from the airport to our training camp, some 1/2 hour away. That is just an example of the how well they are taking care of us.

The locals have been awesome, and all of us here are extremely grateful and thankful of all the efforts and collaboration of the Chinese officials with the USA security forces. The mood quickly changed and became more serious once we arrived to the hotel where we were notified of the attacks on the American tourists at the Forbidden City as well as the declaration of war between Georgia and Russia. As far away as some of the problems seem to be, it still hits home and reminds all of us here that the real world is still going on without us and it is up to us to show the world an unbiased competition without prejudice. Tomorrow I finally have a day off. I plan to sleep, unpack, check some emails and catch up with my family, and sleep some more. Catch up with you tomorrow.

Mike++

So Much To Do, So Little Time...

2008-08-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, first let me apologize if this first entry is cut short. There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done over here that needs to be done. I'm actually catching a plane in 30 minutes for our training camp in Dailan. It's been a whirlwind of a few days and I'm running on about 8 hours of sleep since I arrived. The people of Beijing have been...flawless! They are so excited to be hosting the Olympic Games and their attitudes and personalities certainly reflect that. They have been more than gracious hosts and I have fallen in love with the culture. The village is brand new, as are most of the facilities and there's everything that you would ever need.

Last night I attended the XXIX Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies. I could sit here for hours and not be able to capture the experience in words, so I'll try to wrap it up as...simply amazing, the best day of my life! I had the opportunity not only to meet, but to hang out with George W. Bush and Bush Sr., LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Coack "K" and so many more unbelievable people with awesome stories. After about 9 hours total of standing, sitting and standing some more, I can now say that my Olympic experience is officially underway. I promise to make the future blogs longer and hopefully with a bit more detail. I have a plane to catch, gotta run!

++Mike

Beijing Bound Jitters... Part 1

2008-08-04T04:05:00.000-07:00

...And so it begins.... I'm not quite sure the Pre-Olympic Jitters decided to hit me a 4am Monday morning, maybe its because I leave in exactly 27 hours for "Olympic Team Processing" in San Jose before taking off for Beijing the following morning. Maybe its because I foresee the tons of things that I have to do today before I leave Tuesday morning....funny, I was just telling myself how strange it felt to not have so many things I actually need to do. But as I sit here in bed, typing, my mind wonders to all the small things that need to be tied up before I take off and that task is now seeming to grow larger. Then again, the jitters, nerves, anxiety...whatever you want to call them could also be starting due to the 3rd live radio interview (and 3 TV interviews, 2 newspapers and 2 magazines) in 2 weeks that I'm doing in...5 hours 29minutes, make that 28 minutes. Whatever the reason, the nerves are here, and they are here in full force.
My roommate, 2004 Olympian in the high jump. Tora Harris, has started a you tube account called "flame and rings". The premise of this you tube account is for documenting a few athletes progress as the games get closer. He has an entire room full of HD cameras and hard drives and is truly blessed at making videos and presenting them in a unique, athletic, but unbiased perspective. He started videoing his girlfriend of several years, Shuying Gao, Asian Record Holder in the Pole Vault, who also is part of our training "family" here at the Olympic Training Center. Shuying, or "Sandy" as we call her here, has been living and training here in San Diego for a few years now and has been an awesome in teaching me new Chinese words and customs as I prepare for the games...so has Tora, seeing that he is fluent in Mandarin as well. Anyways, Tora has documented alot of his and Sandy's training (which he has dubbed "Red Vault") and has them posted on his youtube account, his videos can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lianjuin

Tora happened to be at my last throwing session before I leave for Beijing in...now 26.5 hours, and made a quick video of the brief but very intense session, it can be found om his "flame and rings" account here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CxO5aARRTs&fmt=18

Keep an eye out for his series of videos, "flame and rings" as he will be in Beijing filming Sandy (and me I hope) throughout the Olympic Games...

Well, I suppose I am going to try to go back to sleep... however I can tell you that I will be logging onto the Starbucks website as soon as I sign off from this blog entry to see what time they open, (thats my attempt at humor at 4:35am ;) I have a feeling that these eyes wont get much rest over the next few hours, all though I will make an attempt. Wait a second, what time does Sports Center start on the west coast ;) Beijing Bound Jitters Parts 2, 3, 4, and so one to come soon!

Good talk,
M++

Beijing Bound...at Long Last!

