A small injury and some very cold weather.

So tonight the temperatures are supposed to drop into the 20's!!!! Good news for us, now we only need mother nature to cooperate for another month! I had a small injury, just a 2 day thing. I was doing my monday workout and although i didn't notice it at the time i put by back into a pretty good spasm, but as im sitting here writing this it seems to be getting better quickly. I didnt miss any workouts so its no big deal, but these times are good opportunities to learn about my body and how to fix it when these things happen. 

On a side note I had some great pushes wednesday despite my pain. Im really focusing on finding a mental que that allows my biomechanics to happen naturally without thought, and I think i've found it. Im really excited to pound this into my head with repetition in the coming weeks before team trials. 

Saturday night we are having a nice bbq and bonfire at my parents with some vino from my cellar. Ill probably get into some barolos, super tuscans and maybe some Chateauneufs. Its always fun to have the team down and get out of the training center and the mindset that goes along with it. These crisp Adirondack nights are perfect for it!

Well im back in Lake Placid. My cross country journey with Annie was a success. Im finding every year that its really important to take your time. The damage that is done to the body when driving that distance in 3-4 days is too much. The first day I was back in the Lake Placid, the fall air set in, crisp, clean and biting with an unmistakable smell. I stopped in at the bobsled track and there are numerous improvements which will undoubtedly make the sliding facility even better. There is a new finish house for the timing systems along with new roofs over the start area. All of these improvements will help us have better and fairer races less affected by mother natures curve balls. 

On a training note things are going very well. With the help of my teammate Jon Daly I have really started to make some progress with my start. The momentum from Calgary seems to be moving forward and should result in some great results this fall when I Peak for team trials. The season is coming so fast....We start to slide October 5th, potentially earlier....tick tock tick tock. 

calgary push camp and xc drive

Well here I am, in the midst of my biannual reminder of how big this country actually is. Annie and I are currently passing from nebraska into iowa, on our trip back to NY in preparation for the winter season. Every time I make this drive it blows me away how much open space there is in America.

Priceline is my new best friend, you can get 50 percent off on almost any hotel and it sure has been helpful on these long trips.

Last week we had our calgary push camp, where we practice our push starts in an indoor refrigerated facility. It was a great week and I took more than 50 starts over the 5 days. At first it was very difficult to make the adaptation to running on ice pushing a sled compared to the higher friction improvisational things I do during the summer. It was very clear to me that I am the fastest I have been in my life. I was within two one hundredths of my 2006 olympic year personal best even with being as uncomfortable as I was with the adjustment from the track to the ice.With Every push session I became more efficient in my starts and more comfortable on the ice, finally feeling good during my last push session. The uncomfortable transition to ice is something that happens every year and is exacerbated by the fact that the us does not have its own push track to utilize year round. If the usoc and usbsf want to do the one crucial thing to help the usa win more medals in bobsled and skeleton it needs to get an iced push track on us soil. Overall the camp was great and I am looking forward to solidifying my technique in the weeks that come.

I will arrive in lake placid on the 6th of sept and am looking forward to the fall air, the training, and seeing my family. This is the best part of the year for me.

Check out this San Diego Union Tribune article I was interviewed for....

He painted a good picture of the training center right now, although we dont run with out sleds, we push them while they are on the ice....ahh ice sports in southern cali :)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080816/news_1n16cvcenter.html

Why I compete

Well, here I am, my first blog post.....what to write about? i was thinking my first post should be something that defines me, something that is at the core of who i am, and then it popped into my head, a discussion between my sports psychologist about why I compete.

Its a question that had an immediate albeit easy answer....the normal ...to do my best...to win medals..but he wanted me to go deeper. The answer was still simple but its power is what defines me as this view gives me not only a passion to commit to my sport and work for the grandest of stages, but to face any challenge of my life.

As im watching the Olympics tonight, Rhaj Bavsar, a US gymnast is telling his story. His story and his dilemma mirrors my answers to Jim's question. Here Rhaj stands at the Biejing olympics, unexpectedly, after he thought his career was over. In the years that preceded his unexpected appearance tonight in the Olympics he felt a lack of a true definition of self as his life moved away from sport. What Rhaj realized that fixed his dilemma was a personal view of himself, a realization that who he was as a top gymnastics athlete is something much bigger than his athletic "self". Once Rhaj saw his life as bigger than athletics he no longer struggled, and as he and his teammates put on an edgy and gutsy team qualification I cant help but think that his change of mindset is part of not only his success but his teams. 

My answer to Jim's question mirror's Rhaj's revelation.

At the heart of the Olympic journey is the innate belief that our potential has yet to be fufilled. From this wellspring of belief in ourselves comes a lifelong journey of fulfilling that potential. it applies not only to the athletic realm, but to all aspects of our lives. It is what hooked me from my earliest years as a slider. It is defined by what is best in all human beings. Dreams, commitment, passion, dedication and triumph over adversity. The effects of these experiences leave is with something greater than out athletic pursuits, they help define who we are at our core. It is something we cary into every arena of our life, inspiring and uplifting along the way. This is the real expansive power of the Olympics. It is the collective power of the people that we inspire, to have the courage to embark on their own journey, seeking what is best within themselves and in their own ways emboldening others. We are all worthy to stand on the grandest of stages. This is the true power of the Olympics. This is why I compete.