Not Always Coorperative

Other than my first two races of the season, all my races this year resemble the same formula. Basically, sprint hard from the start line, hang on to the pack for dear life, and be ready to skate solo when I get dropped. However, that is definitely not the only way to race. It is a valid strategy to race for a faster finishing time but when placement is my goal, it is less than ideal. I would only be in a position to react to the pack and that is no way to race for placement.

I had a good chat with coach SZ today on this issue and how my training program prepares me to take a more pro-active role in a pack. It was a moment of "aha!" to finally see how those hours of hardwork apply to race situations. In a nutshell, I must not get intimated/wide-eyed just because I skate in the pack that I skate in. I have a choice to skate coorperatively....or not. I can't wait to give it a try this weekend at our weekly distance skate!

In case you haven't noticed, I'm getting very pumped up about my upcoming marathons.