2008-07-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Today....I am an United States Olympian...
That feels really great to say! For the better part of 6 years I have been making emotional and physical deposits into the worst possible bank account you could think to open, the kind of account that yields hardly any interest and moderate to no return on your investment whatsoever...Well finally, after 6 years of putting in and not getting any out...I am making one huge massive withdrawal! However, I cannot make that withdrawal until 19:30 UTC +8, August 23, 2008.

In what was an emotional roller-coaster of a week, it all culminated in a bitter sweet 2nd place at our Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon. “Track Town USA”, aka Eugene, was amazing in every way...except the weather for the final on Sunday July 6. We threw in a mild headwind in our qualifying rounds, that was very typical Eugene...but then had to throw in winds in Sundays Final that resembled hurricane Catrina. Wind gusts were measured at 25 mph at the local weather station, and were consistently between 10-15 mph straight in our faces. It was a difficult day for me because the wind conditions required very precise flights of the javelins. Any one that knows my throw knows that is an area that I must address before I head off to Beijing. In a strange twist, the wind conditions actually favored throwers with less power and lower personal bests. I finished 2nd place with 75.76m, which was good enough for me to secure my spot on the Olympic Team but my performance was also my worst of the season thus far. In the 3rd round, my ribs that were bothering me since Berlin were re-injured. As a result of this, my managers and coach have decided to pull me out of the remaining Super Grand Prix's before Beijing in order to reduce the chance of injuring them any further.

So...what a huge relief and honor it is to be able to represent the United States on the worlds biggest stage, the games of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing. However, I return to San Diego with a small chip on my shoulder for not representing the United States as the reigning National Champion...bitter sweet it is!
A huge shout-out to Amory Rowe and In The Arena for making a similar emotional (and financial) investment in March of 2007. Without the support and encouragement of Amory and ITA. In a sport, and event, that seems to be a financial black hole, Amory and ITA has given my family and I a chance to "live the dream" and for that no amount of thanks will ever be enough!
M++

Back to Sunny So-Cal

2008-06-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Lets see, where to start this one off…It always seems as if I have a chance to update my blog, or at least gather my thoughts on the long flights home. As of right now its 7:55PM San Diego Time and I am exactly over the Mississippi River on my way home from Moscow. I left Moscow about 26 hours ago, and according to the flight computer, still have about 3 hours and 3 minutes to go. The flight home was pretty flawless from Moscow to Zürich, then to JFK in New York, but then the flight that was scheduled for 3PM was delayed until 8PM…not that it matters because after 20 hours it all starts to run together anyway…am I rambling?..Back to the updates.

The last update was as I was leaving a pretty bad trip in Brazil that I fortunately threw decent in and scored some needed World Athletics Tour Points. The next stop was Berlin for the 1st Golden League of the year. I arrived to Berlin a few days ahead of schedule, which was needed because I spent the better part of 3 days at the Russian consulate in Berlin trying to get the Visa for the Moscow Meets, more on that later. Berlin was a welcome treat after being in Brazil, being able to eat food without fear of intestinal parasites and brushing your teeth with tap water were very welcome comforts. The organization of the Golden League staff was nothing short of amazing, the ISTAF (International Stadium Festival) directors had a fully staffed 24 hour office at the meet hotel and were there for every need an athlete could have…they even hired a driver to take me to wash some clothes (much needed after 2 weeks in South America). The meet went off without a hitch and I threw 81.14m for 5th place in a field that was made up of essentially the Olympic Final. As a result of my placing I was invited to the 2nd Golden League meeting of the year in Oslo, Norway, the Bislett Games.

