Changes to the website

You will be seeing major changes to the website in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

October National Team Camp

Warmth in the air, cruisy bike rides on the beach path, sunsets on the ocean...benchmark testing, race simulations, track hack...ah yes, the many sides of track camp.  We're 12 days into our October national team camp.  2 more to go.  That's two more sunsets.  How many more laps is that?

Elite Track Nationals 2011

Well, that was a quick championships.  Maybe after coaching the marathon that is master's track nationals...racing elite track nationals seems simple ;)  Shoot, I mean, somebody carried my bike around for me all week - how easy is that (thanks Mr. Baranoski!)?  Granted the thing only weighs 6.89 kg, but still,  it makes life easy!

As usual, track nationals were up and down.  This year there was not as much of a focus going into them for me as in years past, so I wasn't quite so sure what to expect.  But, I confident I could pull off some good rides.  I competed in three events - the individual pursuit, the scratch race, and the points race.

The pursuit was a solid third place finish for a bronze medal.  I was unable to defend my national title from 2010, but being beaten by the rainbow stripes of world champion is not much to be disappointed in.  Congrats to Sarah Hammer and also Beth Newell who, in addition to having an outstanding pursuit, had an absolutely outstanding week.

Skipping to the points...my nationals points race voodoo curse lingers on.  Somebody please pull the pins out.  They've really been in there long enough.  Infection is starting to set in.  Enough said.

And then back to the scratch, which was definitely the highlight of the championships for me.  3 world champions past and present were in the field - lots of horsepower.  The scratch race is one of my favorite events because anything can happen.  And it did - I was able to counter-attack a good early move and gain a lap solo on the field with 15 laps to go in the 40 lap event.  There was no rest to be had once gaining the lap as attacks fully capable of regaining the lap immediately went off in search of doing so.  I quickly realized it was only going to be me to minimize their distance up track, so to the front of the field it was to settle in to pursuit-like mode.  I was able to successfully pull back the threatening breaks and minimize the last strong one by myself before the sprint set in with 500 meters to go when I hung in as close to the front of the group to make absolutely certain I would not loose my lap.  Yeah, I was pretty jazzed.  This win is actually my first mass-start national championship as an elite rider; all others have been in the individual or team pursuits.  Pretty neat stuff.

Now that the championships are all wrapped up, I go straight into a national team camp, also here at the Home Depot Center in California.  More from camp.

Recapping and Moving Forward

While USA Cycling is recaping the September camp (read the recap of the Colorado Springs camp here), I'm getting ready for the elite track national championship trip, to be followed up by meeting back with the ladies for an October team camp.  News from LA to come!

September Track Camp - What it means to be an Olympian

After a hop, skip, and jump around the USA via the friendly skies tomorrow, I'll be back home from our national team track camp in Colorado Springs. Good time being on the track again with the ladies, of course. Great supplemental oxygen session at the Olympic Training Center, great conference calls on some really interesting topics (which reminded me how much I miss school and being immersed on a daily basis in ex phys!). Also a really empowering afternoon of Olympic Ambassador Training.

The Olympic Ambassador Training program was started for the Athens Olympics to help Olympic hopefuls ease into the technical aspects of becoming an Olympian with presentations given that include information like details of the Olympic Village, how contact with the media works (did you know there will be 20,000 official members of the media in London???), even how to correctly hold the American flag during post-event celebrations. I had a bit of a heads-up on some of the information having attended the 2007 Pan Am Games, a continental version of the Olympics held the year prior to the Games, but there was still good information to be had and it was definitely a good reminder of what it really means to be an Olympian.

Maybe my most poignant reminder of what it means to be an Olympian revolved around the idea of being a role model and demonstration key aspects of character. One question posed to us was if we remembered when it was that it "clicked" that what we wanted as a goal in our lives was to become an Olympian. For me, the answer was simple - the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. When Kerri Strug landed that final routine - that was it. Overcoming the odds, accomplishing a feat that wasn't supposed to happen. Doing it for herself, her teammates, her coaches, family, friends, country, everybody along the way - amazing. What a magical year that was. So many role models for me. The US women's soccer team with that drop-to-your knees and proclaim excellence kind of win - heart. Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner Kersee coming back for one more round - dedication (Carl Lewis' sister, Carol Lewis, an accomplished Olympian herself, was actually one of our presenters). Michael Johnson and those golden shoes - confidence. Even Muhammad Ali lighting the torch - perseverance. The chant of U-S-A - the reminder that the Olympics is the one time we can forget our differences and cheer as one. Yes, 1996 was my "click."

End of Summer...and the Quick Turnaround

Not but a handful of days after the end of the track racing season in Pennsylvania I turned around and headed out to Colorado Springs, CO to start working towards the fall/winter track season.  I am now training in Colorado with the national women's team pursuit squad putting in miles in the mountains and of course time in team pursuit formation on the track.  Between epic road rides - 4 1/2 hours in 40+ mph winds, up mountains, down mountains...a small lack of oxygen...maybe a brief crash in the dirt... - drilling home technique and speed in 4 1/2 hour track sessions, and meetings with the masterminds of their fields to discuss ways to improve as an athlete, things are kept entertaining!

Thank goodness we lowlanders can get some oxygen tomorrow - a supplemental oxygen workout at the Olympic Training Center.  Now my chest can rest...no really, my intercostals are sore!