My Vikings are not playing in the Super Bowl...just wanted to get that out of the way first. What a shocking end to a stellar season for the Minnesota Vikings. I don't think any Minnesota fans expected not to make it to the Super Bowl, but I know none of us got our hopes up too much, well maybe we did, but for the most part Minnesota fans as a whole know how not to get too excited just to stay protected from not being let down. We all were let down...not by the team, but just the fact that we weren't going on to the Super Bowl! It was an amazing season...the best season I've ever seen...proud to be a Viking here, and can't wait for next season! Skol Vikings!
On a more personal note, I will be relocating my daily life and training to Colorado Springs, Co next weekend. It is a sudden move, but a much needed move. I'm excited about my new opportunities in Colorado, and such a beautiful place to be. The only downside of living in the Springs is the lack of oxygen in the air. I can't hardly run up a flight of stairs without sucking wind.
I have spent the past week and a half here in Colorado Springs scoping out the situation and finding an apartment to live in. I also came here to get in a week of training, but it turned out I wasn't able to do much training when I got sick. I thought it was altitude sickness at first, just adjusting to the different air pressure, but I kept getting sicker and finally after almost a week of not feeling better and having a temperature of 101 for 4 days I took myself to see a doctor. Turns out I have bronchitis. I've never had it in my life and I didn't realize it made you that sick. No fun at all. Now I have to make a little come back and regain my strength, and put on some body weight.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Another Vikings Blog
Well, the football season is almost over. Thankfully my beloved Vikings are still going strong and live to play another game today after facing "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys. This game was destined to be great...some predicted that the Cowboys would win but those were only predictions. The game really was built up to be a close one, but with the Vikes winning 34-3 it was far from that.
I was barely able to contain myself before the game started at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. I woke up this morning feeling like I was about to play in the game myself. I can't imagine how the real players felt. All week long I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of the Sunday morning football game. I had my brand new Vikings shirt (given to me by my girlfriend Mia) all laid out the night before to put on first thing when I woke up. I couldn't wait to put that shirt on, last time I was that excited to wear a shirt was back on the first day of school in the 5th grade. I proudly wore my shirt all morning and well into the evening. I was that guy today.
The game started out pretty tight, I thought for a moment that the Cowboys might be able to pull away with the game, but the Vikes got stronger as the game progressed. The Cowboys started making mistakes, and as they say about football, the team with the least amount of mistakes wins the game. All aspects of the Vikings arsenal was in full combat mode, and that is what it is going to take next weekend against the Saints for any hopes of getting to the Super Bowl.
On a side note, here in southern California the month of January is the rainy month, and this week according to the weather forecast each day calls for rain. It will feel just like home...in April.
I was barely able to contain myself before the game started at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. I woke up this morning feeling like I was about to play in the game myself. I can't imagine how the real players felt. All week long I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of the Sunday morning football game. I had my brand new Vikings shirt (given to me by my girlfriend Mia) all laid out the night before to put on first thing when I woke up. I couldn't wait to put that shirt on, last time I was that excited to wear a shirt was back on the first day of school in the 5th grade. I proudly wore my shirt all morning and well into the evening. I was that guy today.
The game started out pretty tight, I thought for a moment that the Cowboys might be able to pull away with the game, but the Vikes got stronger as the game progressed. The Cowboys started making mistakes, and as they say about football, the team with the least amount of mistakes wins the game. All aspects of the Vikings arsenal was in full combat mode, and that is what it is going to take next weekend against the Saints for any hopes of getting to the Super Bowl.
On a side note, here in southern California the month of January is the rainy month, and this week according to the weather forecast each day calls for rain. It will feel just like home...in April.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is here in case you didn't know. The new year has started off with some subzero temperatures here in Minnesota. Last night the actual air temp was -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That is cold to anybody, I don't care who you are. I may be from Minnesota, but people don't ever get used to cold air like that...maybe if you're from Siberia or live on the moon. So, as you can imagine I have not spent much more than 3 minutes outside in the past two days. That is what happens when it get that cold, you don't go out. Most people don't go outside because their doors are frozen shut, but for those people who are able to freely leave their homes choose not too. There is nothing going on or anything that could be that important to be outside for. Many good people here in the tundra take to making crafts. Others get bored and try new hairstyles. Lots of laundry get done during these cold days too...I don't think his mom showed him how to wash shirts like that. Anyways, you get the idea.