Ah Oslo, what else can I say about Oslo in the summer other than heaven on earth, there were times that I felt like intentionally “misplacing” my passport in hopes to be able to stay there for the remainder of my career, did I say career, I meant life ;) The Bislett Games staff was just as adept at making sure all the details needed for a world-class competition were catered to and the competition was also a tremendous success. The conditions were not ideal for long throws at the Bislett Stadium as many of the competitors were 3-5m under their normal seasonal marks. It wasn’t until the last round that 3 guys made massive moves and personal bests that I was pushed to 7th place with 80.37m. I was happy with my performance and was content with heading back home and getting 4 solid preparation weeks for the Olympic Trails, but then…. there was Russia.
I spent the better part of 3 days at the Russian Consulate in Berlin, attempting to acquire the Visa needed for Americans to enter Russia. I should have known I was in for a rough ride when I entered the consulate (after waiting 2 hours outside) and was quickly notified that the only languages that were spoken there were….take a guess, Russian and German. I finally acquired the help of a local guy there who spoke English who attempted to help me get to the Visa application window (picture 40 people huddled around a 3 foot by 3 foot window…all pissed off as hell for waiting outside and inside for numerous hours). I could go on forever about the nightmare there, but Ill skip to the summary. I had the wrong papers, no surprise, wrong size photo ect…so I returned the following day to repeat the 4 hour process all over again, only to be told to return the 3rd day to repeat the process all over again, yes 12 hours total waiting in the consulate for the stupid Visa…oh yeah and then there was the actual trip to Russia.
Here goes, I arrived in Moscow on June 8th for the competition on June 10th the Moscow Open. I was met by a man at the airport who spoke English and said that I would be taken to the meet hotel where I would meet the competition organizers ect…that was the last bit of English I heard for 24 hours. I was dropped off at Olympic Stadium (1980) and I waited there for almost an hour before I figured out the hotel (if you want to call it that) was in the stadium itself, actually around the top of it….one would think, wow a hotel at Olympic Stadium, should be nice right? Picture a hostel that sits directly above a 24 hour construction zone, fully equipped with dump trucks, jack hammers, sledge hammers, and back hoes.
There were some major renovations that were taking place to the stadium after the Manchester United vs Chelsea football match there a few weeks ago. Oh yeah, no hot water (due to construction), no internet…yeah spoiled I know, no AC and 3 channels for the TV…all in all those things can actually be dealt with, but when you don’t have access to some of the most basic necessities to get ready for a competition, its difficult to expect good results. I did see some amazing sights at the Moscow Open, I saw women that looked like men and men that looked like machines, which I was told was “quite normal” in that area on Olympic years if you know what I mean. Anyways, I was fortunate enough to throw 79.26m to take 2nd behind 2003 World Champion, Sergey Makarov of Russia. From the Moscow Open I traveled to another suburb of Moscow called Zhukovsky for the Zhukovsky Memorial. This competition was run 100 times better than the Moscow Open but the weather unfortunately didn’t cooperate with us. I was poorly prepared for the wet conditions and my performance reflected that preparation with a 4th place finish just under 75m.

So now I’m on the way home after 8 competitions in 6 weeks and 5 countries for some much needed rest and preparation for the Olympic Trails that are in just 3 weeks time. My remaining schedule leading up to Beijing will be dependent on my finish at the Trails. If I throw over 83m and place top 2, the I will be confirmed for the following meets before Beijing:
July 11 – Rome Golden League – Rome, Italy
July 18 – Paris Golden League – Paris, France
Jluy 22 – DN Galan Super Grand Prix – Stockholm, Sweden
If I do not throw over 83m, then I will likely be forced to the following meetings:
July 13 – Athens Super Grand Prix - Athens, Greece
July 16 – Lucerne Grand Prix – Lucerne, Switzerland
July 20 – Heusden Grand Prix – Heusden, Belgium

…time will tell…check back with you after the Trial, Ill take good luck wishes if your dishing them out ;)
“The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats.” Teddy Roosevelt

