Back in the Saddle

Flushed face, sweaty palms, and the jitters.

It's back in the saddle again (literally & figuratively), here at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Bob/Skele Run.

A month doesn't sound like all that long since I last slid on the ice. And, well, it's not really. I mean, I still remember what the track looks like, and I still can (somewhat) recall the nitty-gritty details of sliding face-first down the track at 70 mph...

But, that very first run down the track REALLY had my heart pumping. It's like being eight years old again, just mounting your 2-wheeled bicycle after only having learned how to ride without training wheels the summer before. It's a nervewracking feeling! You know that you CAN do it... that you HAVE done it... but how exactly DID you DO that???

My fellow athlete, and friend, Lauren Salter rode to the track with me yesterday. The two of us, though quiet, were certainly thinking the same thing. 'Phew' and small 'sighs' were exchanged between the two of us, as we were both anticipating our first day back on the ice. Nerves and jitters abounded.

The start house had a different atmosphere than a majority of sliding time in the past. Though every day at the track is accompanied by athletes whom are excited and even anxious about their runs, yesterday, the nerves of 13 of the 23 sliders were extremely high...as we were all experiencing our first day 'back on the ice' together. iPods were stuck in peoples ears, there was lots of pacing, some sliders were quiet and kept to themselves, while others couldn't keep their hyper mouths from yapping (ok, ya, ya, that might be me...)


My sled's temporary 'makeover' for the first day back

My first run felt WEIRD. Not scary, not slow, not (uncharacteristically) fast, not out of control, not in control (which doesn't worry me)... just weird. I actually felt dizzy the entire mile down the track. I'm still unsure if I was dehydrated, and the speed and pressure was cause for my dizziness... or if it was because my mind was not used to having to concentrate in such high-demand activity, and so my eyes and mind could not keep up with my speed as I shot through the curves.

Despite my dizzy episode, the ice was actually very 'slow' yesterday, which was due to at least a 30 degree increase in temperature within a 24-hour time frame, and Coach Don telling the ice-track-workers not to make the track 'too fast' for us. For the first day back, I was thankful for that!

I finished the day with 3 runs and a hearty dinner. My workout in the morning, the sliding session in the evening, and all the adrenaline pumping through my body (basically all day) really began to wear me out. I had a little bit of sled work to do at night, helped a few athletes prepare for their venture to Calgary Canada for races next week, and crawled into my olympic-ring-stitched-mattress-bed by midnight. Gosh, its SO GOOD to be back here in Lake Placid!