Hey bloggers! As I mentioned in the last post, practices have been pretty tough the past month or so. Not to say that I have been doing bad, quite the contrary, but recovery after them is of definite importance. Today I'm not working so I get to catch up on some of my writing. :) yeay!
Starting back in mid November I've was back to struggling with the strenuous track workouts of a 400m hurdler. The workouts are very long, build lactic acid quickly, and require a lot of heart to say the least. Since then though I've made ground breaking progress towards handling them much better. The past two weeks especially have been great and have caused me to learn more about mentally preparing for tough practices.
I've learned these great techniques in a few different places including church, my coach, my teammates and others around me, and my business too. I've learned that when you have to do something difficult it doesn't help to worry yourself about it especially if you HAVE to do it (like really challenging practices). Worrying about it and trying to avoid it isn't going to help me when my coach says "Ready, GO!" Its not something that will change so I have realized that I might as well put in all my effort to do the workouts and earn the benefit from them rather than being scared and happenstancedly (don't try to look that word up, haha) get some type of benefit from it.
It doesn't help to worry or fear for things that are inevitable. Most of the issues I had with my training last year were due to a lack of confidence in my own ability to physically do what was being asked of me. I am now believing that I can do the workouts coach has for me and that he wouldn't give me something just to watch me struggle and fail. He genuinely wants me to get better. Besides, he also reaps a benefit from me doing well when I get that sponsorship or prize money. That being said, I realized that he wants me to get better, EVEN THOUGH he doesn't always say it or express it in the smallest manner, lol. The first thing to do is accept the fact that yes, this will be tough. Secondly, you have to adjust your attitude toward your task and cast out any thoughts of doubt or fear regarding it. You have to think positive and be stronger even though you're hurting, sore, in pain, or whatever the case may be. The last thing to do is enjoy the challenge or with respect to religion thank God for the moment.
Training has been tough, but Im getting more out of it and I've allowed or forced my body to react positively to the pain and challenge of finishing workouts. Personally, I feel like I've made a huge leap toward my dreams and I will continue to keep this attitude and mindset. There are no limits. This is the life of...a champion!!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Importance of Care The Reward Thereof
Hey bloggers hope all is well and your Thanksgiving was filled with great food, good fellowship, and a lot of realizing how blessed you are. Thank You GOD! I know this post is much overdue, but please bear with me. Practice has been really working my body out and I've been completely exhausted the past few weeks straight. It doesn't help that now we have had several days where we can't get much work in on the track due to frigid temps (FL frigid, lol). Anyways, this post ties in with the last one, so I'll give you all a practice update after this post.
We last left off talking about the importance of actually getting your body worked on for everyday people and for athletes alike. Hopefully you enjoyed that one. This post is primarily going to be about the chiropractic care, and my awesome opportunity that I was able to take advantage.
Maybe you've heard good or bad things about chiropractors, but I'll give you a bit more information about my experiences with chiropractors that will hopefully give you insight to make a better informed decision about your own care. The first thing you need to know about chiropractors is that there are a few different types of care. There are everyday chiropractors that adjust your body and you continue to come back, then there are corrective care practitioners. I have experienced both, and they are similar, but there is a stark difference between them.
Regular chiropractors have the knowledge to relieve pressure in your joints, nerves, and align your bones if they are out of place, but the disconnect I've experienced is that they don't teach you about what is happening to your body. Maybe you don't care if the teach you anything, but I feel if Im paying my hard earned money to someone to "fix" an issues I have with my body I want to know why I need it, how it will help, length of time I should expect, and so forth. I have to be in the KNOW, you heard me! Not only to they just allow you to walk through their offices day in and out without explaining what is going on with your body, why it is or isn't helping, etc., but they don't make attempts to permenantly correct the issue either. I don't believe that if you start going to a chiropractor you will become dependent on them. If you go to the right ones you can get the care you need and train your body to correct itself.
