Season best

Well i didn't make it easy for myself i had no throws for my first 2 attempts so the pressure was on for my 3rd, do i do a safe throw or just go for it. I went for it and managed to throw 51. My best throw came in the last round 52.02 and i was off balance at the end so there is more to come. Right now i feel great lets hope it lasts to the weekend.

Hull and Birmingham

My next comp is tomorrow and i'm quite excited as my training has been going great i seem to be finding my timing and i just hope that in competition i can hold it together and post a big throw. Next weekend is a big comp its the Northern and England championships, i will be comepeting against some of the top thowers in the country which i always enjoy watching and for me its just about having fun and just see what happens throws wise, i would love to make it to the final 8 its a long way to go just for 3 throws otherwise.

Yorkshire Championships

A bronze medal at the Yorkshire Championships - 50m29cm not too bad, it was good to throw over 50m again but my timing is STILL  not there. Although i dont want to make an excuse i'm just pleased my back was fine throughout the competition as on Monday i have no idea what i had done but my back was agony. I have a feeling it was driving to Blackburn for a competition last week so i borrowed my mum's car this weekend and it was much better. I always get annoyed when a injury has nothing to do with my training as it means lost training days just when i was starting to get some good throwing in training.

I now have a good two weeks to really fine tune my throwing and get some good distances posted in my next few comps.

First 50m throw of the season

Finally my first throw over 50m, just, by 36cm. not great but its getting there. Today i competed at Hull which i enjoy you get 6 straight throws so you get your moneys worth ;-) I felt i had to slightly hold back as my timing is still not quite right but it's getting smoother. The annoying thing today was my warm-ups were not that great, 2 of which i pulled out of at 3 turns and still threw 48-49m this made me slow down my start a little but with that my distance came down too.

This week was the first time i have broken 50m in training this year, so hopefully this will just continue to get better from now. I feel strong i just need to feel fast now, i'm starting to get some throws which really have that whoosh! feeling meaning i'm starting to push the hammer instead of pulling it.

My next competition is in two weeks at Blackburn my first Northern League Match for Wakefield

"Nobody puts hammer in the corner"

Hammer is my passion but it seems hammer throwers always draw the short straw. Finding a suitable training ground is always hard as you need a good flat space where you can not damage anything. Not many facilities like the ground damage hammer causes (although its not that hard to fill the holes in, which i always do where i train) and many share the infield with either football or rugby teams who always get priority of the field. York Athletics Club hammerites cant train at the track in winter and have to train at a local school with no cage. I train at a local school with no throws cage and have to angle my throws right to avoid rugby posts.

Dont get me wrong I REALLY appreciate Pindar School for allowing me to use their field, i already feel the benefits of been able to train regularly threw the winter. But when all other events get to train without the hassle it seems a bit unfair. It took me a while to find my training venue, in the past i have thrown off vinyl flooring covering a gravel playground, cricket runways, tennis courts and just any smooth concrete that was next to a field with no public. I've been kicked off a few areas in the past, i think the most stupid response i have had was "cant you throw on the beach? Erm NO!!" but when you start to explain about the hammer throw they take a genuine interest and the next time they see me ask how i'm doing. Not many people know what the hammer throw is and this needs to change for it to grow, we need to get more media coverage.

On the international circuit it seems hammer is even more seperated from the other athletic events. The American Olympic Trials the hammer has not even made it into the program as its the day before and not even at the same venue. Hammer is the one event neglected from the diamond league which also means access to prize money.  Fingers crossed though this may start to change as Kathrin Klass a German hammer thrower is starting a big drive to get this exclusion dropped. Here is a link giving her analysis of the hammer throw. http://www.kathrinklaas.de/the_K_log/Eintrage/2011/12/24_Because_we_are_a_part_of_it....html

Competitions are getting much better in this country as many open meets offer the hammer throw and we get to compete in the main field, my last competition had 15 females which shows its growing popularity. Hammer is an exciting event and we have some great up and coming athletes  in this country so why not support them? Spread the word "because we are part of it" as Kathrin Klass puts it "We are hammer we are awesome"

here are some videos of the best of British this year
Alex Smith - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HGV8c2Qvn8
Sophie Hitchon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Px-i1p5Pg

start of the season

Well i've not had the best start to the season but the plan is to try and peak in May/June. My first comp was two weeks ago just one week out of my heavy weights program, as you may guess it felt very slow and my timing is all over the place. The weather was great too but it was not to be. Today i competed at Wakefield for Wakefield my first outing in there colours. This time i managed to improve over 2m from my last outing throwing 49.50 so not all bad but my aim was 50m + my timing is still not quite right and my balance is still off and speed slow but its getting there, slowly!. I am feeling much more confident for next week at Hull where i will be going for a personal best. Today was also the first time i got to see how my rivals are doing and a big well done has to go to Hannah Evenden who threw a great pb of over 57m it was great to watch and i just hope i can catch her a little in the coming months.

My weights program at the moment has gone very light and fast, aiming to work on explosive power. My body really needed this reduced intensity, i think i may have burnt myself out a little during the last strength phase which is why it may be taking a bit of time for my performances to show what i am capable of. In myself i feel so much stronger, i know there is a big throw to come i just need to get my timing right.

First comp of the season

This week i have not felt great, but my conditioning coach says its expected after the hard strength phase i have just completed. His technical term is peripheral fatigue which is causing me to be un co-ordinated in my throwing sessions i almost feel like a beginner. My training distances have gone dpwn a few meters but i do feel alot stronger.

I took yesterday off and just had a few throws today as i always seem to throw better and the second day. I felt quite good today so my target for tomorrow, my first comp of the season is 50m then after a rest week and start of my competitive season i plan to try and get a personal best in a few weeks at the Hull Open meet.