The South American Fiasco

2008-05-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

I really hope that I am running out of trips that could double as cheap horror flicks…After I returned home from “The Doha Disaster” (see previous blog entry), I figured that the worst was behind me, that it couldn’t possible get worse than that…well you guessed it, the week and a half journey to Brazil to hit the 3 Brazilian Grand Prix’s was nothing short of a test of my every last nerve. In fact, it was as a result of these 3 meets that I have decided to start my own website that will be dedicated to “rating” or scoring track and field competitions all over the world. Sure it will take massive amounts of time to get up and running, but the premise is to eventually be able to sell it to a 3rd party sometime over the next few years. This website will be accessed by athletes and managers alike that can log onto the site and rate the competitions that they were just in. These competitions will be rated on the following categories;
Travel, Accommodations, Food, Competition and Training Facilities, and last but not least Financial Arrangements.
These categories will be scored something like 1-5…1 being horrible, 2 below average, 3 average, 4 above average and 5 being great. After each category is ranked, the meet will receive a final grade, maybe something like a A+ to F or Failing with flying colors. I hope that this holds meeting directors and officials to higher standards when it comes to taking care of some of the most basic requirements, especially when the IAAF puts a “Grand Prix” status on a competition. I hope that athletes and managers alike will find this useful when picking meets at the beginning of the season and allows them to make well-informed decisions and what to expect from certain competitions. I will give you a few examples, there are a few meetings in Europe that are typically great places to compete with good venues, however, these few meets are notorious for not paying their financial agreements to the athletes (Ostrava and Tallinn). This information should be made known so that athletes and managers are aware of this before scheduling those competitions. There are also instances where competitions do a great job in every detail of running a world-class athletics competition, but lack proper competition facilities. This is also very helpful to know ahead of time.
I am now sitting on a train en route from Frankfurt to Berlin Germany. I am amazed at the differences in every aspect of life in Europe compared to South America, the organization, the cleanliness and the overall quality of life…I am competing in the Berlin Golden League Meeting on June 1. This will without a doubt be the largest competition of my career as the eyes of the entire athletics world are fixed upon 6 meetings a year, the Golden League Meetings…they take place in Berlin, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Brussels and Zurich. I am hoping with a good performance in Berlin, I will be able to get confirmations for Golden League meetings later this summer. These meetings are absolutely killer for World Ranking Points so it’s a great opportunity to jump a few people who I have been behind all year. The new World Rankings were posted just as I left Brazil, I have now cracked the elusive “top 10” list and am sitting comfortably atop the World Athletic Tour Standings with an almost 30 point lead…however that lead will diminish extremely quickly and will likely disappear all together as the Scandinavian guys bring their A games this summer.
My stop is coming up next, gotta pack my stuff and hit the next connection to Berlin. Catch yall later! M++

The Doha Disaster

2008-05-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Before you get to deep into this blog, let me just warn you in may take a while to dig through all this past week’s adventures. That being said, its now 2:30am San Diego time and I am somewhere between Northern Ireland and Greenland, I just flew directly over London and just north of Limerick. Here’s some fun facts just to kill some time:

Altitude: 36,000ft, Outside Temp: -60C, Air Speed : 548 mph, Tailwind: 32mph

I am returning from the 1st Super Grand Prix of the year in Doha Qatar. I have been trying to figure out an easy way to explain some of the madness that went on the last 4 days, and I’m not sure I can fit all the details in but here it goes.
I left the training center in San Diego Tuesday around 11am for my flight from San Diego to DC to Doha. It was only supposed to be 18 hours total travel time, which is really good for going to the other side of the world. The 1st problem of the trip was a busted panel on the bottom of the United plane that couldn’t be fixed, so after sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours, we were moved to another plane. About 1 hour into our 4 ½ hour flight, an elderly lady had an medical emergency, presumed to be some sort of heart attack which only added to the delay of the already 2 hour late flight. Oh yeah before I forget…after de-boarding the original flight and prior to boarding the new one, I noticed that there would be almost no way that I would be able to make the connecting flight. In fact, “if” the new flight left on time and had no other delays I would have exactly 27 minutes to make the connection in Washington DC. I proceeded to ask the gating agent if “in your professional opinion, should I risk taking the flight to DC and not making the connection, or take a later flight that goes through San Francisco and London before getting into Doha 6 hours later that the original flight.” She said not to worry that the flight should make it to DC in plenty of time to catch the one and only flight to Doha…well as I’m sure you have guessed, that didn’t happen. So I waited in DC for 7 hours before boarding another flight to London at 7AM and then on to Doha.
As I arrived in Doha (14 hours later than scheduled…oh yeah 32 hours later!), I was met by a baggage claim representative that told me that my bags didn’t make the connection in London (not to my surprise) as that has happened to me 3 of the 4 times I have been through London. They then said that the bags should arrive by 4pm (Thursday)…being that it was 6AM Thursday morning, I didn’t think that was too bad of a deal…but as I’m sure you guessed, again, that wasn’t the case, I suppose I can try to make a long story short.
My bags ended up arriving at 3AM Saturday morning into Doha, which doesn’t do much good when you fly to the other side of the world to compete in a track competition that is on FRIDAY NIGHT!. Needless to say after about 35 calls to London, DC, and Qatar Baggage Services, and a 300$ phone bill in 24 hours, the panic was starting to set in.
I did have a few pieces of luck that went my way. An American friend of mine that is now coaching for Qatar, Todd Henson, was able to shuttle me to a few malls on the morning of the competition so that I could buy a few needed items…underwear, socks, toothbrush, deodorant, a few red bulls and a truck load of ibuprofen! Unfortunately, when you are in the Middle East, javelin spikes and competition uniforms (the most important of all) aren’t easily found at your local sports store. I was able to borrow a Qatar National Team Uniform, which I found amazingly ironic, as I was now competing for the home team…and another good friend of mine, Andreas Thorkildsen (2004 Olympic Champ from Norway) let me borrow his extra pair of practice spikes…even though they were a size and a half too big, they still were better than throwing in tennis shoes (which I also had to buy because I thought I would try to look cool and wear dress shoes on the plane…. dumb move)
Well, as fate would have it, after all the stress and agony over not having the luxuries that most of us are used to when we travel…I was able to pull my head out of my butt and compete. I ended up setting a lifetime best of 82.31m which also moves my World Ranking to #14 and #1 on the World Athletics Tour points standings. However it was a bitter sweet competition for me, I was mentally totally unprepared and felt like crap the entire competition, not to mention that I missed every single one of my throws, even the 82.31m (I am not looking forward to the technical analysis when my coach sees the video footage). The one bright side to that competition was that I had an easy warm-up from ½ approach that was at or near the 85m mark. That being said, its always nice to get a personal best (even if everything you had on was either to big, to small or had you competing for a foreign federation)…but not as sweet as it would have been to throw to your true potential on a massive stage such as a Super Grand Prix. I have been typing for almost an hour now, so I’m going to take a small break and reflect on a few things then come back and wrap it up….hang in there.

