This one went a little more to plan.
After the disaster that was Whistler it was great to get to Lake Placid and hit refresh! As soon as we got to town I started to feel like myself and slowly but surely it started to show on the track. By the time we hit official training (OT) I was back sliding well with only minor tweaks left to fix. I was far from being as fast as last year but at least we were back on the right track. That alone was something I was beyond grateful for!
Race day: the joys of snow in an outdoor speed sport....
While the boys got stuck with -25C weather, we got the snow. I'm not entirely sure what's worse to be honest but as much as it sucks it's part and parcel of being in our sport. I did the best I could with the start draw I had (24/25 sleds) but unfortunately I didn't quite execute my plan to avoid the snow 1-2 well enough. Thankfully the rest of the run was good enough to land me in the top 20 for the first time this season and a chance at redemption in the second run. As luck would have it though the snow loved me and I hit it once more in the same place run 2. Again the rest of the run was better and by the time I crossed the finish line I was in the green, even managed to jump up a spot too to 17th.
Whilst I missed my outcome goals for this race I still hit
every process goal. Given the state I got to Placid in hitting the process goals was a lot more important, regardless of whether they lead to the outcome goals. The main thing is I'm headed into the Christmas break in a positive mind frame and excited about what's to come.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Next race: Jan 6 Altenberg, GER