Jersey #9: Kentucky's Journey

Even though the ground is still covered with a thick layer of snow, and poor Brutus hasn't been on a real walk in about two weeks due to the artic chill, I found the inspiration to spend this morning oiling up my boots with leather food, and locating my trusty scrum cap. Why? Well, as I stepped outside this morning and found that the temperate was FINALLY in the positive degrees - a forecast of 29 today! - I started thinking about what the date might be....sure enough, it's already February 11th! That's only three days away from my least favorite holiday (I have never been in a relationship on V-Day, and thus never received a real valentine...but before I crack open a box of Franzia and start drowning my sorrows, I'll move on) - much more importantly, it's only 20 days away from my first rugby game of the season! YAY!!! Making the event even more exciting, is that this isn't a game for UNI, but a Midwest U23 event. I'll get to play with some of the best players in the Midwest (or for that matter, the country), catch up with some of my best rugby buddies, and also see some new faces just moved up from the U19 bracket. Better yet, we'll be playing in Memphis, which not only means that it will be MUCH warmer than it is here, but also that I'll get to utilize my redneckness for the weekend, go to Elvis's home for the first time, and just breathe that sigh of relief I always feel whenever I'm back in the south...

I'm not certain, but I feel like we're playing Mid-south u23 something or others - I should probably pay more attention. At any rate, we'll get two games in and supposedly I'll be holding the 9 jersey for both. Honestly, I can't wait to get out there. I've worked so hard over the course of this off-season, and I really want to get out there and see how all this commitment pays off on the field...I think this could be a very good year for me...

Yay, rugby =)

Yeah. That pretty much describes yesterday for me, and this morning.

Yesterday morning I woke up as usual at 5:30am so that I could get to the gym by 6:30 and do some sprints and throw some angry scrumhalf passes at the wall. I got up feeling a little drowsy and stuffy, but just brushed it off as being extra sleepy and went about my business.

Then I got to the gym and started on my sprints. After going through just three runs I seriously felt like quitting. My legs were moving and my body felt okay, but there was just this overwelming "ugh" feeling encapsulating me. However, I still thought this feeling just involved sleepiness, so I took a big internal gulp, and looked toward my favorite motivational trigger phrases. For instance:

"Navy seals wake up at 3am and swim through the dark ocean with sand in their underwear and no one cares how they feel"

OR

"Lance armstrong had cancer and he still rode his bike"

Or my favorite and most popular internal conversation begins with a question:

"What would Jonny do??" and then I usually answer my question with something like, "Jonny would train, dammit"

Okay, so I know that sounds a little more than psychotic, but it works for me, and I got through my workout, angry scrumhalf passes included.

Then I went home, took a shower, and again the blah feeling resurfaced. I began to get ready for school but then I just thought. Okay, this isn't normal, I must be getting sick. Maybe if I just go to sleep now and sleep for the rest of the day then I'll get rid of it.

Well, that's what I did ALL DAY yesterday - I slept and watched tv...nothing else. Brutus was even kind enough to snuggle and keep me extra warm. I even skipped practice in the interest of my health, and didn't set my alarm this morning to go to the gym. But you know annoys me??? I just feel exactly the same as I did yesterday - no worse, no better. Still BLAH. My food tastes icky and I have no energy, but other than that - I'm fine.

What is this plague upon my training? I suppose maybe I have some sort of virus and my immune system is doing an effective enough job at expelling it...but that the fight is taking up all my energy and I'm feeling those side-effects. That, I suppose, is better than puking my guts out, but still very frustrating. I suppose I'll just have to wait to get better...

In the meantime, I'll be here on my couch, feeling icky, and wondering "What would Jonny do?"

hmmm...

Probably sleep.....sweet rugby dreams everybody.



P.S. Does anyone else use any crazy motivational trigger phrases for those days when the last thing you want to do is workout?? Just curious...because some ppl tell me I'm crazy on this, but I'm betting there are other crazies out there ;)

Okay....so I'm trying not to get too excited. But here is the update on my 4o yard time. Tonight at practice we ran indoors on the track in tennis shoes. No wind. I don't know why I'm reporting conditions but, whatever, they do it in the Olympics and right now I feel like an Olympian...

Anyways, so...Da da da DUM! my first run was a:

5.42!!!!!!!

I know, right!?! Okay, so if you don't know me, you probably don't understand the significance of that little number, so let me explain. I have always been, well, that slow kid that people mistake as looking really fast. When I first started playing rugby I weighed a buck fifteen and ran a 6.6 (wow) 40 yard time. Ridiculous. Luckily at u19 tryouts fate intervened and something happened to cause us to NOT time 4o's (thank the good Lord). Since that time, I have been able to lower my 40 to somewhere around a 5.9-6.1. Still not so hot (okay, so terrible) but an improvement. As time has gone on and I have advanced to higher levels, my 40 has kind of been my thorn in my side - an achilles heel, if you will. My goal, therefore, has been to lower it to a 5.7 flat - that's all I asked...

So imagine my sheer disbelief and utter amazement when I saw this time written down beside my name after my first run. "No f***ing way" was all I said to my coach". I then proceeded to find my way to the back of the line and prayed to all that was good and holy that I wouldn't run through the second time and pull a more likely 5.9...

So what happened? Another 5.42? Or did I clock something like a 6.1 and accept the first run as a fluke....welll.....I ran a:

5.61!!!

Yeah, I know!! Not as fast as the first run, but WHO FREAKING CARES!!! That's still over two tenths of a second faster than my previous fastest time. To check for accuracy, I went over and checked out everybody elses times - completely normal, if not a little on the slow side. Could it be? Am I no longer the slow kid??? I really really REALLY hope so. Average those babies out and you get a solid 5.51...an AVERAGE of a 5.51!!! I'm sorry...I just can't contain myself.

We'll be timing again next week and so I'll find out just how accurate these things are in a hurry...for now, I'll just enjoy this momentary blissssss =)

Today the windchill dropped to temperatures of negative 25 degrees.

Iowa is COLD.

Rugby translation: I can't play outside.

Thought of the day: It's cold in Canada, too. So why are Canadians so good at rugby when there's such a long-ass time that they can't play? And why are their women getting stipends when we aren't? Should I move to Canada? nah...but some money would be nice =).

So I have this poetry class and I'm supposed to write a poem a week. Sometimes inspiration is there, sometimes it's not...either way, I always have to find something to be artsy about. After a couple of hours of staring at a blank computer screen, I finally spouted out this little diddy and thought I would post it...it's just a little reminder to go out there and chase your dreams. Whatever it is, don't let it pass you by...

I hope you all enjoy a little of my mushy side - here goes: