Upcoming events –

Napa-Sonoma Half Marathon, July 20, 2014
Noble Canyon 50km Trail, September 20, 2014

Monday, September 4, 2000

Brisbane

Good evening class!

Today we are taking a geography quiz. Ready?

Where is the nation of Qatar?

Where are the Cayman Islands?

Where is Sierra Leone?

If you can find them all on a map, then you should also be able to find Australia. During today's workout at the University of Queensland track, I met athletes from Qatar, the Cayman Islands, and Sierra Leone. It is amazing to me how many different countries will be sending athletes to Australia to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games.

I've heard that there will be 197 countries represented with over 10,000 athletes competing. To test your knowledge of the world's countries, try to see how many you can name. Did you get more than 20, 50, 100?

I got to ride the CityCat ferry again this morning to get to practice. It was pretty warm this morning, so the speedwork on the track became very difficult for all of us. I managed to get through the entire workout of 5,000 meter intervals. Some of the guys were too tired to finish. Like last Monday, I did four 5Ks and was horribly horribly tired by the time I was done.

It was one of those workouts that was physically brutal, but the real struggle was in the mind. In order to endure a really tough training session like today's, I have to prepare myself mentally beforehand. I have to make a short-term goal. To do that, I usually do a little talking to myself. I decide, "Okay, I am going to do this workout. I know that it may be hard, but I am making a commitment to finish this thing. Let's go." If I have set a goal to finish the workout, then when it does get difficult and my body is screaming for me to "stop, stop STOP!!" I can remind myself of that goal. Then it makes it easier to get going again and finish.

I got back to the Marriott at 1pm after riding back on the ferry and spent the rest of the afternoon lying down, sleeping, reading my book, and talking on the phone to my girlfriend back home. At 5pm, I met my teammates for a 30 minute easy walk from the hotel, along the river path to the Botanical Gardens, past the Mangrove Swampwalk, and back to the hotel.

We have a sports medicine staff of six people here helping us out with three athletic trainers who double as massage therapists, two medical doctors, and a chiropractor. We also have two sports psychologists on staff. After a hard workout, I try to go in to the sports medicine area here at the Marriott and get help stretching out or get a short massage to help loosen up my tight, sore muscles. Right after today's second workout, I spent half an hour getting some help from the athletic trainers for a sore quadriceps, sore hip flexors, and a blister on the big toe of my left foot. Now it's time to read a bit before bed, digest my dinner, and get some sleep.

G'day, mates!

Philip

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