Yesterday was exhausting and a little frustrating, so it was good to be allowed a lie-in this morning. In fact, thank goodness. I am not usually among those who lie abed for a long time in the morning, but I made an exception for today.

Yesterday was an incredibly long and extremely tiring day for all of us. We really appreciated having a slower start to the day. Once the day began, we did have a mobility/stability session in the morning. These sessions involve core stability, dynamic stretching and balance work. Soccer players are not known for their flexibility, so this type of exercise is really important. I know that I definitely felt better having completed it and I am often not the most willing of practitioners beforehand.

The afternoon saw us each interviewed with some personal meetings, then a team meeting, and then we headed out to training. It was a shorter session today, but it was much more intense than yesterday.

What was really pleasing was that I thought that everyone really dug in and worked their tails off. It was fun. When we are all giving everything we have on the field, and when we are still learning something new every time we step out onto the pitch, then that is just plain exciting.

I have been enjoying the sun of California, but I can't wait to get to Vancouver and the tournament. Only just over a week to go.