Almost Spring

Today was a beautiful April day for Lake Placid standards. I woke up early since sliding was in the morning, got a few things done and headed to the track for training.

The sun was out and there were few clouds in the sky, but the wind was blowing just enough so you needed a sweatshirt and some gloves. I love being at the track when its a nice day, it makes me happy. The best time to slide is when you are happy so basically its a win win situation for me.

The track wasn’t as fast as it has been, but it is getting less bumpy which is a good thing. This time of year each time I slide I try to learn something new, or try something out down the track. Whether it be a drive in a different part of a corner or a better way to relax down the track. This is the time to do all different things, make mistakes on purpse to see if your mind is fast enough to correct them, thats what makes a skeleton slider great.

My biggest stuggle in the past was consistency, that was mainly what I worked on this season during training and races. I am still working on being consistent but don’t feel like I am struggling with it anymore. What you aim for is two runs to be within 2tenths of each other, sometimes a little more is ok and well a few hundreths is pretty awesome.

After lunch I decided to get motivated and do a short running workout. My roommate and teammate was going so I figured I would tag along. It was a simple workout 8×80meter strides on the grass in the field outside the training center. This time of year it is a good idea to start running on the grass, except that the snow is still melting and the grass is soaking wet. So after my workout the back of my legs and my back were drenched and I was a little covered with mud. Abs were the end to my workout for the day. It may not seem like much but it is only March, and sliding before working out takes a lot out of you.

I won’t start my heavy training until the end of April or the beginning of May. Team trials take place in October so the summer is very long.