"tell me what you know about dreams, dreams"

Off season. Rest, Recover, and Rebuild. The off season is a crucial time for the development of every athlete.  The physical demands that soccer puts on the body are great; it is very important after an eight month season or longer that the body is allowed a chance to rest, recover and rebuild. This doesn't mean stop all forms of physical activity but this is a good time for rejuvenation, taking care of any injuries,  and cross training. Cross training allows you to keep your fitness level up as well as training muscle groups that are not usually trained; it can help you become an overall better athlete. The off season is a good time to work on weakness, make small adjustments to your game, put a greater focus on strength training and fitness.

In my off season so far I have jumped into different fitness classes such as spin, kickboxing,  yoga, flexible strength and step.  All are great workouts and very different from what I am used to.   

I spent the first two weeks back in the US in Massachusetts and now I am in Florida.  I am living right near Florida Southern. It is nice because I am able to use the facilities, coach my old kids and do some temporary/seasonal work until I go back to Sweden.  

It feels great to be in Florida! I arrived on Monday; my goal was to be here before Halloween.  When I was younger I hated Halloween; every year it was like a switch went off and all hell broke lose. Because of everything that had happened my lungs had never done well this time of year. I was either in the hospital, at my house, or if I did make it out, I got wheeled around. It was literally like clockwork; I would get so sick and struggle until about the end of March. I hated and absolutely dreaded Halloween. I never had a good  one until I moved to Florida.  I remember Freshman year when Halloween hit and I felt better than I have ever had; I was so relieved to make it through the day normally! Throughout my four years at Florida Southern I did not have one problem on Halloween; it was incredible. I would secretly celebrate every year I made it though healthy; it was a huge milestone for me! 

Last year when I got back from Finland, I was going to spend my first Halloween back in MA. It happened again.. I hit a little bump in the road.  I had an attack, it was one of the worst ones I have had in a very long time.. My lungs went from the historical 88% to 43% and again it started very close to Halloween.. I was devastated. It not only effects me but also my family.  I was so angry that they were going through it again. It was not fair. I could not believe it was happening again. It took me a little while to get back on my feet fully but I did and I felt stronger than ever this past year in Sweden. It is  hard to explain how strong I felt; it was like I could go forever. Everything was going right, I felt fast, strong, fit and felt like I could just go all day.  There were so many times this year I would just look around, take in the environment and be so happy with where I was!

This time I arrived in the US Oct 12th and I had a check up right away. I went through the usual lung function tests and I can proudly say I beat my 88%. I felt like I was reliving the 88% story. (http://jackiebachteler.blogspot.com/2011/08/88.html )  My doctor came in, sat down, looked at my chart and just shook his head.  He said, "last October you were 43%.. right now you are at 90!!!!!" Again, he said he just couldn't believe it!! I have to say I knew I had surpassed my 88%. This past season was physically the best I have ever felt. 

Driving back home, I was in awe. I went for a walk and I started to think.. I thought about what happened last year and then I thought about my 90%. The flashbacks were coming one after another. I started to almost become afraid of what "could" happen and with everything that was going through my mind I felt like I just wanted to run away.

"There is an unthinking simplicity in something so hard, 

which is why there's probably some truth to the idea 

that all world-class athletes are actually running away from something" 

Lance Armstrong

 I do not want my 90 to drop.   I made a promise to myself that I would do everything I could to not ever go through that again. All I know is that I am not afraid and I am not running away. I just have had enough! My goal was to get out of MA before Halloween.  With the help of my family, and some amazing friends I am successfully in Florida and I feel healthier than ever! It is Halloween; I am not coughing, I have no pain and I can take a full deep breath. I am going to use this time in Florida to Rest, Recover, Rebuild and continue to develop, continue to gain strength so that when I go back overseas I will be the one to make the difference when it counts the most.