tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45218593214588363312024-02-19T03:10:47.630-07:00Javelin JournalJourney of ASICS javelin thrower Kara Winger.Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-325171544147476422017-08-19T11:07:00.000-06:002017-08-19T11:07:11.015-06:00London World Championships and Rambling Reflection<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The IAAF World Championships are over, but I'm still reeling a bit. I find it difficult to fully think through things unless I have a loved one to talk to (Russ and I did that some, but he's at home now), or I write about it. So here we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I've healed a lot, actually. And many of your comments have been helpful, so thank you. But I'm here to learn and grow, not stay in the same place, and the latter is what I feel like I’ve spent the last few years doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Last year, Russ and I talked about how I could improve on 2016, and there was a lot that could have gone better. The main thing that I tried to change for the 2017 season was to travel to warmth and sea level more often. It's hard for me to feel like myself when throwing in Colorado (cold and altitude and training alone are tough, and I've been there for four years now). I was also very disciplined this year about shoulder and knee rehab, plus core stability, thanks to painful reminders in 2016 (right shoulder impingement and left knee fat pad pinch) that rehab is always good to keep around. A bit of back pain around February gave me a kick to step up the back/core rehab, and I'm grateful for that, too. After major disappointment in Rio and a little bit of uncertainty from a financial standpoint this year, my mind was focused on why I keep throwing the javelin, and who I'm throwing it for (selfishly, me, although I also definitely feel responsibility to lead the sport in the USA).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I've felt like a million dollars in April/May of the last three years. Even after left shoulder surgery in October of 2015, I was throwing very well when I visited Austin in April of 2016. I threw 66.47m on May 2, 2015. I threw 64.80m this year on April 14. When I got to Texas the week before that, I did some grass throws and the javelin was flying out of my hand like it hadn't in a few years (before my right shoulder pain started). When I recorded that 64.80m throw, my technique wasn't anywhere close to how it has needed to be in the past for me to throw that far. I feel powerful and confident and strong in the spring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">In 2010, I injured my back in about February. I sprained a facet doing medball throws in my thoracic-lumbar junction, and my back extension was severely limited. I struggled to figure out a way to help it heal for weeks, and didn't throw for about a month before I finally discovered acupuncture. Then, I very slowly worked back to the runway, taking full throws again maybe a week before Drake Relays, where I opened my season well (61m) with a very slow approach and focus on the new positions I'd been learning. I was still careful for a long time before USAs that year, when I ultimately broke the American Record. The lesson from 2010, though, is that I spent all fall on easy throws, doing lots of drills to learn new technique (it was my first season with Ty), and really only turned up the heat throwing-wise in May/June. We did lots of gymnastics, heavy single-support lifting, tons of core, and the throwing was quality, not quantity. I didn't train until November of 2009, really, and I remember because when I finally got to the training center, everyone had started before me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The 2015 season was the first one that I really trusted my left leg again, and I had done lots of drills to be sure of that. My upper body felt great that year before disaster struck in Paris, and I had lots of mental motivation in May to throw far and get into the Prefontaine Classic. Russ and I got married at the end of September in 2014, and I didn't train, again, until November. I had gotten lots of rest that fall, slowly built up my fitness and focused on my rehab still, then brought the throwing in. I didn't injure my back, though, therefore I was ready a few months earlier than 2010, and threw 66.47m at the beginning of May. The first half of the season was still awesome (two 64-high-meter efforts at USAs and <a href="https://throwholics.com/2014/09/q-a-with-coach-mike-turk-on-the-new-american-record/" target="_blank">Mike Turk</a> telling me that was the easiest he'd ever seen me throw really far), but my left labrum/rotator cuff tear really threw a wrench into things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There is one very important similarity in my mind between my 66.67m in 2010 and 66.47m in 2015, and that is my confidence at speed during the two distinct competitions. Like I just said, I hadn't trained a lot at speed in 2010, but when I showed up to USAs, I felt awesome, and just instinctively knew I could handle a bit more that day. During warm-ups in Austin in May of 2015, I felt exactly the same way. I hadn't pushed the speed very often since returning to the runway after my surgery, but spent lots of time figuring out the sequencing of my throw and preparing my left leg to handle anything. There are very few magical days in throwing when you feel super connected to your implement, and June 26, 2010 and May 2, 2015 are two of maybe five of those days that I've had in my whole career. I know it when I feel it, though, and there's not much that makes you feel more confident than that. Read this lesson as, "Positions are more important than speed." When you know you can hit the positions, sometimes you can add the speed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I've been in Europe since July 4, when I arrived for the Lausanne Diamond League. I didn't throw in practice until I got to Leuven, Belgium after the Rabat Diamond League, as competitions were too close together to allow for it. I was sending video home for Russ and Ty to review, but there's kind of nothing like having eyes at practice. I spend a ton of time training alone, and it's very difficult to be frustrated and alone and have anything productive come out of it. <a href="https://twitter.com/johndagata1?lang=en" target="_blank">John Dagata</a> really helped me out by watching two of my last runway sessions before London (one in Belgium, one in Birmingham at training camp). Sometimes technique is cyclical. It's easy to forget about one cue if another is being used successfully, and sometimes you can get away with that for years. But if that cue stops working, or your body changes enough from training or injury for things to feel different, you have to remember that there are other ways to throw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">When I moved to Chula Vista and learned new technique from Ty, my most important cue was that my chest couldn't be too far forward AFTER the left foot was down. So you put your left foot down quickly, and only then can you push the chest forward and over the left foot, leaving your right arm behind you. But the left has to come first. Since my knee surgery, I have been so worried about being strong with my left leg (and sometimes, so eager to remove pressure from that leg) that I completely forgot about executing that all-important sequencing. I think through habit it happened naturally sometimes, especially when I gained confidence in my left leg, but I forgot about that cue until Leuven, when, in desperation from frustrating practices and being perpetually forward in competition, I finally watched old video and remembered how patient I used to feel with my upper body in the throw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">My second runway session with John in Birmingham was really fun. I was very encouraged to have re-discovered some fun and useful cues, and focused on how to apply them to competition in qualifying on August 6th. Many other practices this year have been successful distance-wise, but also painful. I've been open and forward with my upper body, and just used toughness to throw far. I'm sore everywhere afterward, and in Birmingham I finally felt athletic and smooth and like I could throw far on purpose again, not just gut a throw out. I'm having internet struggles in Prague, so you can find that Birmingham training video on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXL57yUgg-H/?taken-by=karathrowsjav" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It turns out (and I knew this, obviously) that one pretty good practice doesn't solidify cues you haven't thought about in years, and my technique in Group A of the women's javelin qualifying round at my fourth World Championships reverted to what I've been doing all summer (pushing my right foot back and rushing my upper body at the last second). I managed 61.27m on my first throw, and 58m and 59m after that. In 2015, I was the 12th qualifier to the final with 62.21m, and this year it took 62.29m; the furthest ever. <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/iaaf-world-championships-london-2017-5151/results/women/javelin-throw/qualification/series#A" target="_blank">I finished 15th</a>, and missed the final for the sixth time in seven tries at a major championship. You can only imagine that that qualification number will keep increasing with the way talent has emerged from all corners of the world in the past few years, therefore I have to get better. Also, the only way to ensure a spot in the final is to throw the Big Q, which has been 63.50m for the past three major championships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">If I know you, my fans and loved ones, you'll say, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Kara! You'll get it next time!" I've always believed that. I continue to believe that. And I've been okay with training the same way through both of my major injuries because, well, I was recovering from major injuries. But this year, I finally wasn't, and there's no good reason that my World Championships wasn't amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">I know that this is JUST sport. I think about that often: “It’s only a sport, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things!” But why, then, do I continue to compete? Because I want to see just how good I can be, and I can’t keep doing the same things and expect a different result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">Have you ever heard the expression that the Olympics are just another track meet? People say the same things about World Championships, or any other major competition that comes around. There are many reasons that that’s not true. I let those little distractions mess with me this year, but there are steps that I can take to be prepared for them in the future. I’m finally demanding of myself that I learn to eliminate (or at least, gloss over) such energy-sucking things. Things like constant communication with your governing body or teammates, annoyance with logistics of the competition or training, social media, officials (they confiscated everyone’s watches this year, for example), complete lack of alone time, and even family obligations can really derail me. I’ve always been pretty good at only worrying about things I can control, but I could be a lot better. And I will be next time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">I don’t have a whole lot else to say about Worlds. I am healthy, I am strong, and I truly believe that I just need to relax and the javelin will go far again. I have three more opportunities to make that happen this summer before I go home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">I’m going to end this blog with a list of some of my favorite things that have happened in Europe this summer, in no particular order (except maybe chronological because that’s how my brain works):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">-meeting Romey Kuehl<br />-being the third wheel during a very romantic and delicious dinner in a <a href="http://www.besen66.de/" target="_blank">Germanbasement winery restaurant</a> with the Kuehls and all the laughter<br />-having my own little <a href="http://karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.cz/2017/08/lausannelondonrabat.html" target="_blank">Moroccan cheering section</a> for no reason at all<br />-riding bikes and being roommates with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fastkate/?hl=en" target="_blank">Kate Grace</a><br />-eating Belgian dinner in a courtyard with friends and a <a href="http://www.deblauweschuit.be/site/" target="_blank">peacock</a><br />-seeing the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/dec/20/ghent-altarpiece-most-stolen-artwork-of-all-time" target="_blank">Ghent Altarpiece</a> alone<br />-touring <a href="https://www.delirium.be/en/age-check" target="_blank">Delirium Brewery</a> with awesome people<br />-running back into my husband’s arms after a month without him<br />-eating spicy pizza and drinking wine on the sidewalk in a terrible part of London with some of the most important people in my world<br />-seeing <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2017/06/24/purdues-dani-bunch-makes-u-s-team-worlds-no-2-shot-put/404163001/" target="_blank">Dani</a> laugh harder than I ever have before, and transcending college experience for senior national team experience<br />-bonding even more with <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/ariana-ince-262647" target="_blank">Ari</a> on the roof<br />-watching <a href="http://www.evanjager.com/" target="_blank">Evan</a> and <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/emma-coburn-steeplechase-world-championships-courtney-frerichs-usa-track-fiance" target="_blank">Emma</a> make literal history in their event, and being freshly inspired to do the same<br />-realizing my true feelings of longing for my family (Russ and Maddie) in a spontaneous sob during a video chat<br />-eating and wandering my way through downtown Prague alone<br />-having girl’s night and outdoor adventures with my friend <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/40869905" target="_blank">Barbora</a><br />-learning about the javelin from the best in the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 19.26px;">There will be more good times before it’s over. Only two short weeks now, though! </span></div>
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-85651094940155331182017-08-04T07:36:00.001-06:002017-08-04T07:36:20.474-06:00Lausanne/London/RabatI am recapping the <a href="https://lausanne.diamondleague.com/en/programme_results_lausanne/" target="_blank">second</a>, <a href="https://london.diamondleague.com/lists_results_london/" target="_blank">third</a>, and <a href="https://rabat.diamondleague.com/en/programme_results_rabat/" target="_blank">fourth</a> Diamond League events of this season together in this blog, because they were all very similar experiences for me, much to my frustration!<br />
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I left home on July 3, after picking Russ up from the airport in the morning, taking Maddie to a Denver dog park, and them dropping me back off at the airport in the afternoon. The Lufthansa Denver-Frankfurt flight is my favorite way to get to Europe! In nine hours, you're there and just have to make a short hop to your destination. I came really close to falling asleep sitting up while sipping espresso on the shores of Lake Geneva on July 4, took an ice bath with Kathryn Mitchell in that lake after our workout on July 5, and visited the Olympic Museum the morning of the competition (Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee). This was my second time in Lausanne, and the stadium and surrounding views were just as beautiful as I remembered.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much leanback now=too far forward in .5 seconds!</td></tr>
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I felt really good warming up in the grass outside the stadium on competition day. My legs were working a bit better than they had in Sacramento, and I was excited. I had been battling a very stubborn back spasm since right after throwing at USAs, though, and as soon as I took my first runway warm-up throw, it felt like my entire spine adjusted itself! Cue increased spasm, and I did everything I could to counteract my back pain with better legs, but sometimes when all of your energy is focused on one thing your body uses that first, regardless of pain. It was really difficult to relax my right arm behind me as well, as the muscles most effected are in that upper right quadrant of my back. I did the best I could with what I had, I guess, managed to stay in the top 8, and finished the day with 59.19m and my first regular-season competition under 60m. It is a terrible feeling to keep getting the same result at Diamond League competitions, as previously stated in my Prefontaine blog. Performances by the other women were even more impressive in Lausanne than Eugene!<br />
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We traveled from Lausanne straight to London for the July 9 competition in the Olympic Stadium. I threw here in 2015 at the Muller Anniversary Games for the first time after competing at my second Olympics with a torn ACL, and that went well, so I have overall great memories of this track! I wanted to improve on Lausanne and mostly wanted to get my back in line and firing again. There wasn't adequate warm-up space outside the stadium for this meet, but we had more than enough time to throw off of the runway once we got inside. The weather was absolutely perfect, and my back felt better than it had three days prior. I moved up one spot (7th) with a pure-guts 61.06m throw. I felt the same: I tried to focus on my legs in both competitions, but haven't been using my right leg effectively through my crossovers all year, so by the time I get to my power position and am attempting to let my left leg do the work and not push with my right, my upper body is so far forward that I have nothing to put into the javelin. <a href="http://www.goldiesayers.com/" target="_blank">Goldie Sayers</a> said hello outside the stadium, and it was so good to see her! She mentioned her notice of my right leg pushing back, and that observation was my first indication that I might need some serious self-reflection in practice.<br />
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There was no time for that, though, as the Rabat Diamond League occurred on July 16, and two competitions in four days meant my arm needed some rest (especially after not hitting the best positions at high speed). After a short stay in Stuttgart with wonderful friends and great strength training/rehab, it was off to Morocco!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So. Sweaty.</td></tr>
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I promise that every time I step on the runway, I have a fresh perspective and new mental focus for each throw. I fully believe that each attempt will be my best, and that each new competition presents an opportunity for greatness, regardless of prior outcomes. This is how I approached Rabat, after some great rehab in Germany, pretty easy travel, and a back that was slowly calming down. <div>
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When we entered the Moroccan stadium for competition, we got a rare treat for javelin throwers: Introductions with smoke and cheers for each individual coming out of the tunnel onto the track! We were then marched all the way around the back curve of that track in front of all of the fans, to meet our stuff at the runway on the far side. Along that walk, a little group of Moroccan fans near our runway took to me. They cheered loudly and waved the flags they'd brought along every time I threw and each time I glanced their way during competition. I don't know why they chose me, but they stuck by me the whole time, even when it was clear that each of my frustrating throws wasn't what I wanted!</div>
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Something I've remembered in the last week or so is that I have to be more patient with my chest, but then actually use it when the time is right. In Rabat, like Lausanne and London, I was trying to use my legs first, but really only using my left leg to propel me down the runway. I've always struggled with shooting my right foot backwards too soon, and over years, I think I started just not using my right leg! Recently, I've used it in my crossovers better, and then been able to carry speed into my block in practice. In this competition, though, I was not yet there. So, on every throw, my mindset, was to get to my left quickly while not pushing backwards with my right, but I had no momentum by the time I got down there. Add a chest that was forward due to lack of momentum as well as a personal refusal to push that chest forward in an attempt to stay behind my block, and absolutely no energy went into the javelin.</div>
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I had decent tip control and flights, but every time I let go of the javelin, it went nowhere. I finished the day with 59.94m and fifth place, very frustrated. The competition overall wasn't nearly as strong as Lausanne or London (therefore, wide open for me or anyone else who could have stepped up). In those situations, when you don't step up, it feels doubly defeating (other people beat you AND you beat yourself). </div>
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Positives: I left Morocco with all of my belongings, which is more than I can say for the first time I traveled there in 2014. I also set an African PR for myself (I threw terribly at <a href="http://karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.co.uk/2014/" target="_blank">Continental Cup</a> in 2014, as it was two weeks before my wedding and my head wasn't quite in the game). Thirdly, I scratched and clawed for enough Diamond League points, even with very underwhelming performances, to qualify for the final in <a href="https://zurich.diamondleague.com/en/home/" target="_blank">Zurich</a> on August 24! </div>
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After Rabat, I trained and adventured in Leuven, Belgium for 10 days with some other members of Team USATF, then went to Birmingham, England for training camp for four more days. Now, we are in London, and the women's javelin qualifying round at my fourth <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships" target="_blank">IAAF World Championships</a> takes place on Sunday evening, with the final slated for Tuesday (top 12 athletes move on, as usual). In Belgium, I finally had the opportunity to film throws again, get a lot of reps in, and figure some things out with the help of discipline, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/russthrowsstuff/" target="_blank">Russ</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/johndagata1?lang=en" target="_blank">John Dagata</a>. I have a few key cues going through my head constantly at this point, which is better for my focus than my mind being completely blank going into a major championship! Excited.</div>
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Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-345069912377080542017-07-31T12:08:00.001-06:002017-07-31T12:08:29.077-06:00USATF National ChampionshipsA return to Sacramento for this year's USATF National Championships meant that I was prepared mentally for lots of heat and a competition that takes place on the warm-up track outside the stadium. I competed for the first time at Sac State at Golden West about 15 years ago. Way back then (and into the first part of college), the infield was grass and we got to throw there. Now, we're relegated to the far corner of the practice track. My experience throwing out there in 2014 told me that I wanted to take special advantage of this year's championships and announce the men's javelin to make it a bit more exciting! That experience turned into a bit more, and was awesome.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDN7UdHHMBl4ZAUM1UxKxqhsVbNMjeXkDFfYV67s3gAef_DwswGQLyO6SW-lrFVcp2t-5iK8Go7rvfgczbKCkaaXjoARWBiFa47cK2FXGM4kDBcFTIxfY4Ob2h9JpSEoskQ92GO7tPIaU/s1600/me+and+Russ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDN7UdHHMBl4ZAUM1UxKxqhsVbNMjeXkDFfYV67s3gAef_DwswGQLyO6SW-lrFVcp2t-5iK8Go7rvfgczbKCkaaXjoARWBiFa47cK2FXGM4kDBcFTIxfY4Ob2h9JpSEoskQ92GO7tPIaU/s320/me+and+Russ.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo by <a href="http://paulmerca.blogspot.co.uk/">Paul Merca</a> (2014)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.usatf.tv/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45365&do=videos&video_id=119964"><br />2014's USATF National Championships</a> saw me return to the <a href="http://paulmerca.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/vancouvers-kara-patterson-wins-fifth.html">top of the podium</a> for the first time after my ACL surgery, and was an interesting and busy season for me, as we were renovating our house and also planning our wedding for the September immediately following that comeback year. This year, my focus coming in was to win my seventh national title, and throw really far.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ64puHMLEq2Se4VUt2S6k6ThsAhnY7lK_6z8vciZriKTflubcl6-AkSr4yIybCYq1ECa9lOtkS0q1USZKS0PzHjp_pfnHoHczUZYEN7UCWRWeJe7L1ejhqRbQutNNqxDP98VjKHzdW0A/s1600/USAs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1000" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ64puHMLEq2Se4VUt2S6k6ThsAhnY7lK_6z8vciZriKTflubcl6-AkSr4yIybCYq1ECa9lOtkS0q1USZKS0PzHjp_pfnHoHczUZYEN7UCWRWeJe7L1ejhqRbQutNNqxDP98VjKHzdW0A/s320/USAs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's truly all I was thinking about, and as a result, I had no true technical focus. I really tried to relax on the runway and let my feet do the work, but the technical cues and patient positions I've remembered in the past few weeks clue me in to why the javelin didn't go further than <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Cblockquote%20class=%22instagram-media%22%20data-instgrm-captioned%20data-instgrm-version=%227%22%20style=%22%20background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:28.125% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BV4wichgIes/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Round 1, USAs...fun perspective 😃 #Repost @thethrowerfam (@get_repost) ・・・ Kara Winger with a 62.80m throw at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento, 2017. ・・・ 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 @karathrowsjav @karathrowsjav @karathrowsjav 👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆 ・・・ Tag your friends! Like, comment and follow for the largest and fastest growing throwers only page on instagram! Use #thethrowerfam for a chance to be featured. ・・・ #discus #discusthrow #discusandshotput #throwerswag #thrower #throwers #throwersunite #throwernation #throwerslife #shotputanddiscus #highlandgames #scottishgames #scottishhammer #throwerfam #hammer #javelin #weightthrow #javelinthrow #hammerthrow #goballisticandthrowthings #goodthingscometothosewhothrow #goodthingscometothosewholift #throwerswag #throwerlife #thethrowerfam #hviii #hviiibrandgoods #teamhviii #feelthehviii.</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Kara Winger (@karathrowsjav) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-06-28T14:37:07+00:00">Jun 28, 2017 at 7:37am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>">62.80m</a> one month ago at this meet. <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213363">I succeeded in winning my seventh national championship</a> and earning a spot on this upcoming World team, but I was in shape physically to make the javelin go much further on that 109-degree day. My legs worked okay, but the timing of my upper body was way ahead of those legs, and I can see that clearly now. I still managed to have two other throws over 61m and another two over 59m. <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213364">Ari was second</a> with 58m, and <a href="http://cif-ss-finals.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=12432&do=videos&video_id=215503">set herself up</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/TweetingTrack/status/884134746552446980">throw further later</a> and <a href="http://en.omriyadat.com/american-athletics/team-usa-additional-london-invites">make the World Championship team</a>, too!!<br />
