Keep'em Guessin'

That's the strategy to use against every opponent.

In this instance, it is my body vs my mind.

My mind knows that I should be staying unpredictable in terms of which days I train and which I don't. The problem is that since my mind knows it, my body can use that knowledge to anticipate what I'll put it through on a given day.

Tonight's summer league cancellation gave me a great chance to get the jump on myself. Instead of the game coupled with a quick workout afterward, I did nothing. I had planned to do nothing on either Thursday or Friday, but now life conspired to keep me guessing and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. I stretched and read. I lazed about and a thought struck me as I considered something a notion that I try to keep close to my heart, but is difficult at times. The notion is that you need to have fun when you play. Even when you train.

When I play, I'm enjoying myself to no end. No matter my outward demeanor, I love the challenge. I love the competition. There is no other place I'd rather be. Similarly, when I'm training for ultimate, I love it. I enjoy the workouts I do because I focus on winning them. Most of the things I do are short and intense enough that the challenge presented is enough to make the exercise fun. Jumping and sprinting and all of that madness is fun, when you think about it.

The difference is that if you compare this to the hours of endurance training that some teammates (and tons of random people I see out there) put themselves through seems so joyless. Next time you see someone running a long distance, just look at his or her face. Do you read a single note of enjoyment? Nope. When you see me training, you will see joy. I bust my ass during each section and then I catch my breath and goof around with my workout buddies. Or I drift a little and smile at the workout I'm doing before the watch snaps me back into action. I drink in the environment and the experience because I include brief rests in every phase of the workout. Time for the muscles to regroup and time for the mind to make sense of it all.

Go all out to earn your rest and enjoy the experience.
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Workout Total:
20 min stretching