Ok, so now on to a few of the lessons that I learned on this trip, after all… what good are all the downfalls, struggles and fights in the world if you cant learn from your mistakes. As I dealt with the Qatarian Baggage Services (not to mention London Heathrow as well) I quickly learned to look at the situation form the other side of the desk…The people who are “helping” you cannot possibly comprehend the amount of anger and frustration that you are experiencing, They are not in your situation and you are just an name and baggage claim number to them, along with the hundreds of other stranded passengers going through the same excruciating experience…
So here’s lesson #1 from this week: You are not a special circumstance and will not receive any extra effort on the part of baggage claim representative, there are others that are in the same situation, even if they don’t have thousands of dollars and points on the line that you bust your ass everyday for over the last 5 years… you just take your number, and wait along with everyone else…and if you feel the need to express how important or different your case is, all it will do is get the same response that is practiced a thousand times by these “robots”….I’m so sorry sir, I promise that we are doing everything possible to find you luggage and get it to you …” grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
Lesson #2, this one is easy; pack your competition gear in your carry one bag…duh! I used to do this but got lazy and it screwed me, big time…lesson learned, that wont happen again.
Lesson #3, this one may fall under the common sense category, but when your blind with anger and frustration, common sense sometimes takes a back seat. Do not take for granted that when you are in a foreign country, you must abide by their rules, which means that some things that may be said or done inside the USA, may not…scratch that, WILL not be tolerated. I wont go into to details, but I almost found myself “escorted” to a place that I think I would not have wanted to go…3 TIMES in 48 hours. Remember this is that same country that cuts of fingers and hands for stealing…lesson learned.
Lesson #4, “…don’t sweat the small stuff.” I learned this way back in high school from my football coaches and I hear it weekly from my Sports Physiologist. No matter how bad things are or how bad you want something done, even something as easy as a phone call with an update (talking to you Qatar Baggage services!) Some things are out of your control and you cant possibly influence the factors that determine the outcome, so its best to save your mental energy for other things…such as what to eat for dinner in Qatar…beef or....beef, oh and there’s also some beef, to go with your side of, yup you guessed it…beef!
Lesson #5, I guess I will save this one for last since it should be the most important one and it is also the one I have the most trouble with…stand up for what you believe in!!! Im not necessarily talking about going to a Muslim country and arguing religious tactics, I’m just saying stand up for something if you feel strongly about it and don’t just be a bystander in the crowd attempt to blend in with the conversation. When I was in Australia this February, I happened to stumble into a political debate with a few of the locals and they began to rip president Bush and the entire USA government a new backside…I just sat there quietly and nodded my head and even smirked at a few of their lame wise cracks. After this conversation ended I was nauseated because I didn’t stand up for what I felt then, and feel very strongly about now. I had another similar situation in Qatar and I made sure that my previous mistakes weren’t repeated. I think everyone involved in the conversation now knows how this Texas boy stands. So for those of you who are George Bush haters and for those of you who cry about how bad we have it in the USA and how messed up the government is, go ahead and sign off now…and don’t bother to check this blog ever again. Somehow I always end up these blog entries with something political/patriotic…not sure why it always comes back to that. I suppose its because I saw a culture this weekend so amazingly different but yet awesome from ours today and it made me realize how good we have it. So I guess I will take a line out of my last blog entry…”love it or leave it!” I also heard another great quote this weekend, it was said during a discussion over some of the issues in the Middle East… “Leaders will do work when there is work to be done…and this place needs work.”
Only 13 more hours to go until home…Greenland is now off in the distance to my back right, bearing down on Goose Bay Canada…almost home…sort of

