Last time I posted I was in Milwaukee preparing for our Fall World Cup Qualification. Races went decent, but I was victim to a bit of an equipment problem that cost me my spot on the 1500m racing team. Unfortunately at the beginning of my 1500m race I stripped my right inner edge of my blade and had nothing to push off of. When a skater strips an edge it is like going from skating on sharp skates to skating on a pair of rentals, and we all know how much fun those are. Unfortunately I missed qualifying by just .2 of a second. (Chad Hedrick had the same thing happen in Berlin last year and it cost him a spot on the podium at Worlds, it really shows just how big of an impact equipment has on performance.) A bit of a disappointment that is for sure, but there is not much I could have done given the circumstances, and I have to say I'm quite lucky in that throughout my many years of racing I've only had this happen to me a handful of times. I am racing the 3000m, 5000m, and team pursuit events in the World Cups and so my schedule is plenty full.
I've made the executive decision to train through these World Cups; kinda a big deal given the fact that I normally do not do this. I've decided that I would like to build up what we call more of an intensive base for racing, something that I feel is lacking a bit right now. As some of you may know I've been working with a new coach for almost 1.5 years now and it has been a big adjustment for me. When I lived in Calgary I worked with one of the best speed skating coaches in the world. She was amazing, and ever since leaving I have struggled to find the same structure, fortunately she is still a bit of a mentor to me and reminds me to be patient. (In a sport where you are supposed to go fast being patient is a very difficult thing to do.) So for these Fall World Cups I am reminding myself to be patient and prepare myself for what really counts, Vancouver 2010. It may seem a long time from now, but according to the widget on my computer it is only 464 days away and counting!
After I flew home to Milwaukee I spent just 4 days in Salt Lake, and then it was back on another plane headed to Europe. This year we are racing in Berlin, Germany, Heerenveen, Netherlands, and Moscow, Russia...scary! Plenty of excitement to come out of these trips I'm sure. There is a silver lining to the fast turn around this year; for the first time since I was 15 years old I will actually be spending Thanksgiving in America! Lets here it for the bird!
1 comment:
We will be in town for Thanksgiving too. Let's hope for lot's of snow, and great skiing!
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