My last post was right before the Ireland match and a lot has happened since then. That game was really hard, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is really disappointing when you feel like you should have won a game and instead, lost it to yourself. We just couldn't seem to get out of our own way in terms of penalties and possession issues. It was also hard because I didn't feel like I performed as well as I know I can because of the cold I was fighting. Very frustrating and disappointing! Although, I did score my first International Try, so that's something. Needless to say, the mood back in the dorms was really somber as each of us processed the implications of the match. I coped in my own way by sitting with the stats sheets and figuring out where we were in the points and what needed to happen in the 3rd pool games for us to still get into the semi-finals. Being able to use my logic allows me to manage the emotion better. It's my own form of mourning that I feel more control over. I slept really late on Wednesday trying to kick the rest of this sickness. The morning was spent having some coaches and captain's meetings to try and figure out how to recover from yesterday's loss. After those meetings, it was over to the pool for a recovery session and then lunch. After lunch we went and did a light lift in the gym to get the muscles moving and get the crap flowing out of our joints. It felt good to get on the rower and just move around a little. Then we had a meeting to go over our game plan for England and get ourselves mentally aligned as a team and announce selections for the England match. I'll be at tighthead again, which is exciting because I feel like my engage has been really strong recently.
Then it was then time for dinner before coming back to the dorms for some serious chill-out time. Christy finally got her luggage back - after it being lost for the past two weeks. So we had a lot of priceless picture moments of her being reunited with her bag. Also, we finally got to watch Phaidra on her episode of MTV's Made. It was hysterical and painful all at once. I would have strangled that girl if I had to try and coach her. I started writing that night, but decided sleep was more important for getting the last of this illness out, so only got little bullet points down before passing out.Thursday, I had a lazy morning followed by a core session with the forwards. We had a really productive and fun session before heading to lunch. I think we needed a little levity to get back into a relaxed state of mind. After lunch, there was very little time before we had to load up into a bus to head to our private practice session. We had a short, but sweet practice to work out a few things that we felt needed to be cleaned up. When we got back to the Sports Park, we had ice baths and then we got some much needed free time. In fact we didn't have anything that we had to be back for until our captain's run late Friday. I'm not sure what everyone else did, but I took trains, planes, and automobiles to London to see my family. It was great to see my dad, Jack, and Jane. We went out to dinner in Grosvenor Square and then I stayed there with them.
Friday morning, I ate an amazing breakfast with Jack (waffles with strawberries and ice-cream) after spending the morning lounging and talking with my Dad. I took train back to Guildford and did some shopping before heading to Surrey Sports Park to relax for the afternoon. I did some much needed laundry and walked over to the TESCO to get food for the next week. We then had Captain's practice quickly followed by the jersey ceremony. It was great to have my family there. My dad was there with Jack and Jane, and my Mom and John were there. Everyone loved Jack. What's not to love... well, I guess they don't have to try and get him to eat vegetables. It was also exciting to have Potter with us again. We've missed her and it's great to get to see her. 
It was nice to get to spend time with everyone, but definitely overwhelming by the end. I went back to the dorms with every intention of writing, but then Lynelle opened a new puzzle - that's the craze around these here parts. It's a crazy puzzle that in which the picture on the box doesn't match what the puzzle will look like. Instead, there is a character in the picture on the box and the image on the puzzle is what that person's perspective would be.By the time I went to bed, Vix, V, Lynelle, and myself were talking to ourselves and the puzzle and it was 1/2 done. I was worried I would find them in there first thing in the morning. I woke up this morning without an alarm which is always nice. Then had a leisurely breakfast before heading over to core and our arousal session. Now we are heading out to watch some rugby and eat lunch before more waiting begins. Everyone seems pretty light hearted and ready to go, so I am excited for the outcome of this game today. We are the underdogs and have nothing to lose, so we might as well have fun with it!
No comments:
Post a Comment