Moon Training
In Pete Vordenberg’s book “Momentum: chasing the Olympic dream” one of his coaches used to yell at his team: “You gotta want it! And if your want it bad enough, you can train on the moon”.
For a long time, I did not live near an oval or other speedskaters, I was alone, training my brains out in the hills of Ithaca, N.Y., far from the ice.
It was moon training, and I loved it. Things are different now, but the challenge is no less. Being a dad is a major relocation to a different part of the Solar system, a part where you are absolutely not the gravitational center.
But where there’s a will, there often is a way.
I’ve been hitting the dryland pretty hard recently, and it’s nice to feel the skating muscles waking back up, even with goofy 4 wheelers on my feet, it’s still skating.
RZ was sticking her feet up into the air, spreading her toes into the breeze, and making happy cooing noises as we zipped along together. Later in the day, I had a chat with National Team member Pat Meek, he was exhausted from a day containing a brutal short track workout, followed by weights.
I was jealous, for a few moments. I don’t live on the planet of full time training like I used to. But that is ok. (oh, and Kirk, you were so right! you CAN double-push while pushing a baby stroller!)
Filed under: from home
Great shot — I always wondered what the kids were thinking in the stroller. From our perspective, we see a stroller, wheels and a kid. They can’t see us…all they see is the world whizzing by. What fun!
that IS the happiest and luckiest girl in the solar system!
Whoa dude.
I hope that fatherhood is a great diverging journey, but that you ultimately stay with speed skating for a long time. For me at least, 90% of benefits of being coached involved remembering the appropriate truism at the appropriate time.
(For example, from cycling: “If you’re climbing in the small ring, you’ve already lost.” “Look fast, go fast.” “Just before the top is the best place to attack.”)
You could be that guy for speed skating.
I can’t be alone in thinking that having someone skate up next to me and talk about training on the moon would only make me a better skater. 
oh yeah… you can absolutely double push — it’s how i learned — pushing dane — yeah! go rz!
i’d say it’s more a triple or even quadruple push —- keep pushing andrew!!
Here’s a chariot shot for you! Thanks for the inspiration- if you look carefully, you’ll spot my nephew in the big kid seat, and a giant bag of pop-corn in the little kid seat.
http://speedskateworld.com/2009/07/19/morgane-echardour-herb-gayle-win-at-thunder-bay-ms-run-and-roll-half-marathon/2009-07-19-tbaf/