Rain, Rain, Go Away

[Thorey Edda Elisdottir, Icelandic Pole Vaulter]

I’m starting to get a little depressed about the recent weather around here. I’ve only thrown something like three times in the last 3 weeks, and I’m afraid that this layoff is really going to affect my performance at the meet in 3 weeks. My technique in several events is in need of serious improvement, which requires lots of training reps – reps that I’m just not getting. Just as worrisome – these are reps that I fear my age group competition, none of whom live within 200 miles of me and my weather, are getting. Unfortunately for me, not only do I need rain-free weather, but I need several rain-free days in a row so that the throwing area can dry out. Lately, it has started raining again every time I reach the point at which I would have thought the throwing field was just about dry enough to resume my practices. The only positive thing I can see about all this is that the layoff is probably exactly what my shoulder tendonitis needed.

I’ve been very good at staying with my weight lifting program during this lull in throwing activity, and I continue to see improvement in the amount of weight I’m lifting. If it weren’t for this bright spot I’m sure I would be very discouraged about my prospects in 3 weeks. Other than weight lifting, my training has been limited to slow hammer turns in my garage. Those sessions will help me also, but there’s no substitute for actual throwing.

On a side note – I may have lost my mind, but in addition to the 5 throwing events that I normally participate in I have also entered a SuperWeight Throw for the first time. This will undoubtedly be a very interesting experience, as the first time I will have ever even held a 56 pound SuperWeight will be when I step in the ring to throw it in competition. (Something tells me that this is not an event in which you want to waste a lot of energy on practice throws.) What made me decide to do this? Who knows! Maybe it’s because I looked at the 2005 rankings and noticed that a throw of only 20’ (~6 m) would have ranked 4th best for the year. I guess I figured I could probably throw anything 20’, but I may learn that I was seriously mistaken about that. Oh well, it might be fun and hopefully it will not result in any trips to the chiropractor.