Whirlwind of a Week

This week has been…exhausting.

I started the beginning of a new workout block that featured the return of sets of 10s and introduced to two-a-day lifting sessions.  It wasn’t a pleasant introduction, but it will make me stronger and faster (and I don’t have a choice!) so I’ll endure the chronic soreness and tiredness if it’ll make me better.

In addition to the new workout, I’m receiving a tremendous amount of instruction regarding sprint mechanics, and I’ve really needed it.  10+ years of sprinting with a field hockey stick has taught me some really bad sprinting habits, and it’s taking a lot of focus to break them.  Each sprinting session is as mentally as it is physically tiring as I continue to modify my mechanics, but I’m particularly excited to see the gains I’ll make in this area.

Our trainers are also around to monitor our technique during our lifting sessions.  It’s incredible how much sprinting and lifting technique correlate.  All of the Olympic lifts require you to pull your hips through– as does sprinting– and that’s typically something I neglect to fully complete when I lift and sprint.  Missing these little pieces as you train can very negatively affect the weights you attempt and slow you down sprint-wise.  I’m anxious to clean everything up so that I can start performing at my full potential.

If it hasn’t been crazy enough this week, I leave at 3 a.m. tomorrow for National Team Camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I’m excited to travel again, especially sans sled and various other equipment, and I’ve never been to Springs before so I’m pumped for the new experience.  I’ll be sure to post pictures!  But now I really need to take a nap!

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New Digs

Who knew the Adirondack’s were so beautiful in the summertime?

For those who didn’t catch my last update, I made the move up to Lake Placid on Thursday and was a little shocked at my surroundings.  I’m used to frigid temps, snow cover and bare trees.  Instead it’s warm, there’s green grass and shade!  I’m definitely lovin’ it.

The new pad.

I got settled in on Thursday pretty quickly.  While I’ll keep this room for the year, I didn’t bring a whole lot of stuff to begin with and I have a tiny car so there wasn’t even a shot that I could overpack since I knew I’d be playing Tetris to get it all in to begin with.  However, I did make sure to bring Buddha, a gift from my Aunt Terry with.  He was given to me 2 years ago and has been on my nightstand ever since.  I felt the need to bring him to Lake Placid for some extra guidance!

I’m rooming with a teammate named Meghan, who also started sliding at the same time that I did.  I’m pumped that I’m with a friend who I know and trust and who is so laid back.  We’re both really excited to get training and to push each other over the course of the summer.

Buddha!

We got right down to business on Friday, having to test two, 20m sprints down a runway fitted with sensors to track stride length, power and all sorts of other fun notes.  On Saturday morning we had to do some jump testing and then got strapped into a machine to test pull strength.  Talk about a warm welcome back!  We’ll test about every four weeks to monitor our progress.

Overall I’m just feeling really happy with my decision to move up to Lake Placid and I feel really lucky to have been given housing for the year.  I can’t even begin to describe how much this is going to benefit my training and I’m really excited to see how much faster and stronger I’ll become through training.  I’m ready for the hard work it will take!