The training continues and so do the great experiences....

After returning from Italy I was able to stay at home for a while which was a nice way to get back into the swing of things. Since I was in Europe for a month it was very difficult to adjust back to the time change and the altitude. I got a cold shortly after returning and was getting horrible headaches from the altitude anytime I was training. It was definitely a harder transition than I thought it would be but getting a cold made me rest a little more and get back to normal. I wanted to take a short break from training, but was unable to due to qualifiers for Junior World Championships coming up.

When I returned from Europe I was contacted by a reporter from Fox 31 and she wanted to do a story about me and my journey as a pentathlete and trying to qualify for the Olympics. It was a lot of fun getting to do the interview and have them take some video of me fencing and shooting. The clip aired on TV and I had a lot of family and friends who were able to see it!

 

About 2 weeks after returning home I finally was feeling a little more acclimated and back to normal.

The first junior qualifier did not go very well, but I was training through the event to keep preparing for the end result of Junior Worlds in September. My body was still getting back into the swing of training again and getting back to a normal training schedule so I knew that even with not such a great performance I would be putting myself on the right track for Junior Worlds and continuing to train hard.

After taking a short 8 week session break from school I was also back into classes at DeVry University. I was happy to get back into things and get the classes rolling again but I definitely enjoyed my short summer break and a chance to just focus on training for once. I also declared my major as Business Management with a specialty in Health Service Management. This was a big weight off my back and would help with determining my classes in the next sessions to come.

I was still having some issues with my hip and the torn labrum so I went to see another orthopedic surgeon and get more information on my options for my hip. The doctor suggested getting an injection to help and see if any of my pain would go away. I got the injection but was not seeing much of a difference. I was disappointed but kept up with all my rehab exercises and such to try and keep my hip as healthy and pain free as I could while training for Junior Worlds. 

 

In the second junior qualifier I had a better result and was improving. I was also training through this event to maintain the training and be able to hopefully see better results in September. With the two events I qualified for the Junior Worlds team and would be going to Poland to compete in Junior World Championships in September. Shortly before this event the 2012 USA Pentathlon Olympic team had been selected and would be training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They had selected a few athletes to keep training and be training partners for them at the training center. I was asked to be a training partner for the training they would be doing at the center in the springs! I unfortunately would not be able to go to London but was excited to help my teammates and still be a part of them getting prepared. I also needed to keep up my training for junior Worlds so this was a good opportunity for me as well.

The training and time before the Olympics flew by and next thing I knew the training center was like a ghost town with so many of the athletes and coaches gone in London. Thankfully some athletes were still there and I was able to continue training consistently to stay in shape for Junior Worlds. I also got to meet and shake hands with President Obama when he visited Colorado Springs for a speech. He decided to stop by the OTC and talk to some of the athletes! It was a nice break during my workout to stop and have a quick chat and some photos with President Obama and other athletes. I also got to spend some time at home and get some much needed time with family which was good since my sister would be moving to South Carolina.

 

 

Since Junior World Championships would be in Drzonkow, Poland two other teammates and I would be able to go over early to train with our coach Janusz for a week there before the competition. The time has been flying by, but I am excited to go out and compete again at Junior Worlds!