What have I let myself in for…

I am currently in Florida for two weeks doing a training block with Jez Green and Anna Fitzpatrick, although Anna is recovering from a stress fracture in her foot.

It is my first real taste of one of Jez’s training blocks so I don’t really know what to expect, even though Anna and the other players have told me that it is obviously not the most pleasant thing to do.

In these two weeks I will try to keep you updated on how my body is coping with it and how much Jez is torturing me!

Today was my second day and yesterday I had a horrible session, which was a real struggle because the day before I had travelled to the US for ten hours.

Jez put me on the treadmill but after the first three minutes I had to stop and sprint to the toilet, I just felt so bad.

Somehow I managed to finish the exercise with one more break. I then did some upper body weight lifting and that was it for the first day.

Today the dreaded 400m sprints were on schedule, which everybody keeps telling me are horrendous, but because all the universities out here seemed to be using their athletics tracks they’ve been delayed till tomorrow.

I am very happy to have at least two days behind me. So far, so good!

Day 3

Hi again. Third day of physical training behind me. I am just lying on my bed and I am so stiff, especially my arms. We did a lot of chin-ups and now I can’t even straighten my arms because of the pain.

I also did my first sprints today too. We did 12 400m sprints and it wasn’t as bad as I thought (I hope Jez doesn’t read this!).

Maybe Jez gave me a really nice time, and also it was my first time doing this so I had to feel the pace and how it really works.

We’re back on the track on Friday and I’m sure they’re gonna be a lot tougher than today. Tomorrow I will have half a day off – my body is looking forward to the massage!

Catch you soon.

Day 5

Toughest so day so far! After having had a half day off yesterday, my body didn’t fully recover and still was pretty sore when I stood at the starting line this morning to do 15 200m sprints!

After having missed my target time three times in a row, Jez sprinted with me during one and showed me how much faster I can actually go when I think I can’t.

It’s not a nice feeling while you’re doing them and you have to push yourself pretty hard at times but the satisfaction after the training is high when you know you overcame the tough moments.

In the afternoon I had a tough upper-body weight lifting session with a lot of chin ups and dips. Couldn’t feel my arms when we left the gym!

Tomorrow I will be going to the beach, but not for a swim… for a one-hour run in the sand. Wish me luck.

Day 6

Phew, the first week is behind me! It has been a medium-to-tough week – I learned a lot of new exercises.

Today I had a one-hour beach run, the time passed faster than I thought it would but my feet paid the price so I have two big blisters now. After the run I immediately jumped into the sea with all my clothes on!

In the afternoon I had another squats and dead-lift session and I lifted more than last time, so you can imagine how my legs were feeling when the session was over. But tomorrow I have a full day off which should give me enough time to recover for next week.

During the next seven days I’ll be lifting heavier and will have to run faster than I did this week but I’m looking forward to it because it’s nice to see the improvements which motivate me to work harder.

Day 7

Had a great day off today. I wanna thank Joy and her family for their hospitality. They made it a very special day for us.

The boat trip was unbelievable, even though Anna got terribly burned:-). We even saw a whale! It was one of those days that I’m sure we will remember for the rest of our lives.

But now it’s back to reality! Tomorrow the 400m sprints are waiting for me and this time they are for sure gonna hurt more than last time.

Day 8

The whole MCTA team is here in Florida now, with Dave and Roxanne Sammel and Christina Matthis arriving yesterday.

Had a really good 400m sprints session this morning. Felt a bit sorry for Christina who had to do the 400m sprints on her first day – I remember my first day and it was the worst of all so far!

Tomorrow I’ll have the same session as I had on my first day which is on the treadmill – 3 minutes on and 1 minute off.

I hope I won’t have to stop again to dash to the toilets after the first 3 minutes like I did on day one!

Day 9

I had a really good work out today. I actually managed to finish the 3 minute on and 1 minute off treadmill session:-).

In the afternoon I had a squats and a dead lift session and it is really great to see the improvements!

I don’t really know what else to write, nothing really exciting happened today. I’m not sure what Jez has in store for me tomorrow but Jez has just told me that I will be spending the whole day in the gym!

Chat soon.