Getting Back in Shape

After the season finished this year, I was mentally and physically spent.  From October to April I was on the ice, sliding and pushing hard and trying to learn how to drive.  Not only was I on the ice for a long time this season, I also started training for the past season in May and barely took any time off.  Additionally, I was traveling and trying to make the most of winning an Olympic medal- which meant quite a few appearances and special events.  Needless to say I was exhausted.  I went home after the season and did a few appearances but mostly tried to rest (although I had quite a bit of unexpected physical labor waiting for me thanks to my parents lol).  I relaxed as much as possible and also finished up my graduate degree.  In total- I took about a total of 5 weeks off.

After those much needed 5 weeks were over, I returned back up here to Lake Placid to start training again. I was out of shape and had put on quite a bit of weight (I naturally weigh more than my in-season competition weight).  Now- out of shape is relative though.  Was I still in pretty good shape for your average person?   Yes, but was I in shape to push a 400lb bobsled down an icy track to one of the fastest push times in the world and then undergo 7-8 Gs of pressure down the track?  No way!  So now I have begun the journey of getting back in shape.

Believe it or not- getting back in shape is one of the most humbling things.  The workouts at the beginning of a training program are difficult.  After the first day, it gets harder and harder to do things like walk up stairs, lift your arms to brush your teeth, and even get out of bed!  You shuffle around so you can minimize the need to lift your feet because it hurts so bad!  Workouts make you want to throw up and you find yourself tired all the time.  It's quite a humbling experience.  Despite the fact that you've achieved one of the highest accomplishments in your sport, you can still be brought to your knees by the pre-season training.

I think this time is necessary for every elite athlete.  Not just the getting in shape part, but the mental part that comes with getting back in shape.  You have to push yourself beyond your limits.  Acknowledge the existence of pain, and then overcome it.  And then wake up again the next day and put your sore and tired body through even more workouts!  It forces you to bear down mentally and challenge yourself, because you know at the end of the day it's these workouts that result in gold medals.  At the end of the day, the mantra to get you through the pre-season training is always the same, "It's not where you start, it's where you finish."  I strongly believe what I put in today will result in a season I can be proud of.  So for now, I'll push past the nauseousness, the soreness, and the pain.  Happy training!

Changing coaches

As my summer training begins, I have begun working with a new strength and conditioning coach.  I previously worked with Dan Pfaff and Stu McMillan, two great coaches who greatly attributed to my success the last two seasons- including winning my Olympic medal- a feat which I couldn't have done without them.  I greatly appreciated the time spent with these two coaches and can't say enough great things about them.

So why switch?  Unfortunately for me, Dan Pfaff was hired as a coach for the Great Britain National team for track and field team in preparation for London, and took Stu McMillan with him.  Last season I was able to continue working with Stu, however, it was difficult not being able to see a coach on a regular basis.  My form for many exercises, including running and lifting, is not very good and needs constant monitoring.  Without a coach by my side, my form breaks down which results in less power, speed, and strength at the end of the day.  Despite my best efforts, this season was difficult without having that coach available.  So, it is with great sadness that I had to discontinue working with Stu.

Although I knew I needed a change, I was unsure of what to do.  At the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, they had just hired Brad DeWeese, and I needed to make a decision of where I was going to train.  After just a week of speaking with Brad and working with him, I was hooked and decided I was going to commit to train with him this summer.  Brad DeWeese is extremely knowledgeable and has a very scientific approach to every aspect of training.  He breaks down every aspect of training and also works to train athletes not only to be better on the field, but also smarter- to be able to understand why they train the way they do.

I have switched coaches more than anyone possibly in the history of athletics.  Every season for summer travel softball growing up I played for a different team.  My high school basketball team had 3 different coaches in 4 years, softball had 2 different coaches, and track also had two different coaches.  My college softball team had 4 coaches in my 5 years of playing (why I had 5 years is because one of those coaches) and even my professional softball team had 2 coaches in one season!  I've already had a few coaches with bobsled, and with the recent job posting for a women's bobsled coach- it appears that I'll have one more!  Every time you get a new coach its a process to learn what the coach is like, what they coach like, and how it will affect performance and everything else.  It's a learning process on both sides.  Coaches are supposed to be people that you can trust to lead you in the right direction, to motivate you to do better- to be greater.  And all of this requires a mutual trust, but it's very difficult to trust when coaches constantly move in and out of your life...

So how do you trust someone you don't know...well- there is no simple answer to that.  For me, I don't have to trust a coach because I trust God- and that's enough.  I use that trust I have in God to help me through the transition in coaching- the constant transitioning as it seems.  Other than that, trusting a new coach is difficult- but at some point you have to believe they have your best interest.  Coaches don't receive all of your trust instantly, but once they show that they are really truly invested in the best interest of the team or yourself as an individual athlete, at some point you must take a leap of faith and trust them.  No one said it was easy though...

I have chosen to trust Brad DeWeese with my strength and conditioning.  I know that he will prepare me as best he is able for the upcoming season- and really that's all I can ask from any coach.  I've been working with him for less than a week now, but I know things are moving in the right direction.

Graduation!

After 5 long years of studying, I have finally graduated from the George Washington University with a Master's in Tourism Administration, with a concentration in sports management.  I started working on my graduate degree in January of 2006, right after I graduated from GW as an undergrad.  I was still on scholarship playing softball, and started working on a master's in clinical exercise physiology.  I loved studying exercise physiology, but at that time I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life (I'm still not- other than bobsled! lol).  I completed a year of studies and decided it wasn't for me, and then transfered into the GW School of Business to pursue the MTA.  I took one semester of courses and decided that too wasn't for me, and finished the semester and went on to focus on playing professional softball that summer.

Well- summer came and went and I was feeling burned out from softball so decided to start pursuing my dream of going to med school.  I enrolled at Georgia State University to complete a Master's in Exercise Science and also prepare for med school.  I had a graduate assistant position, and things were going well, but then I got the itch to compete again- which is exactly when I went up to Lake Placid for my first bobsled tryout.  Needless to say, I didn't stay at Georgia State.

After my first half of bobsled, I decided I needed a business background for my athletic career.  GW had a sports management concentration in the MTA program, so I decided to transfer back to the program and continue my studies online.  Ever since then, I have been working hard at completing this degree.

It's been a long road and I feel like I've been in school forever!  (Well- my whole life really!)  I feel a sense of relief that I am finally done, but I don't really feel like I even have it.  Maybe it will feel different when I get the sheet of paper that states my degree, maybe not.  All I know is that I have finally completed my goal of getting my master's degree.  What this means for the future?  Who knows, but I think I have some time to figure it out.  For now, I'm going to read because I want to- and not read a textbook!

I'll never stop learning, but I can't say I'm sad to take a break from taking tests and writing essays lol

To all my fellow 2011 grads- Congrats!  We did it!