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The javelin and hammer competitions, as previously stated, take place outside the stadium at <a href="http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/fball/HornetStadium">Sac State</a>. This presents a neat opportunity for fans of those specific events to get close to the action, but that's not enough! Three years ago, I was extremely frustrated with the energy level of the announcing that happened during our competition, so this year I wanted to do something about it. I couldn't really affect change during my own meet, and the men's hammer happened earlier that same day, but the men's javelin was scheduled for Saturday and the women's hammer was contested Sunday morning. I called the powers that be at USATF and asked if I could announce the men's javelin, not on any live streamed internet channel to conflict with the broadcast rights of NBC, but just for the one-set-of-bleachers-full of the athletes' friends and family out at the warm-up track. I was pumped when they said yes.<br />
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Armed with an index card of information gathered on each of the 18 men's javelin throwers, I had a blast providing background information, a few technical opinions, hype, and a positive spin on each athletes' performance on Saturday. <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213776">Riley</a> and <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213626">Cyrus</a> both threw season's best, and <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213771">Michael Shuey</a> threw lifetime PRs to break into the top 3 two weeks after finishing his collegiate career at Penn State. All of the other athletes seemed to enjoy it, and the crowd was more engaged by far than for our event two days prior! So fun. Amanda Bingson showed up to watch the event, and told me point blank that I had to announce the hammer the next day as well. I had thought about it briefly, but her request meant a lot to me, and I did my research that night and the next morning to do those awesome athletes justice as well. American women's hammer has been steadily catching fire for the past few years, and <a href="http://usatfoutdoor.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=49&do=videos&video_id=213888">their incredible competition</a> was an honor to be a small part of. I got great feedback from both crowds and had an absolute blast shedding some light and entertainment on my fellow American throwers for the fans that chose to sit in 100+ degrees to cheer them on!Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-20340906428822532152017-07-28T04:06:00.001-06:002017-07-28T04:06:14.407-06:00Prefontaine ClassicWe threw on Friday night at the Prefontaine Classic this year, which is the first time in my four total trips to this meet that that has happened. The women's long jump and women's javelin were the only two field events held on a night that typically sees lots of distance races go around the track.<br />
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I felt good coming into Pre, and had set up my training in a way that made me feel confident in my power and state of recovery for the first Diamond League meet of the season. I always want to succeed at Pre, because it's the only time I meet my international competitors on home soil, and have the advantage of time zone adjustment. I was second at this meet in <a href="http://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=120&title_id=143&do=title&pg=1&folder_id=190&page_id=13359" target="_blank">2015</a> and <a href="http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=videos&year=2010&event_id=120&video_id=30003" target="_blank">won way back in 2010</a>, but fell short of my expectations in <a href="http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?title_id=143&event_id=120&do=title&folder_id=190&page_id=2129" target="_blank">2011</a> and this year.<br />
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On meet day, on the way to the track, the nine competitors set to throw were informed that only six athletes would receive six throws, rather than the Diamond League and IAAF rule-stipulated eight. This year in the Diamond League series, we field event people only have five competitions (including the final) compared to the seven we have always had, so to limit the final at the first one, while not unusual for this specific meeting, was frustrating for all of us. Whatever though, it's not like my or anyone else's mindset is ever that we will not be in that top 6 (I promise you: Everyone always wants to win), so the focus remains the same.<br />
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I started out with 61.66m in the first round, and was happy with the relaxed, strong beginning effort. As nice as an easy mid-61m throw is, I knew I'd need to improve to guarantee top 6, as the last two years of women's javelin throwing in the world have seen a huge increase in the number of women that can throw 62m any given day.<br />
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I tried way too hard in rounds two and three, totally losing my chest at the end of the throw (as a result of pushing backward with my right foot and rushing my upper body forward) and sending the tip of the javelin straight up in the process. I sat in sixth place until <a href="http://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=120&title_id=143&do=title&pg=1&folder_id=190&page_id=15123" target="_blank">Barbora passed me</a> in round three to push me into the first spot out of finals.<br />
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There have been too many finals in my career that I've sat out of. I truly enjoy the friendships that I've cultivated with many of my international competitors, and I always strive to be a good sport. When you don't get all six throws at a meet, you can either be escorted off the field, or stick around and watch finals from the bench. I've done that with genuine happiness for others and misery for myself far too many times, and at Pre this year, my parents were in the stands and leaving early the next morning to go home. I was more furious with myself than I've been for a long time, so I asked to leave.<br />
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Dinner with my parents in their motorhome with the dogs was far better and healing for me than sitting inside the oval at Hayward Field and politely clapping for my competitors' excellent performances would have been. I've been motivated by staying on the track for finals so many times that I wanted to fuel my fire with something different, and that's the love and support of my family. I spoke to Ty on the phone and he said that he heard something in my voice that he never has before, and was excited about perhaps a little different mindset for me. That feeling is still there, and has only intensified with other frustrating competitions this year.<br />
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It would have been more fun to watch the main Prefontaine Classic on Saturday if I had performed better, but seeing Christian Taylor and Will Claye put on a triple jump show, among many other awesome results, was still great. I also went for an interval run in beautiful weather along the Willamette River that morning, so I got some of my anger out. I'm a track and field fan, so being able to simply spectate one of the best meets on American soil is always enjoyable, plus I caught up with <a href="https://www.windermere.com/agents/rachel-buciarski" target="_blank">Rachel</a> and her kiddos!<br />
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I can't lie to you, being given numerous excellent opportunities to perform by <a href="https://www.jrssm.com/" target="_blank">JRS Sports Management</a> in the last seven years and continuing to just struggle along is not fun. I approach every single competition with the true belief that I have everything it takes to be the best, so to come out of many of them with very similar results (59-62m and 5th-7th place) is incredibly frustrating and disheartening on those bus rides back to the meet hotels. More on this in the next three posts, with some elaboration on what makes putting myself in these same situations worth it.Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-77571920513338848312017-07-21T03:51:00.000-06:002017-07-21T03:51:12.891-06:00IMG AcademyEach year, USATF sets up high performance competitions for elite throwers. Typically this means that everyone goes to Tucson, Arizona for two meets at the end of May, but this year there were some extra opportunities! One of them fell on May 5th at <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/kibwe-johnson-177018" target="_blank">Kibwe Johnson</a>'s new stomping grounds, <a href="https://www.imgacademy.com/" target="_blank">IMG Academy</a> in Bradenton, Florida.<br />
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I threw in Austin in the middle of April, and didn't have another competition scheduled until Prefontaine at the end of May, so competing in Florida sounded perfect.<br />
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Personal coaching is a new thing for me (I have one Paralympic athlete and one heptathlete, plus a few people I consult with electronically), and I had the fun opportunity to meet with Kibwe and some of his athletes to offer them javelin pointers! (They've got it totally handled with him as a coach, btw.) I'm so impressed by the talent this private high school attracts from literally all over the world. What an interesting place to work!<br />
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I was pretty sore and tired after really hitting things hard in training post-big opener, so I didn't know what to expect. What happened was that I was all over the place on the runway! I should have thrown further at this meet than I did (61.32m), but <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/ariana-ince-262647" target="_blank">Ariana Ince</a> PRed and threw 60 meters for the first time! Bonus points for the beginning of a beautiful Friendship: It turns out that Ari and I are basically the same person. Down to simultaneous hair flips and reaching for the same soda.<br />
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My series on the day was fairly consistent (more so than Austin), and I was encouraged by that, even with my footwork being nowhere close to smooth. This meet was interesting and felt like a work in progress: It was the second IMG Academy Throws Challenge ever, and also second this year. There is definite room for improvement, but I think USATF should keep coming back here. The campus is incredible, we stayed close to the track, housing allows athletes to cook for themselves (something I personally love when on the road), Uber is available for transportation, and the weather in May was perfection. Absolutely would throw again!<br />
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<br />Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-50029176413828972582017-04-15T19:58:00.003-06:002017-05-15T09:59:44.104-06:00Texas InvitationalI can't truly say that I opened my season yesterday, because I've competed twice this year already! But Nitro Athletics seems like so long ago, and was so early in my actual javelin training that I feel like a different thrower now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99Wk-QQi3JS96rv-qztAQ6CV7HNRlUrre5ylrjk51jYIyGlWWC7B-NtpllaF81lyKGb5mrs0Dli5gULKjyC0ni5wgonEbSPx1V2ESG-_14shNu-TH3au-5N0USgaZzz9EjBR6THgUhwE/s1600/road+trip+selfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I've really enjoyed visiting Austin since <a href="http://www.texassports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1157&path=xc_tf">Ty</a> was hired at University of Texas in the 2013/2014 school year. I threw at Texas Relays in 2014 and 2015, and the Longhorn Invite in 2015. Last year, I visited twice to train with him in the early season and then again right before Rio. This time around, I brought a little companion down to Texas with me from Colorado!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoThJvWWuuPiYLPAbArFXs9uWRV7rEmYJP5gPiL5MoWHtDkmea_x5P7GpBtb4lVEY3lX6Or4lrxbNClkeRyRvjVwTO7_0Wk1jmjNmid4oalGRjzyTZONbnAw-nUdm80EmBiaSFNUFAp3w/s1600/cute+eyes+on+road+trip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoThJvWWuuPiYLPAbArFXs9uWRV7rEmYJP5gPiL5MoWHtDkmea_x5P7GpBtb4lVEY3lX6Or4lrxbNClkeRyRvjVwTO7_0Wk1jmjNmid4oalGRjzyTZONbnAw-nUdm80EmBiaSFNUFAp3w/s320/cute+eyes+on+road+trip.JPG" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99Wk-QQi3JS96rv-qztAQ6CV7HNRlUrre5ylrjk51jYIyGlWWC7B-NtpllaF81lyKGb5mrs0Dli5gULKjyC0ni5wgonEbSPx1V2ESG-_14shNu-TH3au-5N0USgaZzz9EjBR6THgUhwE/s1600/road+trip+selfie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99Wk-QQi3JS96rv-qztAQ6CV7HNRlUrre5ylrjk51jYIyGlWWC7B-NtpllaF81lyKGb5mrs0Dli5gULKjyC0ni5wgonEbSPx1V2ESG-_14shNu-TH3au-5N0USgaZzz9EjBR6THgUhwE/s320/road+trip+selfie.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THOSE EYES. Such a good road tripper!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_k9_known_as_madeline/">Maddie the Dog</a> is super fun to have around on a training camp, even if our second story rental makes it so I do a lot of stairs with her every day. She LOVES to swim and fetch, so the park here is ideal to get her wiggles out (although she seems to have an endless supply).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Bud Isle Dog Park! Gorgeous.</td></tr>
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She even inspired my uniform for the meet yesterday! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/russthrowsstuff/">Russ</a> took this photo when they were on an Idaho adventure in February. I loved representing my little family on the runway!!<br />
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So, I drove to Austin last Sunday, and my week (week 4 of this training block) went like this:<br />
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Monday: Recovery (jog, stretch, rehab and core essentially)<br />
Tuesday: Light throw and light lift<br />
Wednesday: Off<br />
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Thursday: Pre-meet (a few sprints, approaches, light lift)<br />
Friday: Compete!<br />
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I slept really soundly the night before, which isn't totally typical of me, and I felt great and calm when I got to the track. I apparently had to balance that out by warming up just a bit too late, and having to pick in the grass before I was really done with everything I usually do! An 85-degree day fixes a lot though, and I wasn't worried at all that I'd missed some skips, plus there's always time in warm-ups to step to the side and address little issues you feel.<br />
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Warm-ups were not so great. I was pretty slow to my block, and not really feeling connected to my right arm. I was nervous by warm-ups, as I'm always nervous for my first meet, and sometimes that translates into being too careful. I turned my legs on a little and things got better, but I really didn't know what to expect from the day! My goal was 61.40m, which is the <a href="http://www.iaafworldchampionships.com/">London World Championships</a> A Standard.<br />
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In Rio, I added a little carry step before my approach truly begins to get my legs moving a little bit and not just come flying out of the gates. I think it has helped tremendously in letting me keep my posture and to gradually build speed in my legs rather than be forced to create it from the outset. I've just never been able to handle speed before, and this has been a really fun way to trick my body into feeling rhythmical while also moving at the velocity I need to throw far.<br />
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Since I felt a little all over the place in warm-ups, I just wanted to keep my legs moving, arm back, and stay tall on attempt one. It went really well!! 64.80m. I was absolutely shocked when the officials read the distance, because not only did it not look that far, but I didn't feel connected to that javelin!<br />
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In Australia, I had a really great conversation about connection with my friend <a href="http://www.markhollispv.com/">Mark Hollis</a>. There is just this extra factor of connection that you sometimes are blessed to feel in this crazy sport, and when you get a hint of that on a meet day, you know it's going to be a fun one. We struggled to fully describe that feeling in this conversation, but when I mentioned to Ty this week that I felt that way on night one of <a href="http://karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.com/2017/02/nitro-athletics.html">Nitro Athletics</a>, he said, "Yeah, like you're moving in slow motion." YES. But you're actually moving at full speed, it's just that you can feel each sequential movement happening in the order that it's supposed to happen in, and it's SO FUN and powerful. I felt that way at the Longhorn Invite here two years ago, when I threw 66.47m and a bunch of 63s.<br />
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I did NOT feel that way yesterday, which is why I'm so incredibly excited for this season. Russ said that sometimes you're connected even when you don't feel it, and I definitely agree with that. I know that was the case yesterday, and I've always known that using other body parts correctly can make your arm connected even when it's not feeling that way, but it was nice for that to be true for me for once. :) <br />
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The rest of my series was all over the place (my approach wasn't as smooth, I let my upper body get forward, perhaps the heat got to me, etc.), but I managed a 63.07m in round 5. I'm okay with inconsistency on April 14, especially when I never expected to start with such a bang in the first place! <br />
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Here are yesterday's full results:<br />
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It's so fun for me to throw with new college girls each year in the early season. I truly love meeting new throwers, and try to be encouraging at every turn. I think that they're all getting younger though!<br />
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I'm actually still a little shocked. 64.80m is the fifth-best throw of my life, and my best "season opener" by more than 3 meters!! I'm going to do my best to keep calm and carry on, as they say. This year of training has been incredibly fun, as I actually feel good physically, and I'm competing with a pretty different mindset than I've had in the rest of my professional career. I'm excited. <br />
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-38256677764739630892017-02-16T00:07:00.003-07:002017-02-16T00:07:51.152-07:00Nitro Athletics!I just got home from Melbourne, Australia, where the 2017 season started off for me in many unexpected ways! <br />
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<a href="http://nitroathletics.com.au/">Nitro Athletics</a> conducted their first experiment in regular-season team competition down under. This three-meet series was a bit of a mystery, even to athletes who committed to attending. I got an email around Christmas time asking if I was interested, thought about it for a day, and decided to make the trip. Russ and I competed in Australia in 2012, and it was a fantastic experience, so why not return to the southern hemisphere's summer from Colorado? I was told to expect a laid-back atmosphere and to not worry about performance as much as fun. I really just looked forward to warm weather training and perhaps some beach or pool time! I signed up to be a "Bolt All-Star," but who really knew what that meant. <br />
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I spent some time in Chula Vista to throw outside before heading to Australia, and threw about 55m in practice before I left. I figured, "Cool, if I can scrape together a few more meters, I'll be happy." I had my first real javelin session on January 10th, inside. I had two practices off of a runway at any kind of speed in Chula, and one of them was with overweight implements. My trip to Australia was filled with unexpected twists, and the last bit of my California stay was spent scrambling to be ready for a February 4th competition when I'd been expecting to throw on February 9th. All of these things meant that I was 100% ready for whatever was going to happen on the first night of the inaugural Nitro Athletics series. No expectations whatsoever.<br />
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Our team meeting on February 3rd finally shed some light on the event: Three meets in which six teams compete for overall dominance, points awarded for performance, bonus rounds and power plays (random draws of events for each team with double points, per night), complete freedom to roam the field of play and cheer each other on, encouragement to not take ourselves too seriously. A pep talk from Captain Usain, whose proposal to pass the 4x100m baton from <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/jamaica/asafa-powell-189571">Asafa</a> to himself to <a href="http://jenna-prandini.com/">Jenna</a> to <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/jeneba-tarmoh-206705">Jeneba</a> seemed so outrageous, the room buzzed. But not as much as the stadium buzzed the next night:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwW9Rx-TrYv3ogmcXdKxA4xtjUTi9Rux6Fh80icgbQWcTuVtUKuKWEUaHibCG4BUi2UKzZ-vp1grQNEYRpRmw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Bolt to Prandini, right to right!</div>
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In the javelin, a target in the sector, if hit in the fourth round only, awarded the accurate competitor valuable bonus points. The other two field events (long jump and pole vault) were similarly run, and <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/jarrion-lawson-267612">certain</a> Bolt <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/australia/nina-kennedy-262771">field</a> All-Stars' points were essential to boosting the team score on each respective night. <br />
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Night 1, I hit the target in Round 4! <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz9gxziKLk6AqG7NMpI-R7LHxfrMcXcYGQ_DG_VvfTCPi9osE6oEUbg2hgWC4qn4s6jMbQoq4Q-GrlOAiECfA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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58.24m, 59.05m, 61.16m (plus slow-motion), 60.43m and target acquired!</div>
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Find this video on my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/karathrowsjav">Instagram</a> as well.</div>
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I've had some great *team* experiences in my international career. Being a Bolt All-Star cracks the top 5, and if my husband didn't play prominent roles in my top 3, Nitro would be my number 1. I'm not kidding.</div>
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1. NACAC Under-23 Championships, 2006. Met Russ and many other important people.</div>
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2. Beijing World Championships, 2015. Teammates with Russ. (Related: NACAC Senior Championships where we both won, 9 years after meeting at U-23s.)</div>
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3. Toronto PanAm Games, 2015. Shared a WINGER competition bib with Russ because they printed Patterson for me. We both medaled!</div>
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<b>4. Nitro Athletics, 2017.</b></div>
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5. Beijing Olympic Games, 2008. First Olympics, enough said. Also being roommates with Jill (just Camarena then!). </div>
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Why did I throw well in Melbourne? Because I knew my team was depending on me, and their cheers from right next to the runway were constant, fun reminders of that. I have always known that I do better when I'm having fun, and encouragement to just be myself was all I needed to have an awesome experience on the runway. It also turns out that being a Bolt All-Star means that the man himself truly plays the role of team captain in cheering on and celebrating with his people!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9-f1zEfuDwMnhcdwU1C18QBj3r02iyFwUFq4nEc10KhUKDEkS8bxQ8MdrX018SlXG1gIl5gngFxEnSfrr3TF6_8J-_3Y18xGVJfxiJMn37PHsQibJXSASAHCYEvu5TV50yxzp8p86F8/s1600/Captain+Usain+and+Hiroko+Takigawa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9-f1zEfuDwMnhcdwU1C18QBj3r02iyFwUFq4nEc10KhUKDEkS8bxQ8MdrX018SlXG1gIl5gngFxEnSfrr3TF6_8J-_3Y18xGVJfxiJMn37PHsQibJXSASAHCYEvu5TV50yxzp8p86F8/s320/Captain+Usain+and+Hiroko+Takigawa.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coach/<a href="http://usainbolt.com/">Captain Usain</a>, me, Japanese javelin thrower Hiroko Takigawa after Night #1, Round 4 (bonus points)!</td></tr>
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The thing that made Nitro Athletics awesome for me was the people. I had never spent significant amounts of time with most of my teammates, and there are many times that I wouldn't choose to spend significant amounts of time with people. Really any people. I'm that confusing mix of intro- and extrovert. I think that everyone's attitudes about this trip matched, and that made it really easy to bond with the group. We were all willing to try something new and exciting, put our comfort zones aside (group introduction dances?!), and do fun work together toward a team victory. <div>
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Low stress, high fun, would absolutely throw again. I'd love to see team scores (not just medal counts) at major championships. Maybe we'd all be more involved in each other's journeys. I miss that, and didn't realize how much until experiencing Nitro Athletics. </div>
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P.S. Please watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4647900/">I Am Bolt</a>. I did on the plane on the way to Melbourne. I want Glen Mills to call me a Champion. </div>
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-18391883831949314052016-12-31T16:12:00.000-07:002016-12-31T16:12:36.618-07:00Year in Review: 2016<div>
Stats! I only competed 7 times this year (if you count Trials qualifying, which I am), compared to fifteen times last year. My last meet was my best one on the year, which has never happened before. Also, my first meet was my furthest season opener ever, although it was later than ever. I did a lot of forcing speed rather than focusing on positions this year, which I don't intend to repeat in 2017.</div>
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Meets:</div>
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Portland: 61.72m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eugene qualifying: 61.42m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eugene final: 57.90m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rio qualifying: 61.02m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Berlin: 58.76m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rovereto: 58.44m <o:p></o:p></div>
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Brussels: 61.86m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Worst: 57.90m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Best: 61.86m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall Average: 60.16m<o:p></o:p></div>
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Top 5 Average: 60.96m<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year went by SO fast, but at times it felt like it
would never start. Training and competing with a torn left labrum and rotator cuff for the second half of the 2015 season, and all of the complications that caused with my mid- and low back showed me that I needed to solve the problem before the Olympic year if I didn't want to be miserable. After left shoulder
surgery in October 2015, I couldn’t run until the middle of December, and
didn’t pick up a javelin until January.
