Making the transition from college athlete to working professional while continuing to train at a high level is notoriously difficult. In John Langhauser’s case, it took some time for him to figure out the balance between his job as a software developer in Norwalk, CT, and his twice-daily workouts. Evidently, though, the balance has been adequately struck: Langhauser will be representing Nike CPTC in the men’s shot put at the USA Indoor Nationals this weekend.
Langhauser joined CPTC last year after a somewhat disappointing indoor season. A graduate of Yale and the Ivy League champion in 2006 and 2007, he responded well to the structure and camaraderie that CPTC provided: “Joining the club solidified my outdoor schedule, giving me a set of meets I could go to as well as high-performance meets I could train and peak for. It was also great to be on a team again and have familiar faces at all the meets I went to.” At outdoor club nationals last year, he helped CPTC and his new teammates claim the overall combined title by setting a meet record with a throw of 18.28m, just shy of his PR of 18.48m.
With his training schedule now more solidified—once a week he works out with former Olympian Anna Mahon at Yale, and other times he throws on his local gym’s basketball court—John is excited about this weekend’s competition, which he qualified for at the BU Valentine Invitational (17.63m). “My training has gotten more stable these last few weeks and I feel very good going into the meet,” he said. “I am very excited to get to throw at this level of competition and very grateful to have been accepted. I’m trying to stay relaxed and focused in the next few days, and am setting my ultimate goal to get a taste for this level of competition and throw within my capabilities. If I do that I think I can have a great meet and set myself up for an excellent outdoor season.”
The men’s shot put will take place at 4:55pm on Sunday, March 1st; best of luck to John!