Dream Chaser On Wheels

Racing Without Expectation

For the sake of completeness, I decided to write about my experience at last weekend's Roller Sports Canada National Championship. At the beginning of off-season last year, I made a decision not to devote training resources into track racing. Leading up to 2008 Provincials and Nationals, I spent numerous training days at both flat and banked track practicing my 300m TT, cornering, acceleration, etc. I did none of that this year. In fact, I can count the number of TT starts I practiced before Nationals with two hands. I barely spent anytime on the 400m track where Nationals was contested. Sigh, I don't even know how to skate the wide corners! As one can imagine, I couldn't be less prepared for racing last weekend.

As far as I was concerned, Canada Day Marathon was my Nationals and I already had something to show for. I felt zero stress about racing the other girls on a track because I had no expectations about my performance. I came last in every distance last year and I believed the same would happen this year as well. All I needed to do was roll up to the start line and skate. Simple!

Official results available here.

300m Time Trial

Time: 35.43
Placement: 6/7

The first event of the weekend was the time trial. All I wanted was not to do a face plant. My start lacked any power and my left foot cramped up inside my boot a few steps in. I was very cautious, especially in the corners. This was a very slow 300m (I skated a 34 at last year's Nationals on a 200m banked track...3 corners vs 1!) and frankly I'm quite embarrassed about my effort. At least I kept my helmet side up.

10K Points & Elimination

Time: 20:34.39
Placement: 4/6

Coach SZ and I discussed my goals at Nationals and she suggested that I could aim to skate in the final 5 for both elimination races. I was skeptical because I thought for sure that I would be the first eliminated, just like last year. It didn't hurt to try though because I had nothing to lose. At the start line, SaH (TISC) teased ShH (TISC) and me that we were not allowed to fight for that first elimination, heh. It was pretty obvious not all of us were thrilled to skate 10k in such windy condition.

I was hesitant about my start and barely hung on to the back of the pack behind LK (CRISC). As soon as the girls at the front begun to sprint for points, the pack split. I wasn't too worry because I was just there to skate. ShH got dropped from the lead pack and tucked right behind me to make a pack of three. As soon as LK finished her pull, I picked up the pace, just enough to make it hard for her. I did not expect to drop her in one try but only wanted to wear her down. When I did the same thing again next time, ShH and I gapped her easily. I suppose she wasn't keen on finishing the 10K either. To be on the safe side, ShH and I worked coorperatively for a few laps building up our gap until LK got lapped by the lead pack and eliminated. Just like that, I achieved my goal.

Of course, the race was nowhere near finish and I decided to chase down DL (OISC) who got dropped by the lead pack. She was about half a lap ahead of me and I hoped to continue working with ShH to catch her. It didn't quite work out the way I hoped and I begun my one-person mission to chase her down. Much to my dismay, I couldn't hang on to SaH and ME (TISC) when they lapped me. That was my ticket to bridge and I missed it. I skated hard into the headwind and rested in the tailwind, steadily closing the gap. Unfortunately, when SaH and ME lapped DL, DL hung on and that was basically the end of my race. The gap between DL and me grew and shrunk in sync with the points lap when SaH and ME would sprint for points. I finished the race about 100m back from DL and claimed 4th place.

My performance far exceeded my own expectation and the 10k points elim was by far my favourite memory of the weekend.

1000m Sprint

Time: 1:52.71
Placement: 6/6

Ah, the dreaded 1000m. Everyone let out a sigh of relief when the officials announced that there would be no heats, just a final with all six girls on the line. Honestly, it was a long day (did I mention it was ridiculously windy?) and we just wanted to be done with the race. My legs felt like lead after the 10k and I only rolled up to the line so I would not have a DNS. I wasn't even in the pack for the entire duration of this race and finished way behind everyone.

This is solid proof that I did not work on my starts nor sprints on a track, hahahaha.

