Feed: Greece Lightning - AggScore: 85.3

It's Time.......

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Well folks, I am making it official.......there will be no attempt for the 2010 Olympics.......my journey comes to an end......even though I have the backing from Greece, I don't believe the next 5 months would be a realistic and authentic attempt to make it for various reasons......thus, I announce my retirement not only from long track speed skating but the whole Olympic dream and am even giving up hockey and beach volleyball too for many reasons.

Once the qualifying times came out, they were at a point where I felt I may have a chance but I had to take a lot of things into consideration.

My body is just not as self recovering and repairable as it once was and after both shoulders and both knees being surgically repaired in 2007 and 2008 and on-going back spasms, my body is talking to me............begging me........to take it easy.

Before this speedskating journey started, I told my wife that this would be short term........2 years max for the whole thing and then I can relax my body but maybe I was one year short. I have been tough on my body over the years.........its time to return the favour and thank my body for all its output.

Also, after all the sacrifices my wife and daughter have made, to let me pursue this dream of honouring my parents, first with skeleton and then speed skating, I could not ask anymore of them nor put them through this again without being absolutely sure in my abilities. I am truly indebted to them.

At work, my supervisors and colleagues have been extremely supportive over the years, and I could not subject them either to my being absent again for months without being absolutely certain that I could do them, and the whole RCMP, proud.

And finally, my parents, my motivation for these past 5 years, who totally understood what I was trying to accomplish but are now relieved that I can relax and be with my family.......they understand and appreciate my efforts.

This decision comes after just recently spending a week in Calgary, skating, feeling out the energy mentally and physically, listening to the ice and the atmosphere, the electric buzz surrounding the Oval, and then I knew........I knew it was time.

I have no regrets.......the whole experience has been positive and I have met many good people from all four corners of the earth, all with their own stories to tell but when I look back, I just wish I had started this journey with speed skating........I would now have 5 years of experience and I can honestly, truly, and sincerely state that my dream would be coming true by now!!

Alas, life is full of choices and decisions and if we could live in "hindsight", well then life would just be boring and predictable.

The irony of it all is that if I was a Greek girl, even with the times I have now, I would have qualified already in three distances for the 2010 Games and would try to attempt a fourth distance in the next five months...........funny, maybe I should be out shopping for a wig.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me and supported me financially or by words of encouragement, phone calls, emails..........it meant so much to me to have all of you in my corner.

Also, I would like to thank the Greek Federation for supporting me over the years......thank you Christos and Vassilis.

Finally, I thank God for giving me the courage and strength throughout this Olympic journey and more importantly, for His guidance in helping me make this final decision.

Now, I can focus on finally growing my beer belly, something I have been looking forward to for a long time.

To read about my whole journey, visit my blog, which will now be put to rest, at greecelightning06.blogspot.com.

Remember to always be real to yourself and live your dreams without regret. Keep an open mind and an open heart........

Peace.

Third session....

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Okay, third skate this week, Wednesday the 19th and I can say that I'm a hurting unit and although todays' program went as planned, I felt quite a bit sloppy and I am sure that is due to my positioning and weight transfer........lack of both that is.

I have some serious thinking to do this weekend and its not like I haven't been thinking on these lines all summer.......it has been an emotional roller coaster since I have been back from Calgary so I needed the physical to confirm the mental and now the soul searching begins......

This whole week I saw a lot of people like Danielle Goyette who I coached with and some players too that were helping out with some camps.......like one of my key defensemen, Melissa in the pic.

Well stay tuned as I am sure I will come down with a decision very shortly and as you can tell in the pic, I was already thinking about it after my skate........

Peace

Second session....

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Well, I have been suffering from some severe back spasms ove the last month and let me tell you, even the extra strength Advils aren't quite doing their thing anymore. It is really the second day after skating where it sets in good.

I had my second ice time on Monday the 17th and once again, it felt good to be back on the ice. The CDN long distance skaters were there also which added a motivating flavour to the skate.

