DAY OFF

Most people have no idea of what it is like to go to a world championship. That is the best part of the trip, when you don't train, you always have the meet to go to. However, when you still have 12 days until you compete, you have a job to do. What is that job? To get ready to compete!

What does that involve? My training schedule is training (working out) at 4pm - 5pm. My program for training has three different days of training.

Day 1
Warm-up (400m jog, Sprint drills, rotator cuff exercises, hip exercises)
4-5 Short approach throws (for rhythm)
4-5 Full approach throws

Day 2

Warm-up (400m jog, Sprint drills, rotator cuff exercises, hip exercises)
10x 1kg (2.2lbs) ball throws from standing position into the throwing cage
6-8x 1kg 3-step throws for distance
8x 4kg 2 hand overhead heaves for distance
2x8ea 5kg Medicine Ball standing twists into wall

Day 3
DAY OFF!

Today was a day off. So, what do you do when you have a day off. Well...
This morning I went for a 1 1/2 hour walk to see what I could find. The previous night, while looking out the window, I saw a lighted area not far from the hotel. I figured why to start there. Once I got to this area, I quickly realized that it was just a little dirty area with some typical Asian restaurant and bars. It looked like a pretty rough area, but I felt safe. There are times on trips, where you just get and uneasy feeling. Like the trip I took to Rio de Janerio in 2007. I felt like something was going to happen anytime I wasn't in the hotel or the track. Today, I felt safe.

I walked around this area for about an hour. There really wasn't anything to do. Some of the shops that existed in this part of town were primarily mechanic shops and hardware stores. Not something you would intentionally seek out on a tourist map. The one thing I could do was take photos.

After my walk, I went to lunch and then had to get treatment for a few nagging injuries and body aches. Tonight I had our Physical Therapist, Bob, work on my hips. I have been really tight all year and this is one thing that always helps in my throwing. My second appointment was with Garfield, our massage therapist. I have been working with Garfield on Canadian National teams since 2001. The treatments we can recieve range from physical therapy and massage to chiropractor, acupuncture and cold baths. Basically, we have a team of therapist with us.

An athlete getting acupuncture on tight neck muscles.

Garfield worked on my abs and hips. Now, when you think of massage, your idea is that a person plays some light music, puts warm and great smelling massage oil on and gently applies it you your skin. Your treatment is usually focused on relaxation and stress relief. Let's put it this way, the massage that Garfield can put on you is anxiety ridden and stressful! But in the end, it is all about getting the tissues that he is focusing on (muscle) to be loose and function properly.

It is amazing how you can walk in and feel tight, sore or like something is out of place and our team of therapist put their hands of you and sometimes put you in more pain that the injury. In the end, you walk you feeling loose and overall great! Sometimes I think it's just because they have stopped inflicting pain. Really, I am grateful to have a group of therapist as talented, knowledgeable selfless and friendly as Garfield, Bob, Carmen, and Wilbur. Not to mention some of the past therapist like Marilou and Al B!