September Determination
Waiting to go on the ice are the skates of the national team sprinters, allarounders, a Japanese University Team, & the oval’s F.A.S.T. team.
This picture was shot during a mid-session resurface. I think many are unconsciously holding their skates this way because their legs hurt, and straightening them fully helps.
Late September is the hardest training time of the year; it’s when speed meets volume for elite athletes, and it’s a make or break month for some. I love it and dread it.
The sprinters especially had a horridly hard day-
Here is Tyler Goff, Nick Pearson, and Mike Stein. You can see something in how far back their hips are & the curl of their back in this photo that I have a very hard time doing properly.
Extention & form! even when it’s the end of the day, your legs are a burning mass of jello, and what keeps you upright is determination + years of hard-earned fitness, as shown here by Kreg Greer, Matt Plummer, and Mike Blumel.
When it’s a world cup race, or national championship time in December, this is when the efforts of September will bear fruit.
Filed under: from home
National Championships in Denver? Will you be in our neck of the woods, Andrew?
Umm, right. That was “December”, not “Denver”. I think I will hibernate now.
I met you, Andrew, at the oval about a month ago. I don’t know if I told you, but I definitely prefer LT to ST. Now is when I can’t stop thinking about skating Long Track, because the Sort Track season hasn’t started yet, and there is no skating.
I am trying to keep myself calm, give me a chance…
I want long track. Now. Give me long track. Now
I sound like the person I just auditioned for in the musical “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”
I apologize.
Thx for this post!! It makes me feel MUCH better about having XC workouts followed by speed skating workouts every day….now that I know training hard in September is everyones secret ill wear a smile at that second practice
Ian,
All long trackers do a lot of short track in the spring and summer to condition themselves for the corners. So, do not despair, doing a lot of short track now will make your LT experience in the future a happier one.
Eric.
liz,
smiling definately makes 2 a days easier… (and not just for the smiling athlete!), I also like the pot of coffee or red bull… it also helps with workout #2..
Ian,
yes, I understand, I was a New Yorker for a long time, and I used to continually check the Lake Placid ORDA CAM looking for that glorious December day when that concrete oval would be covered in beautiful ice..
one time I started spontaneously celebrating when I saw ice on the oval, brilliant in the morning sun on this webcam,
everyone in the cubicle-based office I was in then came over to see what I was so happy about..
needless to say, we are quite spoiled in Salt Lake right now..
so early in the season that hasn’t yet started
so well dressed to skate - was this an official training or do you guys always do your laps in these neat uniforms…
the price of determination? great photoos - instructive too btw.
where are the sprintsters and allrounders…
enjoy
now you have to do a nice report on how the time trials were.
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