Pre season here has been great but it has been pretty rough. Our coach has been testing our limits as far as how hard we can go. We started the first 3 weeks going to the track every morning and running sprints. I'm not talking about easy sprints either, I'm talking about multiple 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 meter sprints. My legs were completely dead the first couple weeks. Those sprints were just in the morning session too. During the afternoon we reported to the gym for team practice.
In the afternoon session Coach had a pre season conditioning test known as the beep test. I am familiar with this test because we used to do it at Marquette but unlike at MU, we had to reach a certain level for the test. For those who don't know, the beep test is a test in which you run 20 meters and have to touch the line on every beep. Each level is 1 minute and the beeps get faster every minute. The big guys had to get to level 12 and the guards had to get to level 14. On my first try I got to 8. It wasn't so much that I was winded as it was the terrible pain I felt in my legs. Coach had us run this test every day before practice until you passed your level. It took me 2 weeks to do it but when I finally did it, I was the happiest guy in the gym. My teammate Zaka also told me I was the luckiest guy in the gym.
I feel great physically here in Blois and I think that I will be in the best shape of my life. I am just glad that we have not been on the track in over a week. I don't know if we are done with it yet but I do know that if we go back, I will be able to handle it even if I don't like it.
If you go to the team website and click on the video "en piste" you can enjoy watching us run.
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