Aside from the new year coming in colder than your kitchen freezer, things have been good. The Vikings decided to start playing like they had been for the majority of their season. They easily beat the New York Giants 44-7, not that it's saying much beating a struggling team, but it was good to see them run up the score a little and not struggle to do so like they have been recently. The Vikes now have the number two seed going into the playoffs resulting in a bye week for next Sunday. Some rest should be good to heal numerous injuries that plague teams around this time of the season.
I will be heading back to California tomorrow to get back on a regular training schedule for the approaching season. Lots to do in the next few months to prepare. I will definitely miss home, but it's just like any other job, gotta get back to it!
Aside from the new year coming in colder than your kitchen freezer, things have been good. The Vikings decided to start playing like they had been for the majority of their season. They easily beat the New York Giants 44-7, not that it's saying much beating a struggling team, but it was good to see them run up the score a little and not struggle to do so like they have been recently. The Vikes now have the number two seed going into the playoffs resulting in a bye week for next Sunday. Some rest should be good to heal numerous injuries that plague teams around this time of the season.
I will be heading back to California tomorrow to get back on a regular training schedule for the approaching season. Lots to do in the next few months to prepare. I will definitely miss home, but it's just like any other job, gotta get back to it!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Vikings and other Minnesota things
The NFL has been getting pretty dramatic the past few weeks. It's actually been a very good season to watch games. But, getting towards the end of the regular season play there have been some pretty big upsets. Last night it started with the Saints vs. the Cowboys. If you know anything about football you know the Saints were undefeated up until this game. Cowboys probably played their best game all season to upset the Saints. Anyways, I was feeling pretty good about the Vikings playing the Panthers. I even told my brother that I guaranteed a win from the Vikings...my bad.
The Vikings took their 3rd loss tonight against a team they should have beat...but, it seems recently there are no shoulda's. I'm not sure what is going on with the Vikes but they looked flat as could be tonight...a very similar look as the game they played against the Cardinals. All is not lost yet, and no reason to panic, I just expect more out of the Vikings. They are the second seed going into the playoffs still, but they need to win the remainder of their games and the Eagles need to lose a game, or else the Vikes could lose the second seed. This is my understanding at least. So, we'll see what happens in the next few weeks.
On to non football related material. I am back home in Minnesota! It is nice and cold here and plenty of white snow to be enjoyed. It is a huge change from San Diego, but it is a welcome change. You probably wouldn't think you could get sick of sunshine everyday, but I guess I do. I love me a cloudy day with snow flurries or even blizzard like snowfall. Sunshine days are nice in the winter too though...I just like that weather change, I guess you like what you grew up with, and for me that is tons of snow and frost biting temperatures, that would get old too if it weren't for the three other seasons.
My flight into Minneapolis reminded me of flying into a frozen tundra or at least similar to something you would see on T.V. It just looked cold outside of the plane. The sky had that purplish look the sky gets at dusk in the winter, it was awesome. All the lights from houses and street lights had a soft glow that only snow creates when the light reflects off of it. It was a nice welcoming home...simple, but fantastic!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
The Vikings took their 3rd loss tonight against a team they should have beat...but, it seems recently there are no shoulda's. I'm not sure what is going on with the Vikes but they looked flat as could be tonight...a very similar look as the game they played against the Cardinals. All is not lost yet, and no reason to panic, I just expect more out of the Vikings. They are the second seed going into the playoffs still, but they need to win the remainder of their games and the Eagles need to lose a game, or else the Vikes could lose the second seed. This is my understanding at least. So, we'll see what happens in the next few weeks.
On to non football related material. I am back home in Minnesota! It is nice and cold here and plenty of white snow to be enjoyed. It is a huge change from San Diego, but it is a welcome change. You probably wouldn't think you could get sick of sunshine everyday, but I guess I do. I love me a cloudy day with snow flurries or even blizzard like snowfall. Sunshine days are nice in the winter too though...I just like that weather change, I guess you like what you grew up with, and for me that is tons of snow and frost biting temperatures, that would get old too if it weren't for the three other seasons.
