Story time!

I have this thing, call it a superstition if you like, where I don’t like to touch my hammer the day of battle. Fortunately, this is easy to maintain at a major championship. I typically check in my competition hammer 2-3 days prior. Not touching it unless I absolutely have to.

Meet day has finally come. I’m clearly vibrating in a way I’ve never vibrated before. Mind you, I also had some extra swag in my step as this was my first competition after signing with Nike. So maybe that was part of it, I can’t say. But my physical state was off the charts.

@the.conscious.queen asked me that morning, “How do you feel?” I replied, “I’m humming.”

I take my time (as I do haha)

Shoes on.

Glove on.

Tacky on.

Time for first warmup. I walk over, pick up my hammer and without thinking exclaim, “wow this feels like a 5k!” I will never forget that feeling. For better or worse, I measured other competitions against it.

(NOTE: it’s not always accurate, so have grace with yourself. The day of my PanAmerican Games record 79.63m, my hammer felt like a HEAVY 16# haha).

First warmup 74+.

Second warmup 76+.

Done.

Still humming.

Hammer still feels like nothing in my hands.

For whatever reason, usually when I was in peak condition (79+ shape), my first throw of competition would be 75 something. I never went easy “to get one in.” That’s just kinda how it worked out.

First throw: 75.21m.

Second Throw: 78.91m.

Off to the races.

Actually, I felt SO good, by the time I was in a position to *really* GIV’R (round 3,4,5), I couldn’t maintain my connection to the tension.

My understanding of the dance with the hammer at this time wasn’t what it is now till a couple years later. This too, is also a lesson in competing at a high level. You have to manage the good with the bad. The difficult to manage with the, I literally can’t do wrong.

There are occasional seeds of regret that my current understanding could have matched with former physical state but what’s done is done. What has come to pass is what was meant for me on MY journey.

Fond memories of this competition. No better place to PB than Eugene in front of your family!

♾