Chloe Watkins – A Day in the Life
June, 2022
Depending on the time the match is at usually dictates when the alarm goes off, however even if it’s a late evening game we would be up by 8 or so. The first thing I do is fill the water bottle and add a hydration dissolvable tablet to get electrolytes in and rehydrate from the nights sleep.
8.15am – Morning mobility. The morning walk to find a green area near where we are staying is a routine we all love. We take 15 minutes to go through a mobility routine to stretch, foam roll and wake up the body.
8.30am – Breakfast. Again, depending on the time of the game, this can be a key meal for the day. Porridge is an ever-present staple with fruit and honey. Eggs and toast to follow which are always accompanied by a cup of coffee.
10am – Team meeting. This is where we are presented with the starting team and game plan. We have brief reminders about the opposition and how we want to play, this ensures we are all clear on our roles.
12.30pm – Lunch. This can be a lighter lunch or bigger meal. Today it’s a bigger meal, plenty of carbs!
2pm – Small group discussions or time to look back over some video analysis/notes to help visualise the game. Only very brief, casual discussions in case something needs to be clarified, etc.
2.30pm – Feet up. Especially when we play in a hot climate, keeping step count low throughout the day is key. Normally I like to listen to music and have a little lie down, some might watch a show or nap to rest the mind and body!
3.30pm – Another coffee as I prep my bag and get ready for the game. Music often blares down the hallway as everyone is up and about. I don’t have many rituals but sweatbands, towel, GPS unit, heart rate belt and fluids are always packed. If anything needs strapping this is the time to nip down to the physio. Snacks are also available and I normally go for a little top up pre-game.
4pm – Pitch bound. Someone is always responsible for bringing the speaker and doing the music. In the changing room, we do a simple 5 minute routine with activation bands to get the key muscles activated. We then huddle up for a team chat and head out for the warm-up.
5pm – Game time.
6.30pm – Arguably the most important time of the day, post-game. This is recovery time. I head straight into the changing rooms and do an ice bath. Grab a recovery shake and shower. I’m not good at drinking water and I’m a heavy sweater so making sure I rehydrate is always important.
7.30pm – Dinner. Often in hockey tournaments, you play consecutive days so recovery is also refuelling and preparing for the next game. If we have a day in-between games then we might have a debrief meeting to analyse the match.
8.30pm – Compression socks on and maybe a 20 or 30 minute stint in the Normatech compression pants to help blood circulate around the legs which aids recovery.
9pm – Tea and chats!!
10pm – Potentially a little snack and crawl into bed to do it all again tomorrow!