Right now, I am not trying to accomplish anything major with these sessions but moreso, simply trying to feel what the ice is telling me and how my body is reacting.

I will get another skate in before the week is up and I may just self time myself just to see where I am.......maybe a 1,000m sprint. I know with my back, the start won't be that dynamic but it will give me an idea nonetheless.

I missed my daughter though this time around......no one was making my coffee for me as she loves to do, nor did I have her beside me on the stationary bike warming up before the skate.

In the pic, the always smiling Alex, a fantastic full of life future Olympian with Meli and I.

Can't wait 'till the next session........let's see what happens.....until then......

Peace.

First session.....

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Well, I had my first skate of the season on Saturday the 15th and I brought my training partner with me to Calgary....my daughter......she loves the hotel scene.

I have to admit, I was nervous......not quite sure what to expect......kinda like I thought I was gonna forget how to skate. I guess most of it had to do with knowing how well I did last season and thinking if I was still at that level.

Well, my first two warmup laps at a good clip eased that tension as I felt like I never left Calgary, although within 15mins, my legs were blown up from the renewed lactic pressure.......must be the beginning of the season....heh heh.

I continued with some moderate tempo laps and some easy long laps......it felt good. It was also nice to see everyone back at the Oval......all the athletes that have something to prove this season, all with one goal in mind.......the 2010 Olympics.

My daughter was a champ, stretching with me and warming up with me on the bikes and taking pictures. After the skate, I brought her to the Centre Street Church where she experienced a different side to a service since there is always live music performed by a band before the sermon and she got a kick out of that.

Then of course, back to the pool and whirlpool before we called it a night but not before indulging in the chocolate covered strawberries and a variety of cheese and crackers that were compliments of my friends at the Marriott hotel.......they are just amazing there and have treated me like gold over the years......a home away from home......thanks Ilona.

Needless to say, my first skate, highlighted with my daughter's company, was a positive experience. I will be back to skate some more before I decide what my future holds........until then,

Peace.

Qualifying Times are out!!!

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And just like that, time has flown by.....it feels like I just got back from Calgary and I am now contemplating returning to finish off this Olympic journey. Since I have been back, everybody has been asking me if I was going to make it but my same response was that I was waiting to see what the qualifying times were so I can make a realistic decision.....now they are out.

I am a few seconds off in each distance but with everyday on ice coaching, I believe that I can make at least one distance, preferably the 1,000m. Having said that, I have quite a few decisions to make now that I know what the times are. Leaving my family again is not a very appealing one although this time it would only be for 5months. Work may be an issue......I got, and get huge support from work but I just don't know if I can take off again for that amount of time, and finally, finances....it would be a huge committment and I would be looking for a major sponsor.

Needless to say, I have to make these decisions within the month of August. I can't believe we are almost finished July.....where did the time go?

Since I have been back, I have been extremely busy...family stuff, work, projects, the pics above show some of that occupied time...... We ran 5kms as a family during the Ottawa marathon weekend and I was so proud of my wife and daughter who pulled it off without stopping once. I built my daughter a 3 story treehouse, which also doubles as my dog house when I am in trouble....this is just a portion of our busy spring and summer. Canada's Wonderland is on the agenda too but not sure when but I have prepped my daughter for the Behemoth.....we'll see.

Anyways, stay tuned for any decisions. Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer too!!

Peace.

Back at the ranch.....

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Well it's been just over a month that I have been back to the routine and reality of my other life at home......it's good to be home.

My wife joined me on the drive back from Calgary.....3 days of isolation.....heh heh....nah, it was all good and I really enjoyed the company. The ride went well besides the fact that we drove on sheer ice for 12hours through North Dakota as it was declared a disaster zone with the winter storm that passed and the flooding that was happening.......still, we managed a picture on the move....don't try this at home!!

My buddy, colleague, and past skeleton coach Pascal, now lives outside of Calgary so we stopped by his place as we started our drive. It was good to see him and just strange that this journey has taken me full circle......the Olympic dream started with Pascal and skeleton in 2004 and when I left Calgary, there was Pascal again....not sure what to make of it.