My flight into Minneapolis reminded me of flying into a frozen tundra or at least similar to something you would see on T.V. It just looked cold outside of the plane. The sky had that purplish look the sky gets at dusk in the winter, it was awesome. All the lights from houses and street lights had a soft glow that only snow creates when the light reflects off of it. It was a nice welcoming home...simple, but fantastic!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Today was another great day for Minnesota Viking football! Living out here in California keeps me from watching the Vikings play on TV so I have to resort to sitting in front of my computer and watching a streaming video of the games being played. It isn't ideal, but it does the trick. So, anyways, my beloved horned, purple people eaters are 9-1 after handily defeating the Seattle Seahawks 35-9. Now I know that the Seahawks aren't a very imposing opponent, especially for the Vikes, but it was good to see Minnesota play a clean game and run the score up a little. I'm certain the score would have been greater if the Golden Boy Brett Favre played the entire game, but he did not after being pulled at the end of the 3rd quarter to keep him healthy. For the most part the defense played tough through the end of the game, slipping up a little and allowing Seattle to score. Here is the highlight reel from the game earlier today. http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/videos/Full-Highlights-Vikings-35-Seahawks-9/c1a00f6d-3682-45f6-956c-6651fece98aa
Sitting here writing this blog I am officially 2 days away from enjoying some time back home. I hadn't planned on it, but I will be flying home for Thanksgiving...thanks to a surprise sale on flights. Fares were cut in two from the original price to fly from San Diego to Minneapolis. Best thing about the flights is that they are direct. I was ready to stay here and train, but unfortunately I strained my oblique muscle throwing. I have been doing everything in my power to heal it quickly, but it's one of those deals where time is the best cure. I am hoping to be out from throwing no more than two weeks. Funny thing is I am able to lift without aggravating the injury but any violent twisting movement like throwing a discus I am unable to do without pain. I'm lucky it isn't more serious than it was. Many throwers have abdominal issues, even pulling ab muscles off the ribs. I have been fortunate enough not too have had any issues until now, but my ribs are a little tender. I tried to be smart about stopping before I hurt myself any further.
I don't feel so bad about heading back home for about a week, otherwise I would just be hanging out by myself during Thanksgiving. Some good home cooking and rest should heal me up and get me ready to continue with the great progress I have been experiencing this past month of training.
Sitting here writing this blog I am officially 2 days away from enjoying some time back home. I hadn't planned on it, but I will be flying home for Thanksgiving...thanks to a surprise sale on flights. Fares were cut in two from the original price to fly from San Diego to Minneapolis. Best thing about the flights is that they are direct. I was ready to stay here and train, but unfortunately I strained my oblique muscle throwing. I have been doing everything in my power to heal it quickly, but it's one of those deals where time is the best cure. I am hoping to be out from throwing no more than two weeks. Funny thing is I am able to lift without aggravating the injury but any violent twisting movement like throwing a discus I am unable to do without pain. I'm lucky it isn't more serious than it was. Many throwers have abdominal issues, even pulling ab muscles off the ribs. I have been fortunate enough not too have had any issues until now, but my ribs are a little tender. I tried to be smart about stopping before I hurt myself any further.
I don't feel so bad about heading back home for about a week, otherwise I would just be hanging out by myself during Thanksgiving. Some good home cooking and rest should heal me up and get me ready to continue with the great progress I have been experiencing this past month of training.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Back at it
I have been in California for two weeks now, and the time has flown by. I feel like I have been so busy I haven't been able to keep up with what is going on in the news. When I was back home I had a little more down time to stay updated on current events. This is a good thing that I'm busy, but it is also blatantly obvious that my vacation time is over.
I jumped right into training with my training group as soon as I got here. The workouts have been intense. We are throwing for about two and a half hours in the morning and then in the weight room for another two and a half hours after lunch. Throwing sessions have been going well and I am very pleased with my progress and carry over from last year. At this point I feel I am ahead of where I was at this time last year. My strength training has also been good. My legs have been feeling better than last year when I was barely able to do body weight squats. I have actually been able to load up the bar with weights and do some serious leg training. Two weeks in isn't very long, but I am feeling very positive about this year.
I have talked about pec issues I have had during the past four years, and finally this week I will be having an ultra sound image done on my right pec. I am told these images are better than MRI's, so hopefully I get some good feed back and uncover any issues that may be going on inside my pec muscle. I will update any information I receive as soon as I get it.
I jumped right into training with my training group as soon as I got here. The workouts have been intense. We are throwing for about two and a half hours in the morning and then in the weight room for another two and a half hours after lunch. Throwing sessions have been going well and I am very pleased with my progress and carry over from last year. At this point I feel I am ahead of where I was at this time last year. My strength training has also been good. My legs have been feeling better than last year when I was barely able to do body weight squats. I have actually been able to load up the bar with weights and do some serious leg training. Two weeks in isn't very long, but I am feeling very positive about this year.
