Eeek! Time Trial Starts

Coach AH had a group of us practicing time trial starts today and eventually working up to a full 300m TT in preparation for the upcoming Provincials and Nationals. This certainly brought back memories from last year when I received a quick primer right before Provincials. (as a side note, now that I have grown a little as a skater since last year, there are things from that primer that are no longer applicable or I agree with.) Difference is, this year, I am among skaters who are a lot more experienced with time trials so I had a chance to observe how they do it while I was waiting for my turn.

When I first started learning TT starts at the Support Your World Team clinic in the summer of 2006, I couldn't even figure out which leg I prefer to step forward. I remember spending an afternoon in an empty parking lot going through the motion of a TT start in my running shoes so my body could figure out what it should expect on skates. Overall, I feel a lot less self-conscious now about my starts and running. I mean, my friends have all seen me before when I couldn't be any worse. Letting go of the feeling of self-consciousness is key to trying things over and over again until something feels right. I know this may sound silly but I used to be so embarrassed about my starts that I worried more about making a fool of myself than to concentrate on making actual improvements. However, throughout the indoor season and in the last two weeks, we revisited these drills on such a regular basis that I'm getting thick-skinned enough to just do them.

My first attempt with planting my right leg behind me to wind up was, hmm, interesting. I actually lost balance and ended up placing my hand on the ground to prevent falling over. However, after that initial stumble, I quickly got a lot more comfortable. Instead of worrying my front skate would move (which would trigger the timer in a real race), I just visualized the start in my head as one fluid motion. After all, that's what practices are for, a no-pressure environment. CES reminded us the importance of staying low in the first few strides and the feedback I received from coach AH is generally positive. He pointed out that when I transition from running to skating, I have a tendency to slow down my cadence and losing speed. I must remember to keep up the speed of my arm swing to drive my leg speed especially during the transition.

Provincials is only a month away. I'm starting to feel the excitement now!