15K Elimination

Time: 28:49.95
Placement: 3/5

Day 2 of Nationals kicked off with the 15k elimination early in the morning. Based on my performance at the 10k yesterday, I had reasons to believe aiming for 3rd was not unrealistic. I expected less acceleration because there was no points lap to sprint. For all intents and purposes, I thought the race would unfold very much like the 10k except this time I was determined to hang on to SaH and ME when I get lapped.

My start went far better than any races on day 1. I stayed in the pack with SaH, ME, and DL for much longer than I thought I would so I was already safe from elimination. It didn't take long before SaH and ME dropped me and subsequently DL. The race turned out exactly the way I predicted. When SaH and ME lapped me, I hopped into their draft and we steadily closed in on DL. DL joined in but our pack of four did not maintain that way for long. ME picked up the pace and I got gapped. SaH and DL got around me but ME was already getting away. I tucked in behind DL and the three of us skated together lap after lap.

In the mean time, I had to plan my move. DL and I were on the same lap. Sitting behind her and wait for the race to come down to a sprint would play to my weakness. I half expected SaH to pick up the pace anytime and I wanted to be in a position such that I would be ready for it. I made a few half-hearted attempts at inside passing but none of them penned out. Finally I commited to an outside pass and as we exited the corner, I tried to get in between SaH and DL. At this point, DL and I clicked skates. She went down and landed hard on her left shoulder. I didn't know what to do and glided down the straights, paralyzed by what just happened. SaH was skating further and further away from us. I heard friends yelling at me to keep skating so I picked up my pace to chase down SaH. I was functioning on autopilot. It seemed like an eternity before DL got up and started skating again with blood running down her elbow. At one point, the officials made an annoucement over the microphone that the referee decided he would not disqualify me for causing the crash (the crash happened directly in front of the ref). [edit: the consideration for DQ was called for a different reason. See Andrew's comment.] SaH and I eventually lapped her and the three of us finished the race seperated by one lap each.

I came third in this race but the way the race turned out...it was absolutely the last thing I wanted to happen.

500m Sprint

Time: 57.28 (heat) 54.92 (B final)
Placement: 6/6

Another sprint distance which is not my forte...nothing to complain about. I was grouped together with ME and LK in my heat and there was a sizeable gap between the three of us. What I did not expect was how slow my time was. This was by far slower than my 500 from last year's Nationals when I raced to a 54 on a 200m banked track. Needless to say, I was a little bumped out. I raced in the B final with DL and it was a much better attempt. I hung close behind her into the first corner, got gapped, closed the gap in the straights to get back into her draft. As we dived into the last corner, I had vision of the crash in the 15k and hesitated. It was here that I got gapped and couldn't really make up the gap anymore. However, it was a much more respectable time than the one at my heat.

  3rd place (distance category) at 2009 Roller Sports Canada National Championship. (photo by Peter Doucet)

After Thoughts

For lack of a better word, I sucked at all the sprint races at this year's Nationals. Due to the rules of tie breaker, I claimed third place in the distance category. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine reaching the senior women's podium. Honestly though, I did not enjoy the moment at all. Although crashing is a risk we all take by participating in the sport, this was really my first time causing another skater to crash at a race. I typically skate very conservatively but last weekend, my action caused bodily harm to another skater. Somehow I wish the whole thing never happened but of course that's meaningless words. I only hope that DL will have a speedy recovery.

Encouragement

Nationals had come and gone last weekend. I have very mixed feelings and want to take my time to gather my thoughts before writing about it in detail (or at all). It's difficult to see my performance in perspective and honestly I'm not sure if I can for a while. More than anything else, I sincerely hope that all the skaters who got injured will recover quickly.

Over the years, I am very fortunate to receive lots of encouraging words from friends who are with me every step of the way as I progress from a novice speedskater to who I am today. I am still far from where I want to be. These words have helped me through some tough times and they are constant reminders of why I train hard. They are precious gifts from friends who believe in me even when I do not believe in myself. I'm sure these are things every one of us already knows, but it's good to be reminded nonetheless.

Hard work pays off, though the results aren't always immediate. ~BO

Dare to be great. ~AH

Regardless of how focused you are on the long-term goal, it’s hard not to optimize actions locally for the moment. Of course you knew that. ~JC

Did I tell you you're living my dream? [...] You're doing well, and I'm rooting for you.

