November Training 2003

THE BIG DECISION:

November was a busy month for me. I finally took the leap of faith and decided to train full time starting January 1st, 2004. This was a big decision for me to make because I have a great job as a Sales Trading Assistant at Schwab Capital Markets in Boston, MA and it will be hard to leave. However, if you had the opportunity to make the Olympics, wouldn't you give it your best shot?

Now that the decision has been made, I am in the process of fundraising. Thanks to you, I've been able to kick it off.

Details about where I'm training:

I will be training in Florida - I can't wait! If you are in Boston you know that just this past week we got slammed with snow. As much as I like a white Christmas, it doesn't go very well with training for the Summer Olympics.

November Training Recap:

My training for November was quite successful. I shot a 274 average out of 300 for my 18-meter indoor scores. If you are new to Archery, 18 meters is the official distance for indoor competitions. The targets are much smaller (40cm) than the targets used during the summer outdoor competitions (120 cm). The advantage to shooting indoors in the winter are numerous - first, you can practice form to your heart's desire and you have no wind to contend with, second, you don't have to walk 70 meters every time you shoot 6 arrows. However, that being said, I am more than thrilled to be shooting outdoors again in a month.

To give you an idea of what shooting a 274 means to me, let me just tell you that in December of 2002 (my first month of archery training), I was shooting a 229 average out of 300. That is a 45-point increase in my average in 11 months. My training in November focused on several different aspects, besides shooting, I was rowing on the erg, weight lifting, attending yoga, and of course taking the appropriate amount of time off to eat turkey and let my body have a rest.

Training Breakdown:

The weight-training program comprised 17% of my training last month. The program I am using was written by one of my good rowing friends, Brian Moribito. So far it is working out well. I am only doing about 5-6 exercises a week but it is relatively tough. Yoga also took up 17% of my training in November. I had read about the benefits of yoga on the FITA website (www.archery.org) and decided to give it a try. It was really hard at first, but the more I did it the more I got used to it, the easier it got. The best asset that I think yoga provides an archer is the opportunity to clear your mind for an entire 90 minutes and just breathe.

My cardio recap this month was a little poor - only 7%. Usually, I like to do an equal amount of cardio to my shooting but because of my job and the increases I made in Yoga and Weights, something had to go. However, I did manage to go out for a 6 mile row on Thanksgiving day. The water was soooo flat and the weather was soooo warm that for the first time in a long time, I can actually say I enjoyed every second of my row.

Books I read in November:

I try to read inspirational books to keep my mentality positive. This month I read "Gold in the Water" by PH Mullen. It was incredible. It is a book about the lives of top US Swimmers and their coach leading up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although I swam in High School, you don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy this book - you just have to love the Olympics and/or the pursuit of Olympians. www.goldinthewater.com

I also read "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown. There are several reasons I read this book. First, Dan Brown went to my High School, Phillips-Exeter Academy and I had the opportunity to meet him at the Exeter Annual Dinner in Boston, MA. Second, I was given the book as a present for my birthday (November 6th) from one of my dearest friends, Simone Gignoux (also an Exeter alum). So the combination of being given the book for my birthday, and then having to admit to Dan Brown that I hadn't read it, but would like him to sign it, made me feel so guilty that I finally finished it and LOVED IT!!! www.thedavincicode.com

Thanks for reading my November Training E-Newsletter!