Shoulder rehab took attention away from keeping my left knee healthy,
and I pinched a fat pad (so painful, persistent and annoying) in that knee
after two awesome weeks of training in Austin in March/April. I wasn’t nearly as strong in my right
shoulder as I normally am, despite impressive creativity from Jamie and Ty in
my training to get around my healing left shoulder. I did absolutely everything I could with what
I had this year, and as much as 13<sup>th</sup> in Rio hurt, I’m proud of my
performance at my third Olympic Games. Given the choice again, I would get surgery again. It was the right thing for me and my overall quality of life. If one other thing had gone a tiny bit better, my results could have been much more impressive on the year. Again, though, I'm proud of my efforts through everything that happened physically this season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLOGOou7mb5-9TBRerOiUvPygRoia8T6IBspO7Zb_7RA_Ww4Nq8DuPec9lXZCZrP-CaqdzPdTC8H0NwXO-odhpmqO71LmbNCHMiX6LPw3GnbVLHU2SWrBnSSJLMbQlL4TQG_ZVwRCC2I/s1600/trials2016.3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLOGOou7mb5-9TBRerOiUvPygRoia8T6IBspO7Zb_7RA_Ww4Nq8DuPec9lXZCZrP-CaqdzPdTC8H0NwXO-odhpmqO71LmbNCHMiX6LPw3GnbVLHU2SWrBnSSJLMbQlL4TQG_ZVwRCC2I/s320/trials2016.3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2016 wasn't what I wanted professionally, but some really great things happened for me outside of Track and Field! Russ and I adopted a little yellow dog (she's a lab) named Maddie in May. We are her third home, but we knew her for about ten months before she became ours! When we brought her home, we thought it was a trial run and that we'd officially adopt her in the fall (after this important summer), but within three days she made it very clear that she was happy to stay. I definitely couldn't have parted with her anyway, and she kept me smiling while my season was delayed! </div>
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In June, I finished my last class toward my graduate degree: An MBA with an Accounting concentration through DeVry's Keller Graduate School of Management, and the scholarship program via partnership between DeVry and the USOC. This most recent course of education began right after we moved to Colorado (just after my ACL surgery), and was really therapeutic for me in a time when my athleticism was halted for a while. I'm thrilled to have seen it through and imagine what I can do with it in the future! </div>
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So many things to improve on in 2017, and even if it wasn't what I'd imagined, so many things to be thankful for this year. Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-25157989172767282892016-07-06T19:53:00.002-06:002016-07-06T19:56:58.597-06:00Ironwood TC Throws ClassicI competed at my first meet of the 2016 season in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, June 25. Multiple people asked me in the lead-up to that opener if I was planning on competing this year. Haha!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyJ3LqybXskNTchyphenhyphenC3GH9LsKO68hpWTpS5IOSnauBSEdD5rOKXdshP7EPYI0jRJzNZpnj21G5XN5B84A1xHTPWT3pUZAg2fzb2bQzMg9m0JRxYaYANuK8vt8rmqIoglWJFro_Y5dz7e0/s1600/13517645_10153796105627428_4553684273923563983_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyJ3LqybXskNTchyphenhyphenC3GH9LsKO68hpWTpS5IOSnauBSEdD5rOKXdshP7EPYI0jRJzNZpnj21G5XN5B84A1xHTPWT3pUZAg2fzb2bQzMg9m0JRxYaYANuK8vt8rmqIoglWJFro_Y5dz7e0/s320/13517645_10153796105627428_4553684273923563983_o.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Kim Spir</td></tr>
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I had hoped to start my season at the end of May, and had trips to <a href="http://www.hallesche-werfertage.de/">Halle</a> (the German throws meet that Russ and I have talked about going to for years), <a href="http://rome.diamondleague.com/home/">Rome</a> and <a href="http://birmingham.diamondleague.com/home/">Birmingham</a> lined up. I cancelled that trip before even getting plane tickets due to various aches and pains. I simply lacked the physical ability at that point to prepare adequately for competition! In this Olympic year, I wasn't willing to compromise the end goal after everything I've been through since 2012. I've also never had the guts to say I wasn't ready for something and cancel a trip, and it was really liberating to be able to do so! At 30 and after 7 years of professional javelin throwing (15 years total!), many times less is more.</div>
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Many long stories short, surgery is never what you expect. I said when I decided to get left shoulder surgery in the Fall that if I couldn't compete until Olympic Trials due to the recovery, that would be okay. When the reality hit that that was what was happening though (and for reasons I didn't see coming), it was a little tougher emotionally to stand by what I said! I also knew that even with all of the experience that I've earned throughout this career, it would still be silly to go cold into TrackTown, USA, especially with the improving state of women's javelin throwing in this country. I wanted to open two weeks before Trials to give myself as much time as possible to be ready but still have some rest time in between, and it turned out that <a href="http://www.jarredrome.org/david-pless/">David Pless</a> had planned a meet at <a href="http://www.gocugo.com/sports/2012/4/9/GEN_0409120214.aspx">Concordia University</a> on the perfect weekend! Bonus that I love coming to the Northwest and that I haven't competed as close to home as Portland since high school (12 years ago)!<br />
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Friends and family came, I got to travel with Russ, the weather was gorgeous, and the meet was small but women I've built relationships with over the years came to throw. You simply can't reproduce competition emotions by yourself, and I was definitely nervous, but focused hard on two things:<br />
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1. Hide the javelin behind my head.<br />
2. Good rhythm on the runway.<br />
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All film is by <a href="http://www.pocketvideos.com/">Duncan Atwood</a>, a wonderful Northwesterner who has been a part of my career for 14 years!<br />
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This warm-up throw went about 60 meters, and I really liked my rhythm:<br />
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Round 1 flew 61.28m, and I felt like all I did well was keep my arm back and high. The rhythm could've been much better, and just because my arm was back doesn't mean it was in the position I'd like it to be in! I was really encouraged by Attempt #1. Practice has gone pretty well, but I just never know how competition nerves are going to hit me.</div>
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Round 2's 58.85m was a much cleaner throw, but not as rhythmic and definitely not as explosive at the end (because the rhythm was off and my upper body was in a bit of a forward position). When I saw it fly I hoped it was further (it was pretty!), but looking at my speed and right-left time I know why it wasn't.</div>
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Round 3 went 61.72m, and I can imagine that it looked pretty similar to my other 61m throws on the day, but had a bit faster left foot touchdown time! I tried too hard on Round 4. Round 5 went 61.58m! I tried to stay taller through my core on this throw than I had on Round 4, and I think I accomplished that. Still missing great rhythm in my legs, though, and I wish I could hold my upper body back just a hair longer. <br />
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I would be thrilled with this opener even if this year hadn't been filled with some frustrating challenges! Three throws over 61 meters isn't something I normally do in my first meet, especially with the lack of speed that I feel like I displayed in Portland and my slight hesitation at the block that is lingering. The training I've been able to put in this year (been limited to?) make it feel like I'm in comparable shape to what I normally am at a typical time to open a season (late April or so) rather than July. I was really nervous about feeling that way, but throwing near home after trusting my own process this year paid dividends in this opener and series. I'm ready for Olympic Trials this weekend!<br />
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Here's a 63.21m attempt from Austin last May, just for a fun comparison to the above throws. The rhythm is much better but the upper body leaves something to be desired!<br />
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<br />Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-71958432183484422752015-10-15T23:12:00.003-06:002015-10-15T23:12:37.207-06:002015 StatisticsI <a href="http://karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.com/2010/09/continental-cup.html">averaged my results on the year once</a>, and it was really fun! Here we are again:<br />
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Average of Top 5 Competitions: <b>63.89m</b><br />
<b>66.47m</b> (Longhorn Invite)<br />
<b>64.94m</b> (USAs)<br />
<b>62.97m</b> (London)<br />
<b>62.85m</b> (Prefontaine)<br />
<b>62.21m</b> (World Championships Qualifying)<br />
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Average of All Results: <b>61.72m</b><br />
<b>60.82m</b> (Texas Relays)<br />
<b>59.07m</b> (Drake Relays)<br />
<b>66.47m</b> (Longhorn Invite)<br />
<b>61.76m</b> (Shanghai)<br />
<b>62.85m</b> (Prefontaine)<br />
<b>61.64m</b> (Oslo)<br />
<b>64.94m</b> (USAs)<br />
<b>61.71m</b> (Paris)<br />
<b>61.44m</b> (PanAms)<br />
<b>62.97m </b>(London)<br />
<b>61.10m </b>(Stockholm)<br />
<b>60.34m </b>(NACAC)<br />
<b>62.21m </b>(Worlds Qualifying)<br />
<b>60.88m </b>(Worlds Final)<br />
<b>57.58m </b>(Zurich)<br />
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If you take Zurich out of the equation (which I'd like to, but won't, haha), the overall average would be right around 62m. I threw 61m 10 out of 15 times, but only threw over 62m (the Olympic A Standard and clearly at least what it takes to make major championship finals now) one third of the time. I definitely need to work on that next year, and part of that is NOT competing in fifteen meets in one season! It was awesome, but way too many for an Olympic year, and I look forward to tailoring my schedule with Rio clearly in my sights! Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-39196500068962460582015-10-15T22:47:00.000-06:002015-10-15T22:48:25.595-06:00Catch-UpWhile 2014 was one of the busiest years of my life (planning a wedding, going to school, self-renovating a home with Russell, and keeping up with competitions was sleep-deprivingly awesome), 2015 was also crazy for different reasons! The house is done and we're married now, but I still took classes every session, and I traveled much more than I did last year. A busy schedule means that whenever I was home, I slept and spent time with loved ones instead of blogging regularly. I won't apologize for maintaining my mental health, as it's just important as the physical side of things! :) Here's a recap of my season since the Longhorn Invite, very much abbreviated and focused on take-aways and summaries instead of details. I will write another blog with averages, too!<br />
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<u>Shanghai</u><br />
The Shanghai Diamond League on May 17 had me really nervous for some reason! My travel there was pretty great, and Tia and I were roommates and adjusted well to the time zone (the first time that has really happened for me). I didn't get enough body work done while there, and my upper back was not happy while I was warming up! My thoracic spine gets pretty upset on long flights like it took to get to China, and when I don't get it adjusted upon arrival, I struggle. I also felt pretty lethargic despite adjusting to the time zone well, and had a hard time getting my intensity up in time for the competition. Starting the competition out with a 56-meter attempt did not make me happy, and I was glad to improve to 61.28m in round two. I further improved to 61.76m during finals, and ended up <a href="http://shanghai.diamondleague.com/lists-results/timetable-2015/" target="_blank">7th overall</a>. I simply kept my chest up better on my better attempts instead of being afraid of the finish, but wasn't super thrilled with the results. That's a long way to go for 7th, which is a position I've finished in in a lot of Diamond League competitions! I was ready for more. Finished Season 3 of <a href="http://m.cwtv.com/shows/arrow/" target="_blank">Arrow</a> on the way home. :)<br />
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<u>Prefontaine</u><br />
I really, really wanted to go to Pre on May 30th this year, since I hadn't competed at Hayward Field since <a href="http://www.karathrowsjavelin.blogspot.fr/2012/07/olympic-trials.html" target="_blank">Olympic Trials in 2012</a>. I needed to get my head around the venue and feel strong there again before USAs and 2016 Olympic Trials, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_oZ667OXiQ" target="_blank">it worked</a>. My first attempt (follow the link) was 62.52m, and round three traveled 62.85m to put me in <a href="http://eugene.diamondleague.com/lists_results_2015/" target="_blank">second place</a> by the end of the competition. <a href="http://www.christina-obergfoell.com/home/" target="_blank">Christina</a> said to me at practice the day before the meet, "All I know is that I have been here twice, and I have won twice," so when she passed me in round two I really wanted to answer back, but my round three improvement wasn't quite enough. That's okay for now! Watching the video from that meet tells me that I'm still not staying back in the throw enough: I push forward with my right leg right before I hit the block, which sends my upper body forward and down rather than letting it stay back and then accelerate up and outward for more power. That last-second forward push also causes me to lose the tip of the javelin, which is never okay, but especially hurts you in Eugene. It could have gone better, but I felt really good about this meet! <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/252260-Prefontaine-Classic-2015/video/770885-Kara-Winger-throws-far-and-walks-away-feeling-confident#.VZZrrvlVikp" target="_blank">Here's a flotrack interview</a>. I'm terrible at remembering numbers in the moment, haha.<br />
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<u>Oslo</u><br />
I had never been to Norway before! I've heard really cool things about the coasts of Norway and was excited that Oslo would have some water even though it's sort of inland. Plus, it's always fun to see my friend <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usowsx0PDbA" target="_blank">Andreas</a>! Starting at Pre, I added some intensity to my warm-up with the help of <a href="http://acumenperformancegroup.com/about-apg/biographies/dr-wendy-borlabi/" target="_blank">Wendy</a>. I learned from Shanghai that I needed to get myself going a little earlier so that I could start the competition with a bang instead of wasting my first round on nerves and tentativeness. That involves more video-watching and music-listening to get excited. I tried to recreate my successful warm-up from Eugene in Oslo, but it didn't quite work as well. Perhaps jet lag had something to do with that, but I felt physically pretty good and started the competition with 61.64m, which was my best attempt through all six rounds (with two others also over 61m) to <a href="http://oslo.diamondleague.com/lists_results_2015/" target="_blank">end up 6th</a>. Sixth place is better than seventh, but I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit frustrated anyway. But I was still thrilled to be starting competitions strong and keeping my bottom numbers up!<br />
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<u>USAs</u><br />
USATF Outdoor Championships were back in Eugene, Oregon this year. I love it when that happens because I get to go home and see my family and the puppies!! I was also pumped to be heading there with Russ, who competed on Thursday while I was scheduled for Friday evening. I absolutely love watching him throw, and was so proud of him for battling through this season's cumulative small injuries to throw 64.34m and finish second!<br />
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My training plan has worked out this year such that we discovered that I throw well in the first week of a new block, so that I am sore from new exercises. I did NOT see that coming, but am really happy to have learned such valuable information! So, going into competition on Friday, I was sore, I felt like travel had caught up with me a little, and there had just been a lot going on in the weeks before USAs. I had a course project due the Sunday before that and took my final on Wednesday morning for four hours. Little logistical things that go on surrounding national championships mixed with real life stuff can just be hard on you. Warming up for the meet had me worried: I was really achy, it was really hot, and I just didn't feel like myself. I didn't feel powerful, but I knew that I was, and that focusing on specific technical things could get me where I needed to go. Cue intense focus on acceleration all the way through my throw and keeping the javelin hidden behind my head, plus good posture through my run. <br />
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Round one went <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2015/USATF-Outdoor-Championships/Results-by-Day/Results---Friday.aspx">64.94m</a>, a little bit to my surprise! Despite not throwing far in warm-ups, I did feel connected to the implement, and that feeling continued in round one. I just felt strong and confident, and that was really, really fun at Hayward Field. My sixth round throw flew 64.45m to reinforce first place and my sixth total National Championship, but first as Kara Winger!<br />
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<u>Paris</u><br />
My body HURT in Paris after two first Weeks in a row, and I had a lot of trouble getting going. Managed <a href="http://paris.diamondleague.com/lists_results_paris_2015/">61.71m</a> in the third round to move from tenth or so to fourth to make it into finals, and ended up 6th. Was frustrated to feel so terrible after I had worked through the same sort of feelings at USAs and done well! But I was lined up to spend almost two whole weeks at home after this trip, so super excited to get some rest/normalcy.<br />
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<u>Pan-American Games: Toronto, Canada</u><br />
My brother got married in Seattle on July 19th, and I competed on July 21st in Toronto, three time zones, two long flights, and one whole country away, haha. I knew going in that I wanted to do both and needed to just suck it up about the travel and such, and I'm really happy that I chose to compete at my first PanAms, even if it wasn't under ideal circumstances. We (Russ competed, too!) arrived at the village around 6:00pm the night before competition, managed to get checked in, eat something and get some treatment (which I desperately needed on my back) before a team meeting at 8pm that lasted until 9:15pm and illuminated a problem: My competition bib said, "Patterson." While I like my maiden name, I chose to make a quick switch this season and didn't want any confusion happening! So making sure I spoke to the correct people about it and had a solution lined up for the next morning took a while. By 10pm I was in my room laying things out for the next day's meet, and just thinking about maybe doing some jump squats and abs as a sad excuse for a pre-meet, when a knock on my door brought news that our competition time had been changed. Instead of an 11:30am start time, we were now going to begin throwing at 10:05am. As in, less than 12 hours after getting this news. Crazy things happen before major championships, I have always been told! Despite all that, a stiff headwind, and kind of intense back pain warming up early the next morning, I managed to throw <a href="http://results.toronto2015.org/IRS/en/athletics/results-women-s-javelin-throw-1-01.htm">61.44m</a> in the last round to move into the lead from second (after my fifth round throw), only to move back to second overall. Liz had to beat me on her last throw, in front of her home crowd (Canadians), at a meet that she had expressed to me was really important to her. The roar from the stands was really awesome, and it was special to be a part of. :) Plus, my silver medal is really cool!<br />
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<u>London</u><br />
I was super excited to head back to the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, as I had never competed healthy there before! I felt MUCH better than I had in Toronto, thanks to a few nights of a LOT of sleep. I ended up fifth at <a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/fileadmin/IDL_Default/files/documents/2015/London/Results2.pdf">62.97m</a>, and was happy for the day. I thought that Stockholm would go better.<br />
