Next Week.....Action
We have arrived back in Hamburg after completing 8 days training in Munster with another German pairing (we are making the most of the depth in the German players:). I now have my passport in my hot hands after being separated from it for 2 weeks while it got a Russian Tourist Visa back in NZ. It's bizarre that my passport has done more travelling that me? It was rather scary handing it over at the post office, entrusting it to the international postal system!!!
It has been our last full on week training before we tapper and finally get back into competition, and from then on its 8 weeks of back to back competition. In Munster we experienced more fantastic German hospitality and stayed with the former coach of one of the girls out in the country which was a really nice setting for a change rather city living. Our main form of transport for the week was the 2 wheel kind and at dinner last night we figured out that over 8 days we rode 81km which could explain the slightly tired legs J
We would ride to training each afternoon which was 6km and took us a leisurely 20mins. We rode from the country into the edge of the city passing wheat and corn crops, riding through a refreshingly cool grove of trees (we have been experiencing summer temperatures finally) some more fields and then we’d pop out at the courts. After training the return trip was far more sedated although one of the bikes was far easier to ride than the other!!! After a tire blew out (it had a hernia) on one of the bikes it didn't ride the same after it was repaired and the last ride to training was more a resistance work out because the brake rubbed against the rim the entire way like I was riding with the breaks on :)
The constant training partners were just what we were after and it was satisfying when Axel the coach complemented our improvement. Our first training with him definitely didn't show our true colours.
We were training twice a day apart from half a rest day mid week and then Sunday off so we didn't really have the energy to explore the city. Although one evening we went out to dinner with Rieke (one of our German training partners) and her boyfriend and then we wandered the quant cobbled streets of the central town and looked at some of the older buildings like the churches. I seem to have developed a fetish for churches as one of my friends pointed out to me after browsing through my Facebook photo albums. He is right though, I have taken a lot of pictures of them but we just don't have that kind of history on every corner in NZ so it’s appealing to me.
Next Tuesday we are likely to have a big day. We are in qualification because we are back in full swing with all the top teams present after playing in World Champs this week in Norway. I can’t wait though!!! We are likely to have 3 games to play to get into the main draw but we are well prepped so I’m feeling confident. The setting is Gstaad, Switzerland. It’s a tiny ski village in winter but in summer it hosts an international tennis tournament and later the sand goes down on these courts and the FIVB event happens. People come from outside of Switzerland to watch the event and it is the start of four of the Grand Slams, more money and more points:) Looking for great things!!
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I think because of the world
I think because of the world wide recession FIVB (the international volleyball federation the organises the world tour) is taking what ever they can get from each country as opposed to calling the shots like they may have done in the past. We have four grand slam events in a row , and this is always the case. Then there are four open events before a long break and then another at the end of Oct and one at the start of Nov. So you are right, it isnt ideal for performance or recovery and it is also a very drawn out season. Sadly I don't think FIVb is being too pushy when it comes to each country selecting the date they want to host an event.
In regards to photos I will send some through to be posted. Hope you like. And yes the Swiss seem to do everything well:) Great hosts (again we are being well looked after), Americas Cup, Beach Volleyball, good cheese and my favourite..........great chocolate!!!
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