The big news is my daughter had her confirmation in April....the whole gang came up from Montreal to witness this special event and since it was Greek Easter on the same day, we celebrated with grilling lamb on an open fire in my own backyard....delicious!! That's my Dad and my father in-law....the cooks!!

Since I have been back, I had one week off before I went to work and I did absolutely nothing....which was great but then the strangest thing happened to me and my body. From week two 'till today, my body underwent a decompression phase.....I was hurting everywhere, joints, muscles....everywhere, and I mysteriously gained 10 phantom pounds....they are phantom cause it didn't look like I gained weight, it didn't feel like I gained weight, and everyone was telling me how much weight I lost but the scales were telling a different story. I have never fluctuated in weight so this was a head scratcher......I mean I was weighing more than I ever have in my life....anyways, things are starting to come back to normal now and a good thing too as I am now starting my dryland training in case I return to Calgary.

I am now waiting for the Olympic qualifications times that will be posted in July and from there, I will have to make a decision if I think I can make up the time to qualify. This is really going to be tough as I progressed the whole season nailing PB over PB and I made up lots of seconds but the question now is.....how many seconds do I have left in me? Am I ready to plateau now? Can another short season of training bring me to where I need to get? All unknowns.....

I may test the waters and head out there for 2 months or so and see if there is still improvement and then make a sound decision.....it would be tough to leave the family again.

Anyways I want to thank everyone for their support over this season, to everyone who came on this journey with me, believing in me....to all the people that supported me financially, to my colleagues and supervisors at work, to all my friends who sent me encouraging emails and most importantly, to my wife and daughter who sacrificed so much to let me pursue this dream of honouring my parents.

Stay tuned for the next decision....

Peace.

The season is done.......

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And just like that, 7 months have passed....by this time tomorrow, the Oval ice will be but just a puddle.

Saturday and Sunday were the sprints....a 500m and 1,000m per day.....one day you start on the inner lane, the next, on the outer lane or vice versa. My Saturday had me starting on the outer lanes for both races and although they went well, I only hovered around my previous PBs. Today, Sunday, I started inner on both races, my preference because I find I can build my first corner a lot faster on the inner lane than an outer first corner as my starts are not the best, and I PBd both my 500m and 1,000m.

My very first ever 500m was a 43.89, the start of this season it was a 41.29 and I ended the season with a new PB of 38.99.....and that's all I wanted, to be in the 38s cause as you know, the 500m wasn't really my race. I needed a 37.50 to qualify so here I needed 3.75 secs and managed 2.25 secs this season but I am pleased with this result as I didn't expect much here.

My very first ever 1,000m was a 1:23.11, the start of this season it was a 1:20.86 and I ended the season with a new PB of 1:16.07....CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???.....8/100th off to be in the 1:15 zone that I needed!! I needed a 1:15 to qualify so here I had to make up almost 6 secs and I managed 5 secs over the season.....phew, talk about a stressful last race!!

Now I send these times to Greece and see what they have to say. We also wait for Olympic times to be posted around July and then see if I have a realistic chance of driving towards the ultimate goal...the 2010 Olympics.

It has been quite a remarkable year and when I get home, I will wrap up this blog until further news.

I am actually doing my last wash as we speak.....I pack tomorrow, and hit the road on Tuesday...and just like that....the season is over and another chapter had ended.

In the pic is the Spire but this time, with the Olympic flame lit (click on picture)......it was lit, supposedly, to mark the start of the ParaOlympic Games next year.....I also heard, and know, that CTV was filming the "Do you believe" commercials for next years Games.....how do I know??....cause I was there when they were filming Danielle Goyette and some of our Dino girls for one of those commercials....cool....then I asked...."c'mon man...let me say it too....do you believe?"....and they said..."who are you?"....and so I got my answer....heh heh.

Now I am gonna crack a beer, Polish, for the Polish guy that beat me, by a little bit, in the 500m and a Sapporo, for Mongolian guy, man they're fast, that beat me, by a little bit, in the 1,000m....I know I know....but there was no Mongolian beer around.