My corrective care chiropractor has educated me on the main area of focus for a healthier body and ultimately, life. That thing is the spinal cord, which I'll talk about next. I get my hips, spine, and neck adjusted each week and do the exercises that have been helping to strengthen my bones and muscles around those bones in order to hold position after adjustments. What I get done each week (down from 3 times a wk) is an adjustment for my hips, which are out of alignment by less than 5 degrees. This actually used to cause a lot of tension in my low back and would often affect my hamstrings while running, and since I've started my care I haven't had nearly as much strain in those areas. Imagine running around a track with one leg a little longer than the other ok? lol. It takes it's toll after a while.
The next thing I get taken care of is my spinal cord. Every person has a spine and it is like a hollowed shell that protects your spinal cord. This cord is THE ONE thing, aside from your heart that keeps you living long and strong. It sends all the signals from the brain to the rest of your body including limbs and organs. Imagine what would happen if one of those nerves was pinched because your spine was out of alignment. Maybe this issue occurred in your lower back where the nerve that controls you kidney is housed. The bone on that particular nervewould be clamping on your nerve like a rubberband wrapped tightly around your finger. After a while you finger goes numb and it starts to turn colors due to lack of circulation right? The same thing happens with our nerves. That pinched nerve tries to tell the kidney to clean out the blood system when you eat some bad food, but since you aren't getting 100% power trhough that nerve the signal is blocked and the kidney doesn't get all the instructions. This can cause kidney failure or more damage in your body since it is unable to do its job.
That scenario could go for any of your other organs including the heart. I hope that you can see the importance of having your spine adjusted regularly. I would highly recommend you at least go check out a corrective care chiropractor and get the interim x-rays to find out the facts on your body. From there you can decide what to do.
We last left off talking about the importance of actually getting your body worked on for everyday people and for athletes alike. Hopefully you enjoyed that one. This post is primarily going to be about the chiropractic care, and my awesome opportunity that I was able to take advantage.
Maybe you've heard good or bad things about chiropractors, but I'll give you a bit more information about my experiences with chiropractors that will hopefully give you insight to make a better informed decision about your own care. The first thing you need to know about chiropractors is that there are a few different types of care. There are everyday chiropractors that adjust your body and you continue to come back, then there are corrective care practitioners. I have experienced both, and they are similar, but there is a stark difference between them.
Regular chiropractors have the knowledge to relieve pressure in your joints, nerves, and align your bones if they are out of place, but the disconnect I've experienced is that they don't teach you about what is happening to your body. Maybe you don't care if the teach you anything, but I feel if Im paying my hard earned money to someone to "fix" an issues I have with my body I want to know why I need it, how it will help, length of time I should expect, and so forth. I have to be in the KNOW, you heard me! Not only to they just allow you to walk through their offices day in and out without explaining what is going on with your body, why it is or isn't helping, etc., but they don't make attempts to permenantly correct the issue either. I don't believe that if you start going to a chiropractor you will become dependent on them. If you go to the right ones you can get the care you need and train your body to correct itself.
My corrective care chiropractor has educated me on the main area of focus for a healthier body and ultimately, life. That thing is the spinal cord, which I'll talk about next. I get my hips, spine, and neck adjusted each week and do the exercises that have been helping to strengthen my bones and muscles around those bones in order to hold position after adjustments. What I get done each week (down from 3 times a wk) is an adjustment for my hips, which are out of alignment by less than 5 degrees. This actually used to cause a lot of tension in my low back and would often affect my hamstrings while running, and since I've started my care I haven't had nearly as much strain in those areas. Imagine running around a track with one leg a little longer than the other ok? lol. It takes it's toll after a while.
The next thing I get taken care of is my spinal cord. Every person has a spine and it is like a hollowed shell that protects your spinal cord. This cord is THE ONE thing, aside from your heart that keeps you living long and strong. It sends all the signals from the brain to the rest of your body including limbs and organs. Imagine what would happen if one of those nerves was pinched because your spine was out of alignment. Maybe this issue occurred in your lower back where the nerve that controls you kidney is housed. The bone on that particular nervewould be clamping on your nerve like a rubberband wrapped tightly around your finger. After a while you finger goes numb and it starts to turn colors due to lack of circulation right? The same thing happens with our nerves. That pinched nerve tries to tell the kidney to clean out the blood system when you eat some bad food, but since you aren't getting 100% power trhough that nerve the signal is blocked and the kidney doesn't get all the instructions. This can cause kidney failure or more damage in your body since it is unable to do its job.
