TESTS, MEETINGS & DIVINE INTERVENTION  February 9^th 2009

Breakfast this morning was at 9:00 am, which meant that we had to move quickly in order to eat and be ready for departure for training at 0930am.

We were intended to have our running tests on the field this morning, but as soon as we arrived in the lobby, ready to leave, the heavens opened and we had to move to a nearby gym instead. I don’t think our trainers were overly excited about getting their fancy measuring equipment all wet,  and we were certainly not overly upset about the divine intervention and deluge of rain, so the decision was made to stay indoors.

Instead of running the yoyo beep test, we did our jumping tests at the local Gold’s gym. We were not given much space to work in, so warming up was quite an event. We were put through a new aerobics workout.

Now I knew before this little performance that I was bad at keeping rhythm, so I was not thrilled to have this deficiency highlighted in front of the new staff. Others, I might add, but naming no names except for Amy Walsh, thoroughly enjoyed the quasi-dance session. Some of my fellow athletes really got into it all, and were sweating more than they do after an international match. I was not!

We had a decent enough workout, probably the best we could have done in such a tiny room. And, the testing went well enough. That is, other than Jodi ripping up the measuring tape on every other jump. I was embarrassingly tired after this session, so I gratefully slunk off to bed straight after lunch.

We were not given long though, before we were back up and leaving for our fitness running test and second practice of the day. Departure from the hotel was at 2:30pm. This time, our practice was held at a local Velocity gym, where our testing beepy things were being set up as we arrived. Such apparatus is not one of my favourite sights.

We were put through 20 meter sprints, then a 20 meter shuttle and then an agility exercise. And, while we waited for our turn, we were kept busy with some skill assessments. In all, it was a light enough practice, but still tiring as we were all quite focused for the testing. Part of the fatigue of it all comes from being nervous. We all want to do well.

Once again, we did not run the long fitness test, as it turned out that the gym wasn’t long enough. I have to admit that all this postponement is upsetting, and I just want to get the test over with. Even though I have completed millions of running tests before, they never fail to make me nervous. I just want the bloody thing over and done with, and off my mind.

Tonight will be a quiet evening as we prepare, again, for the test tomorrow. And of course, we are all pretty fatigued. Tests and stress are a potent combination. In addition, we have been kept busy with meetings during the day, and these are also tiring, as every meeting seems to have great importance.

This is a new era for the team, and everyone wants to begin afresh . It's all pretty exciting stuff, but tough mentally. Every routine and every thing you thought you knew, is now being changed, or put to the test. Now I need all that positive affirmation training from Sports Psychology.