I have talked about pec issues I have had during the past four years, and finally this week I will be having an ultra sound image done on my right pec. I am told these images are better than MRI's, so hopefully I get some good feed back and uncover any issues that may be going on inside my pec muscle. I will update any information I receive as soon as I get it.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Park City
I spent the past week hanging out in ritzy Park City, UT watching bobsledders and skeleton athletes go flying down ice covered tracks down the side of mountains. I made a pit stop during my trip from Minnesota to San Diego to support my girlfriend, Mia, during her team trials for U.S. World Cup team. It was an impressive week watching everyone run and push 400+ lb. sleds down ice tracks. Hanging around my girlfriend all week gave me an inside look into everything that is involved with the sport. It is quite the production!
Everyday the athletes get to track and start at the bottom of the mile long length of ice track. They start their track walk hours before they actually start sliding to go over the curves and turns and dips. This helps them to get a good mental image of the track and visualize what they are about to drive on at over 80mph! It's pretty amazing. Once they start sliding they get to runs down the track which takes about an hour and a half total depending on the amount of athletes training.
During race day everything is a frenzy. The day before was spent sanding runners. Runners are the blades of steel that the bobsled rides on down the ice. Runners are very complicated from my perspective. To me they are just pieces of metal, to bobsledders they are incredibly important. First of all, the metal needs to be blemish free. There can be no nicks or scratches. It is the smoothest metal I have ever seen. Bobsledders spend hours sanding these steel blades to perfection. They use all kinds of different grades of sandpaper to get the steel ultra smooth. After the blades are sanded, acetone is wiped across the runners to clean them. After the runners have been finished they are basically untouchable. I was not allowed by Mia to handle the runners very much, and if I did, I had to use extreme caution. It was stressful.
The competitions just finished today. There were two days of competitions, with a total of four runs down the hill. Mia did a great job with the equipment she was given to use this year. Not all sleds are created equal which really minimizes ability to get a fair and accurate measure of any individuals skills. It is a long and frustrating problem to explain, but there is a issue that needs to addressed in that sport. I am very proud of Mia though for all the hard work and commitment she has put into her sport, she is a very inspirational woman an amazingly gifted athlete.
Here is a cool video of bobsledding. It is of a 4 man bobsled team. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofzbV9-Nyag
My week long pseudo vacation has come to an end and now it is time for me to get back to work. Tomorrow morning I will be driving 11 hours from Park City to San Diego. It is tough to leave this comfortable resort I have been staying at, but I need to keep from getting soft mentally and physically! I am very excited to start up a new season of training. The only bad thing about leaving tomorrow, which is a Sunday, is...I'm sure you can guess...yup, I will be missing the Viking and Steelers game. It's going to be a long drive...
Everyday the athletes get to track and start at the bottom of the mile long length of ice track. They start their track walk hours before they actually start sliding to go over the curves and turns and dips. This helps them to get a good mental image of the track and visualize what they are about to drive on at over 80mph! It's pretty amazing. Once they start sliding they get to runs down the track which takes about an hour and a half total depending on the amount of athletes training.
During race day everything is a frenzy. The day before was spent sanding runners. Runners are the blades of steel that the bobsled rides on down the ice. Runners are very complicated from my perspective. To me they are just pieces of metal, to bobsledders they are incredibly important. First of all, the metal needs to be blemish free. There can be no nicks or scratches. It is the smoothest metal I have ever seen. Bobsledders spend hours sanding these steel blades to perfection. They use all kinds of different grades of sandpaper to get the steel ultra smooth. After the blades are sanded, acetone is wiped across the runners to clean them. After the runners have been finished they are basically untouchable. I was not allowed by Mia to handle the runners very much, and if I did, I had to use extreme caution. It was stressful.
The competitions just finished today. There were two days of competitions, with a total of four runs down the hill. Mia did a great job with the equipment she was given to use this year. Not all sleds are created equal which really minimizes ability to get a fair and accurate measure of any individuals skills. It is a long and frustrating problem to explain, but there is a issue that needs to addressed in that sport. I am very proud of Mia though for all the hard work and commitment she has put into her sport, she is a very inspirational woman an amazingly gifted athlete.
Here is a cool video of bobsledding. It is of a 4 man bobsled team. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofzbV9-Nyag
My week long pseudo vacation has come to an end and now it is time for me to get back to work. Tomorrow morning I will be driving 11 hours from Park City to San Diego. It is tough to leave this comfortable resort I have been staying at, but I need to keep from getting soft mentally and physically! I am very excited to start up a new season of training. The only bad thing about leaving tomorrow, which is a Sunday, is...I'm sure you can guess...yup, I will be missing the Viking and Steelers game. It's going to be a long drive...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)