That scenario could go for any of your other organs including the heart. I hope that you can see the importance of having your spine adjusted regularly. I would highly recommend you at least go check out a corrective care chiropractor and get the interim x-rays to find out the facts on your body. From there you can decide what to do.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Importance of Care
That is one thing that will always resonnate within me: "Take Care of your body!!!" Something Coach reminds of at least once a week, but the occasional 3/4 times doesn't surprise anyone either, lol.
Hey bloggerz! Sorry for the delay in posting this one, but I've been under the gun to get a few things done. Well, I guess my own gun with a slow trigger and possibly rubber bullets. Ok, ok I was taking my time and just didn't feel like writing the past few weeks, even though this is something I am pretty eager to get out to you. There is just something about a tough day's work on the track that makes everything else seem so unimportant compared to the amount of sleep and recovery your body wants to slouch about in.
Back to the topic at hand. The quote above is from my coach reminding us to continue to take care of our body as athletes. Now you may be thinking that he is talking about eating right and drinking water and such, which he is, but not entirely. The main point he makes with that statement is to make sure we are getting our bodies "worked on" as we call it. This only means that we are making appointments to see any specialists that will aid in our recovery and allow us to keep our bodies in optimal shape from all the mileage (literal, lol) and strength and mental confidence we command of them.
For me this usually means that in a week I'll get an ice bath, a torturous deep tissue massage (hey don't give me that, there is no calming music and sounds of waterfalls in the background, lots of moments of pain comes from them), a epsom salt bath, maybe some accupuncture, an adjustment from the Chiro, icing my knees down several times a week, and stretching each night. It might sound like a lot, but the routine works for me and when Im consistent I usually have really good practices because my recovery is much better or faster.
Taking care of your body is no different for sports athletes than for regular everyday people. Perhaps you could take out a full ice bath and get away with that bruised ankle of yours. I probably wouldn't recommend a deep tissue to anyone who doesn't need it either, unless of course you're just curious, I would applaud you for trying one. These things are what helps our bodies recover and get back into working shape. Icing for example helps to numb the area of pain or inflamation so that when you have endured anywhere from 8-15 minutes and allow your body temp or restore itself blood will flow to the injured area more rapidly. This rapid blood flow creates new blood to come and repair damaged tissue and muscles which will speed up the healing process.
Epsom salt baths are usually done when you are extremely sore, but not bruised or muscles inflamed. The hot bath mixed with salt (to pull out toxins and overload the body with one of the electrolytes that it needs) will not only relax you, but allow your muscles to drain themselves of unwanted material through your pours as you sweat. It is similar to a detox, but not as inclusive. Usually you want to do hot baths or hot packs on affected areas prior to activities to help the stiff areas loosen up some or before bed for ultimate comfort. With epsom salt, I've noticed that my soreness lasts for much less than usual, I can be back running on a sore appendage sooner, and that my muscles have a chance to relax and loosen themselves which can help save you from a muscle pull. Of course you don't want to forget to drink LOTS of water while doing an epsom salt because if will dehydrate you and you will feel those affects the next day for sure.
Now Chiropractic care is something that I've heard several physical therapists and trainers look down upon. One reason is because a chiro has the knowledge or lack thereof to rearrange and adjust your bone structure. Now this is good if your spinal cord or low back or hips are out of alignment, but if you get worked on by someone who knows not what they're doing, they could really mess some stuff up. Honestly and personally though, I like Chiropractors. They not only adjust your body and any bones that have subluxation (misalignment), but also help in the corrective care area to release tension on your nerves. This technique is primarily focused on the spinal cord adjustments that allow nerve relief which can help your body function and operate better or optimally. I'll discuss more about Chiropractors in detail next post.
