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Livin the Life...Part I Another season has come and gone. The spring is here and amongst other things, it is time to recover from the rigors of training and racing for the past eleven months, reflect on the season that was and of course… partake in a little fun of the nature that is frowned upon during the competitive season. While I will get to the first two items on this list in due time, I have been focusing as of late primarily on the latter. My season ended in mid march with the last race series on the Canadian calendar: The Canadian National Championships in Prince George, British Columbia. Inclement weather made for an interesting event which ended with the last race (and unfortunately my best shot at a medal) being cancelled due to tropicalesque temperatures and an utter lack of snow. My results at the final races of the season were not dissimilar to my results throughout the entirety of the season: characterized by mediocrity and a general lack of ability to show how fast I can ski. I managed a top 5 placing in the opening race but was not at all satisfied with my performance as I was shooting for the top spot on the podium. To be completely honest this season did not go to as planned on the trails, which is surprising and frustrating because for most of the year I was poised for the best results of my career. I attacked the season starting in May with everything I had. I took every workout with the utmost seriousness. I was in the best shape of my life by mid summer. I was setting personal records and times in every test I partook in. I was ultra lean (too lean in fact) and more muscular and ripped than I had ever been in my life. I could push as hard as I wanted for as long as I needed to. My results in testing were always at or near the top and a race against the top American and Canadian athletes in New Zealand at the end of August in which I placed 3rd confirmed that my training was transferring to snow almost perfectly. I felt supremely confident, unbeatable, unstoppable…. It was shortly after my New Zealand training camp however that things began to unravel with the utmost rapidity. I came down with a nasty cold at the end of my time south of the equator and was forced to take approximately ten days off in order to recover. From then on my training never really got back to its former glory and I suffered throughout much of the fall training season with fatigue and could muster only sporadic bouts of solid training. September and October passed mostly in this fashion and were characterized by my general lack of ability to get my summer legs back. A serious knee injury suffered while mountain biking also kept me sidelined for an extended period of time and undoubtedly hindered my ability to train properly. Before I knew it the first race of November was upon me and unfortunately it had been over two months since I had last felt good for an extended period of time. The opening races in Silver Star are usually an exciting time where I am anxious to let the work that I have done show through but this year I was not at all looking forward to testing myself. Suffering from insomnia throughout the entire camp left me tired and with little energy left for racing. I did manage a sixth place finish in the final race of the series but was disappointed because my form was nowhere near where it had been at my peak. December was now upon me and with it came a glimmer of hope as I was able to finish 3rd in a Canada Cup race at Mt. Ste. Anne, Quebec. I was pleased with this performance because it proved that when on, I am easily competitive with the best. I also scored my best ever FIS points in this race and was only 1 second off of the win. Despite what I would consider poor performances in the pre-Christmas races I managed to qualify for a 5 week long European Tour that would commence in early January. Go to my Journal to read Part II |
| COPYRIGHT © 2010 ADAM KATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
