A Day in the Life of...

Greetings,

I thought you all might be interested in what all is involved in a given day for me. Shooting begins at 7:00 every morning and we do everything from static drills to competition stimulation. Statics would be things like holding the weapon out at arm's length for minute long intervals, etc. For competitions, the shooting is combined with the running, so we'll run on a treadmill for ten minutes then stop and fire five shots and repeat. We also do some precision exercises and work on loading the gun as quickly as possible. To help keep us flexible in regards to our conditions, sometimes we shoot in the freezing cold, sometimes they spray us with water (in case it's raining) turn the lights off, glare lights at us, and make us shoot in the sweltering heat. Needless to say, the changes keep a relatively un-stimulating action very interesting.

Next we fence. We warm up, stretch, and work on foot drills for about thirty minutes. Then we "bout" each other for an hour or so and sometimes we bout with the coach and work on specific movements. Fencing is a high-energy sport, so there is no avoiding the sweat and fatigue that follows.

At this point, we either break for lunch or go run. On some days we do distance training and on others we work on intervals at a track. Our mileage ranges from 3-4 for speed workouts or up to 10 for cross country conditioning. We get in about 60 miles a week.

Swimming is the last leg of a training day. We swim anywhere from 3500 to 6000 meters and work on various things such as speedy flip-turns (what Michael Phelps is so famous for) dives, endurance threshold drills (going as long and as fast as you can before you are completely fatigued, and even after...) and shorter speed drills. The pool at the OTC has an underwater sound system, so we get to listen to some peppy tunes which makes the process more interesting.

We always end our day in the hot tub and spend about an hour just stretching everything out. Then it's time for a big dinner and a good night's sleep!

My first competition is coming up the first week of June. I'll be sure to write about it.

Wish me luck!

Current 200m swim time: 3:10
Current mile run time: 7:00
Current aches and pains: Shoulders

We Ain't in Kansas Anymore, Toto

Greetings from the Mile High City!

I thought that my trek from Virginia to Colorado might be a point of interest.  Since I am moving out to Colorado for an indefinite period of time, I opted out of flying and made the 27 hour drive instead. I left Culpeper, VA Friday morning and stopped that night at my cousins' house in Salem, IL.  The weather was beautiful and the drive through West Virginia and Kentucky made me realize how much I'd miss green grass and east coast mountains.  Having driven to Louisville many times before, the route was pretty familiar and I enjoyed the nostalgic feeling of seeing all the old sights I'd experienced in high school.

Indiana was pretty at first, but quickly changed to the dreaded "flat" scenery I had been warned about.  Illinois was equally flat and un-enthralling.  I arrived at Aunt Jody and Uncle Ed's house around 8:30 (central time zone) and walked in upon buckets and buckets of flowers.  Jody is a professional florist/high school teacher/decorator/wedding planner extraordinaire.  She had a wedding on Saturday and would be up all night working on the bouquets.  I was recruited for minor florist duties such as: wrapping the wire and picking out the biggest and prettiest leaves.  Fortunately, the family did not make me stay up all night like they did, but instead let me catch some sleep before the long drive ahead.

I left Salem around 9:30 the next morning.  Passing through St. Louis I got to see the Arch (I've been in it before, but it was cool to see how big it was from the Martin Luther King bridge.)  St. Louis shares its address with both Illinois and Missouri, so Missouri was the next state to check off my list.  Of all the states, Missouri was the hardest to endure.  The weather was balmy and there just isn't a whole lot to see.  I felt bad for Louis and Clark and wondered how they felt about the "show me" state. (which seems ironic since there literally is nothing to "show" - maybe someone should give them another suggestion.  I don't know, perhaps the "lending" state since their two major cities are shared with other states.) 

Which brings us to Kansas City!  Kansas City is the biggest mixing bowl of major highways I have ever seen.  It is a miracle I didn't take the wrong exit (exit 416, for example, goes through "u") and end up in who knows where.  After crossing the river, I found my way to Kansas itself.  Interstate 70 in Kansas is a straight line. Literally. And I was pretty sure I could see the border of Colorado 430 miles away.  Fortunately the speed limit was 75 and I was able to cruise for the next few hours.  I stopped in Salina overnight and only had a half-day left of driving before me.  

