Today we play Ireland in our first World Cup match. I'm not sure words can truly describe my emotions right now, but I'll do my best...
Sleep: I've been sleeping like a...no, better than a champ the past few days. I sleep 6-7 hours each night and take at least a 2 hour nap during the day-sometimes doubling up on them. Sleep is the ultimate recovery and relaxation for me. Despite my best efforts though, I still awoke at the crack of dawn and was almost an hour early for breakfast-a bit of my anxiety/jitters revealed here.
Food: Although being a vegetarian on the road is not the easiest or most satisfying, I have managed to intake at least double my fruit requirements over the last week. The sugar in fruit has become my new coffee and also somehow had a calming effect on me. Very weird, but very true.
The real stuff...
Anxiety: I have had nervous jitters for days! I'm typically not one to feel nervous until we take the field and the whistle is about to blow. However, this time around I've been nervous on and off for many days now. It comes in waves and usually can be managed with laughter or a dip in the pool-thankfully both are easily accessible.
Preparation: It can honestly be said that we are as prepared as we could ever be for this match. As a team we have worked incredibly hard on and off the field to prepare our minds and bodies to be in top performance mode today. I have watched more video, done more drills and talked more rugby than ever before. There is not one thing missing from our preparations.
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Fun: I love laughing! I love being around people who like to laugh. I'm fortunate that there are a lot of teammates who enjoy the same space, so there has been quite a lot of laughter here in France. We try to keep our silliness off the field, but people as funny as us can't be held back ;)
Focus: Today we all have one focus. This match against Ireland is all that counts. This is the game we've worked so hard for. We cannot see beyond this game. We have worked this entire cycle, given up much and pushed each other beyond our thresholds for this match. Everything comes down to today and what we display on the field. Of course we cannot control the other team, but we can control our game and our decisions. Today we get to take the field with each other, with our friends and family backing us, with joy in our hearts to represent a country and an ever growing sport. It's game time!
watch on tv: NBC Universal
watch online: universalsports.com
free 48 hour Dish preview (good for one match): http://www.dishworld.com/freepreview