Until soon,

Peace.

1,500m......my nemesis!!

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Well, first race done....the 1,500m...the race everyone loves to hate as it just makes you explode!!

The very first time I ever did this race, I clocked a 2:19.86....the start of this season, it became a 2:05.65 and this final race, which I PBd again but only by 2/10nths and I was looking for at least 2 secs, I clocked in at 1:58.64.....7 secs off from the beginning of my time here....unfortunately....World Cup time for this distance is 1:55. In short, I needed to make up 10secs this season and only made up 7secs. Three seconds is a matter of technique....plain and simple.

Tomorrow is another day....a sprint day....a 500m and a 1,000m, the distance which I am very close to qualifying in. The 500m is a fun, fast race and it kinda preps you for the 1,000m....it is not my distance but I like doing them.

In the pics, yesterdays skate prep....sharpening, tuning, and sun tanning of course!!

Peace.

Champions......Finally!!

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Well, it took the girls all 5 games in this series to get 'er done but they are now Champions!! Although it was a very interesting year with the girls....I must say that it was great to see the genuine joy on their faces when the clock ticked down to zero and the buzzer went....tears, hugs, and of course....screams...heh heh.

Now, I am in my final week here with my races starting on Friday. I must say that yesterday it hit me that I will be leaving here....all the familiarity of driving the same road everyday, the Oval, the gym, my routine, the great people at Safeway where I do my groceries......I will miss it all in a quirky way cause as much as I wanna get home to my girls and actually back to work, this has become a part of my life and I think I will need a month of adjustment which suits me fine as I will not be working out for awhile.....I will definately need to relax this body!!

I am feeling really good about this week....confident and strong. I did a simulated 1,500m race very early Saturday morning with about 5hrs sleep because of the girls hockey the night before but it went well....hovered around my last PB.

The guys at the Oval were prepping the ice yesterday...scraping, cleaning, and a hose flood.....it's gonna be fast!!

I will keep you all posted race by race.....

Peace.

A good training week....

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One more hard week of training this week and then it's race week.....I can't wait!!

This past week was a very good training week with more speed and interval training. I felt strong and confident on the ice. Since there was no weekend racing, most of us did simulated racing on our own during practice session....you prepare exactly as you would if really racing. I did a 1,000m sim race and actually PBd but I wouldn't call it a true PB as things are done with a stopwatch so human error must be calculated in that. Nonetheless, even though I was feeling a bit tight from the hard week of training, the race went well.

During the North American race here in February, I met a U.S coach, Bob, and he actually gave me a lot of advice and was there to support me during my races which was very helpful. I am actually doing his program, that he sent me, for the last 2 weeks before race prep and I really like the change and the tempo. It just goes to show you that we are always learning....thanks Bob.

I will repeat this training for this week and cap it off with a simulated 1,500m race....that should have me ready for next week.

The back spasms have subsided a little bit so that helps.....also, my good friend Sheila, a homeopath, advised me about a natural product called Arnica which a lot of athletes take and should help me with the back spasms. I am truly a skeptic when it comes to things like this but at this point, I am willing to try anything and she swears by it....we'll see by the end of this week....thank you Sheila. I am still on advil but only one morning pill and that's it instead of three a day.

The Dinos went into triple overtime last night and lost 1-0....a heart-breaker and a nail-biter. The series, a 3 out of 5 is now tied 1-1....I guess we are really gonna take this to the end.

Well, until next week...time is drawing quickly to a close....

Peace.

The final stretch.....

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The big red paper clip.....at least that's what people call it......it is actually called the "Spire" and I walk underneath it every morning as it is at the entrance of the Oval. In front of it is where the Olympic flame stayed lit....

It is exactly 19.88m high which symbolizes the 1988 Olympic Games. Each of the the 4pair of 'legs' which extend from the ground symbolize crawl, walk, run, jump, and the final 5th pair, which doesn't touch the ground, symbolizes...fly. It demonstrates the path of an athlete....

