I am finishing up my first week of the 2013 training and I feel like my body wants to just fall apart. I come in every day and push my body to its physical limits; not just in the strength but also how much pain my body can handle. Don't get me wrong, just like any person I dread the pain; I see it coming when I read "Hill Workout" on the my program my coach writes me. I complain 90% of the time, but secretly I think it's to hide a level of joy I get from such pain.

Practices have been around 2 hours and I get about a 20 minute break to drive to the weight room and drink a protein shake before another 2 hour lifting session. I would like to think that by this point I am over the hard part of the day and that it's all downhill from here on out, but my protein shake is a reminder that the workout is not over but only just begun and that I need fuel if I am going to make it through the lift. My lifts to me are just as hard, if not harder some days as my practice. My muscles are already fatigued from the previous day, but I have to go in and work just as hard as I did when I was in peak physical shape just before the Olympic Trials.

I end each day contrasting between the ice bath and hot tub to flush the lactic acid in my muscles, and hopefully give me a fighting chance for tomorrow's workout. And just before I finish my workout I tell my coach how much I hate her for the pain she has put me through that day. Sounds harsh but I mean in it in the nicest, sweetest way possible.

You see, I get enjoyment out of the pain. I get a sense of excitement from the pain, because I know I have pushed my body to its limit and it has to adapt, grow, and strengthen to keep up with my workouts. These are the exact traits I need in order to achieve my goals in track and field. So this pain I feel is my barometer of how well I am doing to getting to my goals. My goals are 9-10 months away from now and my pain will be my measure of the progress to my goals.

Glory to God, Stay Healthy, Throw Far. 2012

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