In a recent USA Today article, Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) said: “There’s probably no more intense time of the season than right now. We’re talking about a time period where there’s a lot of pressure. Competitive juices are always higher. It’s a tougher time. Teams have been playing for three and a half months. They’re tired. Coaches are tired. Officials are tired.”

I have heard the argument a dozen times about referees taking on too many games, and that we shouldn’t work back-to-back days.  I have heard all the reasons for this argument, and I don’t buy into the philosophy at all. HOWEVER, I do agree with Haney – it’s March and everyone is tired.

Many “part-time” referees have been officiating three to four games per week every single week since mid October, and now it is March – five months later! That’s a lot of games. This year, I wanted to understand the mileage logged in a game so I have been wearing my Jawbone Up.  This season, I am tracking somewhere around three to five miles per game for three to four games per week, which should translate to somewhere between 10 to 20 miles per week.

In addition to those miles, I also try to lift weights and add additional cardio work to my week in order to stay in great shape.  But hey, it’s March and some days I am just too tired for an extra workout!  So how do I stay motivated through the final weeks of the season?  How do I keep from feeling tired?

This year, I have been committed to be in the best shape I have been in in years because I am calling more games than in years past.  I am also officiating bigger games than in the past, and I want to be fresh, healthy, and up for the challenge.  So five months later, how am I keeping the workouts fresh and exciting? I have gotten out of my comfort zone this year because of the amount of travel I do, and it has been awesome and invigorating.

In addition to those boring hotel room treadmill runs, I have challenged a few of my girlfriends to begin training for a 100-mile bike ride, and I have been joining my friend Kara at random classes like Soul Cycle and Barre.

This week, I am keeping it fresh by trying a boot camp, and not just any bootcamp – Barry’s boot camp, yikes!

I would love to hear about your workout strategy for the duration of the season, especially in this FINAL STRETCH (BTW, don’t forget to stretch).