It was only a matter of time, and the time has come

I realize that I've been a bit of a posting delinquent lately. These days my logs are strong, my workouts stronger, but my desire to spend any more time than is absolutely necessary in front of the computer is virtually zero.

What's a lot more important than the numbers (and they are looking better every day) is that I get to play a great game called "If I knew then, what I know now".

You see, for a few months, I would pre-emptively tell people about my nosebreak/brainthump injury from last October, as if to dispell any sense that I had lost my training edge, or gotten "soft" (in more way than one). This was much more a reflection of my own insecurities surrounding my injury and sense of self, than it was of the way I was likely perceived by others. Unfortunately, this developed in to something of a self-fulfilling prophecy and I let this injury hold me back psychologically, long after my body had healed.

Well, I do know more now than I knew "then" and now is where I need to be; not trapped in the excuse of injury or haunted by the fact that I have been exceptionally fit in the past. In better or worse times, I am always armed with the achievements of my past, and the awareness that I have everything I need within me to get to new and better places.

What I know NOW:
-Rest is equally as important as training
-Fatigue needs to be managed systematically and intuitively
-Internal dialogue is rehearsed, not spontaneous. Take every opportunity to express yourself with the power of the written or spoken word.
-That which must be, must be affirmed out loud to yourself and/or others
-Training for sport is about movements more than muscles
-Use discipline (and indulgence) with care; be firm with yourself. Be gentle with yourself
-I am not my body. I am so much more.
-It's ok to eat treats now and then. In fact, it's much better than having a great big one that leaves you feeling ill, just once a week!
-Let your body do the talking most of the time, and know when to let your mind tell your body what to do.
-The more you repeat the same movements/motions, the more you need to get on that foam rolling son!
-Seek out a coach, a CSCS or a mentor. No one can know your body better than you, but there is always something to learn about life and athleticism from others.
-Be seasonal with sports. Humans were not designed to just sleep, sit, walk, lift, repeat.

At the risk of getting excessive with this post, I will finish by laying out the plan to be at a stage 11-11.5 beep test by end of August. Right now I run around an 8, after many months off from any real fitness/conditioning work. This means roughly a stage/month improvement. So you see, moving from average to elite really isn't so daunting after all! So here we go, anatomy of a plan!

Sunday - Lower body + sprint work
Mondays - off
Tuesday - Upper body + long walk/xtrain
Wednesday - Lower body (+ interval training starting in one month)
Thursday - Medium intensity cardio (depending on energy levels)
Friday - hockey game
Saturday - upper body + long walk

I had wanted to dive right into 2 interval sessions/week, but Mike and I agreed that it would be best to master an intermediate workload and add in the second session in a month. The goal is to peak around September. I will take a deloading week every 4 weeks and run the beep test at the end of this week to assess my improvements.

I have a very specific plan for intervals, but right now I don't need to micromanage my fitness sessions yet. I just need to make sure that I'm doing some change of pace work for 20-30 minutes and feeling a bit spent by the end. Within 2 weeks, I'm going to be on fire and that's when I refer to 100m sprint workouts and all kinds of cool conditioning workouts I have in my playbook.

MOST importantly, I've been honoured to enjoy some of the rewards of strong academic integrity; something that means a lot more to me than just being a force on the field. Although all-star athletes are glorified (and with good reason), I will always stand by my vision of iconic figures as being those who gave of themselves wholeheartedly to be better people .

What dreams are you moving toward realizing? Drop me a line, I'd love to hear!