A hard day's work

I got home today from practice and didn't say a word to my parents. It was almost as if I was in some sort of dream state after two practices and a workout with my trainer. Towards the end of the lesson at 6:30 today I wasn't in a mood to say anything but I think my coach got the point when I felt like I couldn't take another step. Sometimes I think athletes truly get to know their bodies well through pain. I think each of the four muscles of the quadraceps have been asking me to take a break. I wish I could convince them to move so I can get a cup of tea from downstairs.

I will definitely start tapering soon as I have a competiton coming up on Monday. I'm leaving for Atlanta on Saturday and fencing on Monday-fingers crossed everyone. I like to leave a few days early to get some lessons from my coach at the fencing venue. I'm a fan of Atlanta and that southern sweet tea (just don't tell my trainer if I have some). Maybe the extra sugar will add a boost to my lunges? We'll just go with that train of thought.

Speaking of athletes and bodies-how can I go another day without mentioning the sad goings on of Marion Jones? First of all, some of the headlines call her the ex-Olympian. This woman, no matter what she did, is still an Olympian. She is an extraordinary athlete and she made that team and if you are an Olympian, you are always an Olympian. How can you be an ex Olympian? Are you an ex-Oscar winner? I think the person who wrote that was probably not an athlete.

I know that a lot of you out there feel as though she got what was coming to her. I agree that she has made some seriously bad choices but I honestly feel badly for this woman. I think that it's easy for an athlete to get caught up in so many things. We expect so much from these athletes and when they don't deliver it's almost worst than having to give back those medals a few years later. Maybe it isn't worse than six months in jail, but it is still pretty bad to feel like you are a major dissapointment.

As for Marion, I am not sure what she was doing in the check fraud scam. Again, I think it was hard for her to handle her own affairs as she spent all her life as an athlete with a singular focus. The truth is, how many athletes out there are really that smart? Just because you are good at something, famous, or have money-it doesn't mean that the hamster is on it's wheel, if you know what I mean.

Speaking of hamsters of the wheel, this brings me to Roger Clemens. This guy and his B-12 gluteous maximus injections. Can't he just take a pill like the rest of us? I think they sell B-12 in pill form at most vitamin shops and grocery stores..I think Target even sells their own version of B-12. Instead he has to get injected after a workout. Hmmm....eat a banana or something.

But, here again I don't place full blame on Clemens. I think in part we are all to blame. There is significant amount of pressure that is placed on athlete performance. Not that there shouldn't be since there getting paid, but there is so much pressure. Would you like people coming to where you work and heckling you from beside your desk? And if you don't close that deal that day or you were goofing of and googling your co-workers, you will be scrutinized in the newspaper the next day, or even worse, just fired right off the bat. All I ask is for just a moment we take the athlete into consideration. What would cause an athlete to be so desparate that they would inject steroids into their system that could potential compromise their quality of life?

Alright, I'm off the soapbox and I'm off to bed. I know it's only ten but it's been a long day. I haven't had any B-12 injections so I need to do the normal person thing and sleep enough hours to recover.