Altitude: 36,000ft, Outside Temp: -51C, Air Speed : 555 mph, HeadWind: 9mph

Until next time…
M++

Eugene Training Camp

2008-04-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Just finishing up a week long training camp here in Eugene, Oregon...home of our Olympic Trials. About 9 of us from the Olympic Training Center came up for some mental preparation on the same track that we will fight for our Olympic births on. Most people would say we are crazy for leaving the sun in southern California for 40 degree rain in Oregon, and they are partly right. But its also nice to get a shot at track that the trials are on, and its ALWAYS nice to get away from the training center.
We arrived into Eugene late Monday evening and have been putting in 2 workouts a day everyday, and for most of us its the heaviest week or training as far as volume and intensity go. This is the last week of a 8 week long phase that I wrote about in my last blog entry and my body is finally showing the signs of the accumulated 8 weeks of pounding. I was playing with some numbers on the flight up here and here are some stats for you. In this last 8 weeks I have done the following:

Squated 44,160 kilos (97,152 lbs)
Power Cleaned 19,840 kilos (43,648 lbs)
Threw 2,400 medballs
800 javelin throws
1,600 weighted ball throws
*not even going to try to add up the number of miles SPRINTED

Anyways, I thought it was a good idea to add everything up and look at it in the big picture. One can almost say that the hay is almost in the barn...its now time to start tightening the screws and get ready for some big competitions and hopefully big throws. Speaking of which, today I am supposed to throw here at a collegiate meet at the University of Oregon. This comes to my coach and I as a surprise because when we departed for Oregon at the beginning of the week we had a schedule that said I was to compete Saturday evening. As a result I threw yesterday morning and lifted last night very hard. So it will be interesting to see if I can still manage to throw over 80m with every part of my body aching from the last 8 weeks beatings. My coach has let me know that unless I feel 100% sure that I am capable of throwing that I do not have to.
In other competition news, I have been confirmed for my 1st IAAF Super Grand Prix which will be in Doha, Qatar on May 9. I will finally get to rub elbows with the big guys, Andreas Thorkildsen (2004 Olympic Champ) will also start his outdoor campaign there as well.
I have also launched a website that you can get all kinds of goodies on like my music, javelin training info and of course links to In The Arena, check it out at:

www.web.mac.com/mikehazle

The Daily Grind

2008-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Since the last update (which I just noticed was saved as a draft and not published...sorry about that) I mentioned that the Olympic Training Center was jam packed with foreign athletes from all over the world. It is now the middle of April and almost everyone here is in the midst of our own personal "hell month". This is typically the last month of the year to get high volume high intensity training before the summer season starts to kick in (which is typically mid May). If this post sounds as beat up as my body feels, then I send my apologies in advance ;)
So far so good on my end, my body is holding up "fairly well" and my technical training has yet to dip below the unacceptable mark. I'm anticipating holding this phase for another 2 weeks before a rest week and then straight in to my power conversion phase which will include the following meets before the USA Olympic Trials:
May 18 - Rio De Janerio Grand Prix II
May 21 - Fortaleza Grand Prix II
May 25 - Belem Grand Prix I
June 3 - Tallinn Grand Prix II
June 10 - Moscow Open
June 15 - Memorial Zmaneski Russian Cup
In community project news. I have tentatively struck up a new project that has slipped through the cracks, I was anticipating working with troubled youth from the South Bay Family Crisis Center, however I was notified that I had to basically get a congressional appointment (not really) to get back in with these kids...seriously there must have been 5 tests including HIV and hepatitis tests as well as reference letters and applications and endless forms that needed to be filled out, all just to hang out with some kids that need a bit of direction. Needless to say this wasnt the time of year that I had that much free time available just to get through the screening process. Therefore I am still hanging out with my kids that visit the training center (who are absolute studs!!). I had the most awesome group of kindergarten kids yesterday. The look on their faces in priceless and every now and then you get the feeling that these projects actually do work and it makes it all worth wile...to be continued! Check out these rock stars below!!
Mike++

Whats 7 divided by 4?