As you can see taking care of your body is pretty important. These things to take care of your body during aches, pains, and healthy living. Along with these things you can help to improve your health, while living long and strong! Some keys to this are drinking LOTS of water. Think of a lot of water and how much that is to you, then drink more than that, lol. Try to decrease or eliminate stress if possible, detoxify your body when necessary, get plenty of sleep, and eat healthy and supplement your food with those important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. This has been another service announcement from the life of...DK Research.truth. (Not a real website, lol)
Hey bloggerz! Sorry for the delay in posting this one, but I've been under the gun to get a few things done. Well, I guess my own gun with a slow trigger and possibly rubber bullets. Ok, ok I was taking my time and just didn't feel like writing the past few weeks, even though this is something I am pretty eager to get out to you. There is just something about a tough day's work on the track that makes everything else seem so unimportant compared to the amount of sleep and recovery your body wants to slouch about in.
Back to the topic at hand. The quote above is from my coach reminding us to continue to take care of our body as athletes. Now you may be thinking that he is talking about eating right and drinking water and such, which he is, but not entirely. The main point he makes with that statement is to make sure we are getting our bodies "worked on" as we call it. This only means that we are making appointments to see any specialists that will aid in our recovery and allow us to keep our bodies in optimal shape from all the mileage (literal, lol) and strength and mental confidence we command of them.
For me this usually means that in a week I'll get an ice bath, a torturous deep tissue massage (hey don't give me that, there is no calming music and sounds of waterfalls in the background, lots of moments of pain comes from them), a epsom salt bath, maybe some accupuncture, an adjustment from the Chiro, icing my knees down several times a week, and stretching each night. It might sound like a lot, but the routine works for me and when Im consistent I usually have really good practices because my recovery is much better or faster.
Taking care of your body is no different for sports athletes than for regular everyday people. Perhaps you could take out a full ice bath and get away with that bruised ankle of yours. I probably wouldn't recommend a deep tissue to anyone who doesn't need it either, unless of course you're just curious, I would applaud you for trying one. These things are what helps our bodies recover and get back into working shape. Icing for example helps to numb the area of pain or inflamation so that when you have endured anywhere from 8-15 minutes and allow your body temp or restore itself blood will flow to the injured area more rapidly. This rapid blood flow creates new blood to come and repair damaged tissue and muscles which will speed up the healing process.
Epsom salt baths are usually done when you are extremely sore, but not bruised or muscles inflamed. The hot bath mixed with salt (to pull out toxins and overload the body with one of the electrolytes that it needs) will not only relax you, but allow your muscles to drain themselves of unwanted material through your pours as you sweat. It is similar to a detox, but not as inclusive. Usually you want to do hot baths or hot packs on affected areas prior to activities to help the stiff areas loosen up some or before bed for ultimate comfort. With epsom salt, I've noticed that my soreness lasts for much less than usual, I can be back running on a sore appendage sooner, and that my muscles have a chance to relax and loosen themselves which can help save you from a muscle pull. Of course you don't want to forget to drink LOTS of water while doing an epsom salt because if will dehydrate you and you will feel those affects the next day for sure.
Now Chiropractic care is something that I've heard several physical therapists and trainers look down upon. One reason is because a chiro has the knowledge or lack thereof to rearrange and adjust your bone structure. Now this is good if your spinal cord or low back or hips are out of alignment, but if you get worked on by someone who knows not what they're doing, they could really mess some stuff up. Honestly and personally though, I like Chiropractors. They not only adjust your body and any bones that have subluxation (misalignment), but also help in the corrective care area to release tension on your nerves. This technique is primarily focused on the spinal cord adjustments that allow nerve relief which can help your body function and operate better or optimally. I'll discuss more about Chiropractors in detail next post.
