The Big Chill

[Russian High Jumper Yelena Slesarenko.]

As promised the temperatures were in the high 30's, low 40 degree range (3-5 C) this weekend, with constant drizzle. Needless to say, I did not go out and throw. Rick Bruch I am not. For those of you who don't know, Ricky Bruch was a champion Swedish discus thrower and world record holder. The first 30 minutes of his practices would consist of shovelling and scraping snow and ice off of the ring. He would then proceed to throw. After each throw he would have to search for the discus under the snow. A ver tough, dedicated man with very good performance enhancing drugs.

I'm feeling very much in need of improvement, and with time running out, I went into my garage and practiced hammer turns. I have a ring taped off on the floor, and I must say that whoever poured the concrete on my garage needs to go into the discus/shot put ring business, because it is really fast. I feel as if I got a lot out of this practice, but it's just not the same when you can't actually release the implement and let it fly. It's like sex without the climax.

Afterward, I went to the gym and lifted weights. I had a really good session, and I think that my normal routine of lifting weights after working all day, and of spending a good portion of my life in a sleep-deprived state, are big detriments. Oh well, there's not many options to avoid this.

I learned of a new meet since my last post. It's early in April and it includes a Weight Pentathlon, which is cool beause there are not that many opportunities to post a WP score during the year. The meet is in Texas, so one would think that it was "local", but a quick check of MapQuest reveals that it is an 8 hour, 25 minute drive from my house...This would definitely be a fly-to meet. I might go though. We'll see.