Life at the Olympic Training Center!

In mid August I made the decision to begin training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, instead of attending Mesa State College in Grand Junction, CO. I decided to take classes in the springs at UCCS and continue my education while training, which I soon learned would be a difficult balancing act. With having about 4-5 practices a day, about 5-6 hours of training, and classes three nights a week it was exhausting trying to fit all of the homework and time to rest and recover. The experience at the training center so far has been amazing; I have met so many great people and learned so much not only about myself but the mental and physical aspects it takes to train at this level. I have also had the opportunity to be involved in community service and participating in events in Colorado Springs such as the Christmas Parade of Lights and helping teach swim lessons at the community pool.

Despite having symptoms of over training, the struggles with my shoulders and knees, and getting sick so often, I have continued to keep working hard. The morning of our inner squad/world cup pre-qualifier I woke up with an extremely sore throat but worked through the competition. Fencing went well and I got 9 touches and 11 defeats, which is good considering I have only fenced for about 7 months now. In the swimming I stayed consistent with a time of 2:29. The run/ shoot combined went well and I finished with a faster time than the previous competition. The competition ended well with a good ride and only a few time faults which put me in a respectively 3rd place finish overall for the U.S. women. The sore throat ended up to be strep when I went to the doctor the Monday after the competition.

I am now home for the holidays and training for our next qualifier in Palm Springs on January 8th. I am hoping to return to training at the training center as soon as possible so I can make the finals at the first World Cup in Palm Springs on February 27th.