First rugby practice!

First rugby practice today!!!!! It was SO GOOD!!!

Okay, not the part where we did conditioning and I was all "NOT WORKING OUT IN SPAIN BECAUSE IT WAS TOO HOT WAS A DUMB EXCUSE BECAUSE THEN AT LEAST I WOULD'VE BEEN PREPARED FOR THIS WEATHER!!!" It was hot and I was out of shape. I was also kind of dehydrated, so I was inhaling water... which, of course, sat there like a helpful sea urchin in my stomach.

I must have looked a little like I was feeling, because Deanna pointed out the nearest trash can in case I needed to hurl.

Luckily, I'd already noticed it - also the nearest bush, in case the trash can was too far.

Luckily also, I'm a huge drama queen, and was fine (if a bit lazy with some of the running). The water finally went useful places, my face stopped tingling, and then we did contact! WHEEEEEEEE!!

I ended up taking out my industrial. It went back in after being out maybe an hour, hour and a half. It hurt, though - for at least a few months I'm going to just tape it instead of taking it out.

But yeah! Contact*! At which I didn't totally suck! And at the beginning of practice, we did lines**! At which I didn't totally suck, either!

Oh, oh, and then we played touch***!!! Which was SO MUCH FUN!!!! At which I also didn't totally suck!!!!

So, okay, nothing particularly exciting happened. Just rugby in general. The team is looking fabulous - we all knew what was going on and weren't disastrously out of shape and while we weren't at all perfect, the mistakes we made were not first practice since April mistakes.

YAY SUPER YAY!!!!!!!


*This is the non-rugger term guide: contact = running into people with your shoulders. Also, holding pads so people can run into you with their shoulders. AWESOME FUN!!

**Lines = running off and throwing the ball to each other. In lines. Kinda.

***Touch = rugby where we touch each other! ...Instead of tackling, you fools!

Rugby starts tomorrow!!!

It's a mad mad mad rugby world

The rugby madness, it is starting again!

I just spent about 20 minutes using a calendar template on my mom's computer to make myself a rugby calendar - one for JUST rugby events. And between games, e-board meetings, and fundraisers, that calendar is pretty damn full. Even without practices written in!

Earlier today, I finally finished slogging through the Treasurer's Bible (the binder for my position). Man oh man, Mama Jess was NOT kidding when she said it was a mess! Basically it's stacks of money-related forms (filled-out and blank) from up to three or four seasons ago, two copies of the Club Sports rules, and two letters from previous treasurers. I made the mistake of reading the two years old one first, but the one for me from Mama Jess was pretty helpful.

Anyways, after an hour or two of flipping through forms, reading and rereading Jess' letter, and checking out the PRU website, I've at least figured out that we're not going to show up to a game and be referee-less because I didn't pay someone. I've still got to figure out exactly what magic spells Jess put on the Excel spreadsheets I've got, get an updated version of our budget that includes reimbursements made over the summer, and figure out what the hell is going on with UVA drivers' reimbursements (and if I have to do anything about it - see, Krysi, I'm trying!)

Once I get those things figured out, and go to a Club Sports meeting Sunday night, I'll be totally on top of things.

That is, for the official budget.

Then, there's the social budget, which technically is not a rugby budget but just some money collectively owned by some girls that just happen to be on the rugby team that goes towards alcohol for parties that are not rugby parties but just happen to be attended by the rugby team. Which I just happen to be in charge of. This, I know little to nothing about - except that technically, it doesn't exist.

Then, of course, I have to keep all this information safe in a head which will be battered by rucking pads and angry ruggers.

...

Rugby, my abusive lover, I've missed you so!!!

Fitness yay!

So I finally got up off my ass and got back to playing the fitness game for rugby. Considering I only did about two and a half weeks in the two months I was in Madrid* I was worried that I'd be a little slow or a little weak.

I went running in our neighborhood, a route I did before I went to Spain that takes me less than 20 minutes and that is somewhere between 1 and 3 miles. It's got a lot of hills. When I did it before I went to Spain, I didn't make it the whole way - I stopped and walked a LOT on the way back. But when I did it today, I ran the WHOLE WAY! (Okay, I lie, I took like a 20 second break to scratch my legs at the halfway point but THAT DOESN'T COUNT!) So apparently, walking at least a mile a day and walking up and down five flights of stairs everytime I had to go to my apartment kept me sort of in shape!

I could possibly also attribute my not stopping to the fact that I got a book on CD and uploaded it to my iPod and was thus distracted from internal whining about muscles hurting and my stomach churning etc etc, but I'm going to not do that.


On a sort of related note, does anyone know of any websites or books that deal with nutritional health for a jock vegetarian who wants to eat healthily but cheaply while keeping up her energy and maybe gaining a little muscle weight? Please?


*Which I consider TOTALLY acceptable, btw, because being a little slower or weaker in rugby this season is worth having gone to the parks in Madrid instead of running.