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<u>Stockholm</u><br />
I loooooved the city of Stockholm! I went on an Ocean Bus tour. :) I had a lot of school work to do that week and not a lot of time to do it, so between all of the travel I had been undergoing and that stress, I got sick. I felt terrible during competition and did my very best, but only managed <a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/fileadmin/IDL_Default/files/documents/2015/Stockholm/Results.pdf">61.10m</a> for sixth. I still walked away being happy that my bottom numbers were staying up, though! Traveling home sick was a bit miserable.<br />
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<u>North American, Central American, Caribbean (NACAC) Senior Championships: San Jose, Costa Rica</u><br />
This meet was fun to travel to with Russ, and we got to be roommates! I also wanted to go with him on this national team trip because we met on a NACAC Under-23 team in the Dominican Republic NINE years ago, and going to the "same" meet again together sounded fun. It really was: The main focus of this meet was to get Russ a World Championships A Standard via a victory, and he accomplished that! A first place showing at an area championship counts as an A Standard, so he qualified for his first World Championship and got to come to Beijing with me based on this meet! That was WELL worth the trip. We competed on the same day and both struggled to throw far, but got the job done in winning our events. I threw <a href="https://throwholics.com/2015/08/day-1-nacac-senior-area-championships/comment-page-1/">60.34m</a> on a day when I found it a little difficult to focus (Russ had competed right before me, and I was so excited that he had gotten the job done!). It was so, so awesome to be there together and imagine what Worlds would be like!<br />
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<u>IAAF World Championships: Beijing, China</u><br />
Russ and I first traveled together to Tokyo, Japan for training camp, which was amaaazing. We loved Japan! Ate legitimate sushi and awesome ramen noodles with good friends, explored a temple and surrounding area, and brought home really, really cool kitchen knives from the tiniest little store vendor. Plus, the people at Juntendo University, where the throwers practiced, could not have been more excited to have us there! Just an awesome time. I continued to get my back worked on and was so excited to see Ty and have throwing sessions with him for the first time since May. I was encouraged by how I was starting to feel physically by the time we left for Beijing. <br />
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Qualifying rounds have gotten to me in the past, but everything I've been through made this experience seem different somehow. I'm so glad I competed as much as I did this year, even if I was exhausted by the end of the season, because I was comfortable out there with so many great athletes all around me. You can't help but feel nervous during qualifying, but I was the most equipped I've ever been to handle it. I can still do better in the future, but I hung on with <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/15th-iaaf-world-championships-4875/results/women/javelin-throw/qualification/series#B">62.21m</a> to grab the last (12th) qualifying spot through to the finals!!! My friend Goldie Sayers had told me the day before that she did some research: She said that the furthest it had ever taken to qualify for a World Championship final was 60.39m, so I believe I set some kind of record, haha. I had a feeling something like that would happen this year, as the automatic qualifying mark was 63.80m, which is WAY further than I've ever seen it. That's a reflection of the depth in the whole world, something I also experienced all year!<br />
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My body (back, knee a little, left shoulder) hurt a little more for finals than it had for qualifying, but I pushed through it the very best I could, and drew on all the experience I've earned traveling from meet to meet. It was really cool to be competing on the very last day of World Championships, as every athlete on the track was trying for a medal. I love being able to draw on other competitions' energy, and have experience doing that just enough to not get distracted! I always want to have fun when I'm throwing, and noticing when others are accomplishing dreams is pretty fun. I could only throw <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/15th-iaaf-world-championships-4875/results/women/javelin-throw/final/series#resultheader">60.88m</a> for eighth place with bad chest positions and a slow left that day. I left the Bird's Nest absolutely thrilled, though. I had traveled to China to compete in World Championships with my husband, and done better than I ever dreamed the first time I came to the same place seven years prior for the Olympics. Plus I made waves in a year that I didn't know if I would be fully confident in my knee at full speed without a brace. So much positive, but my body was breaking down a little, too.<br />
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<u>Zurich</u><br />
The Diamond League Final was only four days after the World Championships final. The flight there was so easy, and adjusting to Europe time after being in Asia is a piece of cake compared to going from the America side! Still, though, my back was totally done. My first attempt resulted in a terrible back-wrenching spasm of pain that was only relieved after Liz let me borrow her foam roller to pop it. After that happens though, getting things to relax really quickly is next to impossible. I was really proud of being tough and improving after that disaster, and very grateful to walk away without any significant injuries. My worst result of the year: <a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/fileadmin/IDL_Default/files/documents/2015/Zurich/Results.pdf">57.58m</a> for ninth. Someday I will figure out how to compete in Zurich! :)<br />
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What a ridiculously busy season, with so many positive and awesome things in it. I'm so, so grateful for my coaches, agents, <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/">ASICS</a>, <a href="http://qalo.com/">QALO</a>, Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center athletic trainers, family, friends, and you for following along. I've learned so much and am already applying it to my mental game for Rio in 2016!<br />
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<br />Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-86927576538664588532015-08-14T20:53:00.001-06:002015-08-14T20:53:54.479-06:00My Personal Opinion (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
I'm an <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/" target="_blank">ASICS</a> athlete. I <b><u>love</u></b> being an ASICS athlete. The mantra, "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body" is something I think about a LOT in this athletic journey. They re-signed me when I tore my ACL<i> in the year that my first contract expired</i>. I could not be more proud to represent this company and everything it stands for. <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships" target="_blank">Beijing</a> will be my third World Championships Team as an ASICS athlete. I have always been bothered by wearing a different company's brand on national teams, and am glad that <a href="http://www.si.com/olympics/2015/08/11/nick-symmonds-usa-track-and-field-team-usa-nike-olympics" target="_blank">Nick Symmonds began a conversation</a> about the professionalism of the language surrounding the requirements that I've always tried to work around myself.</div>
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The article linked in that last sentence <a href="http://www.si.com/olympics/2015/08/11/nick-symmonds-usa-track-and-field-team-usa-nike-olympics" target="_blank">(and again here)</a> by Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated is my favorite one on the subject, and echoes my thoughts on everything that has happened. Here are some additional ones:<br />
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1. There have always been double standards in apparel requirements at major championships. I practice and compete in the regular season in ASICS gear. When I am at a Team USA event, I wear Team USA gear per the (vaguely-worded) statement of conditions and reminders that have always been in place. <b>My teammates at these events who happen to be sponsored by the company that sponsors USATF (Nike) also wear their team-issued apparel, but are permitted to mix in their regular-season gear as well</b>. I have already seen Instagram posts and Twitter photos of my friends in their bright orange, cheetah-print singlets at training camp in Japan instead of a variation of red, white, and blue. I understand why they do this: As an example, I received zero tank tops in my team-issued gear this year-an item of clothing that is a staple in my training. Athletes whose private sponsorship coincides with USATF's are simply bringing enough of their own clothes to get them through a week of practice without doing laundry every other day. Because of the statement of conditions, I don't have that option. And I think that double standard further supports the claim that USATF is "owned by Nike". If I can *ONLY* bring Team USA gear, everyone else should only be permitted to wear <u>Team USA</u> gear. The only reason I have enough apparel to wear is that I've stock-piled the few items of team-issued clothing that I actually like wearing since I started making national teams in 2008.<br />
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2. It seems to me like a lot of people have missed the fact that <b>athletes are permitted to wear unbranded apparel surrounding Team USA events</b>. I bring a lot of these items, as I'm more comfortable in them than a competing brand's clothing, and I make sure by doing so that I'll have enough to wear. Sometimes I think that being "unbranded" at a major championship makes just as much of a statement as wearing ASICS would. I have the team-issued gear, but I choose not to wear it more often than I do. And obviously I love that these rules have never applied to shoes. I ordered <a href="http://www.asicstiger.com/us/en-us/gel-lyte-iii/p/0010225126.5807" target="_blank">these</a> and <a href="http://www.onitsukatiger.com/us/en-us/mexico-66/p/0010236751.0152" target="_blank">these </a>specifically to sport in Tokyo and Beijing! <br />
<img height="240" src="http://www.asicstiger.com/medias/AAC-AT-h438l-5807-0010225126-f-l-primary.png-800x600-solid?context=bWFzdGVyfHByb2R1Y3RJbWFnZXN8NjYzNTF8aW1hZ2UvanBlZ3xwcm9kdWN0SW1hZ2VzL2g3MC9oYzkvODc5ODc2ODIzNDUyNi5qcGd8M2NlYzNkYTUzM2E0MzRlOTBmNGExMDhkODAyNjhhNWI2NjkzMWFmNzNhNWUxODg0MTEyMGRhM2RmN2RkYzMwNg" width="320" /> <img height="240" src="http://www.onitsukatiger.com/medias/AAC-OT-d507l-0152-0010236751-f-l-primary.png-800x600-solid?context=bWFzdGVyfHByb2R1Y3RJbWFnZXN8NjU3MTh8aW1hZ2UvanBlZ3xwcm9kdWN0SW1hZ2VzL2hmZS9oYjgvODc5OTQ4NjIxNDE3NC5qcGd8MmIyYjIxN2E3OGU4YTAwNzQ0NDMwMWMzNWIwMGJkYjNmOWQ3ZTJiZDIwMjEwZmE4ZTkxOGE5MDc5ZTQ5MzQ3MA" width="320" /><br />
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3. Don't get me wrong: <b>I agree with more clearly defining what constitutes an "official Team USA event" at major championships. I just wish that the multitude of athletes sponsored by companies other than the one that sponsors USATF had had a chance to talk about this in Beijing</b>, much like we did in <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/olympics/olympic-news/london-2012-olympics-athletes-rebel-at-social-media-crackdown-banning-them-from-thanking-sponsors-7986713.html" target="_blank">London about Rule 40</a>, first. I'm hoping that this will still happen, but unfortunately Nick won't be there to join the conversation. <a href="https://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/08/12/nick-symmonds-nike" target="_blank">Nick is outspoken</a> and passionate about his beliefs (even if others (including me) don't agree with everything he says). He has proven himself a knowledgeable navigator of the firestorm that is social media (and media in general), which is obviously important in this day and age. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/14/nick-symmonds-speaks-russia-anti-gay-law" target="_blank">He's been "controversial" before</a>. <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/248612-2012-US-Olympic-Team-Trials-Track-Field/video/644253-Nick-Symmonds-talking-about-off-track-shenanigans-and-Paris-Hilton-at-2012-US-Olympic-Trials#.Vc6QQ_lViko" target="_blank">And before that.</a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/business/media/with-a-tattoo-hanson-dodge-bets-on-nick-symmonds.html?_r=0" target="_blank">And before that.</a> I'm not sure that any other current track and field athlete could have played this role like Nick Symmonds, and I told my ASICS rep so when he asked my opinion. While I can't agree wholeheartedly with "burning USATF to the ground" and would never say that contracts written by the organization are piles of excrement (to put it politely as Nick didn't), I can support the quest for increased professionalism in language used to describe USATF sponsor relationships and athletes' obligations to abide by them. <i>And I will</i> at the <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2015/Annual-Meeting/Document-Library.aspx" target="_blank">USATF Annual Meeting in December</a>. There's a<a href="http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/bd/bd29d83c-90e1-41d2-ab9c-08e056b3a7f0.pdf" target="_blank"> link</a> on that page referring directly to the fact that 2015 is a Law and Legislation year, and bylaws can be changed with proper proposals. Here's our chance. Again, <i>I applaud Nick's efforts to get this conversation started</i>, but what Russ and I have talked about and fear is that rash decisions based on one individual's experiences to create controversy around the only revenue stream that keeps USATF afloat will result in loss of that revenue stream, and loss of the sport. What if the <a href="http://www.usatf.org/News/USATF-and-NIKE-Inc--sign-long-term-partnership.aspx" target="_blank">contract that USATF signed through 2040</a> specifically required that statement of conditions? I wouldn't call it <i>good</i> business, but it's a business tactic to intentionally make readers of the statement of conditions assume that the vague wording means they're only allowed to wear team-issued gear. They're ambiguous on purpose in a sort of lie of omission way. So if the statement of conditions was a required stipulation in the contract that USATF signed, wouldn't changing it be a violation of said contract? The company in question has been known to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/sports/with-tape-over-logo-vaulter-brad-walker-loses-nike-ties.html" target="_blank">pull sponsorship suddenly before</a> (and in a similar case with my old training partner). I'm totally speculating here, but that's where my mind went. Legal entities that put these contracts and their supporting documentation in place are professional organizations, and changing the wording of them to better support athletes' individual rights (a worthy goal) needs to be sought after in an equally professional manner. And using inside voices. <br />
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4. It's hard to be a multiple-time World Championship team member sponsored by ASICS, watch Nick Symmonds speak out against a "contract" that I've (along with many others) continually worked around to represent my sponsor anyway, and feel like he has my back. Some of the articles posted on the subject have posed questions about why track and field athletes can't unite in a common goal, and my answer has always been that <b>we're not competing in the same sport</b>. Financially, in terms of personal experiences on international circuits, fan-base-wise, and for other reasons, we have very little to relate to each other on across event groups. It's hard for me to trust Nick Symmonds with speaking for my sport, because his perspective is very different from my own and that of at least one other field event athlete that I know pretty well (my husband :)). I <i>want</i> to trust Nick and all of my fellow athletes, but I just don't know a lot of them. I have loved the opportunity to get to know some people from other event groups on the circuit, and that trend should continue tenfold for us to all be able to cooperate. Similarly, one of the biggest perks of belonging to the ASICS family is that I get to be buddies with Sharon Day-Monroe, Heather Kampf, Becky Holliday, Ryan Martin, Amanda Smock, Alysia Montano, and other diverse and awesome people. I have actual relationships with them because we have actual conversations at meets, and I love cheering them on. If that feeling of camaraderie can expand to Team USA to help us work together, I'll be thrilled.<br />
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5. I thought it was <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/251077-News-from-the-Track-and-Field-World/article/32857-USATF-Clarifies-Contract-Says-Athletes-Can-Wear-Sponsored-Gear-at-Worlds#.Vc5W0vlViko" target="_blank">pretty lame of USATF to state that they wouldn't enforce apparel rules</a> on athletes' personal time in Beijing <i>after</i> all of this business went down, but then I read that Nick was aware that USATF felt that way before August 9th. But <i>then </i><b>I read that USATF was "unaware" that the letter in question (stating that athletes should <u>only</u> bring team-issued gear) went out with the uniforms, and I went back to feeling like that was lame</b>. I remember receiving similar letters in all the shipments of gear I've gotten from USATF over the years, and I've always taken them as mere suggestions. Of course I'm going to bring ASICS gear and my uniform: I always do. I'm traveling directly to Zurich after World Championships, so obviously I need my regular season uniform, and wearing the familiar gear that I love reminds me of the constant support that ASICS provides me at the most essential time. I know that putting this letter on blast only strengthened Nick's arguments, and that's why he did it, but I wish for his sake that he had taken it as a suggestion rather than a rule as well. That doesn't change the fact that it's silly for USATF to have been "unaware" that the letter went out and was worded that way. That long-term major oversight (if that's what it was instead of a subtle attempt at furthering USATF's sponsor image with suggestions veiled as rules) is unprofessional. <br />
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Overall, I'll be ready to have conversations about increasing professional language and definitions in required documents after the season is over. I think that an opportunity was missed for athletes to have this conversation in Beijing instead of on social media (or perhaps in supplement), as there are a lot of athletes with a dog in the fight (By my count, 36 of 62 female athletes are sponsored by a company other than the official USATF sponsor this year. I didn't take it upon myself to compile data for the men.). I'm old enough and experienced enough now to feel like I can bring something to this discussion, and I'd like to do so in a professional manner. I haven't been to a USATF Annual Meeting since 2011 for various reasons, but Houston should expect to see me this year. <br />
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Traveling to Tokyo for training camp <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/olympics/ci_28608727/wingers-throwing-dreams-together" target="_blank">with Russ</a> tomorrow!!!! Now to pack a kaleidoscope of items.Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-31136333299042841112015-05-03T13:01:00.000-06:002015-05-03T20:31:25.543-06:00Longhorn InvitationalSo. Happy.<br />
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I had my third competition of 2015 yesterday at the University of Texas at Austin's last collegiate home meet of the season. I'm three for three on setting new Mike A. Myers Stadium records when I show up at this track!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtfZUkJXmgKY_VLaeIJeHObH__94ub42Q1JeUoWhUircyxlpZz1zpoK0bfSlSWsgUQCSjnpoFE4dE-n8dMtuloe0ywe02QEPBt5O1nC_W75xv-jg5HqCXX2-83AJs-IJk0Qw0avSU1UU/s1600/Jess+Delic+Longhorn+Invite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtfZUkJXmgKY_VLaeIJeHObH__94ub42Q1JeUoWhUircyxlpZz1zpoK0bfSlSWsgUQCSjnpoFE4dE-n8dMtuloe0ywe02QEPBt5O1nC_W75xv-jg5HqCXX2-83AJs-IJk0Qw0avSU1UU/s1600/Jess+Delic+Longhorn+Invite.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gozips.com/sports/track/2014-15/bios/delic_jessica_zp29" target="_blank">Jess Delic of Akron</a> and I after the competition. Photo credit: Jess!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The field of women was small, the weather was pretty great, and my body felt decent after a 13-hour drive from home and a week of new workouts, but lots of rest otherwise. I warmed up really early because the men's competition took an unexpectedly long time, but it was hot enough that it didn't matter much as long as I stayed hydrated and ate something. It was SO FUN to be able to stay warm!! That is sometimes a struggle in Colorado. <br />
