Hi there, everyone, Graham here checking in post-Park City camp to give you an update as to what the team has been up to. But the big question that we get asked is, “Why do you go to Park City for a fall training camp, why not go somewhere else?” In short, it’s because the US Ski Team has an annual camp there every year and invites the pro teams from around the country to come and join in on some of the training. Also, in the past few years, there have been good roller ski races, known as the Schutzenski Festival, where skiers can get an opportunity to practice their race tactics and warm-up routines before the season starts. But for the most part, the camp is an altitude training block for most of the Pro teams around the US. This year was a little different for us as, technically, the camp is two weeks long for US Ski Team members, but this year, we only went down for one week, which was nice for one big reason: sticking to your own plan. In years past, I personally have found it very difficult not to get wrapped up in what the other teams, especially the US Ski Team, are doing and make sure that I don't compare myself to what they are doing. It’s hard not to compare yourself to how others are doing or how fit others appear to be, and being confident in what you are doing and how your training plan and body might just be in a different place than others at this moment in time and that what matters in being ready when the first race comes around. So, how did I achieve this year, or did I achieve this mental goal this year, the short answer is both yes and no.
I’ll start with the yes, because of personal reasons, I ended up doing a lot of the afternoon training sessions by myself, which ended up being really nice for me, as it allowed me to focus on myself and the training session that I was having. Now, I’m not saying that I’m comparing myself to my teammates or new training partners all the time, but there was something nice about not chatting with someone and just having between 1-2 hrs to myself to think through what I was working on. Also, there was a session that was double pole specific, and because I went alone, I got to do some laps of a hill that I wanted to practice on.
Now to the no, and that came in the form of the races at the end of the camp, which this year were a 10km classic individual start and a skate sprint. Now, as anyone who has done competitive sports will know, it’s very difficult not to compare yourself to another competitor at the end of a race and ask yourself questions like, “How were they able to go so fast today?” Or “I thought myself and this person were the same speed, but they beat me by so much, how!?”. This is something that no matter what I tell myself, these thoughts always creep in and make me question myself and if I had been really training to the best of my ability. Now, I’m not saying that I was/am questioning the training that I’ve done, I think that the training that Andy has us do is the best in the country, what I am saying is that it's hard for me not to question myself, and doubt myself during these early fall races.
So, how do I deal with these feelings, and how do I stop them from taking over my mentality and ruining the training session or race? Well, I find that talking to as few people as possible during race day, except for Andy, if I have any last-minute questions I want to ask him, helps me get focused on the task at hand. Also, having quite a little moment before the race helps as well, even if it is just 20 seconds, a moment to just breathe and remember my strategy for the day or session.
In short, the camp was a step in the right direction when dealing with some of the mental aspects that come with performing near the sharp point of this sport, I know I still have a long way to go when it comes to making sure that I don't get too caught up with how others are doing and focusing on myself and getting myself in the best possible shape for the first races of the year.
See you in the next one!
Graham
