Happy Thanksgiving weekend from all of us in training camp.
Today was our first full day of camp, and I have to admit it, but I am
enjoying the feeling of being back at work.
Our session this morning was a tough one, but not overly long. The
coaching staff are being careful with us as all, as we have fitness
testing tomorrow. No one likes the fitness testing, but we are well
aware that it is part and parcel of being a professional athlete.
We are going to be doing the yo-yo field test of aerobic endurance:
This is part physical and part mental. The physical basics of the test
are that you run from a line on point A to a line on point B, but you
are only allowed to leave point B when you hear a beep. Unlike
the standard beep test, the yo-yo version has a section in it, where
you jog on the spot when you reach the finish line, so there is no
standing still.
The beeps get faster and faster and you pace yourself and run until …
well until your legs just don't work anymore. Usually,
as soon as the test is completed, you do not
feel great.
Everything from your lungs to your legs to
your arms are are hurting. However, as soon as you begin to recover
your breath, you start berating yourself.
You just know that you could and should have done more - thus the
mental part. There is definitely a point where every part of your body
and mind is screaming for you to stop, but when there is still some
"fuel" left in the tank, you have to mentally push yourself through
that barrier and know that you can do more.
This afternoon the squad was a little quieter as the locally based
girls head home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. It is
very good to be back in Canada for this holiday, and to have the
chance to be with friends and family. Or at least, some of us can.
Players from outside the Province still had a really good Thanksgiving
meal last night. The hotel did a superb job cooking us a turkey with
all the fixings. The meal took a slight turn for the worse when the
CCES officials (Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport), better known as
doping control, showed up in the hotel. I don't begrudge my teammates
going home for the holiday, but I do find it rather harsh that doping
control landed squarely in the laps of the "out of towners" enjoying
their holiday celebration meal. Thankfully, I was primed and
ready to go. I would not have been happy had they caught me slightly
later, after I had visited the washroom.
