Athletics - Exeter Open

Today, I had the opportunity to go and compete at Exeter again at an Evening Open Meeting. 


My friend Simon said he could get there too so we could throw against each other in the javelin. There were other events I could pick from too but number one goal was to get a 50m+ throw in so I could climb the Power Of Ten rankings a bit.


On the drive over I was contemplating Hurdles, High Jump or Long Jump as extra events in order to practice for the Decathlon. I was feeling a bit bloated though so running at full pelt didn't feel very appealing. I decided when I got there to try Hammer for fun, and then Shot and Javelin. 


First up was the Hammer. Now I've done this once before at Hull on a specific coaching day, about 20 years ago (!) and remember spinning round and then when I let go of the hammer I went flying into the netting of the cage! I therefore chose to just do standing throws, so swing it round and lob it as far as you can without all that fancy spinny stuff!


The hammer is 7.26kg on the end of a wire, which is the same weight as the Shot Put, so it's pretty heavy. When you start swinging it round your head you have to keep your balance whilst also trying to accelerate it up to full speed and when you come to throw it you have to keep your arms long and straight to get the most out of it. It's quite tricky to get the timing right. My first round throw was 26m or so. One of the competitors told me that was pretty good and that 25-27m is good for standing throws. Of course I wanted to be better than 'good' so I tried my hardest to get 30m. The next 5 throws were all between 28m and 28.90m (PB) which was my best throw. I enjoyed it, was pleased with the result and most of all I didn't get injured!


After the Hammer, the Javelin and Shot Put were starting at the same time. I decided to run to the other end of the stadium, get a couple of quick puts in if possible and then run back to focus on the javelin. I did 3 warm up throws - about 11.70m, 11.80m and then an attempt at a glide which flew out to about 12.40m! (my PB before tonight was 11.35m). It felt good and with the recent weight training I've been doing, I felt stronger and more powerful. I can't remember my exact distances in the competition, but my best was a standing throw of 11.68m (PB) and I didn't get the magic 12m I wanted this time. The last 3 throws I did I got the timing wrong and the technique went to pot. At least I know I am capable of a 12.50m - 13m if I can practice and get it right.


Javelin - I had run back to the javelin after a couple of Shot Puts and changed my trainers for the javelin boots  - no time to prepare, just get on the runway and chuck it. I had a very poor first throw, about 46m I think. I had pulled across the javelin and not hit it through the point. The next one was worse, too low and the same problem. After having run back to Shot and run back to Jav again, I was able to focus a bit more on the last couple of throws. My 5th round was better, but still only 48m or so. In the last round, I focused on turning my hand in and keeping the arm straight in the withdrawn position and then planting the left foot and bracing myself against it - BINGO - I got the magic twang and hit it much better, 51.56m (SB), target achieved. A flash of pain went up the right hand side of my spine as the energy transferred up through my legs and then through the hips and then spine. The pain goes after about 30 seconds but it's a good pain as you know you've harnessed the power properly. 


Pleased with the results and had a really enjoyable evening of athletics. My friend threw 58.98m which is slightly down on his recent best but he was relatively happy too.


As an aside - I had chosen to wear my Scotland T-Shirt which I'd kept hold of from when I represented them. A Scottish fellow asked me if I was Scottish and I told him I'm an Anglo-Scot and threw for Scotland as a Junior International. He said his son was aiming to do the same so I asked to meet him. He was 12 years old and I told him about how I started and what I was throwing when I was 14 - 43.43m. At 12, he's almost done 40m so I told him he was well on course for getting an international career if he sticks with it and works hard. He said - "Cool T-Shirt" - I looked down at the emblem and realised it was 17 years old!!! I told him he'd earn his own one day.