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I warmed up on the runway relaxed but with just enough pep to feel explosive and ready for competition, and stopped warming up earlier than I have in probably two years, haha. When you're finally confident, you don't need to take 50 warm-up throws looking for a feeling. Plus, I was trying to manage warm weather for the first time in forever, and didn't want my energy to get zapped before competition even got going.<br />
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My focus in practice lately has been more speed through my crossovers. Coming back from surgery has been a long, slow, careful process of increasing intensity in my throw, and it finally feels like it's the right time to really turn it on. I attacked through the end of the throw a little <i>too</i> well on my first attempt yesterday, and my block ended up right at the foul line with no way to save the throw! I've never ever done that! The javelin's flight wasn't ideal, so I made a note to fix it.<br />
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I backed up for throw number two and attacked the end again. The timing of my legs was great and my block held strong, catching the javelin back and at a much better angle than is my norm. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It flew 66.47 meters.</span> </div>
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If I had kept my chest up and finished the throw even better (and been a bit more closed at the block to let that happen), who knows what the reader board would have said. I also still felt close to the scratch line. Attempts three, four and five all traveled over 63 meters! I tried to keep my chest up better on those ones, but the timing wasn't as good with my legs and that means that I lose the tip of the javelin. I was pretty pumped up for my last attempt, but tired on a rare (for me) hot day and emotionally a little drained, so it only went 59m with terrible flight. Here are the <a href="http://stats.texassports.com/sports/xc_tf/2014-2015/150502_Longhorn_Invitational_results.html" target="_blank">official results</a> (scroll down to "Women Javelin Throw" about halfway down the page). I want to be clear that I compete for <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/" target="_blank">ASICS</a>: I'm working to get the results all corrected.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwuWUexGE_kgaOJ8wsU5YLoUk9m9WpoFTAXXJJQt6GChQvNiLJRBdv_Lqp794mwudasWLSi-llyRiWdWbMWDw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Video courtesy of <a href="http://texassports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5545&path=xc_tf" target="_blank">Fabian Jara Dohmann</a>, my friend at UT. This is 63.21m, my 5th attempt. So much more there.</span></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Favorite things about yesterday:</span></i><br />
1. I threw my <a href="http://www.nemethjavelins.hu/womens-al-carbon-composite-javelins" target="_blank">80m Nemeth</a> on all 6 throws. My American Record implement is a <a href="http://www.nemethjavelins.hu/womens-aluminum-competition-javelins" target="_blank">70m Nemeth "Standard"</a> javelin, but I've known for years that I needed to master higher-quality spears (thanks to an <i>awesome</i> email from Miklos Nemeth himself). At Drake, my 70m Nemeths didn't check in, because after years of throwing them into hard ground, they're now too short to pass inspection. I took this as a sign to not use them in competition anymore. I'm ecstatic that this transition is finally happening.<br />
2. At <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYtx8Xckgg" target="_blank">USAs in 2010</a>, I knew what I wanted to accomplish technically, I felt physically awesome, and throwing 66.67m was what felt like my absolute best, my pinnacle, my 100% top effort. I did not feel like that <u>at</u> <u>all</u> yesterday. I dropped my chest and didn't fully finish the throw, my approach is still shorter than it was even last year as I continue to get comfortable with speed, and it's MAY 3RD. Among other things. So excited. <br />
3. Hard work DOES pay off, and patience is paramount. Related: Trust your instincts. Check out my <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/kara-winger-206356#progression" target="_blank">IAAF Athlete Profile</a> under "Progression" to see my yearly best distances. I haven't thrown over 63 meters in five YEARS. I spent 2011 pretending that my back and hip pain wasn't hindering my performance, and wasn't brave enough to pause competition to address it. That problem lingered into 2012, and I also believed I needed to be super lean to be fast, which decreased my recovery capacity and strength levels and (my opinion) helped me toward a torn ACL. Two years of healing from that surgery have allowed me time to discover the rest of my life and fully recognize the best thing that ever happened to me in <a href="http://www.russthrowsstuff.com/" target="_blank">Russ</a> and our relationship-now-marriage. Through his support (and that of family, friends, <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/" target="_blank">ASICS</a> and my coaches), I finally have confirmation that doing my best to enjoy the process and trusting my own path WILL work out. I threw over 63 meters <u>four</u> times in the Longhorn Invitational, after five years of life lessons, learning, hard work, love, and fun. Struggle can only break you if you let it. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have never in my life felt such affirmation as I did yesterday.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Moving forward. :) </div>
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-70271617329337481352015-05-01T20:11:00.000-06:002015-05-01T20:15:48.785-06:00Relays RecapThis season feels busy so far! I've competed twice, and I'm going to do it again tomorrow. With school, a visit from my parents, enjoying our newly-complete house interior, and travel, I have made no time to blog. Here we are :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://results.flotrack.org/2015/03-25-TexasRelays/Web/Horz.php?EN=126&RN=1&D=3" target="_blank">Texas Relays</a> was my first competition of 2015, and the first one I was knee brace-less for since the 2012 Olympic Trials. While I've been practicing bare-legged all year, meet speed and emotions are a bit different. It was scary! I was nervous! I was all over the place technically! But on my last throw, I gutted out 60.82m. I wish I had video so that I could be baffled by it, but it felt really good to just get competitive and make something happen. The only difference between throws 1-5 and number 6 was energy and a slightly bigger chest.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://results.flotrack.org/2015/04-22-Drake/Web/Horz.php?EN=360&RN=1&D=3" target="_blank">Drake Relays</a> last weekend was really fun. My<a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/" target="_blank"> ASICS</a> family is always awesome to hang out with, the camera guys were rockstars in the cold, my parents and Grandpa came to cheer, <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/athletes/sharon-day-monroe" target="_blank">Sharon</a> threw the javelin with me, meeting and catching up with other javelin girls continues to bring me joy, and my competition bib said "<a href="https://instagram.com/p/13z4TqCHzX/?taken-by=karaewinger" target="_blank">WINGER</a>!" Fellow new wife <a href="http://www.esuhornets.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1261&path=wtrack" target="_blank">Sara Beam</a> was even wearing a <a href="http://qalo.com/" target="_blank">QALO</a>, a brand that Russ and I were recently introduced to and are big fans of! As for the competition, I was overall unsatisfied with 59.07m as my furthest attempt. However, for the first time in what feels like forever, I confidently made technical changes as the meet went its course, and improved on positions to ultimately feel like I threw decently far on purpose, not just with my guts. That's important! The focus of Drake Relays <i>was</i> technique, as discussed previously with <a href="http://acumenperformancegroup.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a>, so I consider it a success. Add even more confidence and speed to that equation and get a throw I love. I'm all about continuing to improve the technique too, duh. I was also okay with my consistency at Drake. Excited for the future. Check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ASICSamerica?fref=ts" target="_blank">ASICS Facebook page</a> for a few videos!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://texassports.com/news/2015/4/21/XC_TF_0421152736.aspx" target="_blank">Competition tomorrow</a> in Austin! It's interesting to be around the NCAA system again as I visit <a href="http://texassports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=916&path=xc_tf" target="_blank">Ty</a> more at University of Texas. I'll be blogging about that and the meet tomorrow soon!Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-10527267654859385712015-01-07T15:16:00.005-07:002015-01-07T15:16:40.692-07:00A Girl and her Medball: How to Train AloneThis is my third January in Colorado Springs, physically separate from both of my coaches (<a href="http://texassports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=537&path=xc_tf">Ty Sevin</a> at Texas and <a href="http://coachmyers.blogspot.com/">Jamie Myers</a> in Chula Vista). Practice yesterday had me thinking again about how hard it can be to train by yourself, but also about how far I've come in succeeding at just that. If you're a people-person like me and find it difficult to work toward your goals alone sometimes, maybe you can learn from my experience!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Challenges:</b></u></span><br />
<br />
<b>Boredom.</b> <br />
Going to the same places and having nothing to distract you from the mundane parts of training can get old. I do a lot of the same repetitious pre-hab training throughout the week. Sprints are exciting, but the rest periods between repetitions often see me twiddling my thumbs. I started a new sprint regimen in practice yesterday, and each rep requires three minutes of rest! That is forever when you're alone! Medball throws can be the same. My 200 reps yesterday flew by, but it was the first day of them. With additional volume comes more down time, and a wandering mind sometimes. <br />
<br />
<b>Loneliness.</b><br />
I used to train with <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Archive-Bios/Mike-Hazle.aspx">Mike Hazle</a>. High-energy, always-moving <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylzVBmCTFEk">Mike Hazle</a>! Practice was constant entertainment and lots of pushing each other. Before Mike, my training partners at Purdue were various and equally awesome. Now, sometimes <a href="http://www.russthrowsstuff.com/">Russ</a> is with me at practice, but he's mostly up on the discus field at the Air Force Academy while I'm down on the javelin runway. I<b> <i>love</i></b> the times we're in each other's near vicinity, but I'm mostly on my own. That has taken me a long time to get used to.<br />
<br />
<b>Feedback.</b><br />
I pride myself on being coachable, and I've always enjoyed throwing sessions in real-time with coaches, discussing which technical issues are going on. That makes it difficult for me to be alone in throwing sessions. I can always tell Ty what I'm feeling in a throw and agree with what he sees, but it's much more difficult for me to tell myself what's happening without someone else's eyes on my technique.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Remedies:</span></u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Mental focus.</b><br />
Boredom provides an opportunity to strengthen your mind. Those three minutes of rest feel long, but if I cut them short, I'm not only giving in to a weak ability to focus on the task at hand, but I'm compromising the physical goals that the training is working toward. I've learned to visualize how the next sprint is going to go during my rest time, and when I do, I push better and I'm faster. Same with timed rest periods during lifting. When you get your full rest, your body is better prepared to complete the next rep, and if you allow yourself to exercise your mind the same way, you're getting even more out of the workout than your coach might have planned. Sometimes training IS mundane, but allowing it to work the way it's supposed to and not giving in to your own silly impatience will reap benefits later. Thinking about the big picture of why I'm at practice in the first place (<a href="http://www.iaafbeijing2015.com/en/">Beijing 2015</a> and <a href="http://www.rio2016.com/en">Rio 2016</a>, for two) also helps me stay in the moment.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIBOfMztycJuC73MPSBDnzqb4Jyw06EvVho2DdKRgYXeAza8WFm359Ixx6HuLWEGxED1slQZR1NfOfJ0mh9ptTl75JTOqGhQzCDwWAQnz6hrC6HFdsdYD5RNJtdnIaKmaBzy-XYA0TJs/s1600/image5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIBOfMztycJuC73MPSBDnzqb4Jyw06EvVho2DdKRgYXeAza8WFm359Ixx6HuLWEGxED1slQZR1NfOfJ0mh9ptTl75JTOqGhQzCDwWAQnz6hrC6HFdsdYD5RNJtdnIaKmaBzy-XYA0TJs/s1600/image5.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding ways to make practice work, even on vacation, is part of mental focus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Gratitude.</b><br />
This plays into big-picture focus, too. The last few years have taught me that taking the time to appreciate the opportunities you have in any moment is a powerful exercise. Mike was excellent at this. Almost every morning he said, <i>"What a great day at the office!"</i><b> </b>I used to have consistent 70-degree weather and beaches, and now I have views of gorgeous mountains and a beautiful new strength and conditioning facility to be thankful for. I also have a healthy body, an amazing relationship that I'm lucky turned into what is so far a really fun marriage, wonderful family, and a fantastic support system that includes my excellent coaches. If you're <i>not</i> grateful for something in your life, change it. Let yourself appreciate where you've come from, and recognize the tools you have around you that will make it a pleasure to strive for your goals. If those are people, tell them thanks. If those are things, be grateful for them every day.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYABclNAT4A3zGBu-k3OXx74oOoNnb357jpxKRmip1oPil4Kuh7sgbHGOAriwiqRVvRhhxXn-U2YvYeKIA13749BRhOMrk3_b3QZTmI8p1V_DN9pyfRF-WXY_Snfj7XKVonmCyAygkZ00/s1600/image3+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYABclNAT4A3zGBu-k3OXx74oOoNnb357jpxKRmip1oPil4Kuh7sgbHGOAriwiqRVvRhhxXn-U2YvYeKIA13749BRhOMrk3_b3QZTmI8p1V_DN9pyfRF-WXY_Snfj7XKVonmCyAygkZ00/s1600/image3+(1).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florida sunrise at the beginning of December on my way to the gym!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0v4ddrWRLKEG9QjuAXQfXAIS2Y7pF1ax-mtfMyLQxGFdc9f10OE8xfaRojG40rD0ZOBMKKeLVcQIX0nu3XSqifF58KA4BaidlBQ94Lv4irnXGytZ52a3EalgCaFOzj8FFxYTEEPFyZk/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0v4ddrWRLKEG9QjuAXQfXAIS2Y7pF1ax-mtfMyLQxGFdc9f10OE8xfaRojG40rD0ZOBMKKeLVcQIX0nu3XSqifF58KA4BaidlBQ94Lv4irnXGytZ52a3EalgCaFOzj8FFxYTEEPFyZk/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tennis courts for shuttle runs by the beach. Grateful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0v4ddrWRLKEG9QjuAXQfXAIS2Y7pF1ax-mtfMyLQxGFdc9f10OE8xfaRojG40rD0ZOBMKKeLVcQIX0nu3XSqifF58KA4BaidlBQ94Lv4irnXGytZ52a3EalgCaFOzj8FFxYTEEPFyZk/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0v4ddrWRLKEG9QjuAXQfXAIS2Y7pF1ax-mtfMyLQxGFdc9f10OE8xfaRojG40rD0ZOBMKKeLVcQIX0nu3XSqifF58KA4BaidlBQ94Lv4irnXGytZ52a3EalgCaFOzj8FFxYTEEPFyZk/s1600/image2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Music.</b><br />
Music at practice was never essential to me until I started training alone. I've never loved throwing with headphones in, though, which makes the <a href="http://www.jbl.com/estore/jbl/us/products/JBL-Charge/JBL%20CHARGE_JBL_US">bluetooth speaker</a> Russ got me for Christmas perfect! I've been obsessed with the wedding playlists I made for us since September, and I don't see that enthusiasm fading any time soon. Some of my absolute favorite songs that I know I'll love forever:<br />
Oh Honey:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15pMHi9h8rI"> "Be Okay"</a><br />
Halestorm: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhOt8hvQ3-8">"Beautiful With You"</a><br />
Hellogoodbye: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qKu8HE38Yg">"Here (In Your Arms)"</a><br />
Alesso: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7SouU3ECpU">"Heroes (we could be) [feat. Tove Lo]"</a><br />
Colbie Caillat: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0oyglKjbFQ">"I Do"</a><br />
Gavin DeGraw: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3BPuQLSow">"I Have You to Thank"</a><br />
Becky G: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50-_oTkmF5I">"Shower"</a><br />
Pick whatever speaks to you, and observe the energy it brings to your training. I used to think that throwing practice needed to be all business to learn from it, but I know now that it needs to be fun when I'm by myself. Plus, typically at bigger competitions there is usually music of some kind blasting, so I even feel like I'm practicing for future situations!<br />
<b>"Training Partners"</b><br />
Sometimes geese show up at throwing practice. When I'm home in Washington, Beau and Brandy observe my training. I might sound like a crazy person, telling the dogs what I'm working on or describing my throwing cues to a flock of honkers, but it works for me! Of course I love when Russ trains with me, and I have great relationships with the coaches and sports med staff at the Olympic Training Center, so real people are involved in certain parts of my training, too. There's an amazing lady named <a href="http://gazette.com/klee-on-new-years-day-colorado-springs-woman-christel-donley-celebrates-by-defying-calendar/article/1543871">Christel</a> who trains at the Air Force Academy, and a lot of Mondays we're at practice together. Chatting with her is always inspirational. Involving the world around you in your training somehow can make you feel like you have training partners, even when you don't. I absolutely treasure trips to the gym with my Dad over holidays and doing abs while my Mom is on the Nordic Track. Bring the people you love most into what you're working toward and you'll feel like they're always with you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tzxTQDE2TvUTfv3P15mEYKhyRBVzcx4idAygmPEjCFI7LgnMnjoXBgG3QPDAhvnDYtM6AIA8ZdsVm9EuIOV_54QOxJfz1lk3poDm6iSkggn9Z3OF0K12FS4E1fC5g7c5Uz6EOhiaZiU/s1600/image1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tzxTQDE2TvUTfv3P15mEYKhyRBVzcx4idAygmPEjCFI7LgnMnjoXBgG3QPDAhvnDYtM6AIA8ZdsVm9EuIOV_54QOxJfz1lk3poDm6iSkggn9Z3OF0K12FS4E1fC5g7c5Uz6EOhiaZiU/s1600/image1+(1).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honkers in Portland at Concordia Throws Center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubwi3zUtAUrxbxwo-2ZDsgf5EmhzXMhknH_aoReU8e7kb2mKmSBRRIRUduup-K2aWqehCSGIXk6oetceO6GMKZ3I_FqXdY47u6ANNLDgoPl5A-obuC58InwTPXdQYtffdJwlLZotNOxM/s1600/image4+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubwi3zUtAUrxbxwo-2ZDsgf5EmhzXMhknH_aoReU8e7kb2mKmSBRRIRUduup-K2aWqehCSGIXk6oetceO6GMKZ3I_FqXdY47u6ANNLDgoPl5A-obuC58InwTPXdQYtffdJwlLZotNOxM/s1600/image4+(1).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beau "helping" me jump.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Video.</b><br />
I have come a <i>long </i>way in self-sufficiency at throwing practice, and a huge part of that is being disciplined enough to bring video equipment with me to record what's happening. Then, I can share it with my coaches electronically. Not only do I get feedback right away in a throwing session, but watching the video later and describing my thoughts via email to Ty helps me analyze what's going on for longer than I would if I had him at practice with me. I can absorb what I'm thinking better by having to communicate with him long-distance, and can then apply it to the next practice more effectively. This is a benefit that I did <u>not</u> see coming! Plus, think how cool it will be to have such detailed documentation of years of my training.<br />
<br />
<br />
Everyone is different. You probably have your own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to training by yourself. What are they? How can you get better? Every new experience allows us an opportunity to improve something. See solitude as a chance to work on yourself rather than a punishment, and you'll be surprised!Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-16866122822685035062014-10-10T16:35:00.003-06:002014-10-10T16:35:48.791-06:00Luzern-on (Catch-Up)<div class="MsoNormal">
HI!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Man, life. I think
that opportunities to look around you and realize just how awesome it is are
abundant, but sometimes it takes a lot for us to notice. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last two years of my life have been…epic? Drastic?