As you can see taking care of your body is pretty important. These things to take care of your body during aches, pains, and healthy living. Along with these things you can help to improve your health, while living long and strong! Some keys to this are drinking LOTS of water. Think of a lot of water and how much that is to you, then drink more than that, lol. Try to decrease or eliminate stress if possible, detoxify your body when necessary, get plenty of sleep, and eat healthy and supplement your food with those important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. This has been another service announcement from the life of...DK Research.truth. (Not a real website, lol)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Training
Hey bloggers, I bet you've been wondering what I've been up to huh? Training of course! lol. Yes, we have been training for several weeks now and we just started our 5th week today. I can't believe that we are already 5 weeks into the season! I feel like we just started a week ago, well at least in my mind. My body would tell you that I've been running for near 2 months, lol. Our load and training work is challenging on our bodies at times, so we have to make sure we set aside time to get "worked on" as we call it. You know, I was talking to one of my co-workers at my part-time job and had mentioned that I had a chiro (Chiropractic) appointment that day. It was funny because he asked me why do YOU need a chiropractor with your young and in shape, vibrant (ok let me stop) self. Hahaha. I told him "naw, I mean I need it, but its not what you're thinking, its just maintenance". He looked at me funny and said you say that like ur a car or something. I thought that was funny, but partly true too. We athletes put a lot into our bodies to get a lot out of our bodies. We take care of our pains and aches by getting worked on by chiro's, physio's, therapists, etc. So in a way we could view our bodies as a car analogy and think of it as trying to get premium mileage with minimal wear and tear on the vessel. :)
Coach had hinted that pretty soon we would be heading back to the track and starting to run on it instead of around it. I just didn't know that today would be that day. All in all track workouts are usually more difficult because you have a level surface that gives feedback to your pounding footsteps and you usually don't have to worry about pot holes like you do in the grass. Here in FL we're blessed to train at a facility that doesn't have any track pot holes. With the surface, though, coach expects a lot more out of you and your body does too; its our office! I wish I could tell you that I got on the track for the first time this season for a workout and was pretty cool and did the workout on pace, but I can't. Truth is when we get to our office I can't do anything, BUT get excited, so needless to say the first 450 I did in today's workout was WAY too fast. I felt so good, my legs were light, the sun was warm on my skin, and there was only a very slight wind. I almost got lost and coach told us to slow it down a few times, hehehe.
So we're back on the track running and I hear that tomorrow we get to start some technical work...which means hurdles! I hope that between todays workout and tonight's rest I will be able to calm down enough not to get all stupid on the hurdles. With something as serious as technique, I have to slow it back and focus on the movements and angles. Besides, it just makes it so much easier when we bring all those great practices into competition. I mentioned above about getting worked on. I have a feeling that when I say this many civilians or normie's don't really know what it is, so I'll plan to have a post on it coming soon, maybe even tomorrow. Don't be alarmed by those nicknames, some characters in the track world have some funny names for those who don't train professionally, but it's not derogative, shoot I know plenty of track athletes that would love to not have to worry about what they're eating, how much sleep they get, and how many thousands of miles they have to travel just to force their bodies to adjust to the time and then perform a physical symphony on the track. Truth is, we wouldn't mind being in your shoes, but this is the path we chose, and you chose yours. :) More to come! This is...the life of a professional athlete!
Coach had hinted that pretty soon we would be heading back to the track and starting to run on it instead of around it. I just didn't know that today would be that day. All in all track workouts are usually more difficult because you have a level surface that gives feedback to your pounding footsteps and you usually don't have to worry about pot holes like you do in the grass. Here in FL we're blessed to train at a facility that doesn't have any track pot holes. With the surface, though, coach expects a lot more out of you and your body does too; its our office! I wish I could tell you that I got on the track for the first time this season for a workout and was pretty cool and did the workout on pace, but I can't. Truth is when we get to our office I can't do anything, BUT get excited, so needless to say the first 450 I did in today's workout was WAY too fast. I felt so good, my legs were light, the sun was warm on my skin, and there was only a very slight wind. I almost got lost and coach told us to slow it down a few times, hehehe.
