A Day In The Life..........

It is approximately 4 months until Worlds now and the actual training for this event is beginning. Every year has been a bit different for me depending on what part of the year I have an injury of some kind. This year I injured myself in late winter which has made my spring training a bit on the slow side. Also this years injury is more serious so it will take longer for me to get into swing. It has caused me some worry that I will not be able to prepare the way I would like to for Worlds. This is when discipline is really important. I have to be able to let myself heal and build up slowly. I have raced and trained for many years now so I trust that my body knows what to do if I don't get in my own way.

So right now I am swimming three mornings a week doing 3,000+ yards and cycling three days a week putting in around 100 miles. I have to be careful with the cycling not to over do it which is hard when all your friends are tearing around and whooping it up! I spend a lot of time riding alone...it is a good thing I find myself very entertaining! At this point you may have guessed that my injury is related to running. I have not run now for three months and am just now beginning to jog for 5-10 minutes once a week.

And as if that were not enough on top of a full time job in education, a family, a house, pets, garden, other interests, friends, there are still more components of my training. I have realized over the years that both strength training and flexibility are as important as endurance and speed so while race training I put in one day a week of core/muscle training and try to stretch every day (I will admit this is my weak link). In my busy schedule I will tend to give this up and that is my hugest mistake...I believe it is what causes me injury problems. The cherry on top are the appointments for Active Release Therapy, Chiropractor and Massage.

Lastly one of the most helpful elements of training is mental. It is hugely important to maintain my normal life. Spending time with my husband, children, and friends and doing the other things I love makes me a better athlete because I am relaxed and happy. Visualizing myself racing in top form, actually visualizing the entire race and how I am doing it enhances my abilities and puts it all together....and the best part of this is you can do it lying down!! Till next time....................