August 28th, day 2 of the IAAF WC decathlon, it was a little after 5 o'clock on a pleasant Daegu afternoon and I had a PR in my pocket and the first spark of the day. I had never been more confident that I would throw big than that day. i always approach the javelin with the same mindset, "go somewhere else in your mind and throw like you want to hurt yourself." In fact, those were the last words I told mario, "I'm going to try to hurt myself". That mentality has enabled me to consistently step up and PR when I need to. It also, put some serious stress on my body.

That's the trick. You can't be scared of hurting or you'll never throw far. To hit a good jav, you have to put your body in some compromising positions and put some serious energy behind it.

So I've got my PR in my pocket on my first throw of the year from a full approach- and it was a messed up approach at that!... So now what? "Let's fix the approach and really put some heat on it!" So we fixed it and missed the strike but it still went promisingly far. So I walk to that back of the runway and talk it over with Mario and we KNOW that if we do this 3rd round throw right, then we'll have a 72m throw and something special. As I walk to the back of the runway, I'm both exhausted and so full of adrenaline that I thought my heart would explode and I may pee on myself during that explosion. Hard to describe, but imagine you're standing underneath the colosseum in ancient Rome and you're next in line to fight for your life. Oh, and you haven't slept in two days!

I'm up. As I take my grip on the javelin, I'm trying to "go somewhere else" in my mind. It's key to "not think" for technical events. I coax the crowd in a rhythmic clap and pause as I collect myself before attempt number three. I start down the runway and draw the javelin back like i just took the safety off my rocket launcher and found my target. I begin my crossovers as patiently as I can so I can accelerate through this thing like intend to "hurt myself". This is, by far, the fastest I've ever been through the impulse of the throw and I land in a near perfect position to strike... and well, I did it.

I hit the javelin with more force that I thought was possible. The throw happens in less that a half second, but in the last part of that half second, I felt and heard a very loud "POP" and sharp "SNAP". My body involuntarily stopped the throw and I crumpled up like a piece of trash, wincing in throbbing pain.

REUTERS/Mark Blinch

I've never had an elbow problem, soreness, injury, etc. so I was a little in the dark about what I was feeling and the doctors had a tough time diagnosing the situation before the 1500m. Thankfully they were there and set me up with some immobilization tapes and I got myself mentally prepared to be uncomfortable and run close to, if not, PR.

... ... ... fast forward.

I'm home, it's one week after my second world title, and I'm still having trouble extending and flexing my elbow. So I traveled to San Antonio to get some images and hopefully, some plans to end this minor discomfort.

The visit was less than what I expected. I was consulted by Dr. Curtis after he read my MRI's. His professional diagnosis was a complete UCL blowout.

Then I woke up. Not from a dream or metaphorically. I literally fainted. I'm not saying it was from the MRI (3.0 tesla) or from the news, but it definitely wasn't from the altitude in san antonio.

On the hour or so drive home, I was on the horn with my mom. She just so happens to work in the same hospital as world renowned orthopedic pioneer, Dr. James Andrews. (Every time you hear of some famous pitcher or footballer needing their money makers repaired, they fly to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama to see him).

This was a no-brainer and before I pulled into my driveway, I had a slot for a consultation and possibly a time for surgery... Tommy John's surgery.

That whole week leading up to my consultation, in the back of my mind, I thought to myself, "there's no way this is a blow out. I feel fine, good even!" But the day finally came and the words came out of Dr. Andrews' mouth "we're gonna go ahead and put you as my last surgery of the day".

Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing to come out a surgeon's mouth. The fact that I would be the last one on the docket meant, as he expained to me and my family, "I won't have anyone after you, so I can take my time and really make this right, you've got to be ready for the olympics so you can win!"

... ... ... fast forward.

It's been 10 days since I went under and I'm doing great, possibly better than great! The first words out of Dr. Andrews' mouth after surgery were "Man, I wish I filmed that one so I can teach people how to do this surgery right!" I don't think there's any better thing for a patient to hear.

I'm well down the road to full recovery and I'm feeling rested. I'm planning on starting fitness cross training next week and will be ready to throw javelin in competition again by April!

I'm looking forward to this fall and my journey towards London 2012! I'll be tweeting the whole way! @treyhardee


I stopped by the Flocasts HQ today to see the Flotrack guys, they took these pics.