So we're back on the track running and I hear that tomorrow we get to start some technical work...which means hurdles! I hope that between todays workout and tonight's rest I will be able to calm down enough not to get all stupid on the hurdles. With something as serious as technique, I have to slow it back and focus on the movements and angles. Besides, it just makes it so much easier when we bring all those great practices into competition. I mentioned above about getting worked on. I have a feeling that when I say this many civilians or normie's don't really know what it is, so I'll plan to have a post on it coming soon, maybe even tomorrow. Don't be alarmed by those nicknames, some characters in the track world have some funny names for those who don't train professionally, but it's not derogative, shoot I know plenty of track athletes that would love to not have to worry about what they're eating, how much sleep they get, and how many thousands of miles they have to travel just to force their bodies to adjust to the time and then perform a physical symphony on the track. Truth is, we wouldn't mind being in your shoes, but this is the path we chose, and you chose yours. :) More to come! This is...the life of a professional athlete!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Track Teams
Hey Bloggers, whats up! First off I would like to apologize for all those looking forward to a post for a few weeks now. I have been really active in taking my body and training, and all that is on top of my part-time work schedule in "the real world". lol. Basically, I've been busy, busy, busy working hard and preparing for the challenges to come.
Even though track isn't a team sport many training groups consider themselves a team due to the facts that you spend a lot of time getting to know each other, each member usually holds some accountability to the person next to them, and when encouragement is needed everyone is right there cheering you on. Since our season's end (August)we have gathered up several other athletes from around the world to add to our roster. I was surprised and pleased to see ALL of the faces from last year plus several new ones.We now have a pretty big training group, which brings both positives and negatives. Before I get into the new team break down lets back up to the first day of practice.
Of course as an athlete the hardest part of your training generally comes at the beginning when you have to put away the nutter bars, cookies, and ice cream only to burn off those delectable treats during conditioning. It usually takes anywhere between 2-3 weeks to get into decent shape where you are able to start working on important things. Our first day was something of a challenge, but went well. We started the week off with three sets of our regular endurance intervals, which was a bit gruesome, but no one fell out (success, lmbo). We normally don't start that intense, but gotta step up for the World Champ year. By the second day we were on to core exercises that KICK MY BUTT! I have never been a big muscle guy and for that I tend to struggle with exercises dealing with brute strength and body weight. That day I really had to put my goals for the season in front of my face and go after it. The next day I can say that with every step it felt like someone was playing bongos on my butt (Talk about Soreness!). It didn't get any better from there on our Wed plyo day (another challenge for ya boy). After struggling to get my limpy noodles to move like actual legs through all of our exercises I could rest, knowing that the next 2 days were down hill. Thursday and Friday were more sprint endurance and wouldn't have been so bad if my legs didn't feel like Egg Drop soup (you know what Im talking about). Nonetheless I didn't slack at all that week and was able to create the correct outcome in my mind and force the body to do it. Like coach says: I hear it, process it, and simply DO it.
I am so greatful for everything I went through last year because I feel that it made me much tougher and I realized how soft (for lack of better words) I was acting when faced with a challenge. I have broken out of that mindset and am much stronger mentally, which will make all the difference this year. It also helps when your teammates are there doing the drills and hurting just like you are, but pushing each other to finish, and finish well.
Overall we have, I think I counted 18, people in our group with 3 of them being new and 4 others who were back and forth about joining the team late last season. Pretty much have 6 new people starting the season of with us, and I feel that they are all good additions to the squad. They are 3 Ameican sprinters (2 male), 2 sprinters from Curacao, and 2 high hurdlers (American male, and female from UK). Everyone is positive, full of energy, and as most track runners are, quite the character. Despite the big group coach has assured me that I, being the only 400 runner, won't be neglected. That was a big issue for me when I was picking my training group and I believe he will honor his word. I know this was a long post, but now you have the very details of the season's start, so holla @cha boy and drop a comment. This is the life of...a Champion!
Even though track isn't a team sport many training groups consider themselves a team due to the facts that you spend a lot of time getting to know each other, each member usually holds some accountability to the person next to them, and when encouragement is needed everyone is right there cheering you on. Since our season's end (August)we have gathered up several other athletes from around the world to add to our roster. I was surprised and pleased to see ALL of the faces from last year plus several new ones.We now have a pretty big training group, which brings both positives and negatives. Before I get into the new team break down lets back up to the first day of practice.
