Ready to Peak at the Nationals
June is finally here and for me that means it's national championship time. For the month and a half preceding my national championships, I follow a peaking program. All the long training days are over and now it's about preparing my body for a physical and mental peak.
My typical day consists of a preworkout visit to the physios at the University of Georgia. They have been instrumental in keeping my body healthy this year. As a relatively small thrower, it's vital that my body stays in perfect physical condition. I'll spend an hour before each workout receiving ultrasound and muscle stimulation on any tight muscles or aches. Then, it's on to the bikes or eliptical machines for a 10-20 minute warm-up followed by a 15 to 20 minute stretching routine. After that I begin my workout. Three days a week I'll throw, 4 days a week I'll lift, and 4 days a week I'll do some light plyometrics or sprints. The entire duration of the workouts and physios is about 4 to 5 hours, 5 days a week with only a two hour workout or competition on Saturday. Sunday is a rest day.
This week has been a little different than I intended. In the past three weeks I've had two competitions during which I've had four throws over or at 22 metres. This places a lot of stress on my body and has resulted in some minor muscle strains and a little tendonitis in my ankle. The muscle strains are easy, but the tendonitis is a little more complicated. I've spent the first part of this week visiting doctors and physios to ensure it's not something more serious. Fortunately, it seems that a little anti-inflamatory medicine will clear it up. With little more than two weeks before my national championships it's difficult to be patient, but experience has taught me I can't force the training. At this point, there's no extra work I can do to get my ready. A position in the World Cup is on the line as well as a slot in the Grand Prix Final.
Well, that's all for now. Next week, I'll look forward to throwing again, hopefully without pain.
Adam
