Why balance? because the last month of my training and everyday activities, I thought I had "balance" in my life...sport, social, spiritual...but I was wrong. About a week before USA Champs, I decided I wasn't going to go (see previous shoulder issues in older blogs)... So I sat down with my coach and the distance coach from the training center Joaquim Cruz (1984 Gold 800m). It was a conversation that lasted over an hour, but Ill summarize the key point. Basically, it was like ok..Your not going to nationals, so now what? What do you want to do? Get a job? Go on vacation? I had no answer...no clue as of what to do with myself if there was no sport, no season, no competition, nothing to drive for, nothing to focus on...it was a pretty helpless, and embarrassing feeling... So I have spent the last few weeks searching for the elusive "balance" that I have been missing. With the help of my parents (who came out for a week long visit) and the beach, I think I have found an idea of where I need to be.
Its ironic that what I was searching for mentally, also has helped me tremendously physically. I have spent alot of time at the beach, in the water, on surfboards, boogie boards, and my new toy, my skateboard (that has a bottle opener built in on the bottom of it! oh yeah, its that sweet!) working on, balance. Its not something that I tried to do purposely, but it was a bi-product of me just trying to stay as loose as possible and not stress out about the rest of the season, or lack there of, if there is a season at all?
My typical routine after lifting sessions or throwing sessions is to jump in the ice bath...55 degrees for 15 minutes. It usually does the trick, helps flush out inflammation, removes lactic acid, and all the waste products that accumulate in the body during training. But I thought it was time to...switch it up. So for the last 2 weeks, after each of my more high volume or high intensity sessions...I hit the ocean, just to see if the ocean water, which is rocking around 62 degrees right now, would yield the same benefits as the ice bath, or maybe even something better...I have read that ocean water could be used as a replacement for blood plasma and that the ocean have every single trace element in the periodic table of elements in it. So far, Im REALY liking what I'm seeing.
So whats next for me? Good question...I have a guess on whats going to happen over the next week or so, but I'm not going to tip my hat on here until I see it happen. But the next blog entry will hold the details for the rest of my summer. The High Tech High season is long been over and Coach Earl's Team Elite summer season has also come to a conclusion and everyone seems to be looking for some time off away from the physical and mental stresses of the sport...sounds like a good idea, if only you can have both!
Heres a few picks of my last few weeks...Until next time
M++