Of course as an athlete the hardest part of your training generally comes at the beginning when you have to put away the nutter bars, cookies, and ice cream only to burn off those delectable treats during conditioning. It usually takes anywhere between 2-3 weeks to get into decent shape where you are able to start working on important things. Our first day was something of a challenge, but went well. We started the week off with three sets of our regular endurance intervals, which was a bit gruesome, but no one fell out (success, lmbo). We normally don't start that intense, but gotta step up for the World Champ year. By the second day we were on to core exercises that KICK MY BUTT! I have never been a big muscle guy and for that I tend to struggle with exercises dealing with brute strength and body weight. That day I really had to put my goals for the season in front of my face and go after it. The next day I can say that with every step it felt like someone was playing bongos on my butt (Talk about Soreness!). It didn't get any better from there on our Wed plyo day (another challenge for ya boy). After struggling to get my limpy noodles to move like actual legs through all of our exercises I could rest, knowing that the next 2 days were down hill. Thursday and Friday were more sprint endurance and wouldn't have been so bad if my legs didn't feel like Egg Drop soup (you know what Im talking about). Nonetheless I didn't slack at all that week and was able to create the correct outcome in my mind and force the body to do it. Like coach says: I hear it, process it, and simply DO it.
I am so greatful for everything I went through last year because I feel that it made me much tougher and I realized how soft (for lack of better words) I was acting when faced with a challenge. I have broken out of that mindset and am much stronger mentally, which will make all the difference this year. It also helps when your teammates are there doing the drills and hurting just like you are, but pushing each other to finish, and finish well.
Overall we have, I think I counted 18, people in our group with 3 of them being new and 4 others who were back and forth about joining the team late last season. Pretty much have 6 new people starting the season of with us, and I feel that they are all good additions to the squad. They are 3 Ameican sprinters (2 male), 2 sprinters from Curacao, and 2 high hurdlers (American male, and female from UK). Everyone is positive, full of energy, and as most track runners are, quite the character. Despite the big group coach has assured me that I, being the only 400 runner, won't be neglected. That was a big issue for me when I was picking my training group and I believe he will honor his word. I know this was a long post, but now you have the very details of the season's start, so holla @cha boy and drop a comment. This is the life of...a Champion!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Conditioning
Here it is!! The World Championship season is just down the street and the olympic year is soon approaching as well. As you may or may not know this coming 2011 year will be a world championship year, where many outstanding athletes will once again come together represent their countries and compete for medals. This championship event comes around every other year and you can think of it as a lesser publicized Olympic Games competition. Many people will be stepping up their training schedules and coming out of their hiatus' to perform their potentials this season, so everyone must be prepared when they step into that lane aiming to earn a spot on their country's championship team.
Speaking of training harder, I began my second week of fall conditioning yesterday, and am pretty encouraged. Last week was not too bad considering I took a complete month to do NO RUNNING WHATSOEVER!! lol. If you have had a chance to read some of my last posts, you'll know that I did stay pretty active, so I believe that had a large part of my conditioning start. Anyways, the soreness period is slowly leaving (Thank God) and I should be back to running at regular conditioning pace without any soreness. It will be just in time for our official season start on Oct. 25 (2 days after my birthday*). I am ready for this season and have a lot of people pulling on me to stay strong and "keep moving towards my goals". I can tell you from what little experience that I have, that your support team can really get you through some tough times, so I want to personally thank all of you all who have been there for me and will continue to push me toward greatness.