Sunday morning began without a hitch, but the most peculiar things began to appear.  Every mile or so, scattered in wheat or alfalfa fields, cow pastures, or in the middle of towns, was Jesus.  Yes, Jesus.  Not in person, of course, (boy, wouldn't that be a story...) but these identical wooden cut-outs.  There was no writing or anything indicating that the Christ figures represented anything in particular, but they were everywhere and covered hundreds of miles (215 to be exact.)  Needless to say, I felt obliged to go the speed limit.  

Kansas is also home to the world's biggest prairie dog, a six-legged steer, and a two-headed rattle snake.  I know this because the signs said so.  I think it was a marketing ploy to get people to visit, but I'm not sure it was working.

I finally made it to Colorado, my eighth state.  The air was much cooler and the scenery looked a little more like a desert.  The grass was not as green, the landscape a little more rugged, and a whole lot of blue sky.  I saw my first tumble weed! (And yes, it was tumbling) and I saw my first pack of coyotes running along a ridge.  Even though the land is very different from what I am used to, I found it pretty in its own, untamable way. Maybe that's why they call it the "wild west."  

I made it safely to Denver, where I will spend the next three months focusing on swimming and fencing.  Overall, I had a very successful trip where I never once got lost, got a speeding ticket, or had any other road-tripping complications.    I drove through eight states, about 12 major rivers, and five major cities.  I can't say I would want to turn around and make the drive again, but all in all, it wasn't a bad trip.

Current 200m swim time: 3:10

Current mile run time: 7:05

Current aches and pains: neck

Hello there,



I should preface this blog with the acknowledgement that I have never successfully maintained a journal. If I am not very dedicated to posting on a regular basis, I'm sorry. But I promise I will try. In a matter of weeks, my world, as I know it, will be turned upside down. But before I explain, I think a little background would prove helpful.



I was born and raised in Virginia and spent most of my childhood playing with an assortment of barnyard creatures on my family's Meadowdean Farm. My infatuation with horses led me to Lynchburg College where I rode on the varsity team and served as co-captain my senior year. I wanted a career that would support my expensive hobby, so I majored in English with the intent to pursue law school. (so far, my parents are pretty excited about little Caitlin's big career ambitions) All of that changed, however, when I realized that I didn't want a fancy career or simply the ability to ride my own horses. I wanted a challenge. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. I wanted to prove that "anything is possible."



At this point in the typical "early-life crisis," the student would change his or her major and maybe take a year off to backpack across Europe. Not me. I had to take the most difficult route. One bright August morning in 2008, (probably somewhere smack-dab in the middle of the Beijing Games) I decided I wanted to go to the Olympics. How I reached this conclusion, I'm not entirely sure, but the next step was to pick a sport. Yes, I realize that most elite athletes don't "pick" their sports, they simply do what they've been doing their whole lives. Since I am not an elite athlete, the rules don't apply to me. I got to choose. The challenges were finding a good "breakout" sport that didn't require too much physical talent and was obscure enough that I might actually have a chance. After ruling out swimming, track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, and sand volleyball, I narrowed my search down to the top three: table tennis, water polo, and modern pentathlon.



Further research revealed that table tennis is an exclusively Asian event and water polo actually requires an extremely high level of fitness. I couldn't find anything out about pentathlons, so I assumed that no news and good news. I had a sport! Pentathlons involve running, swimming, fencing, shooting, and riding (horses, not bikes.) In my naivete, I assumed that because pentathletes did so many events, they didn't have to do any one thing that much. I was wrong. In my effort to pick an easy sport, I actually picked one of the hardest as every aspect of the athlete is challenged: strength, speed, endurance, focus, wit, flexibility, and adaptability.

So now, having graduated from college, I'm off to Colorado to try and prove that one can get to the Olympics by hard work and determination alone. Maybe I'll get there, maybe I won't, but either way, I know this will be a rewarding experience I'll cherish for a lifetime. As it turns out, I'm going on my own European adventure - only minus the backpacks and free-loading lifestyle. London here I come!


Training Stats:
Current mile time: 7:20
Current 200m swim time: 3:20
Current aches and pains: left knee