NEW BEGINNINGS
The end of the season is always the most difficult time. After months of training, racing and preparing for these few days when all of the work comes together, it can be easier to lose the focus than to put it all together for the elusive peak performance that everyone wants.
I’m in Japan, an ocean away from Canada, and as the rest of the speed skating world trickles into this foreign land, the more it registers that this is it. In two weekends, it’s over. Some people come here tired after a long season of World Cups, all-round and sprint championships, qualifying races and training, training, training…others come in hungry for that one good result that will save a bad season; and then a few special athletes come here ready to race after decent or even excellent seasons.
I’m not quite sure where I fit in, but what I do know is that with every hour of every day that passes, I feel this beautiful focus narrow. I feel excited to train, to do the workouts that will result in the perfect balance of keeping my system open enough to utilize the massive base and world-class fitness that I carry with me after 18 years of training. With each tired face I see, each word of complaint I hear from others who just want the season to be over, a rage takes over inside that wants to scream ‘now is the time- this is it!’ Instead, I keep this intensity inside, for myself, and save it all up for when the gun goes off next week: first for the 3000m; then, for the 5000m.
With only 8km to go, I can hardly believe the end is so near. I remind myself each day to absorb and not lose the moments that will bring me to this end.
The day after arriving, we had a team meeting, led by spring coach Mike Crow who is new to our team from the USA. He has coached myriad a champion speed skaters to world and Olympic glory, and his words come with this weight of experience. He spoke of being in Norway earlier this year, the place where he coached his first world championship team, 23 years ago. What he found remarkable was realizing the feelings he has now, the excitement and motivation, were just as strong as the new experience so long ago. He spoke of being here at the end of the year now, and arriving in a new place, a foreign land, and seeing this as not the end but yet another new beginning. He spoke of certain places we return to time and again, and how special it is for a team to go back to a place where they have had success, reminding us of the magnitude of glory the Canadian Team had here back in the ’98 Olympics, here in Nagano.
These little bits of wisdom were especially clear to me. Being not so young in sport, and always looking for those fresh ideas, this was the reminder I needed of these bits of motivation that are always there if your eyes and senses are open.
When I look back through my training diary, detailing daily the stress and details of training session after training session, and I flip through month after month (eleven in all since I began training for these races) I realize the commitment and sheer volume of time and energy I have invested. How can I not be motivated to the point of tearing my hair out when I just think of the chances I have next week to try, let alone succeed, and putting this all together for those two races; about eleven minutes in all.
Yes, this is a new beginning, and I am so ready to dive in and see what experiences unfold.
