Pre-Summer Season Thoughts

After last night's rush of becoming 'oriented' for ice hockey this summer, today was an opportunity for a bit more sober reflection amidst the chaos which is my work-a-day life.  Approaching a season as a season and not just a bunch of games is probably the way to get the most out of the experience.  It is a pretty major commitment, so might as well go for it.

Being a Viking on a Saturday and a Knight on Sunday does have a nice ring to it, but it is going to get pretty wearying by the end if I don't watch myself carefully.  I think it's a challenge I can rise to, as long as I remain disciplined.

There is a season schedule, stretching from this Sunday to early April next year.  Seven months (including playoffs).  The main season runs for 21 weeks plus a couple weeks off over xmas, during which there are 17 Knights games (and 3 byes).  In a seven team Division, that means that we play one team (Redwings) twice in the season and the other's thrice.  Our first game is against the Flyers. 

Vikings games will be early Saturday evenings (they haven't released schedule yet), 14 of the Knights 17 games are on a Sunday evening (with one each on a Saturday, Monday and Thursday).  When adding the fact that there are probably only 12 Vikings games (plus a couple final's days) this means that there will generally be stability in the weekly schedule, with just enough variety to keep it interesting and a break over xmas.  Doable.

On a 'typical' week I'll play a game on both Saturday and Sunday.  I'll have to measure my energy expenditure on the Saturday so that I don't suffer on the Sunday.  Thus, concentrate on skill acquisition and intelligent play rather than speed and power with the inline.  Done properly, I'll feel a bit energised for Sunday's game, especially if I eat properly and improve my general conditioning.

Off Ice, I think that I need to keep up with the core development, but can scale back on upper and lower body (with the emphasis between the two later being on the upper body).  Thus, a weekly schedule looking something like this...

Sunday - Game
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Core/Upper
Wednesday - Core/Upper
Thursday - Lower
Friday - Core till xmas, then 'rest' on Fridays
Saturday - Game

In an ideal world, down the Arena on the Wednesday AND/OR Knights training, inline puck'n'stick practice on at least three sessions across the week (including as morning warmup on game day) and a slightly extended version of my summer swim habits (morning and evening dip).

Sounds busy.  So, I need to remind myself that's it's a game, not make the little one's suffer from my obsession.  Will see how we go...

*

Off Ice tonight, I completed core and upper body workouts.  Upper Body, reduced to ten reps each drill and upped the speed a bit over the two circuits (will maintain these numbers this week, drop to nine next week).