Why is My Training Going So Well?


I can't believe how good I have felt throughout the early part of this season. It seems that I keep on increasing the amount of weight I can leg press; I'm getting up the canyons faster on the bike; and I'm doing all the dry-skating and power jumping practices with a weight vest and up a hill.

The improvements I've made since last year have been huge. Last season at this time, not only was I unable to complete Boris's entire power jump practice, but the day after, I could hardly walk. This year, the soreness in my legs has been minor, even as I've been increasing the volume and intensity of training. What factors have made the difference?

First of all, going into my second year on the same training program really helps. This is the first time since my comeback to speedskating that I have stayed with the same coach and program from one season to the next. When I started working with Boris last year, he had to change everything about the way I move - and not just in the skating position! Though I had already arrived on a pretty high level in speedskating, I was still lacking many of the basics. I found Boris's program to be a "complete overhaul" of everything I had learned in skating. I was starting from scratch last year, and that is why I was so sore. I had to learn to use my body in different ways.

This year, I came into the season prepared. I already had a strong base built up in the Boris Leikin School of Speedskating! Soon after our group began training together, it became apparent that I would be starting the season on a higher level.

The second factor that is helping me train well this year is deciding not to try to work in science while I'm training. This makes a huge difference, both physically and mentally. I'm already wondering how I was every capable of working in my field and training at the same time, and - truthfully - the answer is, "Not very well." No wonder I had been unable to compete successfully on the World Cup circuit during those years when I was trying to balance work and training!

Sometimes, it bothers me that my existence as a speedskater is non-sustainable. Nobody else in my family has ever drained all of their savings or been unemployed for a significant time. It worries me a little that when I retire from this sport (possibly sooner than I'd like to, due to the financial hardship) I'll be starting my career in science from a point of financial zero, or possibly debt. But I've already had to accept a lot of the baggage that has come along with my own skating experience, and to move on. So far, it seems to be working!