First day of Combine Training 01.05.09

First day of Combine training is always fun. The guys know it’s going to be difficult 'cause the first day is always in sand. They just aren’t quite sure what that entails, so the looks are precious when they arrive at the beach. It was raining this morning so I got a text from Ann asking if we were meeting indoors. I text back, “Beach!” which made her laugh 'cause she was at the gym and I know the guys were hoping I would be nice about it.

I got to Alameda shoreline beach early and set up a 20 yard by 20 yard perimeter in sand for the guys' warm up. As they began arriving, it looked like there would only be one or two who weren’t familiar with the sand work. Ann brought with her Larry Beard, a defensive end from Georgia Southern. It was his first day, so I hadn’t even met him yet. He stands 6’3" at 260 lbs. with a smile that’s a mile wide. I liked Larry immediately.

After all of the introductions and a brief pep talk from me about what all of them had embarked on, I pointed off to the end of the beach and yelled, "Ten minutes!" My veterans took off jogging, and as the rest began to look around, I screamed, “Follow them!” The warm up starts with a ten minute jog out, then the return as fast as you like.

Each year we invite special clients to participate with the athletes preparing for the NFL Combine. Some are athletes themselves, others are actors, musicians or celebrities trying to get in shape for one reason or another. This year we invited Thomas, a marathon runner, to participate with us. In the couple of years he’s been running marathons, he has dropped his time by more than an hour and is now on a quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon. What makes Thomas so unique is he is a cancer survivor. Last year he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, like Lance Armstrong. And like Lance, Thomas is a powerfully magical presence.

Needless to say, it was Thomas who returned first. We both got a nice laugh out of that one. The last guy to return was Mr. Beard. Not a good sign.

After they were all back we began our walking stretches. Twenty yards of forward movements to stretch the body out and prepare it for more explosive movements. The stretch is followed by a high-knee run back. After the stretches, we move to sprint drills and then transition drills to time them all together. As soon as we are done, the veterans take off and the rest turn to read my expression. I smile and give directions, “Follow them!”

After each drill, I make the players jog in the sand about 600 yards to prepare them to catch their breath while moving. When they return, they will get something to drink and then the first drill will commence.

After about 90 minutes into the workout, Larry goes down with severe cramps in his calf. He had been slowly falling further and further behind, so I have the trainers take him back to the facility so he can be worked on. Not bad for the first day.

Funny thing, the strongest finisher was not Thomas the marathoner. Guess this is another kind of endurance training...