It's a test in a different form but it will only make you stronger. I know you will not let me down. ~JaS

I hope you allow yourself to see how amazingly far you've come and enjoy the present even if the future will be even better. ~AA

Start Of Senior Women 1000m. Mine was the furthest pair of skates in the background. (photo by Wilby McKnight)

Intangible

One significant difference to my training routine this season is my choice of locations. In years past, I used to consciously avoid places with variable pavement quality and obstacles. Take 2008 for example. I logged most of my outdoor training hours on a 200m track or the unrealistically smooth Hamilton Beaches Trail. Such venues are perfect for doing speed work, accelerations, endurance...all of which are important aspects to getting faster. However, in a road race, it is inevitable to deal with different surfaces at various parts of the course and I often found myself getting gapped at rough pavement or the slightest hint of obstacle. This summer, I make a point to work on this weakness.

The streets around my house has now become a regular training venue. I've found sections for doing sprints of different duration as well as a larger loop for warm up and steady pace skating. Some sections are smoother than others and there is a miniscule climb on rougher surface. Martin Goodman Trail is another location I train often this season. This trail is mostly closed to traffic but it is also dotted with pedestrian crosswalks paved with interlock bricks. I used to ride out these sections with both skates on the ground. A few weeks ago during a training session with MW, he remarked that I no longer lose as much speed at the crosswalks because I keep my strides steady. Although my progress is slow, I know that my confidence is gradually building.

The ultimate obstacle course training has got to be Friday Night Skate. The routes are not familiar to me and I need to navigate my way around bike lanes, sidewalks, roads, parkette paths, slippery concrete, and everything in between. I learn to roll over street car tracks, manhole covers, grates, and speed bumps. I practice hopping and stepping over curbs. I weave through crowds of pedestrians with my heart in my throat. Obviously I do not skate at race pace but this kind of agility practice is exactly what I need to get more comfortable on skates.

My performance at the Canada Day Marathon is a testament of these intangible skills I work on this season. Let me first preface by saying that 80% of the pavement on this course are smooth and fast. The "climb of many holes" from last year has been entirely repaved. While chatting with JaS about the race, he mentioned that his pushes were not effective on the greasy wavy pavement at one section of the course. I remember the pavement but do not recall any difference in speed when skating through that section. There is also one section on the course where holes and cracks were filled in but the result is a surface covered with little bumps. What I do not remember though was getting gapped by the pack at any point in the race because of the road surface. I rolled and pushed without interruption. Being comfortable skating on different surfaces will not win me any races. However, I can certainly lose a race by being squeamish about every little obstacle on the road.

Friday Night Skate with friends. Time to bring out the baggy shorts! (photo by l3xh2k)

Lucky In So Many Ways

I went racing today in the annual Canada Day Inline Marathon in Cambridge, Ontario. It's been a while since my last blog entry. Long story short, I came into the race today far from my peak condition. However, I did what I could to make sure I could accomplish two things:

1. Maintain race pace for the entire duration of 42k.

2. No bonking!

Not exactly a picture of ambition, isn't it? Come to think of it, I had the exact same goals at this race in 2007. I was well-aware of my limitation and those who trained with me in the last couple of weeks could see it too. I stepped on the start line with so little expectation of my own performance.

Despite a similar attitude in 2007, as a skater and competitor, I have changed much since. My accumulation of race experience and the amount of training I've put in ensure a very different outcome. My start left much to be desired. I failed to hook onto the lead pack and soon found myself in no man's land with LG (Team Pyro Apparel) from Ohio. Both of us were skating hard though I really had no idea why. I couldn't see any packs ahead of us so the logical thing to do was to wait for the next pack. Lucky strike #1: our blind optimism paid off after we made turn number 2 and caught up to skaters dropped from the lead pack. I was relieved to meet up with my training partner JaS but we did not ease up our pace. A bigger pack was just ahead of us and I could see the bright skinsuit of AM (Team Pyro Apparel), a very strong skater. As we pulled closer, I saw more familiar silhouettes including many of my friends from TISC. Lucky strike #2: the guys were standing up (what was up with that?!) and we successfully bridged shortly after. I sat comfortably in the company of EL (TISC), SP (TISC), GN (TISC), DL (OISC), BO (Skater's Quest). Somewhere along the way, we also picked up JaP (TISC). I couldn't believe I was skating in the same pack with these skaters.

