On My Way To C. Springs….

I’m headed out to Colorado Springs as we speak… I have a National Team Camp at the Training Center, which happens to be the headquarters of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Last year at this time I was just finishing up Spring Quarter at Northwestern and flying from Chicago. I was nervous how the week would go because I had been living and trining on my own and suffered from multiple nagging injuries. It was apparent when I arrived with everything from my testing results to my confidence. I remember breaking down in tears with my coaches and feeling so far behind… This year is a whole different story. I feel like a completely changed person after being home this Spring.

I was apprehensive about living at home this summer but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Originally, it was only suppose to be for a month but training is going so well I’d be crazy to leave. Here’s the scoop…

In the sports psychology book The Mental Edge, Ken Baum makes a great point. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”. I was stuck in a rut living at the training center and wasn’t fully aware of it until I moved home. I felt like I was in the shadow of my teammates that were naturally a little bit faster and a little bit stronger that me. We all work hard during the summer so it seemed like even when I was making small gains to be proud of, they were making the same improvements. I could never fully focus on “me” since I was comparing myself to everyone else. It also didn’t help that I often got the impression our coaches saw me as a less developed athlete as well. This was something I struggled with mentally for many years. Something had to change in order for me to take my training to where I knew it could go. I came home and tapped into a basic resource that has changed my entire body… Nutrition. I cook almost everything I eat which was never an option at the training center. Though never having to wash my dishes was nice, I’m so happy I’m finally learning my way around the kitchen (yay!). I’m working with a new coach that I have so much trust and confidence in. I trained with him several years ago when I first wanted to get involved with skeleton so we were able to just hit the ground running. I also have my own room and a comfortable bed so my recovery and ‘down-time’ has been priceless. I can’t tell you the last time I didn’t have a roommate for this length of time. So, basically, I’ve created a complete overhaul so I won’t “get what I’ve always gotten”. There was definitely an adjustment period and I’ll continue to tweak my routine as time goes on. I feel like I’m much more aware of the big picture with my training at home and I’m really happy with how things are progressing. I’ve always been an advocate of the mental side of things… I think the opportunity to remove myself from my teammates/competitors has made a huge difference. Like I said earlier, I’ve been able to focus solely on myself. What can ‘I’ do to make myself better, not, what is ‘everyone else’ doing to get better. I definitely miss having friends to train with, a state of the art gym to train in, and a sports medicine facility… but home is where my heart is right now. In all my years of training as an elite athlete, I’ve never been so happy. I have a new confidence about my ability, a new perspective of “the big picture”, and my excitement and energy level is through the roof. There’s a lot more work to be done and I’m thankful for that time but I’m already anxious to get back on the ice. I know that no matter what happens… I honestly did everything I could to be my best…. There’s definitely a sense of ease that comes with that realization.

With all that said… I’m really excited for this camp. I’m not going to try and impress anyone, I’m not looking to compare myself with anyone, I don’t want to get involved with any gossip or drama that often follows our team… I just want to have fun and show the coaches my progress… because we all know there’s a lot more summer training left when I get back home!