If you can't do the drills...

...you shouldn't be able to play in the games, right?  Wrong.  At least that's what our staff would say.  Need to talk with them about some of this - as a senior leader on this team it's hard to watch guys chill through practice during the week and retain a starting position.  That's not how winning is done.

Anyway, ranting aside, this week has been rolling along as usual.  Practices are harder without a mid week game however it has been good for us to get back to some of the fundamentals while working on our fitness.  I've come down with a bit of a bug this week but it's luckily not bad enough to take me out of class/practices...drinking lots of Emergen-C and resting as much as I can.  Looking forward to hitting the road down to NC this weekend for some games and to see the family.  Thought I'd share a pic from our CNU photography staff intern during our season opener earlier this month - I think it really captures the atmosphere we play in:

Hope everyone is having a great week - will post more updates after the games this weekend.

Time to Catch Up!

It's been awhile since I've written..my apologies.  Moving back to NC for the summer and jumping right into training left little desirable time to write..so here I am back at it.

The two-ish weeks I've been back in Durham I've logged lots of miles and simply lost count...will get an estimate from Brian and then move forward with that.  It's been great getting back into the swing of things with my training partner again...even if it means he's still kicking my butt!  The capstone of these past few weeks was the Brunswick Forest Duathlon I was training for.  It was a cool little race down in Wilmington this past weekend.  I did not come close to the times I was hoping for but had a great time out there and was really glad both Brian and Dad could join me for it.  Also excited to have a surprise fan appearance by Meghan.  A few positive take aways: I posted my first ever solo ride over 20 mph avg., I did surprisingly well with my transitions, and I enjoyed the experience (despite puking on the last 1/2 mile of the second run).  Negatives?  Too many to list, but a few key lessons learned: I need to get better at pacing and training according to my heart rate (racing for roughly 1.5 hours at an average of 193 bpm is NOT healthy), be even more cautious with my nutrition, and just relax more on race day.

In all, I think I've found a good future hobby.  I've really enjoyed racing and training on the new bike Brian found for me and using the sweet tri gear Dad purchased for us.  I've got a few other tentative races on the schedule for the summer but now the main focus of soccer training kicks in (punny) for one last competitive season at CNU.  I've really enjoyed being back and catching up with the family, BD, and Mer.  Looking forward to also visiting more with Nana and Pops now that they are back in town.  Now with Tyler ending his academic year and the warm weather kicking in, I feel optimistic at the start of a new summer tour!

Finish Strong

These past two weeks have been a struggle as I dealt with school and continuous headaches from a fall I had at the beginning of the month.  The team doc originally believed I suffered a concussion, but now he believes the headaches are a result of muscle tension.  So after sitting out two weeks of training, missing our team spring game, and getting on some medicine, I am back on point to continue my training.

I had a great visit with dad during his birthday this weekend.  We enjoyed a round of golf (more like hacking for me) and some good meals together - I was really glad he came up to visit.

Today I did a two mile out and back run to test out my legs and to see how my head felt.  My heart rate efficiency has gone down but I am still able to put together some decent times.  I ran at about a 6:45 pace and averaged 173 bpm.  I am going to continue to take it easy the next few days to let the headaches fully subside while I focus on exams.  In a few short days I will be back in NC for summer...so for now I need to focus on finishing strong.

Spring Break!

Glad to get through all the exams and work this week...time to kick back (at least from school) for a few days of spring break...can't believe the semester is already halfway over.

Catch up on the week:
Tuesday- no major training, had high school practice with Woodside so I got a few sprints in with the guys as I put them through their fitness routine.
Wednesday- lift with the team: jump rope, abs, split press, incline BB bench, DB SA bench, DB rows, lat pull downs, and dips.
Thursday- exams and then travel back to NC

Today mom and dad head down to the beach while I will stay behind to attend the Duke game on Saturday night.  Today's training will be a bike trainer workout led by Brian at the UT studio followed by a light run if the rain holds up.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Weekend Home

After my last class Thursday I hit the road back to NC for a long weekend at home.  It was good to come back for a bit to clear my head from school and enjoy some nice fam time/weather/training.

Thursday I took off and spent some time visiting with Nana and Pops.   Training was re-engaged on Friday with Brian and the AE team for a full day of activity:
Full body lift, TRX class, 30 minutes on the trainer, 5 miles on the run outside, and then a quick 9 mile loop back outside on the bike.  Needless to say I was whooped...Brian pushed the pace hard as always, especially on that last mile of the run.  Felt good during the lift and was pleased to go 6 reps to failure (of 145 lbs) on the bench to top it off.  Still weighing in at around 139 lbs which is slightly under where I need to be (but not as drastic as Brian who has lost 13 lbs in the last 2 weeks on his Engine 2 Diet!)

Brian was feeling a bit better today and made the call to go for one more outdoor ride.  We did our traditional Duke TT loop from the gym and managed to go for a 20.7 mph average for a new loop record.  We timed our pulls perfectly to fit each other's strengths and despite a little traffic outside of Cameron Indoor it was a smooth ride.  Always great to get back home to train with the Jedi!

Had one last nice visit with Nana and Pops tonight, then back to the grind at school tomorrow evening.  Bringing the bike back to campus with me to help with the I40 challenge.  Would really like to turn the challenge into a charitable cause...need to sleep on it some and open to suggestions while the year is still young!  Overall, it has been a great weekend at home.

Catch Up

No practice or workout today but happy to have a chance to catch up on some stuff. Good classes and meetings this afternoon....had a good catch up chat with Brian, glad things are going well in NC. Tonight we hosted some local high schools on our game field as a team fundraiser...had a good time working that as well.

Also thoughts a prayers for my room mate, Caleb, who will be undergoing knee surgery tomorrow afternoon. Hoping he will recover quickly and will be 100% recovered and ready to roll for next fall - we will need him in the back line.

Home Safe

Rounded out a tough week on Friday afternoon with a long lifting session with the team.

Went through a mostly upper body routine:

Ab rotation warm up

Incline BB Bench- 95 lbs warm up, then 3 sets working up to 125 lbs

Irish press- 3 sets working up to 65 lbs

Dips- 3 sets of 12

Arnold DB press- 3 sets of 6 with 35 lbs DBs

3 sets of twisting leg raises

Two sets of 7,7,7 shoulder series.

Then jumped in the car and hit the road back to NC for spring break. It was a long night drive but it was nice to come in and get to visit with Nana and Pops for a bit. Slept in this morning and drove out to Clayton to watch Nelson in his club game. Glad to be home safe and ready for an off week.

Home Bound

With a winter weather system moving through NC on Sunday, I had no choice but to remain at home today due to icy conditions. Glad the team at the gym was able to cover for me especially with Brian out of town. As for training, I had to roll on my own here at the home gym.

Did what dad and I call a "meat and potatoes" lift (consisting of the most basic upper body strengthening lifts)

Warmed up for 1/2 a mile on the treadmill at under 8:30 pace.

Then 4 sets of bench combined with DB arnold style shoulder press

Then a 4 workout rotation (3x sets at each) consisting of BB row, BB curls, tricep curls, and leg lifts in holsters. Ended with a few extra abs and a good recovery meal.

It was a nice day to be lazy at home (outside the workout) but it will definitely be good to get out tomorrow and hit the gym again.

Week Done

My work week is now over...time for a little vacation.

Will hit the road and head back to NC this afternoon. Looking forward to visiting family this Thanksgiving and getting a little training done with the BD as well.

Had my post-season meeting with coach yesterday. Overall he is pleased with my efforts, there are a few things I need to work on to refine my game, but in all I think next year will bring good things. For now, I'm going to enjoy the time away from it.