Wednesday, June 27, 2012

365 DAYS!

today marks the year out date for the 2013 7s world cup! what better a day to start back on the blog train : ) it's been quite awhile and i suppose a lot has happened since we came home from the last tour (we came in 2nd place btw).

training: HARD! we've stepped up our lifting and running training quite a bit. we now lift 4 days/week, run long intervals twice a week, do speed, agility and reaction training sessions, have regular rugby skills sessions, as well as classroom learning sessions. it's been pretty busy around here. i feel really strong and am very happy with the lifts our new strength coach is putting us through. the workouts are killer hard, but really great. the intervals are kicking my butt and i'm putting in some extra training time to up my endurance-totally worth it, but ugh!

recovery: this is a huge focus for us right now. we're in the off season, so we have lots of time to train hard, build strength and endurance, but also to take care of our bodies. ice baths are key-as are our weekend recovery sessions. stretching is a must, as usual..we just bought matching stretching bands! fitness nerds ; ) the pool is becoming a very dear friend. i find myself there a few times a week to loosen up tight muscles and allow my body to relax a bit after hard sessions.

nutrition: we have all been better about understanding how what we eat effects our bodies in training. i've added more carbs to my diet in order to have some energy during sessions. we took detailed food and training logs over some weeks to work out the kinks. now we've begun putting some new things into practice and are charting the results-keep you posted here. so far i've only had a few carb+ sessions, so it's hard to tell. go carbs! : P

relaxation: down time is always necessary and it especially helps me stay focused when necessary. i've taken up knitting, yes i'm a grandma now, and it's the best new hobby i could have. i love it and there's always something new to make! i could go on, but i'd just be giving you fuel to make fun of me : ) i also love to read, so i do A LOT of that-and good book recommendations out there???

ok enough from me for now-i'll be back soon. we head into 15s camp this weekend, so i'm sure there will be lots to blog about : )

tomorrow i rise with only 364 days to prepare..keeping my mind right and pounding the pavement!