This wasn't a practice so much as a workout, but whatever.
I've been following the Eagle365 training protocol, mostly to have a set program. As a personal trainer, I know first-hand how valuable it is to have someone tell you exactly what to do. Could I write my own training program? Sure. And it would probably be more effective than that provided by the Eagles' coaches, because it addresses my specific needs. But that takes work, a lot of effort on my part, and it's my job; I don't want to do it in my free time. Besides, when I write my own training plan, I'm always second-guessing myself. Not because I don't think my training plan is good, but because I'm always looking to improve it. When I change my workouts every couple weeks, it cuts into my consistency, which cuts into my results. I could write a better workout for myself than what I'm using, but it might not work as well. So I'm doing whatever Eagle365 tells me.
So my training plan looks something like this:
Monday: Cardio + weights (push/pull/legs/core)
Tuesday: Sprints + corrective exercises (I assigned these to myself), rugby practice
Wednesday: Cardio + weights (push/pull/legs/core)
Thursday: Sprints + corrective exercises
Friday: Weights, drills and skills (agility, ball handling, set pieces, and so on)
Saturday: Game/race
Sunday: Rest
Today was intervals day, and the recommended protocol is 4 x [5 x 15" 90-95% effort w/ 45" rest] w/ 3:00 min. rest b/w sets. Last week, I did my intervals on a treadmill (incline @ 8.0%, speed at 10.6 MPH), with one set on the rowing machine (hard to get my heart rate up high enough, and the hip extension gives me SI joint/piriformis pain). It didn't feel difficult enough, though. Today, I went outside to run sprints on grass. That's the most specific to the sport (at least in the backfield), and the most applicable conditioning for the work I want to perform.
I warmed up with a barefoot jog. The grass on the Bishop Carrol practice fields is lush and thick. Felt so good on my bare feet! I used Interval Timer (the ad-supported version) to keep track of my times. It plays a sound at the end of each period, so you know when to start and stop without having to look at your watch. Now that I think of it, though, a watch would probably be easier.
5 x 15 seconds does not sound very hard. That's only 1:15 of total work. That's minuscule in comparison to the rest of my day! But when you're in the middle of a set, 15 seconds is interminable. I did fine on the first set, felt a little nausea on the second, and really felt like puking after the third. I took an extra long break after the third set, waiting for my heart rate to get back to 115-120 BPM. I couldn't make myself do the fourth set. I decided that I would scrap it; I wasn't going to get anything out of it. It'd just be junk miles (or junk meters, in this case).
I regret skipping the last set. When confronted with that kind of pain, the real question is how badly you want to be excellent. If you really, really want to be excellent, you push through that pain. You go ahead and throw up. Sometimes the pushing through is the benefit you garner from the workout; that mental endurance is more valuable than an improved VO2 max, or better running economy.
I should have pushed through. I think I'll make up for it by doing that last set tomorrow, as hard as possible, to drain my legs of glycogen so I can load my muscles with carbohydrates for the match on Saturday. And maybe next week I'll be able to do all 4 sets.
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