I don’t know about anyone else, but I had been glued to the World Cup. Unfortunately for all us USA fans we have to wait a while to watch our team compete on the world’s stage.
But I’ve got to be honest, watching these teams play makes ME exhausted. An hour and a half jog is nothing compared to 90+ minutes these guys put in up and down the field.
I really wanted to know what type of training goes in professional soccer, so I headed to Toyota Park to take in practice and talk to midfielder Peter Lowry about his training program.
Lowry says that his training starts off slowly in the pre-season using two tiers of training working in sprints in to his longer conditioning workouts. During the season Fire practices are 2 hours long and shorter the day before a match.
The practices consist of drills and scrimmage, but Lowry doesn’t stop there. Fire players will get in some extra work in the on campus fitness center. These extra workouts are specific to each players needs, for example Lowry has had some knee issues so a lot of his focus is on lower body exercises. He does some light lifting and a lot of core work. Total training days per week, 6.
Professional soccer is extremely demanding, on average Lowry says he runs 6 to 7 miles during the course of a game. That distance seems short compared to the 26.2 of the Chicago Marathon that 10 Fire players, including Lowry, will be running on October 10th on behalf of the Chicago Fire Foundation.
Through grants and contributions to non-profit organizations, the Chicago Fire Foundation is dedicated to enriching the quality of life of the Chicagoland community, particularly its youth in the areas of health and wellness, education and the environment. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $1.4 million dollars in grants and contributions. With the generosity of the Fire organization and the surrounding Chicagoland community, the Chicago Fire Foundation looks forward to further opportunities to expand programming and outreach. The Chicago Fire Foundation raises funds through events such as the annual Season Kickoff Luncheon, the Commemorative Jersey Auction, and 50/50 Raffle. For more information about the Chicago Fire Foundation click here.
This will be Lowry’s first marathon but he told me he comes from a family of marathoners. He’s not concerned though.
“Its in my genetics, so I think I’ll be ok.”
Registration for the 2010 Chicago Marathon is closed, but the Chicago Fire Foundation still has a limited number of race entries available. For more information call 708-496-6740.
The US team may be done, but The Chicago Fire’s season runs through October 23rd.
And now to remember the good times, here is the worlds reaction to Landon Donovan’s game winning goal…
Phil Castello 