It was interesting turning up to training today and seeing everybody just a little flat – the human body definitely has a sense of inertia so when you ask it to do things that it’s not used to, it will battle for a while until it adjusts to the change. So, although the training load hasn’t been particularly big yet and everybody is basically pretty fit, we are still getting used to doing multiple sessions in a day – making for some tired lads at training this morning.
As I mentioned yesterday our training week is broken into 2 days on followed by a lighter 3rd day. The strength and conditioning (S & C) staff organise it in this way for a couple of reasons – one of the main ones though is because of something called DOMS. In the wonderful world of S & C this is not slang for a pack of condoms but actually Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
The way our training week is set out in pre-season is two full days of training followed by one half day, repeated, with one day off each week – meaning Monday, Tuesday we are run into the ground, half day Wednesday to unload, Thursday, Friday flogged again, Saturday half day and Sunday rest (thankfully). So today being Tuesday we were unfortunately put through the wringer although this being the 1st Tuesday of November we also had a short afternoon break for the Melbourne Cup. Unfortunately just 10 mins of excitement timed as a team meeting finished and just before training started – not really the race that stops the Waratahs more like a speed bump.
Today was the first day of the 2011 Super season, as well as being the first day of Waratah pre-season. The first day of training is much like the first day of school with many old mates back for another year as well as some new faces in the mix nervously trying to work out what they’ve got themselves into. Essentially though, today is the first day of 2 months of hard work.
What I hope to do over this next week is give you an insight into what a week of pre-season in the Waratahs rugby team is like from my point of view, as I’m experiencing it.
I can safely say I have never had such a busy month than what has just passed and needless to say I don’t wish to bore you with a long list of what I have been doing but I do want to give a few honourable mentions a couple of things that have happened.
Firstly, I’ve been cleared to play again!!
There haven’t been too many good news stories coming out of Fiji in the last year or so. Mostly we hear about delayed elections, expelled diplomats, news censorship or even devastating floods. However, behind all this at a local level there are some great sustainability projects being developed in this Pacific Island nation and one of these is to do with the production of bio-diesel from coconuts.
Bio-frame clearly visible without cladding. AAMI Stadium designed by Cox Architects
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