Tumultuous? GREAT. Torn ACL, move to Colorado, surgery, go back
to school, rehab, engagement, buy a house, return to competition, renovate the
house, plan a wedding. Keep up with
family and friends. Make new
friends. SUCH a rich existence because
of the amazing people that I’ve shared all of this change with. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been thinking lately about what it will feel like to be
completely myself again on the javelin runway.
I’m so close to that, but I knew going into surgery that it might be a
long, long time before it happened: In athlete years, injuries stretch
time. Feeling helpless in your own body
is dangerous because you can get reckless and make things worse, so being
prepared to be patient is vital, especially in two years that feel like
four. The conclusion I came to in these
thoughts is that, if we have lofty-enough goals, we don’t feel completely like
ourselves until we’ve surpassed our own expectations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I read this book recently called <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stumbling-Happiness-Daniel-Gilbert/dp/1400077427/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412980325&sr=1-1&keywords=stumbling+on+happiness">Stumbling on Happiness</a></u>. It taught me a lot about memory and
expectations while being entertaining, which was nice! I learned that memory tricks us. In the moment, good things are great!!! They’re great, but maybe not as INSANELY
great as we expect them to be. Then,
over time, we remember them as being just as insanely great as we originally
expected, even though at the time we were happy, but not as crazy happy as we
thought we would be. Regardless of our
feelings in the moment, what we remember later is that we WERE insanely happy! So weird.
So, when I think about my past career and everything that I’m proud of,
I remember feeling even better than I probably did and even happier than I know
I was. The result of all of that skewed
perception is that I won’t be satisfied until I feel better than I remember
feeling and I’m happier with my success than I recall being. I love that motivation. Be better than you were yesterday sort of
thing. I’ve been feeling hints of
surpassing old Kara throughout this season.
But I won’t feel totally like myself on the runway until I’m better than
I’ve ever been. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With all of the change in my life and all of the new
adventures I’ve started (Home ownership!
MBA! Renovation skills! New knee!
Marriage!), I feel like I’m pushing boundaries in literally every area that I
can, and that includes enriching all different kinds of relationships along the
way. The expansion of literally all of
my horizons makes me feel like I’m getting a fresh start in my career, because
I’m sort of a different person. I could
not have asked for a better re-introduction to competing internationally than
this season has given me, and that was extra apparent as I traveled to
Marrakech, Morocco for the second Continental Cup competition of my career.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Vancouver in July, I traveled back to Europe for the
second time in a week to compete in Luzern, Switzerland and my fifth Diamond
League meet of the year in Monaco (one of my favorites!). Just like Rome, though, I hadn’t had time because
of all of the travel to switch up my training since six weeks prior, and my
body knew it and didn’t perform! I
didn’t throw 60 meters in either competition and left Europe again frustrated, but
knowing exactly what happened.
Refocusing and a new training block for a competition in Chula Vista
that USATF put on for us worked, and I had a season’s best of 62.90m at the
very end of July! I’m simultaneously
encouraged and frustrated by these 62-meter distances, because like I mentioned
above, I don’t think I’ll feel truly like myself until I’m BETTER than my
previous self, and my technique is definitely not there yet because of
continued minor distrust in my leg. It’s
coming, though. I can throw far with
technique that I know will only get better over the next two years heading into
Rio.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I forewent another two trips to Europe for the last two
Diamond League meets and a competition in Rieti, Italy because there was just
TOO. MUCH. TO. DO!! in preparation for the wedding. I’m so happy I did so, because I know it was
the right thing to do for my soul and my relationship, and I’m happy to leave myself hungry for the next two
years, as they’re very important :). That being said, I continued to train
around wedding preparations, and I competed in my second Continental Cup
competition on September 13 in Marrakech, Morocco. I simply cannot believe how fortunate I’ve
been to come back like I have this season, thanks to the awesome support system
I somehow lucked into. I didn’t know if
I’d be accepted to ANY overseas meets this year because of my injury hiatus,
but I earned a spot in one of the most exclusive meets of the year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Africa was a new continent for me, and the travel after all
of the wedding stress and not traveling for a month or so was pretty
brutal. I spent the day that I left
being surprised and frustrated by the wedding industry’s inadequacies, and was
on-edge because of that. Not an awesome
way to travel. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, I got my
customary ridiculous amount of sleep before the competition and fought through
some caffeine-withdrawal headaches to make it to the team meeting the night
before, where I found out that the supplied javelins I had counted on when I
didn’t bring my own would not, in fact, be provided. <a href="http://www.lizgleadle.com/">Liz Gleadle</a> to the rescue: She let me check in
her 85m Nemeth-an implement that I regularly practice with but am not super
comfortable using yet when the pressure is on.
Anyway, I was told some javelins would be available at the warm-up area
for competition as well, so I figured I’d just roll with the punches and try to
stay as relaxed as possible. When I got
to the warm-up area, it was getting pretty dark, and no one turned the stadium
lights out by the runway on for me.
Literally as I walked away from my in-the-dark warm-up throwing session,
they turned the lights on. It was sort
of fun to throw in the dark though, and I figured it was the last meet of the
year and anything could happen regardless of my warm-up situation. When you have your shoes and your uniform
(and in my case, my knee brace), you’re good to go. I didn’t take too many warm-up throws because
my volume in practice has been lower and I didn’t want to get tired or lose
whatever snap I had at the end of the season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we get out to the runway (amidst the smallest crowd I’ve
ever seen at an international competition), and the officials are measuring the
sector, with tape stretched back onto the track surface and no end in sight of
the obstruction to our warm-up throws.
We all grabbed javelins and did footwork and stretches and such for a
few minutes, until an official literally snatched the implement out of Kim
Mickle’s hands and ordered everyone to put them back. I’m still not clear on why. But we were not allowed to touch the javelins
for another 20 or so minutes, at which point we each had time for approximately
three trips down the runway before it was time for introductions. All I could think was,<b> “Are warm-ups REALLY
over? No….”</b> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While very few warm-ups is normal at a major championship
meet, it is clearly stated that that will be the case before the
competition. At a meet of this caliber,
it’s insane to me that the officiating was so bad and there was no
communication about what would happen if that kind of warm-up situation was
actually the plan. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I threw worse than I have thrown in <b><u><i>years</i></u></b>. Other people dealt with things better than I
did and had good performances, and I’m happy for them. In the moment, I honestly was happy to walk
away from this competition with a healthy knee and without injuring anything
else on my body, which is all too common when you’re recovering from one thing
and not paying attention enough to another.
I know why I threw poorly: In a season when I needed to know that my
knee was ready to go to have the confidence to do well, it has been really
difficult to deal with other things that are thrown at me. Those “other things” have been few and far
between this year, but pretty much every obstacle I could have thought of was a
factor in this competition, from a brand new culture and area of the world to
the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. I
wasn’t ready for the extreme end of the mental struggle, and therefore I was
guarded physically, really pushy with my right leg, and had no power. The no power thing is probably also because
of stress. Then, I experienced the worst
travel home that I can imagine. I won’t
go into details because I’d rather forget it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am still satisfied with this year as a whole! I couldn’t have asked for a better
re-introduction to the international scene, and I look forward to starting the
next training season fully healthy and knowing exactly what I’m capable of in
the next two years. But now, some
much-needed rest and enjoyment of other happy things in my life!!<o:p></o:p></div>
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-81942436943585886092014-07-14T14:44:00.004-06:002014-07-14T14:44:48.060-06:00Lausanne and Harry Jerome <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Two continents, two weeks, two competitions, two different versions of Kara,
similar end results.</strong></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lausanne, Switzerland is my new favorite European
competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flying into Geneva was fun
because it was pretty countryside, then the mountains that we could see from
the shuttle all the way into the city of Lausanne kept me smiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stadium setting was fantastic, and I
didn’t get treated to the view until competition day because of rain the day
before, so it was a fun surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also had a view across Lake Geneva to France from the hotel, and I always love
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I’d had time to venture
out and find some local food or take a boat or paddle board out, but I was working on a bit of a cold after not getting enough sleep in
<a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.ch/2014/07/rome-nyc-sacramentousas.html">Sacramento</a> (USAs is always so busy).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnMljve-gAlYvmiIv6ES1meFY2N4e3eLkXwiSG7OCsoUYttJrsHljTqaOBlv3kt2bKcCjtMlfhb8LhIQiNRfWET0cYkRBmqYIBdxiw3bTSjJ4pVuiHz7Szu1BH83TmyF7OBTqUF9oyBg/s1600/sunrise+bay+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnMljve-gAlYvmiIv6ES1meFY2N4e3eLkXwiSG7OCsoUYttJrsHljTqaOBlv3kt2bKcCjtMlfhb8LhIQiNRfWET0cYkRBmqYIBdxiw3bTSjJ4pVuiHz7Szu1BH83TmyF7OBTqUF9oyBg/s1600/sunrise+bay+pano.jpeg" height="116" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Geneva outside the hotel the morning I left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The field assembled for Lausanne Diamond League was a <a href="http://www.diamondleague-lausanne.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/Javelin/">really good one</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost all of the girls’
season’s bests were better than mine, so I knew I needed to start the
competition strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After not doing that
at USAs, I was determined to make it happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s usually easy to have energy at the beginning of overseas meets for
me too, if I’m feeling even halfway decent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All I did to throw 61.77m in round 1 was stay a little bit tall and keep
my arm back a tad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I feel any
bit of connection to the javelin these days, I can tell it’s at least a 60-meter
toss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That's fun.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second throw was also over 60m, but the rest of my series
showed my cold and were only around 58m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I got tired, and ended up 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th </span></sup>overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting passed at the end of a competition
and not being able to respond is not a fun feeling, but the fact that I started
this competition well kept me content after this meet, and enjoying the
gorgeous night, beautiful setting, and great performances elsewhere on the track
made it a great experience!</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA12PYs2SiZBNWPKAqraUDEgzdDzxQXF8U2rYyj91HgqHlCO3oBW2GCTcN0tMvJ5Q0523l-BJfMloce8PmwHLMJmP7yoqOlz-MiOE6XLRUSms1LcWBVfXg_OR17YAlA0NJ7u0oP4Pu17E/s1600/stadium+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA12PYs2SiZBNWPKAqraUDEgzdDzxQXF8U2rYyj91HgqHlCO3oBW2GCTcN0tMvJ5Q0523l-BJfMloce8PmwHLMJmP7yoqOlz-MiOE6XLRUSms1LcWBVfXg_OR17YAlA0NJ7u0oP4Pu17E/s1600/stadium+pano.jpeg" height="152" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Athletissima Stadium! Mountains! I gasped when I walked up here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This year when I’ve traveled to Europe, I sleep as much as I
can on the flights over, arrive two days before competition (either morning or
evening), and then continue to sleep as much as possible until it’s time to
throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pretty ridiculous how much
time I spend unconscious when I’m only in Europe for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no reason to try to adjust to the
time zone when I’m just going home again, and my body is awake when the actual
meet is happening, because it’s usually about 10am at home when it’s time to
throw in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem happens the
night AFTER the meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Lausanne, I
spent about six hours pretending to sleep, and when I finally gave up and went
outside for a recovery workout before getting on the plane home, I was treated
to fantastic colors in the clouds over the bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve seen enough amazing sunrises in my day to tell you that they’re
worth waking up for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So pretty!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6qTYeyu2Llr-yhFpSgIzuCcQC0vfRQ98fJrbLuv1e5OFm_rhBI0S76Eg6yR9ZhQ9r5zTyQejklu_xNhe1UI_P1f0x74RiDEOZh6HmMvRBGF0MfmhCCRTPTSpNjynM9fI5C9sdka0WDI/s1600/bay+at+sunrise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6qTYeyu2Llr-yhFpSgIzuCcQC0vfRQ98fJrbLuv1e5OFm_rhBI0S76Eg6yR9ZhQ9r5zTyQejklu_xNhe1UI_P1f0x74RiDEOZh6HmMvRBGF0MfmhCCRTPTSpNjynM9fI5C9sdka0WDI/s1600/bay+at+sunrise.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recovery workout sunrise :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next meet on my schedule was the <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Javelin+champion+Gleadle+ready+Jerome+Classic/10005881/story.html">Vancouver Sun HarryJerome International Track Classic</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
competed at this Vancouver, B.C. meet in 2010 and loved the trip, because my
Canadian family came, I threw well, and I got to spend time with Russell!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time around was no less wonderful, as my
Mom drove up from home home, I got to catch up with my long-lost friend
<a href="http://www.melindaowen.com/">Melinda</a>, and the meet has grown into something really great for athletes and
spectators alike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It's small enough so that you can keep track of everything from the stands and they take really good care of the athletes they bring in!</span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdJW81L0-J-GnBaXJrZMlM-iWUPiIa3wEJAf-l61hT_4nM5BF2JnRWALsFFHy3Tp-p5xWbEUJud5Syr0jgvv1dg7x3qPyNvqgWg9-GtVWEmvvVoMCUlGcs02v-tMoHodVEtNvE-UC9b0/s1600/Mom+and+me!.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdJW81L0-J-GnBaXJrZMlM-iWUPiIa3wEJAf-l61hT_4nM5BF2JnRWALsFFHy3Tp-p5xWbEUJud5Syr0jgvv1dg7x3qPyNvqgWg9-GtVWEmvvVoMCUlGcs02v-tMoHodVEtNvE-UC9b0/s1600/Mom+and+me!.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and me! Lots of quality time lately! :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUxIscZ4O4LUs4cwp6OBNqJN6GdF54E6RqcIIlaYBru-3sHKTNBYMhzQyt65yBkKyla4GcMczFQ_Sz3Sxzn9fpbFLrACOKwHiuk0Y38SLgMxufKicplbCPbzofKWMGc8flC-w9Whdm3U/s1600/Fisherman%2527s+Wharf+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUxIscZ4O4LUs4cwp6OBNqJN6GdF54E6RqcIIlaYBru-3sHKTNBYMhzQyt65yBkKyla4GcMczFQ_Sz3Sxzn9fpbFLrACOKwHiuk0Y38SLgMxufKicplbCPbzofKWMGc8flC-w9Whdm3U/s1600/Fisherman%2527s+Wharf+pano.jpeg" height="100" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisherman's Wharf for dinner on Wednesday. Love love love seafood!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>I consider Vancouver successful for a completely different
reason than I was happy with Lausanne.</strong></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I
was almost over my cold, but my quads were <strong><em>insanely sore</em></strong> for no reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had done the same squat workout I’ve done
for this entire block on that Monday, and by Thursday, especially my right leg
was still super tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No idea what
happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes there isn’t an
answer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I didn’t really know what to
expect out of the competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took
way too many warm-up throws, trying to feel positions that my body was
resisting getting into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the meet
started, I was already tired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My prelims were bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I threw terribly enough times in <a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.ch/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=23">2011</a> to know that it happens, and I
like to think that I learned not to freak out about it that year-that any
competition can be saved by just one throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My first four attempts in Vancouver were really pushy with my right leg,
fairly slow, and very forward, with no discipline to keep my right arm back at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>I can’t understand</em> how our bodies
like to do the exact opposite of what we know will be good for them when
they’re hurting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since my right quad was
so sore, it should have been easy for it to shut down and not push me forward
into my block, but nooooooo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It pushed
and it pushed and it pushed, and it blew my chest down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I talked to <a href="http://acumenperformancegroup.com/about-apg/biographies/dr-wendy-borlabi/">Wendy</a> after Lausanne about conserving my energy
throughout a competition, as like I said, I’d gotten tired there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before my fifth round in Vancouver, I laid
down in a sunny spot in the grass and was just quiet, so I could focus on
positions and get pumped to hit them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All I wanted to do is what Ty told me to before this meet: Attack the
last three steps, stay back and tall, and then explode through the
release.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before that round I had done my
habitual sprint about six people before my turn, some high knees, etc. between
every throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s routine, but not
necessary, and certainly could sap my energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before rounds 5 and 6, I decided to forego my habits and just trust
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of my leg soreness and
continued recovery from sickness, I also felt pretty slow out of the back of my
(admittedly short) full approach, so I added an extra little jogging carry step
to bring more speed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Round 5 was mid-59 meters, because I managed to keep my arm
high and stay tall through my chest, kind of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Round 5 was not enough to take the lead, so I went back to the grass to
repeat what had just worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Round 6 saw
me bring more energy to those last three steps and keep my arm back even
longer, allowing <a href="http://www.harryjerome.com/results/2014-2/2014-harry-jerome-track-classic/">61.56m to take the lead and keep it</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">61.56 meters is exactly my 2008 PR, and I love that
memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>61.56 meters is also exactly 2
centimeters short of the meet record I set at Harry Jerome in 2010, so that’s a
bummer, but since Harry Jerome is now part of the Canadian National Track
League and it wasn’t in 2010, <a href="http://www.nationaltrackleague.ca/news.php">61.56m is now an NTL record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> F</span>un.<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Dq2wrQinWDUbllms57r_HQRE_tpYZxGTDba6OGw3Nx-SgX7qRGcb7EWCxu3KD0sQAxLPcR7HTaG2xKCEhfck-babjPGMWdopfTpyJhJtsgs6uHll40mEAhTET6kcDpEVW45pqhZRAM/s1600/Swanguard+Stadium+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Dq2wrQinWDUbllms57r_HQRE_tpYZxGTDba6OGw3Nx-SgX7qRGcb7EWCxu3KD0sQAxLPcR7HTaG2xKCEhfck-babjPGMWdopfTpyJhJtsgs6uHll40mEAhTET6kcDpEVW45pqhZRAM/s1600/Swanguard+Stadium+pano.jpeg" height="111" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby from the stands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m in Switzerland again for a competition tomorrow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luzern/Lucerne is supposed to be the
prettiest place ever, so I’m excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
It was rainy today but even so, I believe the stories so far!</span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2UnS5NRefmALqNx4pYCRrihHEHxGlnQwbeWnwdSWuk-ZHRjFZLGn-_jpfHrnxIxKfL1KztXwZzyjIBTnO8zd11OMrAeb8nOkUZZMZZHdlCmzucktLJqbBrBv8CqNaNE4O9expOZ0wDc/s1600/covered+bridge+luzern.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2UnS5NRefmALqNx4pYCRrihHEHxGlnQwbeWnwdSWuk-ZHRjFZLGn-_jpfHrnxIxKfL1KztXwZzyjIBTnO8zd11OMrAeb8nOkUZZMZZHdlCmzucktLJqbBrBv8CqNaNE4O9expOZ0wDc/s1600/covered+bridge+luzern.jpeg" height="108" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty covered bridge in Luzern/Lucerne near the hotel. Did abs in there today because it was pouring rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLppEfit5W4SDjvWrTCZgpTLz1V0tcw36FaCA1_RFZjS8CyT0NjTSD6tiSoDmh3ysSKyfLZ38jZu1BPGsIhwpxFTnWohUZcTDXPW6W927Tr9oCb-fbf_EXZs8viHfBcf8fHqKcmuclZg/s1600/Lake+Lucerne.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLppEfit5W4SDjvWrTCZgpTLz1V0tcw36FaCA1_RFZjS8CyT0NjTSD6tiSoDmh3ysSKyfLZ38jZu1BPGsIhwpxFTnWohUZcTDXPW6W927Tr9oCb-fbf_EXZs8viHfBcf8fHqKcmuclZg/s1600/Lake+Lucerne.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Lucerne! Can't wait to see the mountains in the sunshine :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3Wfnv2AE2cF8rUx5i9uolgpKE9oNRlphJWkcq2kSBZnyhP-z1IiZi_wlNX5Wt4wcDv-56whj0twB_1TaVO7wpeP5ZuOTRIz_qEk8qTwgKzxLa4OLlaD3EMKQsa21KeH6wt8t5EEhQT8/s1600/swan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3Wfnv2AE2cF8rUx5i9uolgpKE9oNRlphJWkcq2kSBZnyhP-z1IiZi_wlNX5Wt4wcDv-56whj0twB_1TaVO7wpeP5ZuOTRIz_qEk8qTwgKzxLa4OLlaD3EMKQsa21KeH6wt8t5EEhQT8/s1600/swan.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luzern Swan. They're everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-84805561093025044532014-07-01T15:19:00.003-06:002014-07-01T15:19:24.611-06:00Rome, NYC, Sacramento/USAs!