2008-04-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

...7 divided by 4...I pose this question because I am in the midst of trying to squeeze 7 days of workouts into 4 days. I am leaving Friday morning for Des Moines Iowa. Why in the world would anyone leave San Diego for Des Moines (sorry to Des Moines natives in advance)...well my coach and close friend is getting married this weekend...finally!

Things are getting pretty busy here in San Diego. The Olympic Training Center has turned into quite the international attraction lately. Currently we have teams training here from the following countries; Argentina, Japan, Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, Germany, China, and Great Britain. In the following weeks we will also have individuals from Finland, Estonia, Finland, Denmark and Egypt. I get a bit frustrated with the fuss of fighting for the last few pieces of protein at dinner and waiting in line for the ice bath, but then I remember how fortunate I am to call this place home. So as short as this blog entry may be, I would like to remind you (if you live in the USA) of how fortunate you are to call this place home...and I would like to sign off with the following..."love it or leave it!"
Catch y'all later!
Mike (oh yeah go McCain!)

...Back From Down Under

2008-03-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

Howdy...as I sit here just returned from a month trip to Australia, I remember where I was right before I left and the mixed emotions that I had . It was a gamble, an expensive gamble at that. I had never tried to compete in February before, much less in another country on the other side of the world. For once (not including 1 lucky evening in Vegas) that gamble paid off and paid off HUGE!
I left with the aspirations of having 3 meets down under and hoping to be able to throw between 76-78m in each meet. Those results would finish me in the top 4 of each meet, allowing me to receive a "few" needed World Athletics Tour Points and a small bump to my World Ranking. As fate would have it, I managed results of 77.67m, 80.87m and throwing 10cm of my all time best 81.89m in the last meet, the Australian Olympic Trials. Departing Australia with 2 second place finishes, and one Grand Prix victory. As of now, early as it is, my World Ranking jumped from #31 to #14 and #3 on the World Athletics Tour.

As I analyze my current situation, I remember where I was 1 year ago and those that helped out in the journey. Now its time for me to spend a few minutes...hours...no days, praising the individuals that helped keep the Olympic Dream alive for me. I haven't done this in the previous blog entries, and I hope as you read this you don't feel as this is some kind of political propaganda to boost others egos, just know that it is a heart felt and sincere thank you to those that operate behind the scenes that don't get as much acknowledgment as they deserve. I think somewhere there is some hideous country song that says behind every good man, there is a better woman...well heres a fact, behind every athlete that is an immense support structure that is seldom seen, except for today.
My parents have long supported my dream of competing for the USA and have taken many financial hits, including delaying their own retirement and watched mountains of debt climb up as their son pursued his Olympic Dream. To my Mom & Dad, no words can express my gratitude for your unwaivering support. You have said that your previous financial backing was an "investment" in my future...I cant wait to see your "investment" pay out largely in 6 months time. There is a word class organization and a world class individual that heads it up, on who's behalf that I wright this blog entry...Amory Rowe and In The Arena. Without the support of Amory and In The Arena, this past years journey and all its experiences would be one word...impossible. To Amory, you have made the impossible, possible and the dream a reality. I cant express my families and my thanks in words, so I wont even struggle to find them because it would be a gross understatement. The United States Olympic Training Center was wiling to take a gamble on a guy who put all his eggs in one basket and it has thus far panned out. Without being accepted there, I would have been working a 9 to 5 back in October of 2006, a huge thanks to them as well.
Ok, that has been long overdue and I just felt I needed to get that out of the way...On to the good stuff. I approaching the 1 year anniversary with In The Arena and am eager to embark on year #2. Looking back at the successes and failures of the past years community programs, I feel the need to "funnel" my activities to certain age groups. I am going to make an attempt to reach out to kids from grades 2-5 and 10-12. It seems to me that the younger kids that fall between 2nd-5th grades look at Olympic Athletes as lager than life, they don't quite differentiate between "famous" baseball and football players and Olympic athletes. All they see is an athlete at the highest level and know that they are doing something bigger than they can comprehend. It is these kids that seem to hang on every word that you say, and I often get letters from these kids who have coined the catch phrase "I wanna be like Mike"... The kids that are reaching the upper levels of high school are an entire new ball game. These are the kids that will actually look to you for advice on life issues that they may not be able to get at home. It is this opportunity that allows us to plant the seeds that the Olympic Movement is all about. I have found through a couple of projects that the kids that fall into grades 6-10 are sometimes "to cool for school" and aren't open to seeing things in the large picture. These kids are often searching to find their own identity and wont look for help in outside sources and will figure it out on their own through trial and error.
I have the rest of the week off, and have some time to reflect and ponder new and old community projects and hope to have some exciting news for you on the next blog entry. As I sit here and proof-read this entry, it strikes me that I haven't really expressed all that I wanted to say, especially in the "thank you" department...but I will save that for another place and time...how about in Asia in August. Speak to you again soon, Mike++

