Saturday, October 29, 2011

Pan American Games and November

I brought home a Bronze for the USA at the Pan American Games. I am very proud that I was able to win the medal for the States. It is also nice to add this to my resume of things that I have done in my sailing career. As I sit and write this I am thinking back of my 2010 season and I have to say that I am extremely proud of what I have been achieving! Lots of improvements in my sailing/weight, psyche, medals, charity (Olivia Lives) etc.

Well, let me tell you about my trip to Mexico (Pan American Games).....it starts with one word: FUN! I had an amazing time competing at the event. I thought that it was very important to have an event where I was more relaxed and focused more on enjoying myself. It has been a very long year with lots of events and I just wanted to go to Mexico and compete with a different mindset. I believe this has rejuvenated my sailing, thus enabling me to be motivated for my upcoming training in Clearwater and Colorado Springs. 

I thought Florida had the most extreme humidity, but Mexico has taken it to a whole new level. It was incredibly hot and humid down there. I had to focus on staying hydrated which was actually a very difficult task. I felt like every ounce of liquid I consumed wasn't being absorbed!

The sailing conditions in Mexico were very difficult. It was a max of five knots. I kept thinking to myself, "I sure am happy that I gained weight for Perth! haha." That was the opposite of what I needed in Mexico! I was definitely pushed by all of the competitors to step up my speed and thinking (tactics and strategy) in light air. I started off the event just okay, but I quickly changed some things around and started to see an improvement. I feel that at the event I learned a lot about sea breezes. The wind would  begin to fill while we were sailing out and it would not be finished by the time we began racing. This created an unstable racing condition with lots of shifts and changes taking place while racing. Sometimes the changes would be quick or veeerrrryyyy slow! I feel I learned so much and I am very excited to show and talk to Luther about the event. I think we are going to take my sailing to a new level because of the additions that we are going to add to my tactical process. VERY VERY EXCITING!

A third thing that was really fun about Mexico was speaking Spanish. I studied the language for a few years in school and could feel all of my lessons coming back. It has inspired me to become fluent in the language. When I came home I bought some books and audio to aid me in my studies. 

So whats the plan for the future? Isabella Bertold (Canada) and coach Luther are coming to Clearwater tomorrow. We are going to do a training camp for the next week. I hope to get some long hours on the water and work on the things that I noticed in Mexico. Im expecting us to be doing 2-3 sessions of working out and sailing a day. It's time to amp things up because Worlds is approaching quickly. 

On November 7 I am traveling out to Colorado Springs to get pounded by the trainers. I will be living in the Olympic Training Center for 2 weeks. I am worried that there won't be enough wind in Clearwater which would reduce my hiking endurance. So, I feel that focusing on working out and pushing myself beyond my limits on land will have a positive impact on my hiking fitness. I also want to be in a focused atmosphere where all I think about is training, sailing and improvement. Honestly, when Monday comes around I am going to be a focused, robot, extreme, motivated, disciplined Sailor Paige. I have very high goals set for Worlds and I know that to achieve them I need to start buckling down even more. Luther and I have been working very hard for a long time. We have had some very intense training which has prepared me to endure and raise my level of intensity this month in preparation for Worlds.  When the event comes around I will be 100% prepared and confident in the sailor we have created. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Annapolis Boat Show with Sperry Top-Siders, Sunsail and USSTAG Training Camp in Colorado Springs

Hello!!!

It's been a super busy last few weeks. When I came home from San Francisco I focused solely on my fitness. I was in the gym, on my bike (mountain biking) and rock climbing everyday. I believe it is very important to take time outside of sailing to do other activities. My current love is indoor rock climbing, mountain biking and windsurfing. It's nice to get away and be competitive in another sports.

I saw a huge increase in strength and cardio, but I realized that I didn't take enough time to rest. I was so excited to be home that I forgot my body was pretty tired from the time in San Fran. This is one that that I am going to work on....relaxing!

You can view photos of the rock climbing here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100449768312541.2714592.5034252&type=1

Last Tuesday I headed off to the Annapolis Boat Show with my brother Zach to meet up with Sperry Top-Siders. We went there to help open a new Sperry store in downtown Annapolis and to introduce the new Seahiker with grip x3. It is a boot that many of the top sailors around the world have been developing with Sperry. Sperry created an amazing boot, but then asked some of the top sailors around the world on how they can improve it. I call it the new "Superboot" because it has been made to perfection.

Anyways, Annapolis was beautiful. Zach and I had a great time walking around the boat show and meeting up with different suppliers/sponsors of ours. I met my friends from Harken and got to have a nice catch up with them. Also, while I was there I was signed by Sunsail and will now be part of the team that my brother has been representing for the last few years. I am very excited about this new partnership and look forward to a successful future with them.

You can view photos from Annapolis here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100449783951201.2714596.5034252&type=3

After Annapolis, Zach and I headed off to Colorado Springs to meet up with the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics for a training camp at the US Olympic Complex. I always enjoy these camps because it brings our team together so we can workout, learn and build on our friendships. Physically the camp is very demanding, but it shows areas of our bodies that are weak/strong and things we need to go home and work on.

I learned a large amount of information based on nutrition, media, and training. We had some excellent talks that flooded us with facts and techniques that we could apply to our campaign and bodies. It has motivated me to take my nutrition to the next level. I realized how much of an affect timing, the amount and what I eat will have on my body. I want to promote the maximum amount of muscle growth, so I realized I need to be more diligent.

Photos from our training camp can be viewed here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100449811730531.2714600.5034252&type=1

I am only home for one day before I head off to the Pan American Games in Mexico. I am very excited to be competing in the event, but I will be honest and say that I am a little tired of traveling. I am away a lot, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. It will be fun to be compete in the event, but the main focus is to defend my title! I will write later on with more details of the event!

I wanted to give a HUGE thanks to all of my sponsors and suppliers. Without them and the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics then none of this would be possible!