From mid December though mid January, I spent time researching skeleton equipment, buying skeleton equipment, buying cold weather gear, continuing sprinting lessons at Velocity, trying to find a way to raise funds and doing everything I could to get prepared for training.
Unlike most of the development athletes, I would not be full time. Because of the work arrangement, I would train and slide part-time in Lake Placid and train in New York part time (no sliding, obviously). While this may have put me at a disadvantage, it was the only option if I wanted to keep my job...which I do!
On Wednesday, Jan 24, I began the now familiar drive to Lake Placid. So many thoughts were running through my head. Would I have enough training time? Would I have enough sliding time? What goals should I be setting for myself? How far can I push myself? All good questions...none of which could be answered.
I had also found out that there would be no sliding on Saturday and Sunday. My overall training plan had included at least one day per weekend of sliding in order to make the part-time option work. With that, I would only have, at most, 2 days of sliding per week. Could this even work? This was another challenge I simply needed to deal with....
I arrived on Wednesday to a few familiar faces that I’d come to know through the push camp and driving school. It was good to be back at the Olympic Training Center.
Then Thursday came...
Sliding was cancelled. It was -26 degrees at the top of the track....yes, that was NEGATIVE 26. This California boy had no comprehension of that temperature. There was a good chance that sliding on Friday would be cancelled as well....which meant that I would have driven 5 hours for my first week of sliding which consisted of no sliding. One coach commented “Welcome to winter sports.”
Luckily, it warmed up on Friday to a balmy.....-20 degrees. Yes, that’s still negative. Apparently, we were ok to slide today. I got three runs in before it was time to de-thaw my fingers.
On the drive back to New York, I looked at the familiar bruises on my arms and smiled. Those bruises meant I was sliding again and this unexpected adventure was continuing.
Unlike most of the development athletes, I would not be full time. Because of the work arrangement, I would train and slide part-time in Lake Placid and train in New York part time (no sliding, obviously). While this may have put me at a disadvantage, it was the only option if I wanted to keep my job...which I do!
On Wednesday, Jan 24, I began the now familiar drive to Lake Placid. So many thoughts were running through my head. Would I have enough training time? Would I have enough sliding time? What goals should I be setting for myself? How far can I push myself? All good questions...none of which could be answered.
I had also found out that there would be no sliding on Saturday and Sunday. My overall training plan had included at least one day per weekend of sliding in order to make the part-time option work. With that, I would only have, at most, 2 days of sliding per week. Could this even work? This was another challenge I simply needed to deal with....
I arrived on Wednesday to a few familiar faces that I’d come to know through the push camp and driving school. It was good to be back at the Olympic Training Center.
Then Thursday came...
Sliding was cancelled. It was -26 degrees at the top of the track....yes, that was NEGATIVE 26. This California boy had no comprehension of that temperature. There was a good chance that sliding on Friday would be cancelled as well....which meant that I would have driven 5 hours for my first week of sliding which consisted of no sliding. One coach commented “Welcome to winter sports.”
Luckily, it warmed up on Friday to a balmy.....-20 degrees. Yes, that’s still negative. Apparently, we were ok to slide today. I got three runs in before it was time to de-thaw my fingers.
On the drive back to New York, I looked at the familiar bruises on my arms and smiled. Those bruises meant I was sliding again and this unexpected adventure was continuing.
No comments:
Post a Comment