Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The key to a good shampoo is repetition.

And as it appears for Penn State thrower Kate Johnston, repetition also works to manufacture a career track and field season. This season, Johnston has implemented a new training program that uses repetition to maximize her explosiveness and power when competing.

Each day, Johnston follows the same exact schedule.

She begins the day with a lifting session that consists of four exercises, all done at about 50 to 75 percent of her maximum weight. After that, she throws in some sprints to develop quick feet. Later in the afternoon, she makes her way to the Nittany Lion Track where she makes a total of 30 throws with three different weights. Her best throws for the day are measured and entered into a log. At the end of the week, Johnston calculates the average of her throws and graphs the results. That way, she can eliminate any variables to see what activities really help her better her throws.

"This is pretty much to see what makes you the best athlete you can be," Johnston said of the program. "It's all about being quick and powerful to simulate the way I throw because, basically, an average throw takes about four seconds to complete. So, you're really not dealing with a lot of time."

The switch to the new program came after winter break. Johnston had just endured a frustrating fall during which she suffered from tendonitis in both of her knees, her rotator cuff and her right bicep. On top of that, Johnston also was hampered by a rib dysfunction in her back. Sometimes, she could not even finish her workouts.

Fortunately for Johnston, help was just around the corner.

During break, she attended a throwing clinic in South Carolina. Leading the workshop was the world record holder in the hammer throw, Yuriy Syedikh. It was there that Johnston first caught wind of the program.

After coming back to Happy Valley, Johnston told throws coach Dayna Holston about the program.

"I came back from Christmas, and I told her that I was really excited about this program," Johnston said.

Johnston and Holston agreed that with the injuries Johnston had suffered in the fall, and Johnston's already solid seven years of experience with the throws, this program would be the best fit for her.

Since starting the program, Johnston has already seen her throws flying further than she ever expected. During the indoor season, Johnston hit a personal best throw of 66 feet, 3 inches in the 20-pound weight throw, an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. Later, at the Raleigh Relays, the opener for the outdoor season, Johnston hit a mark of 189 feet, 7 inches in the hammer throw, her best opening mark ever.

"I've never thrown that as my opening meet before," Johnston said. "I'm right on pace to have some good throws by the end of season."

By the end of the season, Johnston would like to eclipse 210 feet in the hammer throw, and judging by the progress she made at the at the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, that seems to be a realistic goal. At the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, Johnston finished second with a throw of 192 feet, 11 inches.

Simple math says that Johnston will hit the 210 feet mark.

If she continues at her pace in the hammer throw during the outdoor season, a increase of 3 feet, 4 inches each meet, Johnston should head into the NCAA Championships with a season-best throw of 212 feet 11 inches.

Not too shabby at all.

"I don't really have a limit placed on myself," Johnston said. "I'd just like to see how far I could throw, this being my last year."

In addition to helping Johnston shatter her previous personal records, the program has also contributed to Johnston staying healthier throughout the long, grinding indoor and outdoor seasons.

"Last year I had a little trouble with working too hard and actually harming my body with over-training," she said. "With this, I know that I'm not going to be over-trained. That I can take care of my body and be healthy and get more throws in."

Johnston added that the repetitious nature of the program reminds her of her days in high school.

"In high school, I would take 30 throws a day," she said. "So it's sort of like reverting back to something that I had already done. So, that gives me comfort."

Johnston has already discussed with Holston the possibility of using the same program with other throwers on the team. After Johnston finishes the season, she will leave all of her results and graphs with Holston, who can later pass the program on to the future leaders of the Nittany Lions throwing corps.

However, Johnston said the program may not work for everyone, especially an athlete who competes in many different throwing events and has to practice multiple throws each day. Johnston thinks that she may have been a good fit for the program because she only does one throwing event per season.

Although she wishes that she would have discovered the program earlier, Johnston said that it has rejuvenated her career for one final hurrah for the blue and white.

"I'm just glad I found it and regained a love and a passion for the sport before I leave it. I'm glad to have a good final year to end on," Johnston said.

And while it may be the last season for Johnston to work with this program, certainly, it will be repeated by others looking to follow in Johnston's footsteps.