As you guys may remember I began training for the FIFA Fitness test a few weeks ago (http://footyref.blogspot.com/2012/01/fifa-fitness-not-yet.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ReffingTheBeautifulGame+%28Reffing+the+Beautiful+Game%29). That didn’t go so well to say the least.
The first day I went out, which I chronicle in the link above, I really had no idea what I was doing. My hopes were to run 30 intervals with modified (read: longer) rest times. My goal was just to survive really, not necessarily set any world records. No worries there as I didn’t do either.
To say I was pretty bummed was an understatement. My mind was racing every time I thought about the test I would have to run at the Regional Training Seminar (RTS) clinic in a very short four weeks. Would I be ready in that short amount of time? What can I do to get ready? What if I don’t get to the point where I think I can pass the test, should I drop out at the last minute and not shame myself or my state by failing the test? My body wasn’t running fast but my mind was approaching light speed.
Two days after my initial foray into training for the fitness test I went to a local track group’s workout. This group is led by a fellow referee’s wife, Alisen. She’s a registered RN and has just gotten into corporate health and wellness, coming up with training plans for employees. This track group was just what I needed. I showed up the first night not exactly knowing what to expect. Whatever expectations I did have were thrown out the window in about the first five minutes. For the warm-up, the bloody warm-up, we jogged two miles. It was going to be a long night.
After the warm-up we did some dynamic stretching, some fly work (sprints: 20m, 30m, 40m), and then began the meat of our workout which for me was 4x800 all supposed to be done under 3:36 with 90 seconds rest in between. Yeah, right. I hit the first target time. The next three I added about 15 seconds each time. If I had any doubts I was out of shape they were forcefully thrown out the window by the end of this workout. I was so tired I didn’t even think about the one mile cool down run.
Three sore days later I headed out to the track after work to attempt the 30 interval modified test again. I was determined to finish this time. One of my problems was that I was trying to finish each 150 meter run in 30 seconds, something that only FIFA centers have to do. The actual test at RTS would be 35 seconds for the same distance. I still kept my rests at 45, 50, and 55 seconds, increasing with each set of ten intervals. Another of my problems that I solved on this night’s run was to start in the middle of the track turn, even with where the goalposts for football would be. This decreased my time on the curve of the track and increased my time on the straight away which made me reach higher speeds. These two changes completely improved my performance. Not only did I hit 30 intervals, about 3.7 miles, but I did so with relative ease. I still needed to bring my rest times down, but my confidence grew exponentially in just that hour at the track.
I rested the next few days, especially with my legs having taken the pounding on a hard track two nights in the previous week. The next Monday I went out with the track group again, this time running a one mile time trial for the workout. Again, they all whopped me, younger, older, male, female, it didn’t matter. But my confidence was still on the rise. I knew in just a short couple of weeks my running had improved.
To the group’s credit they went out of their way to accommodate the referees of the group and agreed to run the FIFA fitness test the next two weeks. The first night we split into two groups: the first mainly made of the group’s real runners and the second a combo of the group’s refs and one of the regular runners. Either way, running the test with others was a huge help. Not only did you feel you were accomplishing something as part of a bigger organization but you were able to push each other on. This time we ran it in the specified times, 24 intervals, 35 seconds per 150 meters followed by a 40 second recovery of 50 meters. Every single person, ref or runner, hit every time. I walked away from this experience knowing I would have no problem with the test.
Last night was the last track group run before this coming weekend’s test. Again, the refs ran the fitness test, this time with a new participant, a female referee with WPS experience. She would also be with us at RTS on the weekend, but mentioned her reservations about her fitness and her feelings on her ability to pass the test. Ha! She paced the group for the entire 24 intervals! Not only did our group finish the test without a hitch, but she led almost every single interval, from beginning to end. So much for those reservations.
We are now four short days away from the actual test. A mere month ago I was nervous and even debating how I should bow out of RTS should I think myself not able to complete the test. To say I have a different mindset today may be the biggest understatement I have heard all year. That and Suarez is a dirty player (sorry Liverpool fans, I couldn’t resist).
My hope is that you read my experience with training and use it as motivation to hit whatever goal you set for the Spring season. Maybe it is to pass the FIFA test; maybe it’s to lose five or ten pounds so that you are no longer moving your head more than your legs to get the proper angle on the play since you are out of position. Whatever your stumbling blocks, know that you can overcome. Come up with a plan and stick to it. I would highly recommend, if you hate running as I do, to find a group that you train with at least once a week. Find some people who will push you beyond what you could do yourself. You may be amazed at what you can do after four short weeks of training.
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