As far as conditioning I would say Im about where I need to be for now and that the next week and a half will get me into the shape I need to be in for practice with Coach Mitchell. This will be my sophomore year in the Pro life, but I feel like it is a rookie year all over again. I had so much confusion and anxiety last year that I didn't know what to expect. Now that I have been through a season and understand what is expected of me and what I should expect, I will be able to have better practices and ultimately better performances. As the season roars to an exciting start I am ready to take the reigns of this opportunity and carpe diem (Latin. seize the day). The life of...a warrior
Speaking of training harder, I began my second week of fall conditioning yesterday, and am pretty encouraged. Last week was not too bad considering I took a complete month to do NO RUNNING WHATSOEVER!! lol. If you have had a chance to read some of my last posts, you'll know that I did stay pretty active, so I believe that had a large part of my conditioning start. Anyways, the soreness period is slowly leaving (Thank God) and I should be back to running at regular conditioning pace without any soreness. It will be just in time for our official season start on Oct. 25 (2 days after my birthday*). I am ready for this season and have a lot of people pulling on me to stay strong and "keep moving towards my goals". I can tell you from what little experience that I have, that your support team can really get you through some tough times, so I want to personally thank all of you all who have been there for me and will continue to push me toward greatness.
As far as conditioning I would say Im about where I need to be for now and that the next week and a half will get me into the shape I need to be in for practice with Coach Mitchell. This will be my sophomore year in the Pro life, but I feel like it is a rookie year all over again. I had so much confusion and anxiety last year that I didn't know what to expect. Now that I have been through a season and understand what is expected of me and what I should expect, I will be able to have better practices and ultimately better performances. As the season roars to an exciting start I am ready to take the reigns of this opportunity and carpe diem (Latin. seize the day). The life of...a warrior
Monday, October 4, 2010
Magic!
Hey hey bloggers whats up!! So the off season continues to bring all sorts of fun, and Im LOVING IT! What have I been up to that has me so excited? Im glad you asked :) This past weekend I had the privilege to secure tickets to the event "enter Legend". this was the theme of the newly built Amway Center where the Orlando magic NBA Team play. I had heard so much about it from the state of the art technology to the comfy seats to the exquisite restaurants on site.With all the hype I couldn't help but be excited. they said they did a great job and boy did the city SHOW OUT for their Magic basketball team! The stadium is 2.5 times bigger tan the old Amway Arena and has more than 3 times the bathrooms available. (I guess that was a major issue at the lat arena). It has the largest center court screen in the country (which is comparable to the Dallas Cowboys screen, in relation to the stadium of course, in Texas). It has 2 restaurants that I saw, 2 lounges to hang out at, 2 open area bar and food locations on the upper levels, and a pretty happening kids zone too. Thats not the only thing though...their practice court is connected to the stadium as a wing that connects right to the back of their locker room. News channels had been interviewing the players prior to the grand opening and they seemed REALLY authentically hype about it.
When you walk into the Amway Center you are welcomed by a gigantic lobby area with 50 foot posters of the several star players on the team. The lobby itself is 80 feet tall and fans must take escalators to the first level. I believe I remember hearing that it has 5 levels in and of itself for seating and entertainment, and every seat has a great view of the court. Even the nosebleed$5 seats that they offer for magic games have a really good view in my opinion. Needless to say the Orlando Magic has a new home and they aren't looking back for one second, except to say "I never would have imagined something this great"! they are enjoying every moment of it and I did too. Im hoping to snatch up a couple home game tickets and check out the live action in the new Center for myself. Even if they're against crappy teams sports venues are fun to attend and can leave you with great experiences. I suggest that everyone who is able to check out the arena at one point or another. Because after all, who knows who you might meet?
When you walk into the Amway Center you are welcomed by a gigantic lobby area with 50 foot posters of the several star players on the team. The lobby itself is 80 feet tall and fans must take escalators to the first level. I believe I remember hearing that it has 5 levels in and of itself for seating and entertainment, and every seat has a great view of the court. Even the nosebleed$5 seats that they offer for magic games have a really good view in my opinion. Needless to say the Orlando Magic has a new home and they aren't looking back for one second, except to say "I never would have imagined something this great"! they are enjoying every moment of it and I did too. Im hoping to snatch up a couple home game tickets and check out the live action in the new Center for myself. Even if they're against crappy teams sports venues are fun to attend and can leave you with great experiences. I suggest that everyone who is able to check out the arena at one point or another. Because after all, who knows who you might meet?
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