We skated quite coorperatively though there were obvious differences in speed depending on who was pulling. As one of the two girls in a pack of strong guys, I felt no pressure to pull fast nor particularly long. I held my own in the pack and was in no danger of getting dropped. I glanced at my GPS occasionally and saw that I was traveling at a good pace, speed that is beyond my ability in a smaller pack. This course is full of right hand turns which used to make me hesitate in fear every time. However, I am reaping the rewards of agility training and street skating tremendously. I had yet to corner with as much speed as others but at least I kept the gap reasonably small such that I could close the gap with just a few strides of hard acceleration. Not so much fun for anyone behind me, I suppose.

Lucky strike #3:After a few shuffling of positions in the pack, I found myself skating behind AM. I didn't even know how it happened but somewhere along the way, we dropped half the guys in our pack. At this point, we were left with AM and LG (Team Pyro Apparel), DL (OISC), and BO (Skater's Quest). If it was a breakaway, I was oblivious of it. All I did was tucking behind AM and skated. It was so coorperative, it was not unlike a training session. Everyone took turns pulling. Nobody jostled for positions. We just kept going and presumably opening up the gap even further from the guys behind us. I knew very well that AM, LG, and BO could drop me at any point if they wish. However, there simply wasn't enough incentives for them to whittle down the pack especially since we don't even compete for the same spots in the standings. I couldn't believe my luck. Did I mention I even had the BEST spot in the pack in terms of order and speed?

With about 6km to go, our pack picked up MG (OISC) and HG (Team Aloe Up). It was a strange moment for sure. The dynamic of the pack changed immediately and I was no longer protected in the safety of AM's draft. I found myself skating behind DL and not adjusting well. Our skating styles were incompatible enough that there were frequent collisions. Being short, I am accustomed to drafting really close and have little visibility to the road ahead. However, all those little collisions eventually had me seeing vision of crashes. I peeled off the pack with the intention to reposition myself behind AM again. At this point, the pace of the pack picked up and I got flushed out. I sprinted hard for about 200m but I could not rejoin the pack. That was a critical mistake on my part. I finished the rest of the race on my own.

Sprinting to the finish. I was in no danger of being caught by anyone behind me so I "sprinted to look good". Heh. (photo by Peter Doucet)

Official result shows that I was 4th in the pro women division with a finishing time of 1:19:02. This is my fastest finishing time for a marathon to date, even besting my 1:21 effort in Northshore last year. I am getting ever closer to challenging DL. Most importantly, I accomplished my goals. Granted, I was very very lucky in this race...all the stars aligned.

Just as I handed in my bib number after the race, in one of those freak accidents, I fell to ground from a stand still. My right hand took most of the impact and my hand swelled up quickly. With some dutiful icing, I still lost full range of motion with my thumb and I had trouble to even pull my own glove off. I was justifiably worry. I went to the emergency room to get my hand checked out. After a few hours in the hospital, I was relieved to learn that the x-ray looked good. No fractures! The sprained soft tissue will likely take 2-6 weeks to fully recover. Things could have been a lot worse...I have no reasons to complain.

On Hiatus

Due to recent string of events, I feel that I will not be able to continue blogging about my training and racing experience in the manner that I would like. One of my main objectives for Dream Chaser On Wheels is to share my inline skating experience in a positive manner but I feel that I may not be able to do so for a little while.

I decide to go on a two-week hiatus. In the mean time, I will work on my personal well-being. Training and racing will obviously continue. I've worked too hard to let them go to waste. Train hard and don't forget that we skate because we enjoy it.