Training is as training is. It’s nice to be back on routine again and training full time, but I had a great trip at the convention. It’s always motivating for us top athletes to get together and talk and train. I think if USATF development asked the athletes, they would see we enjoy training with one another and sharing ideas rather than seeing a graph of the top 30 US throwers from the last however many years… But any way.

The Life Of Loree:

My life is pretty good right now overall, I’m healthy (despite my cold), my relationship with my family is improving, I have some very good life long friends here. I am loving living with my roommate and friend Melissa. I like having someone to talk to at the end of the day and share a laugh (okay, maybe an occasional bottle of wine) and very few tears. I have my dog back, Koji, and he has been great having around. Just the little things he does like snuggling or playing really lifts my spirits.

I guess I had a warrant out for my arrest. I got pulled over and didn’t have my current insurance card on me so had to go to traffic court to show proof. However, I wrote down the 15th at 8:30am and it was actually the 13th. It looked close, but after showing up and smiling and finding out I had a warrant and suspension on license and a nice fine, I wasn’t smiling anymore. Okay, maybe I cried in the courthouse bathroom, but it was only three tears.

On top of that, I have to pay closer attention to my taxes. When you make a mistake, everything gets thrown out. I didn’t claim the $28 in interest from my savings account and some other minor mistakes making my return obsolete. So, though I made under $7,000 in 2008 and got all my taxes I paid back, I had to give what I got back to the government plus two years of interest. So, Tuesday I got a bill from the IRS for $1,700. I called to see my options and they asked if I could borrow the money from someone… yeah, no. So, I made up a payment plan and will still be paying a nice little interests on it.

Speaking of spending money I don’t have. Let’s just make it really official that I’m broke when I have to register my car for Colorado and get a new state license. After all the “little” things, my total came up to about $300. Sure, why not, it’s only money.

I came to a point where I just stopped worrying now. I worried because I was close and I was trying to make ends meet. Now, not close anymore, and most things are out of my hands until I get a second job. (I currently picked up an online background checking job, but the pay vs. time doesn’t make it a good primary source of income.)

Job searching, ha! People say being an Olympian will help you. It doesn’t. A bachelor’s degree will help you. Not really. The job market is so saturated here, it’s ridiculous. (I’ve sent out near 30 resumes and filled out applications on line and have had two call backs.) I applied for a job where the qualifications were type 25-35 wmp and high school diploma or inequivalent. I type 75wpm at 99% accuracy with a bachelors. I got a letter saying I wasn’t qualified for the position.

That being said, I understand it’s only a few more years of this. I have a career path and goal I would like out of life post track, so it’s just getting through the now.

Did I mention I hate Christmas time, well, all holidays.

Training:

Okay, on to the positive. :) Training is going well. I’ve been focusing on becoming more of an athlete as I said before and really uping my reps and throws this year. So far, I’ve been healthy, I feel strong and fast for this time of the year. My heavy implements are really flying and my 4k and 3k are pretty good for this time of year. The weight throw is more of a training tool than anything, but the feel is good and I am able to throw with 4 full turns.

I really enjoy my training partners Drew and Brian. Drew, if you remember, placed 3rd at USA’s with a surprise throw of 75m. Well, if you know his last few years of training was spotty at best and could see the changes he is making now, you would see that he is more than capable of going 80. I think he and Kibwe are going to be for sure bets on the 2012 team. It will be nice to have my training parter with me in London! But we are pushing and pulling one another. It’s nice because things that are my strengths, I help him with and things that are his strengths, he helps me with.

Lifting has been going well. I’ve been training a lot of my time with Sam at the AIC crossfit gym (www.aiccrossfit.com). He’s really knowledgeable on overall lifting and is helping me be the best athlete I can be. We’ve talked hours about training and what I’m looking for, our philosophies, etc. And we’ve come to incorporate a program that I think will be my best yet. It takes everything I’ve liked about previous years training and is trailered more towards my strengths. He wants me to put my faith in him for the next two years and see my results. I was hesitant, but a leap of faith isn’t as hard when you can see the path rather than when you can’t and don’t know where it will take you.

News of Sorts:

This next week I will be back in AZ visiting the Young’s and trying to get back my tan. I will be at Mesa training along side Collin (he makes a great training partner) and coaching the kids. If you haven’t heard of Jordan Young or his sister Schyuler and the youngest P.j. I’m sure you will soon. Very talented, hard working kids. And I may be biased but I think they will be very solid hammer throwers.

Indoors looks as if I will open at Millrose. My traveling budget for this year is as far as I can go in my car, so will pretty much be local Colorado/Wyo meets. But it’s not bad when I have 4 DI schools within a two hour drive from my house. I don’t need a big meet to break the AR, I can do it at home in front of my friends and support group.

That’s about it. Thanks for reading and hope your training is going as well as mine (and hope your personal life is a hell of a lot better!)

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