Daily Grind articles are posted the 15th of every month to provide a look into a day in the life of a college athlete and to give an example of time management skills.
Jared Valdes is the captain of the Men's Division I soccer team at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 39 games played, the defender has 3 total goals. Today, we will take a look at his grueling schedule.
5:45 am – 6:30 am: Wake up and eat breakfast
Jared and his teammates will wake up and start their morning. They will usually eat protein bars before either driving or biking down to the field.
Related: Recipes for Athletes: The Breakfast Burrito of Champions
6:45 am – 7:00 am: Warm up on field
The head coach will address and talk to the team, going over different tactics and warm up to prepare for practice.
7:00 am – 9:00 am: Practice
In practice, Jared and his teammates will focus on all sorts of drills, ranging from technical to agility or mobility. His coach will often be focusing on things that could be improved from previous games.
9:15 am – 10:00 am: Snack time!
After the two-hour practice, Jared and his teammates head back to get a snack. Usually Jared will have a blueberry bagel, a protein shake, or smoothie from the newly added smoothie bar.
Related: Need a Pick-Me-Up? 5 Easy Meals or Snacks for Athletes
10:15 am – 11:00 am: Lift
During lift, Jared and his teammates will be working on different skill sets. Some guys will be working with weights, but Jared likes to focus on agility.
11:30 am – 12:30: Open activity
Here, Jared and his teammates have the opportunity to use certain resources. During this time, Jared will go get treatment with the sports trainer, which you have to book online. If he's not getting treated, he will make use of the ice bath, and spend two minutes in a heat contrast, then two more in the ice to recover.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Film
Luckily, the head coach films all practices from a birds eye view. Jared and his teammates will watch the tape for 45 minutes as coaches look for room for improvements and areas to address.
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Nap
As a Division 1 athlete, Jared has to be up really early every morning of the week so it's important that he has a block in his day to rest. For these two hours Jared will take what we call a “power nap” and refresh himself for the rest of his day.
Related: 3 Ways a Lack of Sleep Negatively Impacts Athletic Performance
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Classes
Time to hit the books. Feeling fresh from his two-hour nap, Jared will head to class for three hours. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it's his science lab.
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Downtime & Relaxation
Being done for the day with class, Jared will go back to his place and sit on the couch and relax.
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Dinner time!
Jared takes pride in being self-sufficient and cooks his own food five days a week. For dinner, he'll often have either chicken, beef, or salmon, with a variety of vegetables including zucchini and asparagus. He also likes to add in either potatoes or white rice.
Related: Athletes: Are You Hungry ? 9 Ideas for Pre and Post Workout Fuel
9:00 pm – 11:30 pm: Homework
After eating a balanced meal, Jared spends the next 2 and a half hours focusing on his academics.
11:30 PM: Lights off
Jared says goodnight. When he wakes up, he'll complete the same routine first thing in the morning.
What's a day in your life like? Share your Daily Grind at [email protected]
Image Credit: VCU Athletics
* Originally published on December 21, 2022, by Nicholas Nathanson
