An Unconventional Speed Workout

Yesterday was the first day the greatest summer ever, dubbed by some of my friends. The event to kick off the best summer ever was nighttime ultimate frisbee. I have not played ultimate for a couple years, but love anything active so I must admit I was looking forward to it, as well as hanging out with some friends.

I knew I was going to play ultimate last night, but decided to do 10 miles at the gym, followed by some biking, a few minutes on the elliptical and some walking as a cool down. My muscles felt good and I (actually) stretched when I was done working out. I spent some quality time at the gym, more than usual, but I am on Spring Break so this week I have that luxury.

After my mid-afternoon workout, I came back and had a light dinner. It is hard for me to run when there is anything in my stomach, but I knew I needed something before ultimate. Then, it was off to play.

Originally, we were going to play on a college campus football field, but got kicked off of it by security. So we decided to go to a local park, about a mile away. Some people drove, but I walked with the others instead. We got to the field, picked teams, and the game started. By no means do I think I am a great ultimate player, but what I do have working for me is the fact that I am in pretty good shape and can therefore outrun most people, and can catch and throw a frisbee decently. There were 2 guys that had played in college, another guy like me who has played occasionally the past couple years, and then the rest were new to the game. It made for an interesting mix of talent ability on the field, and the fact that the wind was outrageous last night made some of the passes, well, interesting.

We ended up playing for about 1.5 hours, but the time went by quickly. I realized that in the second half of our game I might be sore the next day, as I was getting in a speed workout that I had not intended for the day. Seriously, if you play ultimate and are competitive, like myself, sprinting is involved. Today's 7 miles were taken at a very easy pace, considering I was and still am sore from ultimate. But, it was well worth it to spend a night with friends and, my team won.