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last three
or so weeks have been a bit packed, so I’m catching you up on Rome, New York,
and USAs here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div>
<strong><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">I competed in the Rome Golden Gala on June 9<sup>th</sup></span></blockquote>
</strong><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the 1964 Olympic Stadium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I love Rome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve gotten to visit
some of its more famous places and wander a bit in the unknown ones, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is overall beautiful and the weather never
disappoints!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve competed okay here and
I have also been terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
particular performance was on the bad end of the spectrum, and I don’t think I
was really prepared to feel disappointment yet after being simply grateful all
year to just be on the runway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTFkFZ5zOTnbNJvpOkalpmwaCOhRK4zNqR-rzUF89e7fgGyI1VdnksFq6LCgZmjjKdKx5DLk2cnSWEgNFz3pB8r9B4oRum0Ii2Otjw9YeHE3GaYhE4tNB9CzHlDaCjGXkYLkGECSHhJs/s1600/Rome+practice+track+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGTFkFZ5zOTnbNJvpOkalpmwaCOhRK4zNqR-rzUF89e7fgGyI1VdnksFq6LCgZmjjKdKx5DLk2cnSWEgNFz3pB8r9B4oRum0Ii2Otjw9YeHE3GaYhE4tNB9CzHlDaCjGXkYLkGECSHhJs/s1600/Rome+practice+track+pano.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome practice track/warm-up area.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-GaVdsqhxua1ejE8TB8Ifx5vJuSozJzMgVAsfBB2srQUo5ODoYXQnm6kbd4F08CIDm0ZandttvCQhlwV8ncuRu5zP64S_ql38vmoMi-R6p6XZ-nevOdMZ3AyvjXTBplCHCD-qTjj2o/s1600/Rome+practice+track+statues.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-GaVdsqhxua1ejE8TB8Ifx5vJuSozJzMgVAsfBB2srQUo5ODoYXQnm6kbd4F08CIDm0ZandttvCQhlwV8ncuRu5zP64S_ql38vmoMi-R6p6XZ-nevOdMZ3AyvjXTBplCHCD-qTjj2o/s1600/Rome+practice+track+statues.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's very...Roman. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There were 11 girls competing in Rome, and I knew that they
would probably take 8 to finals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
third round, I was in eighth, and <a href="http://www.lindastahl.de/">Linda Stahl</a> was after me in the order and
hadn’t yet recorded a mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a
proven competitor!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew that she would
pass me if I gave her the chance, so I brought some extra energy to the throw,
but didn’t do anything different technically (I continued to let my left hip
collapse at the block and push my chest too early).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No improvement: I <a href="http://www.diamondleague-rome.com/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/Javelin-Throw/">stayed at 57.30m</a> and in
eighth place, and just as I suspected, was passed and ended up ninth (also
known as the first person not to make finals).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Huge bummer and unexpected (and unwelcome) blow to my
still-fragile ego.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I grumpily made the long journey home, but was cheered up by
dinner with good friends in Charlotte during my layover and looked forward to a
day or so of complete rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a new
lift on Monday, throwing on Tuesday was surprisingly fantastic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My chest and shoulders were tight from
different weights than my previous six-week block (we extended it from four
weeks because of all of the competitions I was attending), and having some
pressure in my upper body again REALLY helped me feel positions better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After complaining to Wendy about Rome a mere
three days earlier, having a great practice again made me feel silly for being
so impatient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that my body
was probably just bored in Rome, and that mixing it up in training again might
be just the ticket to prepare for USAs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>New York came first though (on June 14th), and was a good test…<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My travel to New York for the Adidas Grand Prix went a
little differently than I had expected, but I arrived in one piece (and so did
my javelins) and had lots of time on my hands that weekend to write a paper for
my eighth Keller Graduate School of Management class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After finishing that paper and taking my
final this past Tuesday, I am officially halfway done with my MBA!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anyway, New York.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3huqHLSzbpmwLMnLaoeQSIoKFxFU8R5PIHzKxQugGu2DP_XDVHjsaF4lxPWe27PW0Lo_EktIlLf63xN_Tmjr2Sq5pLCVRJn-_bdOs3rSo4B3BSOxBqVWE6E3CtAq8uKaCuWpJnciiSsQ/s1600/NYC+skyline+sunset.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3huqHLSzbpmwLMnLaoeQSIoKFxFU8R5PIHzKxQugGu2DP_XDVHjsaF4lxPWe27PW0Lo_EktIlLf63xN_Tmjr2Sq5pLCVRJn-_bdOs3rSo4B3BSOxBqVWE6E3CtAq8uKaCuWpJnciiSsQ/s1600/NYC+skyline+sunset.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset skyline!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The two other times I have competed at the Adidas Grand
Prix, we have thrown at like 7am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
exaggerate, but really, 9am EST, so at least 7am MST and 6am to me when I was
living in San Diego (PST).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously,
you just have to deal with it, go to bed earlier and throw, but going to the
meet and expecting competition time to be early meant that I was THRILLED to
see that we threw at 1pm this year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy Kara!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite some scheduling and administrative challenges that
the meet officials seemed to have in coordinating with the event officials, the
competition ended up good for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
won’t go into detail here about my slight altercation with the infield-picking
police, because I already gave the meet feedback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to do some advocating for my fellow
javelin throwers as the only American in the field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In round three, I was in sixth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In New York, they take six people to
finals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I needed to improve to
secure my spot-which I’ve done in New York before in the third round-but I
still couldn’t do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to play the
waiting game to see if <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/sweden/sofi-flinck-259319">Sofi Flink</a> would pass me (which she is more than capable
of with a PB over 61m).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was upset with
myself for not being able to respond when I needed to, and feared that I’d have
a repeat non-performance from Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
time, though, I got lucky and made it through, and as soon as that happened I
knew I needed to take advantage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My first throw in finals went 62.47m because I finally held
my left side a bit stronger and hid the javelin behind my head a little
longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fifth round throw traveled
further than 61m, as did my sixth round throw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><a href="http://www.diamondleague-newyork.com/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/Womens-Javelin-Throw/">Three throws over 61 meters and fourth place overall</a> was a very exciting
day for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something clicked, even
though those felt like possibly my worst technical 60-meter throws ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confidence restored.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mgwNF_EvCC6Id-Jf811QOfQmxNtW_f0dXU4yN9PUVwYvClu6mQXRAaWl_fCRLhJ8qUVwUVjm0rC_G6KJSMZehUTWvOtf4OiehNlK4Txrt7FpaZ4Y0zKCd9hbwsRoz9OLxIbEm2ui74A/s1600/NYC+javelin+throwers.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mgwNF_EvCC6Id-Jf811QOfQmxNtW_f0dXU4yN9PUVwYvClu6mQXRAaWl_fCRLhJ8qUVwUVjm0rC_G6KJSMZehUTWvOtf4OiehNlK4Txrt7FpaZ4Y0zKCd9hbwsRoz9OLxIbEm2ui74A/s1600/NYC+javelin+throwers.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies of the 2014 Adidas Grand Prix!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Practice between New York and USAs was better than it has
been for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes training
in Colorado gets hard, because my body doesn’t feel as explosive at altitude,
and there’s not as much air to hold the javelin up, so it flies differently
than at sea level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you feel pretty
good in practice and that’s not reflected in how the javelin is acting, it’s
frustrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not last week, though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt connected to my implement and nice and
relaxed on the runway, but aggressive enough to get my block down at a decent
speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Russ was SO CUTE and came to
watch one of my training sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got
to go home to see my parents and the puppies the weekend before
Sacramento.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life was good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Sacramento was even better.</span></strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>My competition at USAs was the most like myself I have felt in a very,
very long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to extend my
approach past 9 javelins for the first time since Olympic Trials 2012 because I
was bringing more speed into the throw than I have in what feels like
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt powerful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t start the competition well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was extremely nervous at last year’s USAs
because it was my first meet since surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was nervous at this USAs with excited energy, so shaking hands and
being fired up (from not only competition, but injustice to javelin and hammer
throwers) meant my first throw was only 56 meters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took the lead in round two with a 59-meter
attempt by attacking the block a bit better, but my chest was still really
forward and I wasn’t keeping the javelin hidden/my arm back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I knew 59 meters wouldn’t do it for this USAs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were like 6 girls registered for this
meet over 57 meters, so anyone was capable of anything!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is unheard of in the United States!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so excited to be a part of this field
because of the increased level of performance across the board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You go, American girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s keep moving the mark!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My body felt great on Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way I felt physically reminded me of USAs
in 2010 (just post-ACL and a little more careful); really powerful and just
brimming with energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when Brittany
tossed 62.05m in round three, I had more confidence that I would respond than
I’ve had in<strong><em> years</em></strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My attempt in that
round traveled 62.43m, round four was another 59m throw, round five went
60-something, and I finished off the competition with an attempt at
62.28m. <a href="http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USATF-Outdoor-Championships/Live-Results.aspx">I won my fifth national title.</a></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtPK2tBmyKSk-VLebGT-JjpQG4wL5ray6eYKreADgxPSveuKeMgCEyWtgZ8OXMWC43Tr2aGXqFTLCvnZzQAo5urX7ruPutcEcNjYwHf8fYrk3Gg-32pN9D6qQPT3ChzwtbKTJZODhGaA/s1600/Hornet+Stadium+pano.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtPK2tBmyKSk-VLebGT-JjpQG4wL5ray6eYKreADgxPSveuKeMgCEyWtgZ8OXMWC43Tr2aGXqFTLCvnZzQAo5urX7ruPutcEcNjYwHf8fYrk3Gg-32pN9D6qQPT3ChzwtbKTJZODhGaA/s1600/Hornet+Stadium+pano.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stadium view from the podium. We threw outside on the practice track, though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All I did to throw further was move faster, and kind of hold
my left side and kind of keep my arm back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m still really forward, which doesn’t allow lots of pressure to build
in my chest before the throw happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have to stay back (keep my weight over my right hip, kinda) in order to let
stretch between my left foot and my right hand be created, then fight to stay
back and closed to keep building that stretch and pressure until the javelin
accelerates out into the sector!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Timing
is everything, and being forward does not good timing make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while I’m very, very happy to have won a
fifth U.S. National title, I know that I could have had much better results on
the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two throws over 62 meters and a
strong body get me excited for the rest of the summer, though!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7vw8-okq31J7h0TjjEvxPQfN46kM3NUhF3alUO5QNMq3QGP3dRQvS8fGAykdmARUTuGl15R97bd2FdL183x72kZaHCq7R2NrSYgUOIgBuQHOzML7WNCa_vBmAN2aaaUTeY4yfqS57WQ/s1600/plane+wing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7vw8-okq31J7h0TjjEvxPQfN46kM3NUhF3alUO5QNMq3QGP3dRQvS8fGAykdmARUTuGl15R97bd2FdL183x72kZaHCq7R2NrSYgUOIgBuQHOzML7WNCa_vBmAN2aaaUTeY4yfqS57WQ/s1600/plane+wing.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plane sunset with an ocean view on my way home.</td></tr>
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Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-89194889889554522742014-05-31T17:54:00.000-06:002014-05-31T18:05:14.694-06:00Tucson EliteI competed in Tucson, Arizona last weekend at one of the most fun competitions of the year! Every May, the majority of elite American throwers head to the University of Arizona for a meet that features only field events, and focuses on the throws. It's always exciting to see long-time friends and enjoy great weather!<br />
<br />
Two meets are held at Tucson Elite; one on Thursday, and the same format on Saturday. In the past, I've thrown both days (because why not and it's good major championship experience), but this year I knew my knee couldn't quite handle that quick of a turnaround yet. I watched and cheered on Thursday and competed on Saturday.<br />
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Here's the <a href="http://www.coachseye.com/">Coach's Eye</a> video Russ took of my first and best throw:<br />
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<iframe src="http://www.coachseye.com/2xYg/e" style="border: 0px currentColor; height: 315px; width: 560px;"></iframe><br />
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It traveled 59.97m, which is <em>exactly </em>the same result I had in <a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2014/05/doha.html">Doha</a>! <a href="http://tucson-elite-throws-classic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=7325&year=2014&do=info"> Here is the results page</a> for the entire Saturday meet. All six of my throws were better than 56 meters, and my last one felt superior technically to the other ones. I took six hard throws again, and my knee felt great!<br />
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So, this was my third competition of the season right around 60 meters. I'm very forward at delivery, stemming from not accelerating quite enough <em>alllllll</em> the way through my crossovers and pushing with my right leg. Staying back and not pushing is what I have been working on for the last week, and I feel pretty good about it going into my next competition. I'm doing my best not to be impatient with my distances, as seeing the video tells me there's much more there and simply being on the runway still brings me so much satisfaction! A little bit of aggravation helps focus the mind, though, and feeling competitiveness creep back into my system is doing that for me.<br />
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I leave for Rome on Tuesday! Check the <a href="http://www.diamondleague-rome.com/Home/">Diamond League website</a> for results on Thursday if you are so inclined, and see <a href="http://universalsports.com/2014/02/27/2014-diamond-league-viewing-schedule/">Universal Sports</a> for online broadcasting information. :)Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-6857338168065984412014-05-19T21:51:00.000-06:002014-05-19T21:51:06.228-06:00Doha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
A belated recap of the Doha Diamond League!<br />
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<a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2014/05/pre-doha.html">I already told you</a> that my travel was super easy! So my body felt pretty good warming up for competition because I'd traveled well and slept even better upon arrival. I also had<a href="http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Tia-Brooks.aspx"> a great roommate</a> to pass the time with, and got to see <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/athletes/becky-holliday">Becky</a> a lot, too!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hpbHeIllkzxqxo4EY4IOfXnTc5P4KZ1ercywhl6jBS5M2jaB1VJVnQivapoO0vQ3qetFl6qpivUu-ev4XpjDTaU2PCXHcj-Lw6vAa4yjQr017iVNB9xzjXHn_x7VI6ZjeMTMZahKUds/s1600/Persian+Gulf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hpbHeIllkzxqxo4EY4IOfXnTc5P4KZ1ercywhl6jBS5M2jaB1VJVnQivapoO0vQ3qetFl6qpivUu-ev4XpjDTaU2PCXHcj-Lw6vAa4yjQr017iVNB9xzjXHn_x7VI6ZjeMTMZahKUds/s1600/Persian+Gulf.jpeg" height="101" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Persian Gulf: An exploration by Tia and I!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQvPTvMQa0tRzzUKYasm6RSB5wFB8ZPJ6Lf5AEtqlI_CT2N-3y7XPucX0jX7HlgBODSL1w5YWU-5dmCkH9w8twbEIAYFk6P4R3o5rkTllzuqBV0cnmhVKm3iRv_3SD1o8OOcWJnDOVVo/s1600/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQvPTvMQa0tRzzUKYasm6RSB5wFB8ZPJ6Lf5AEtqlI_CT2N-3y7XPucX0jX7HlgBODSL1w5YWU-5dmCkH9w8twbEIAYFk6P4R3o5rkTllzuqBV0cnmhVKm3iRv_3SD1o8OOcWJnDOVVo/s1600/image+%25282%2529.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QR (Qatar Riyal) is pretty!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pm-9YXaNqJu8IChtKFL5g8J0gz8uNX11odjb8oYnXjy6ipueXhxBIE1hPZJQ-fVPh6vq0CEBq634Oj-kV4WW2DThAETiZ2prx0gZsdnZBxuPe3pKq-OpYjvCXdmWbl6XBi-ce2PVCdY/s1600/image+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Pm-9YXaNqJu8IChtKFL5g8J0gz8uNX11odjb8oYnXjy6ipueXhxBIE1hPZJQ-fVPh6vq0CEBq634Oj-kV4WW2DThAETiZ2prx0gZsdnZBxuPe3pKq-OpYjvCXdmWbl6XBi-ce2PVCdY/s1600/image+%25281%2529.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Souq Waqif was fun to wander with Becky, Mary and Danny!</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2010/07/monaco.html">Remember when my javelins disappeared</a> in Monaco? That almost happened again. We were told to check them in two hours before the competition, which <a href="http://www.lindastahl.de/">Linda</a> and I did, but apparently everyone else's implements got taken to the track that morning. When we got out to the runway, our javelins weren't there. Surprise! I grabbed some of the common ones to warm up with, and after Linda handled talking to the officials a bit forcefully, our stuff made it before the competition started. No big deal.<br />
<br />
My series didn't start great, but I had my best attempt on my third throw at 59.97m and was fourth going into finals. I did my best to move up from there, but got passed and <a href="http://www.diamondleague-doha.com/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview1/Javelin-Throw/">ended up sixth</a>. While sixth place is never what I want, I had two 59-meter throws and another one at mid-58m. <i>And </i>those throws were at the end of the series, which is thrilling for me because it means my knee can <b>handle </b>things. I'm looking forward to it holding up even better in the future, and practice since Doha has been encouraging me even more. <br />
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My technique at this meet wasn't fabulous. I was open and didn't accelerate very well to my left, but got a little better as the competition went on, and have been focusing on these things since. My favorite thing about this meet was the fact that I started feeling <b>competitive</b> rather than careful as the series went on. I missed that feeling, and I'm ecstatic to have it back. <a href="http://tucson-elite-throws-classic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=7325&do=news&news_id=260269">Tucson</a> is next!Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-29276627513035904572014-05-08T13:38:00.002-06:002014-05-08T13:38:24.693-06:00Pre-Doha<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3es1hRV1raPdAhP9lMw5w0MkhcSdoSpb9l63iPnUtgJSQTMz9QTyXoXcgFYLAQqw-reLEevqlQhEcJQSbll2Cv8xKCEEb88no1_s6Axg-cVJII8eb4LiQNqk5zdnjMFNvWl3TAZZI5oE/s1600/lufthansa+shadow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3es1hRV1raPdAhP9lMw5w0MkhcSdoSpb9l63iPnUtgJSQTMz9QTyXoXcgFYLAQqw-reLEevqlQhEcJQSbll2Cv8xKCEEb88no1_s6Axg-cVJII8eb4LiQNqk5zdnjMFNvWl3TAZZI5oE/s1600/lufthansa+shadow.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deplaning in Frankfurt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY3nPxeue6DtzWkiaIZWG2dfT0xeguBOnFymIybGSZ11d7UbyKpftA2E3jWCMTh9kvKyBCcgEWhp7Uzi2txpONRq8K_m1ADcG7hQLuhfnnqVA0Wzf5aebQvNuiRRZkDBGK95XtU21s3U/s1600/city.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY3nPxeue6DtzWkiaIZWG2dfT0xeguBOnFymIybGSZ11d7UbyKpftA2E3jWCMTh9kvKyBCcgEWhp7Uzi2txpONRq8K_m1ADcG7hQLuhfnnqVA0Wzf5aebQvNuiRRZkDBGK95XtU21s3U/s1600/city.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City view from the warm-up track!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS6T_ipDv40AH-ne7qXEDyLYzJpxNvwh7JpuKAtryFrwvfzFT7M9zIPQXMZkq5jg0ddxg89VZ_2mw98qlkCgQuhXlFe8J0te4UGwMRPtAeJTDSuWRmdJVqAtJxbeThyxNHodBZbLJ8Mo/s1600/mosque3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTS6T_ipDv40AH-ne7qXEDyLYzJpxNvwh7JpuKAtryFrwvfzFT7M9zIPQXMZkq5jg0ddxg89VZ_2mw98qlkCgQuhXlFe8J0te4UGwMRPtAeJTDSuWRmdJVqAtJxbeThyxNHodBZbLJ8Mo/s1600/mosque3.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doha mosque at sunset from the warm-up track.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4591mudSPty9q0AYm-d0bp1DcT3ZVelieGarPw6RQE858G_VMCZCl_4tpgajVtzWzP9nDmOokG2fMrha2jGGTXqb5m9Yr0H6OQrkjWfus3N9HcGbyQJCM0PcSB05uzprvqiaiwHBlJY/s1600/qatar.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4591mudSPty9q0AYm-d0bp1DcT3ZVelieGarPw6RQE858G_VMCZCl_4tpgajVtzWzP9nDmOokG2fMrha2jGGTXqb5m9Yr0H6OQrkjWfus3N9HcGbyQJCM0PcSB05uzprvqiaiwHBlJY/s1600/qatar.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qatar Sports Club.</td></tr>
