A Day in the Life

At last week’s speech to the Bellevue Overlake Rotary Club, I was asked a question that I’ve received a number of times before: what is a day in the life of a professional* hammer thrower.  As you will see, what sounds like a glorious life is often monotonous.  However, I am nevertheless thankful to have the opportunity to chase this dream and enjoy every day as much as the one before.  Without further ado, here is a typical day in my life.

• 7:00 – Wake up.  This is often closely followed with a check out the window to see what the weather prognosis is and whether Canadian winter has arrived yet.
• 7:15 – 7:45 – Eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day.  Typically includes plain yogurt with granola, a cheese bagel with cream cheese and often lachs, black tea, and bacon or sausage on the side.
• 7:45 – 8:30 – Read newspapers online to catch up on the news back in America.  I’m a Wall Street Journal subscriber and my day always starts there before checking on various blogs and other news sources.
• 8:30 – 8:45 – Stretch out to make sure I’m ready to go for the day.
• 9:30 – 9:45 – Warm up for training.  I will run a half-mile, do some active stretching as well as bounding and sprinting.
• 9:45 – 10:45 – Morning throwing session.  We will typically take 20 throws with various hammers.
• 10:45 – 11:30 – Morning strength training session.  We’ll do weight lifting and related jumping and throwing exercises to build our general and special strength.
• 11:45 – 11:46 – Power shower to wash the mud off.
• 12:00 – 12:30 – Lunch, normally my biggest meal of the day.
• 12:30 – 2:45 – Project time.  This time could be spent doing a variety of things, including being productive and working on my various writing projects.  I also have a weekly massage that fits into this time, and the occasional errand.  This time is also often spent watching television shows or movies online.  Some of my favorite current shows are 30 Rock, Mad Men, and Burn Notice.  I’ll be honest, I also watch Project Runway.
• 3:00 – 3:15 – Warm up again.
• 3:15 – 4:15 – Afternoon throwing session … another 20 throws.
• 4:15 – 5:00 – Afternoon strength training session.
• 5:15 – 5:20 – Shower again.
• 5:20 – 6:00 – Post-training deep stretch and rehab session.
• 6:00 – 6:30 – Dinner
• 6:30 – 9:30 – Evening free time.  Sometimes spent on writing projects, but also often spent reading or catching up with friends.  This time period always includes a tea break accompanied by some variety of chocolate, usually dark and delicious.
• 9:30 – 10:00 – Check in with my lovely girlfriend on the phone (she lives back in Seattle).
• 10:00 – 11:00 – Listen to radio or read in bed before falling asleep.

*I use the term “professional” loosely above.  While I don’t make enough to live on by throwing the hammer, it is my full-time job at the moment and it makes me feel better about my finances to call myself a professional.