ISU Redbird Open (12/5/09)
I hadn't really planned on throwing in this meet, but being that it was essentially a home meet, I decided to have some fun and do it. It started off a little shaky after only throwing the weight 3 times, but I found my stride in finals and ended up with a PR at 21.66m. There is still plenty of room to improve (see video here). This was only my second meet ever over 70 feet, so it was a good feeling. I don't have a lot of plans for throwing the weight this year, it was just nice to have something break up my usual hammer training.
Training at Home over break
I was able to spend almost 2 weeks in Minnesota with my family over the holidays, which was great since I usually only get to be there for a few days at a time. The hard part, which I'm sure others experience as well is trying to train at home. The closest hammer circle to my parents' house is nearly an hour away, and I have to pay to use a weightroom while I'm there. In order to get some good training in, I spent 2 days training at my alma mater, UW La Crosse. It was a great 2 days of throwing in the snow (see video here) and getting good lifts in, but the rest of the break did not go so well. The day after Christmas I came down with the flu, which was immediately followed by bronchitis. I'm just now getting back to a point where I can train again.
Looking toward the new year
2010 looks to be an exciting year for me. Throwing wise I had a great fall of training, and am excited to see how far the hammer will soar this spring and summer. In grad school, I am starting some research in motor learning, and am hoping to be able to apply some of this information to developing the best ways to teach the throws to new throwers.
Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is back ready to throw far!
Kevin
