Hello! Winter is getting long and cold here in Minneapolis! The past two weekends have had air temperatures of negative digits well into the teens and negative wind chills nearing -40! It is crazy! It definitely makes training a little more difficult when you don't want to go outside or your car won't even start. But we do what we can here in Minnesota when the weather get ridiculous.
All that aside, I am ready to take a trip to Florida and see some sunshine and maybe get a tan. I definitely need to get away from the cold and throw discus a little outside. It gets a little monotonous throwing into a net daily and being inside all the time, but spring is around the corner. March usually brings a nice thaw here.
My volunteer position at the Boys and Girls Club is still a good time. I am looking forward to being outside with the kids and doing some track and field stuff with them that I am unable to do in a gym full of kids. I can tell the kids are getting anxious to be able to play outside as well. I am still hoping to get the boys group started at the club. Myself and a fellow employee of the club are trying to get it started. It will take some organization of all the boys at the club and some planning, but it will be a good time for the kids and myself.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Good Progress
Hello again! It's been a few weeks since I last wrote. Things are continuing to progress in a good direction for me with my training in preparation for the beginning of the outdoor track and field season. I have decided to focus my energies into throwing the discus this season. Originally I was going to try and throw shot put, but with deep thought I came to the conclusion that my best chance for making an Olympic team would come from throwing the discus. I am excited and feel good about my decision. This past Friday I had a chance to test my progress with a small indoor discus competition. I had a couple good throws that impressed me considering where my training is at right now. I'm ready to get going with the track and field season and more than ready to be outside and traveling to compete at meets.
Things are continuing to go well at the Boys and Girls Club here in Minneapolis. I had a few weeks off while I was back home for Christmas break. Since I've been back one employee and myself have discussed the idea of putting together a group for just the boys at the club. We have talked about the possibility of talking about fitness and nutrition. I will also take advantage of this opportunity to teach the kids more about track and field and hopefully take them to some meets. We hope to put this group together in about two weeks. It should be fun!
Things are continuing to go well at the Boys and Girls Club here in Minneapolis. I had a few weeks off while I was back home for Christmas break. Since I've been back one employee and myself have discussed the idea of putting together a group for just the boys at the club. We have talked about the possibility of talking about fitness and nutrition. I will also take advantage of this opportunity to teach the kids more about track and field and hopefully take them to some meets. We hope to put this group together in about two weeks. It should be fun!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Getting Started
Hello to all! This is my first blog and I'd like to take the time and bring things up to date. A lot has gone on this past year for me. I started the 2007 year with a big move out to San Diego, California to train at the Olympic Training Center. It was a great training experience and a life changing experience. I met a lot of awesome people out there and actually was first introduced to In The Arena through my room mate at the time, Gabe Jennings. I trained out in California through August and came back home for my off season. Things were going great until I found out I was no longer a resident at the Olympic Training Center. What I thought was a sure bet was not, and I had to scramble to figure out how I was going to make things work for me during this upcoming Olympic year.
I made the decision that I would move back to Minnesota and get myself an apartment in Minneapolis and train. I was disappointed that I was no longer able to stay in California but at the same time I was excited to be back in Minneapolis where I was comfortable. I spent most of the fall months searching for an apartment and trying to hold a steady workout schedule as well I could. I was definitely not ideal. It was a highly stressful time for me. I had no money, and no place to live in Minneapolis. I commuted frequently from my home near Rochester, MN and sometimes would spend the night on friend's couches just so I could train on the University of Minnesota campus and search for places to live. It was a desperate time. I was saved though when I was accepted to be a part of In The Arena.
Becoming a part of In The Arena made my difficult times a little easier to cope with, I'm incredibly thankful for the help. I began my community project at the Boys and Girls Club in south Minneapolis. I began just after the Thanksgiving weekend. I go in nightly from 5 until 8 when the club closes. It works out perfectly with my schedule, allowing me to train during the day and spend a few hours in the evening hanging out with some pretty neat kids. It's a nice break away from training for me to go and volunteer at the club. I look forward to going each day. There is never a dull moment working there. The kids have so much personality and I have found them to be very accepting. I'm definitely looking forward to spending the year working with them.
I'll be sure to blog regularly to keep those of you interested informed about what is going on in my life from training to working at the Boys and Girls Club through out this Olympic year as I work towards earning myself a spot on the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Team.
I made the decision that I would move back to Minnesota and get myself an apartment in Minneapolis and train. I was disappointed that I was no longer able to stay in California but at the same time I was excited to be back in Minneapolis where I was comfortable. I spent most of the fall months searching for an apartment and trying to hold a steady workout schedule as well I could. I was definitely not ideal. It was a highly stressful time for me. I had no money, and no place to live in Minneapolis. I commuted frequently from my home near Rochester, MN and sometimes would spend the night on friend's couches just so I could train on the University of Minnesota campus and search for places to live. It was a desperate time. I was saved though when I was accepted to be a part of In The Arena.
Becoming a part of In The Arena made my difficult times a little easier to cope with, I'm incredibly thankful for the help. I began my community project at the Boys and Girls Club in south Minneapolis. I began just after the Thanksgiving weekend. I go in nightly from 5 until 8 when the club closes. It works out perfectly with my schedule, allowing me to train during the day and spend a few hours in the evening hanging out with some pretty neat kids. It's a nice break away from training for me to go and volunteer at the club. I look forward to going each day. There is never a dull moment working there. The kids have so much personality and I have found them to be very accepting. I'm definitely looking forward to spending the year working with them.
I'll be sure to blog regularly to keep those of you interested informed about what is going on in my life from training to working at the Boys and Girls Club through out this Olympic year as I work towards earning myself a spot on the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Team.
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