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I'm in a new part of the world! I've never been to the middle east before, so this is fun. Qatar is across the Persian Gulf from Iran and a little bit northeast-ish of Saudi Arabia. Denver to Frankfurt was about 9.5 hours, then after a short break Frankfurt to Doha was around 6 hours. I arrived at the hotel at 10:00pm local time Wednesday, and slept for approximately 14.5 hours. :)<br />
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Since I haven't traveled internationally in so long, I was a little anxious to see how my new knee would handle all the sitting still. I had absolutely nothing to worry about! It feels great, and my shake-out at the track tonight made it feel even better. Excited to see what happens tomorrow! Schedule <a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/">here</a> (click "Doha" and then "Startlist/Results") and live stream via Universal Sports <a href="http://universalsports.com/track-field/diamond-league-doha/">here</a>!<br />
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Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-27854515547798281042014-05-06T16:15:00.002-06:002014-05-06T16:15:47.877-06:00Drake RelaysThis is a belated Drake Relays wrap-up post! <br />
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I competed two Fridays ago at <a href="https://twitter.com/DrakeRelays">Drake Relays</a> in Des Moines, Iowa. My family came, <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/">ASICS</a> puts on the meet, <a href="http://www.russthrowsstuff.com/">Russ</a> threw well, and I met some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwSPjphW0XY">cool new friends</a>, so the weekend was fabulous! Unfortunately, I could have thrown better, and my knee didn't feel great.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDFJ-Q9-AsTcv3j4rByiqYnXBW4H8PTucNpPamBGOJxAx1cEwZuSiprSpyy2ttFnmGBSJ3rZpp1Vd58OLNs_E5DcYmnmd4NO0FeCoSS5pXbRJmURMalyx1dSac3-67ExVKB3gv7lM39g/s1600/parents+and+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDFJ-Q9-AsTcv3j4rByiqYnXBW4H8PTucNpPamBGOJxAx1cEwZuSiprSpyy2ttFnmGBSJ3rZpp1Vd58OLNs_E5DcYmnmd4NO0FeCoSS5pXbRJmURMalyx1dSac3-67ExVKB3gv7lM39g/s1600/parents+and+me.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents and I at the <a href="http://www.machineshed.com/">Machine Shed</a>!</td></tr>
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I had a really fun throwing session the Monday before this competition, and I threw pretty hard that day because it was going so well. Surprise! My knee was sore the next day, and it stayed sore most of the week. When I woke up on Friday in Des Moines, it was feeling better, but not totally 100%. "The show must go on!" I thought, and I warmed up okay. The weather was perfect-better than I've seen it since <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYtx8Xckgg">USAs in 2010</a>-and I felt like not taking advantage of such conditions would be a shame! <br />
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My first throw was possibly too relaxed, and I've been pushing with my right leg a little bit again, so I landed forward and that did <em>not</em> feel good on my knee. That throw traveled<a href="http://results.deltatiming.com/tf/2014-drake-relays/140423F360#.U2lc0L7nbmI"> 56 meters</a>, and would have been an okay start if it hadn't made me so uncomfortable. When I'm forward (as is the case when <em>any</em> javelin thrower is forward!), there's too much downward pressure on my leg rather than sort of horizontal pressure that lets me move forward and out toward the sector after my block is down. What happens is undue pressure on the leg, yes, but also pulling down on the javelin and loss of tip control, leading to not-as-good throws. Stay back and<em> then</em> move forward after your left foot is down, people!<br />
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So yeah. I threw 56 meters, tried a few more times to work through the stiffness in my knee with no improvement, and decided to pass my three finals throws. I was disappointed to let such a perfect day slip by, but I knew that resting my leg for my <a href="http://www.diamondleague-doha.com/en/Home/">next meet</a> was more important. Drake was only my second meet of the year, after all, and it's going to take me a bit to learn how to ride this competition bike again. <br />
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Even though I'm now 19 months out of surgery, it will take me a while to figure out just how much my knee can handle in terms of intensity before competition and how much rest I need to get ready for meets. My experience at Drake showed me that I'll have to be smart in how I select the meets I go to this year; it may have been naïve of me to think I could just jump back into a normal schedule in my first full season back in action. It's important to me to use this year as a building block for the next three seasons; 2015 World Championships in Beijing and the 2016 Olympics in Rio are the shining stars in the distance, and preparing myself the best I can for those is paramount.<br />
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I'm traveling to Doha, Qatar today for the first Diamond League meet of the season! This is my first international trip since<a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2012/08/london-2012-knee-story.html"> London</a>, OMG. I'm excited-nervous already. :)Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-15246775135855018672014-03-29T18:52:00.000-06:002014-03-29T18:52:08.162-06:00Texas RelaysI just drove back into Colorado Springs after spending two weeks in Austin, Texas in preparation for the <a href="http://branchsportstech.com/2014_Meets/outdoor/03-26-texasrelays/index1.php" target="_blank">87th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays</a>! Yes, I drove down there because a) plane tickets were super expensive, b) oversize baggage fees for my javelins are super expensive (now more than ever) and c) I wanted to. I listened to <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Divergent-Veronica-Roth/dp/0062024035" target="_blank">Divergent</a></u> by Veronica Roth on the way down and <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Insurgent-Divergent-Book-Series/dp/0062024043" target="_blank">Insurgent</a></u>, the second of the three-part series, on the way home today. Books for fun, YAY! I also refuse to see movies before I've read the books, and I'm going to see it next week.<br />
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<em>Anyway</em>, I competed yesterday! My two weeks of practice with <a href="http://texassports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=537&path=xc_tf" target="_blank">Ty</a> leading up to this meet were good, but <a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2014/03/nerves.html" target="_blank">like I said already</a>, I was nervous. Just like the one time I got to see him last year, I showed up in Austin and was really tight in my upper body: I short-armed the throw a lot and just got away from the pressure too quickly. I've known for a while that this is a problem, but struggled to fix it on my own. I focused on my arm instead of keeping a big chest, lengthening my left arm and initiating the throw with my legs. To fix a technical issue, the majority of the time you need to figure out the cause rather than just address the symptom! I always know what I feel, but visiting Ty helps me figure out <em>why</em> I feel those things. So important.<br />
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So, because of what we worked on in practice, my two main technical cues going into competition were keeping my entire left side solid (related to initiating the throw with my legs) and keeping a big chest at the front of the throw. My other goal was to enjoy myself!! I talked to <a href="http://www.acumenperformancegroup.com/about-apg/biographies/dr-wendy-borlabi/" target="_blank">Wendy</a> on Thursday about how to do that: I had some pictures that make me <strong>happy</strong> printed and stuck them in my binder as a reminder to smile. Nervous energy+happiness+solid technical cues (that I had been visualizing like crazy)? Good stuff.<br />
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My warm-ups felt nice and relaxed, but weren't awesome, which I love. I like to feel connection, but I'm not a big fan of perfect warm-ups. On my first attempt, I was as relaxed as I could be with all those first-meet jitters, led the throw with my legs okay, and remembered to keep a big chest! All of those things could have been executed better and I didn't have much speed on the throw since my approach was a bit short for this meet, but when I looked up, the javelin was invisible. I <strong>love</strong> those throws, and it has been a long time since I've seen one of mine fly that way!<br />
That first attempt was <a href="http://branchsportstech.com/2014_Meets/outdoor/03-26-texasrelays/Result-Horz.php?EN=123&RN=1&ST=Official&D=5">60.45m</a>, which I am thrilled with for a meet that is a month earlier than I would normally open a season, and especially after 18 months of rehab and climbing my way back to throwing confidence. After throw number 1, shaking hands and a congratulatory hug from Ty, my nerves dissipated a little too much, and I didn't have a whole lot of energy for the rest of the meet! My series suffered from a lack of competition mental endurance I think, and even though I know my knee is strong and sturdy, it still hurts a little when I throw hard on it. I'm excited to build that competition experience back up! <br />
<br />
I'll compete again at <a href="http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=1403291">Drake Relays</a>, and I can't wait to see my family (both <a href="http://www.asicsamerica.com/">ASICS</a> and biological, haha)! I'd love to see you there if you can make it. :) Until then, I'm focusing on having a strong left side and nice big chest in practice. So pumped about the next few years!Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-61791882045649607812014-03-25T15:31:00.003-06:002014-03-25T15:31:31.912-06:00Nerves
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m opening my season on Friday morning!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">OMG, I’m opening my season on Friday morning.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8t96mqfKo_bCxH9LfK2Cz_7gnspiF_Wq1CK_yRw2L3JG-aiBKS7WEbTCeEoRs1die0BQo_cG4caM-3U_hDIIU1YjxBHbISWANUz_eCqhnr0s-oxY6rilAS5S08_MupyZ-fKfBeXGSxE/s1600/Mike+A.+Myers+Stadium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8t96mqfKo_bCxH9LfK2Cz_7gnspiF_Wq1CK_yRw2L3JG-aiBKS7WEbTCeEoRs1die0BQo_cG4caM-3U_hDIIU1YjxBHbISWANUz_eCqhnr0s-oxY6rilAS5S08_MupyZ-fKfBeXGSxE/s1600/Mike+A.+Myers+Stadium.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike A. Myers Stadium</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.karapatterson.blogspot.com/2013/11/2014.html" target="_blank">Remember how I said</a> I’d shout my schedule from the rooftops,
and do it early?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do too, and I’m sorry
that I’ve been a chicken and haven’t done that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not only does the 9:30am start time of women’s javelin on <a href="http://texassports.com/sports/2013/10/24/relays_1024134950.aspx?path=relays" target="_blank">Friday atTexas Relays</a> prevent any local high schoolers from coming, but the truth is,
I’m nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I’m in great
shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that all I need to do is
trust the process and trust my body and eventually things will work out, but
that doesn’t stop the nerves from bubbling up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This will be my first full season back from major injury, and I’m
excited about that, but I want to be open with everyone following along about
just the kind of experiences this journey is giving me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Real, semi-gut-wrenching ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been hiding because I’m scared, and
competition will be the only thing that can break me of that fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to throw in higher-pressure
situations to get used to truly throwing harder! Fear has never stopped me before, and it won't now, but I am feeling it.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking back, I felt the same way upon my return to
competition after hurting my back and missing a season in 2007.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My attitude toward throwing has been similar
to what it was that year, and my training this year has been similar to what we
did leading up to 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://texassports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=570&path=mtrack" target="_blank">Ty</a>’s words after
my first throw off the runway with him last Wednesday were, “Oh, Kara, you’re
gonna throw so far this year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wholeheartedly believe him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wholeheartedly believe in myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is just always this nerves hurdle when you’re returning from a hiatus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Expectant nerves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I always expect a lot from myself, in every aspect of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surgery (and subsequent recovery) taught me
how to manage expectation over a long period of time though, and that’s a
lesson I feel like I’m applying now to throwing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2010, I was awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2011, I was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in 2012, when it mattered the most, I was
injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patiently waiting for my knee
to heal and for my body to be ready to throw again has been a huge challenge,
but one I’ll carry with me in this three-season push toward the next Summer
Olympic Games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve always wanted to
throw far, all the time, but both being injured and feeling embarrassed in 2011
helped me see that timing is everything. The build to the most important stage in my sport can take a while, and I need to be prepared to continue being patient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve known this for a long time, but I hadn’t truly learned it until
being forced through the long ACL healing process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing that the road to Rio is still a long
one will help me keep each meet’s results in perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, on Friday, these things are important:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Have fun!</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My nerves will continue to build until then, so I have to remember to
enjoy what I’m doing to be successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Being extra serious when I’m nervous does NOT help me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember enough about competing to know
that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Hit good positions.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m finally getting a little bit of a feel
for the javelin after months of training with overweight implements and
throwing into a net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meet is EARLY
as far as when I “normally” open up my season, so I know that my timing isn’t
there yet, and being disciplined in hitting strong positions gives me my best
shot at throwing far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s ALWAYS
true, but especially early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set a
standard for the rest of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those are the important things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keeping it simple in my first meet will
hopefully let me relax even more about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t need to put extra pressure on myself when I know I’ll already have
tons of built-up nervous energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
have to channel it the right way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ultimately, I’m really looking forward to continuing my
javelin journey again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have this
unyielding dream that I can’t quite grasp yet but I feel every day in my
bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting back on the runway is the
only way to reach for my lofty goals, and I’m embracing the emotions that come
with each step of my process so that I can learn from them later, need-be.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ5lhIUN_etk-DQdH-NNZ3c1RtlKPfZDk9MlTKiCD_-M_XrpJvqqwQUxgIJGs0ccMU-VAE88wvm0Xpxd9mI-KuD8xsCaIsuRAOg8fRHingf8dW0J1qWgYqUH8232im5M_bv7ruiryz4g/s1600/BEVO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ5lhIUN_etk-DQdH-NNZ3c1RtlKPfZDk9MlTKiCD_-M_XrpJvqqwQUxgIJGs0ccMU-VAE88wvm0Xpxd9mI-KuD8xsCaIsuRAOg8fRHingf8dW0J1qWgYqUH8232im5M_bv7ruiryz4g/s1600/BEVO.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bevo, the University of Texas at Austin's living mascot!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Austin is fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Texas Relays looks like it’s shaping up to be a really cool event, and
one that I’ve wanted to attend in the past!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ve met some really great people in the week I’ve already spent here,
and a lot of them are planning to come to the track on Friday, so I’m looking
forward to seeing them in the stands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have every reason to have an excellent experience here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just have to get out of my own way, which I've done before. :)</span>Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521859321458836331.post-16487119210339409402014-02-11T22:18:00.003-07:002014-02-11T22:18:44.224-07:00Video Action!Heeeeey! So, I've been getting more and more comfortable with my knee and my technique with each practice, and wanted to share a bit. In an effort to be totally transparent with you all in this recovery process and climbing back to where I know I belong, I want to talk about the difficulties and the victories!<br />
<br />
December 16:<br />
<iframe src="http://www.coachseye.com/EOqp/e" style="border: 0; height: 315px; width: 560px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
December 19:<br />
<iframe src="http://www.coachseye.com/f7Vs/e" style="border: 0; height: 315px; width: 560px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
January 19 (lower intensity):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz_eXasJXCM9AiVkHeBdiKlI7cYQGvdghxzDk-PKKz4I8_J_Ez3EWydqTVQPurhmsvlMrPzQTkTDw-2XpbVqw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
January 29 (getting better):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwGpzCBQTl04k1Q4hrTxgyUmL5jX6JbJ3fC2i1jjXacD-vcO3sA4QKBkx6uSgFau1LWxwidXP6IZUQIG9GaWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
January 29 (best):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7I9DJIC2M4yYvL38Jj4wVDPCGQcIFz4ki4OtGzUtzi17Sq16AMv86NFL4D7zzygWkqpp0kg684caf_nGVHg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
January 23 (fast forward to about 20 seconds):<br />
<iframe src="http://www.coachseye.com/or7G/e" style="border: 0; height: 315px; width: 560px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
January 27:<br />
<iframe src="http://www.coachseye.com/EDZQ/e" style="border: 0; height: 315px; width: 560px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Things I'm happy about:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Attacking my block. I can't tell you how fun it is to have confidence in my left leg.</li>
<li>Carrying more speed into my throw than I ever could last year, followed by chasing the javelin out over my block. </li>
<li>Controlling the tip of the javelin better than I have in a good while.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">Things I'm working on:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Not pushing with my right leg after my impulse. This is an old, stubborn habit that I knew I would probably need to re-break after surgery. I guess I'm happy with how it's going, but (unreasonably) frustrated with the fact that it reared its ugly head again. I need to give myself a break on this one, but I'm a perfectionist I guess.</li>
<li>The pushing with the right leg makes my upper body shift forward, the tip of the javelin come up, and my left shoulder open. So those are three technical cues that I'm working on, but all of them can be fixed (the way my mind and body work) by waiting to put my right foot down and not pushing onto my block leg.</li>
<li>Carrying more energy through my impulse into the throw. I feel floaty a lot of times, and I don't like it. </li>
<li>Not being blocked off. Allowing my right hip room to move through so I put more power into the javelin. </li>
</ul>
I've been throwing a lot of overweight implements and doing just a ton of ball throws (medball and single arm little weighted ball alike), so I'm really excited about the coming months when I get to throw mostly competition-weight implements. The session in Chula Vista (January 19 above) was the first time all year that I've thrown just 600g javelins, and even though my timing felt a little weird, it was a super fun session!! Excited!<br />
Kara Wingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448525977382094002noreply@blogger.com0