Back in the Saddle...

It only took about 4 days of down time (we spent 4 days in Lake Placid while our sleds were shipped from Europe to Canada) to get my head back on straight. Seriously, it's amazing how draining it is on tour!

Wake up...breakfast...sled prep...go to track...trackwalk perhaps...warm up...slide...back to hotel...lunch...lay gear out to dry / sort & prepare for next day...repair anything (i.e. torn pieces of shoes from dragging them)...sled work...work out...recovery...dinner (often a 1.5 - 2 hour affair due to European customs)...video review...pack gear back up...Skype Brad hopefully...go to bed.

Do that, or some variation if we slide in the afternoon, for 3-4 days of training.

We rotate whether the men or women race the day after the last day of training, or whether women do. So it's either an off day (while the men race) to leisurely race-prep the sled (a 3-4 hour process) before racing the next day, or a mad rush to get it all done the same day training finishes.

Then, it's pack up, load up, move out. Drive to the next destination, already putting the track and its design, curves, steers, character, speed, subtleties out of your mind and focusing all energies on the next track.

Anyway, it's quite exhausting! I find myself at the end of the day wanting to read, to write in my journal, to put up a blog post, but my brain is quite often unable to find focus for anything.

But during my 4 recovery days in Lake Placid, I slept heaps, relaxed a bit, and feel a bit more rested. I also managed to use the greatly improved Internet access (compared to Europe) to upload some videos and photos for you. Coming shortly! :) If you want a preview, my YouTube channel is KGabryszak.

Now we are in Whistler, BC Canada, training for the World Cup race this week. Exciting track, beautiful location, and I'm stoked to be here!