GoKeslie.com: Calgary Push Camp #1

It's COLD UP HERE! I'm not ready to see my breath when I walk out the front door... It's a high of 50 today and rain, which is a little different from the 100 degree weather back home. It must be getting close to the season :)

I’m up in Calgary for my first of two push camps. Our team comes up here to train at the Canadian Olympic Park during the summer. Why here? Well, they have the only indoor ice facility in North America and it’s the best place to practice our starts.

There’s a small group of athletes here, which has allowed for a lot more reps on the ice. I had some trouble the first day pushing. I couldn’t get the feeling back of running on the ice and was pretty frustrated. Unfortunately, I got down on myself too quickly and was extremely disappointed in my attitude. I wasn’t expecting to blow up my personal best pushes on the first day but I also wasn’t prepared to be as far behind my normal times. I’m in the best shape of my life… stronger and faster than I’ve ever been but it just wasn’t transferring to my pushing. Bottom line, I wasn’t comfortable and had no rhythm.

I left the ice-house disappointed but not discouraged. I knew it was the first day and it would take some time… just how much time is the question?

Yesterday I had a better game plan going into our session. Attitude was at the top of the list. I can’t get upset the minute I don’t perform up to my expectations. That’s why I’m here… to practice, to figure it out, to put the puzzle pieces back together and be persistent until I get the feeling back. I believe it will come. In a way I was lucky the timing was broken because I was able to focus on getting comfortable again. I pushed 18 times over a 2 hour session and things started to click. Best part, I had fun the whole time even though my right side was so sore I can barley walk straight (a typical pain that comes along with not pushing for 5 months). It’s a little reminder that our bodies aren’t built to run bent over and twisted to one side! Haha

Today will be a big test. I’m not looking for stellar times, just an improvement from the first day. My soreness will probably inhibit me from taking an excessive amount of runs so I need to zone in on a few specific issues. As for now, I need to hit the gym. Here are a few pictures from our time away from pushing… We're having a good time :)