Headed Down-Under

2008-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

G'Day Mate,
This blog update finds me in the midst of booking flights to Australia for a short 4 meet series in February and early March. I just got confirmation this weekend and will be headed down under from the 4th of February to the 2nd of March. This trip comes as I'm finishing a power conversion phase in my training so I am anticipating some big throws.

In other news, I have been fortunate enough to be invited back to watch the "break out" session of hell week for the new class of navy Seals. This special night will take place Sunday, February 27. I will be able to meet and socialize with some of the military's highest ranking officers as well as several members of congress and a few Senators. I haven't been told who due to security restrictions, but it has the makings of a amazing night. This class of Seal's have been training for several weeks and will now begin the dreaded "hell week breakout". Basically, the seals will begin a weeks worth of pain and anguish while operating on a total of 4 hours of sleep for 1 week straight. The Seal instructors anticipate the class going from a total of over 250 recruits to 40 during this week. I will not be participating, however will be able to re-live one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67L35y77cWQ&feature=related

In community activity news, classes at the local Elementary and High Schools are back in and my classes that meet at the training center have also resumed. I have had a string on awesome 2nd graders come through who seem to be genuinely inspired and amazed by what they see here. It is truly a treat for me to read some of the thank you letters that trickle through after their visits. It reminds me that no matter how "routine" it becomes for me, it really is something special to many kids. I am trying to make an effort everyday to put forth as much energy and emotion as the kids show when the first arrive on site. As I prepare to leave for Australia, I will continue to strive to show our youth the real ideals of the Olympic Movement in its most untainted and untarnished form, I only hope to not let them down! Talk to you soon,
Mike++

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well, its been one week officially since the coolest (and most difficult) experience of my life. Last Monday, I was fortunate enough to be able to train with the most elite fighting machine known to man, the USA Navy Seals. I went through day 2 of 1st phase B.U.D.S training (Basic Underwater Demolition training).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2f4Q0_Hcd4&feature=related

My Day started at 4:30am and ended around 6pm, and 7lbs lighter and freezing to my bones, I had a new outlook on my training....and life in general. Words cant express the mental and physical pain that I went through, as well as 13 of my closest friends from the US Olympic training Center. All I can tell you is that the guys who defend our nation in this outfit deserve more credit than anyone will ever be able to give them. They are truly the last breed of loyalty and dedication left in the world. I am sort of at a loss for words on how to express my feelings when it comes to this matter, so maybe Ill regather my thoughts and try again later...

I am now back in Texas at my families house, struggling to keep my eyes open after gorging myself on moms turkey and dressing (yet my thoughts keep drifting to those sleeping in the desert with no comforts of home, defending the very freedom that allows us to eat ourselves into comas and watch football on the couch...) Focus Mike! Back to the holiday updates. Training is absolutely awesome (except for this week as I have no-where to train...a welcome rest I suppose.) I am tentatively planning an early season trip to Australia and new Zealand to hit 4 meets and then come home back to training, just a good way to check my oil before the big meets this summer come around. My managers and I will have that ironed out in the next few weeks, more to come on that later.

Community news, it has been an interesting month since my last entry, I have seen some interesting kids, some awesome and some scary pass through my community service projects. It sometimes leaves me with mixed emotions. Sometimes I feel like these projects are doing awesome when I see some of the results in the kids, then there are those few groups where I realize that we as a society have a LONG way to go. I am enjoying a nice break as most of the kids are out of school now and I am home for a few days for Christmas. But when the Olympic year rolls in, I will be back in the swing of things, reaching out to an average of 90 kids a week. Should be an exciting and busy Olympic year. Happy holidays to all, and please don't forget to remember the ones that we too easily forget, our armed forces fighting to preserve our way of life. Merry Christmas!
Mike++