The Nike Field Reporter

Timing.

Balance.

Focus.

Speed.

All are elements that attribute to the success of an athlete. The thirst for competition, and the desire for improvement can at times make training very difficult. Despite the long hours at a pool or at a court, a workout/practice can be tough to push through. So, how do you turn your training regiment around and make it “Delicious?”

The answer lies within you! Seeing the Nike slogan “Delicious Training” made me think about what it meant. It also provoked not only a fascination out of me but it also made me want to change my workout to something that I could in fact refer to it as “Delicious.”

Everyone’s training routine is of course unique, so I decided to interview four girls that are involved in different sports. I interviewed a tennis player, dancer, basketball player and a swimmer. Each girl found her training to be both delicious and satisfying.

Alex, 22, plays tennis and is an overall athlete. Having played tennis since the age of five, Alex also picked up an interest in competing for a volleyball high school team as well as rowing for a Division I university. I asked what her interpretation of Delicious Training and she responded, “delicious training is the idea of training without knowing your training. When your addiction kicks in and all you want to do is be playing that sport. When nothing else matters besides the next point and everything else in your life drifts away except for that moment.”

The key phrase, “training without knowing that you’re actually training,” is so true. When I’m at the yoga studio or at lyrical jazz class, I give myself that one hour out of my busy schedule to relax and do something I love. When I’m dancing, regardless of how sore I might feel from the previous dance class, I become so enthralled in what I’m doing that the pain seems to go away.

I was able to relate to Kaylee, 20, who has danced for 17 years and at such an early age has earned the title of head coach for her alma mater this year. Her passion and love for her dance, has fueled her career to an early success. Kaylee describes dancing as her “get away from the real world even if it is for an hour. It keeps me in shape, happy and positive, and I couldn’t ask for more in something I love to do.”

The moment something you do becomes a routine is the moment that the passion and fire terminates. All four of these young ladies are zealous about their training, and all consider themselves to be passionate about their sport. It is important to realize however, that there is a distinction between playing a sport and the training that follows it.

Regardless, I still found myself asking, how can we break through, or manage the hard parts of a workout?

I asked Lara a swimmer, 21, if she thought her training was delicious? And all I got was, “Duh Gevvy, not only am I in a bathing suit, but I’m swimming under the sunny California weather.”

Her response was rather comical; of course she thinks her training is delicious. Why you might ask? Well, anyone can design their training to be delicious as long as they love what they do. Lara is proof of this theory as she not only loves swimming and the training that goes with it, but she loves to represent her sport. So much so, that she is training to reach her goal of getting a sectional time in the 100m and 200m backstroke.

Each one of these active women is passionate about what they do and are willingly to put in the time and discipline to train. Many times, and I’m definitely guilty of this, we forget how important training really is in our daily life. Whether you’re training for performance, or training to stay in shape, training should always be fun. This correlates with Beverly’s thoughts on her definition of Delicious Training. Beverly a 19-year-old basketball player said “the term, I think is mainly relevant to true athletes who have a passion for their sports; the delicious part of their training spuds from their passion, making their sport fun!”

Although Beverly is swamped with school work and playing both basketball and volleyball, she still keeps her training fun. Fun is the main component of her workout as she continues to excel in her performance among her teammates. Beverly attributes her eight years of basketball success to her training—“the reward comes from the endurance and agility.”

Alex, Kaylee, Lara and Beverly all understand that some days training can be tiring, but they all strive to make the hard spots of workouts fun—resulting in a more effective workout that benefits them in all aspects. Training is rewarding and gratifying.

After reading these experiences, how delicious is your training? Are you passionate about your training? All are valid questions to jump start the success of your workout regiment. I know I’m going to start to make my Delicious Training my own and truly make those cardio workouts yummy!

Start now! Making YOUR training delicious and make it your own! Be passionate about what you’re doing because in the long run, success will immediately follow after the time and effort is put forth.

-Gevrina Seferaj