Saint Francis University: 2011 Training Trip Blog - Day Three

by Josh Huger (MrUtopia)

Saint Francis University: 2011 Training Trip Blog - Day Three

SFU's Kathleen Lyon will provide us with daily updates on the Red Flash

Day 3:

It is only 2 in the afternoon and it already feels like it has been a long day. Fortunately my two roommates and I just got back from tanning on the beach, yet again. Being out for only 2 ½ hours with clear skies and 79 degree weather always makes training trip that much more worth it. Although, as the practices are being crossed off we are one day closer to our day off in which some teammates hope to go to a water park while others are hoping to go parasailing. Having a day off will truly help not only our bodies recover but also allow let everyone explore the area and go shopping, especially for the three freshman who are experiencing their first training trip. It will be a great day to make wonderful memories and enjoy Florida.

Our first practice this morning went relatively fast, at least for me. It was nice because I got to swim with another group of my teammates compared to my typical distance teammates. This time I was swimming with mainly IM swimmers and our main set ended up being primarily IM based. For me this made it more exciting because I was not just swimming freestyle, it gave me the opportunity to improve on my other strokes. From what I could tell everyone swam really well, there is no doubt that the team is truly putting the work in over this 8 day “vacation”. The team leaves in 45 minutes for dryland which will take place on the beach. We are both nervous yet excited because we won’t be doing the typical stadium type workout. Following an hour of dryland we head back in the water for 2 more hours of practice. From what my coach has told me will be doing more off the block sets so it should be a great yet challenging evening.

The team has finally settled down for the night after an hour of dryland and 2 hours of practice. Dryland ended up actually being fun even though it was extremely challenging considering it took place on the beach. We did things such as sprints, jump squats, lunges, wheelbarrows, and much more. It was hot outside but we had a blast with the plethora of people staring at us while we were working out. We actually think we made it on youtube because these younger individuals were recording us with their phones. Everyone was just laughing and having a good time because running in sand is so much harder than it looks! But after dryland we had practice then headed back to the hotel to have a hearty meal. Around 8 in the evening we had a team meeting (minus the coaches) and to bring everyone’s spirit up we each went around the room talking about another individual and how well they have done so far in the trip. It’s mainly to keep a positive attitude and keep our spirits high for we have 6 more days left of this trip.

Read about day 1 here

Read about day 2 here

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