At the other entrance, a picture of a speed skater also in red metal.......you know you are at the Oval!!

Well, March 1st today......2 weeks of hard training coming and then the 3rd week will be race week.......I am really pumped!! I am actually very excited to skate these next 2 weeks.......although I still have my back spasms, I am feeling very strong and am looking forward to working hard.

I cannot believe I only have 3 weeks left here.......I think I may go into some kind of withdrawl or adjustment period when I get home.......don't know if it will be a good thing or a hard thing yet......

The Dinos got through their semi final round this weekend winning 2 straight of a 2 out of 3 series against an Edmonton team........thank God no more road trips.....I haven't ridden the bus since my Junior hockey days......I now remember how much 'un-fun' they were and still are.......nevertheless, we are in the finals starting next weekend.

This series will be 3 out of 5 so maybe it will go over 2 weekends.......finishing exactly at the same time as my last 2 training weeks.

So........I have had some great success with my skating this season and also great success with the Dinos hockey team this season.......with both coming to an end at the same time.......the climax is just killing me.......it's like reading a thrilling book that just grasps you and you keep wondering what will happen next and how it will all end??!!.........you don't wanna put it down and you don't wanna it to end........but like everything.......an outcome for both will soon become a reality.....stay tuned.

Peace.

Ahhhh....just what the body ordered!!

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End of February already and I took full advantage of the Hot Springs in Banff before coming home for the last time for a few days. This last trip home is mainly to relax my back, see my girls, and bring back some luggage instead of packing the car tight on the drive home.

The Hot Springs are amazing....natural springs from the mountain that are as hot as a hot tub which contain all the natural elements of untreated spring water. I was really counting on those elements to have some kind of natural healing powers for my back spasms that I can't shake....not sure that really worked but it sure did put me in a good spiritual place....look at those beautiful mountains in the background...the water was at 39 degrees. Nevertheless, these 5 days off should help me before I head into the last stretch of hard skating and finishing off the hockey season in style.

The next time home will be when all is said and done......I know I can nail these times easily......I just have to skate in a more relaxed state and I have to simply trust the technique to carry me forward. A lot of times, it feels that you are not skating fast but the technique is bang on and if you don't stay disciplined and trust it, you start trying and move your feet faster to go faster but all that does is make you scrambly and the technique goes out the window and you actually get slower.......I just have to trust it and it is a difficult thing to do. Otherwise, I know I can do seconds better than what I am doing now but I have to overcome this hurdle....then I can laugh at the times I have now.....

I have been working more on speed work lately so I can prove to myself that this works. It also gives me more turns to practice with at higher speeds....how to set up the turn, how to exit the turn, how many strides it takes me in the straightaways, and more importantly, when I am getting tired, to stay down in my position instead of coming up which kills the 'full' stride. So far, it has been working and this is what drives me to the conclusion that I can do so much better......I just hope I have enough time for perfection.

I also got a chance to see my parents on this trip who drove down from Montreal and stayed over a couple of days. It reinforced my motivation once again why I am doing all of this and I remembered telling my parents after my skeleton attempt in 2006.....their only part of the deal was to stay alive to see this through....so far, they are good on their part.

In fact, this whole journey has taken on so many new meanings for me now...but that is for another post.

Actually, I am really excited to attack this month of March full of positive energy and spiritual strength.....I am leaving it all on the ice this next month...if there is one thing I learned in life.....it is to do everything to your best ability, with no regrets, cause you never know if you will have a second chance.

Peace.

Can you say MISSISSIPPI??

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Go ahead, say it...mississippi.....that's one full second in time.....for me,that is not even one stride on the ice. I am literally a mississippi missis...away from the 1,000m qualification time....1.5 seconds away...very close.

I raced the North American Championship race this past weekend and managed to only PB my 1,500m distance. The other distances were the same as my past PBs....well it shows that I am consistent but does it mean that I have peaked?? I don't think so cause I know I made some technical mistakes during each and every race.

This portion of the journey is almost over and I can't believe we are already in February. On the one hand I am tired, injured, fed up, frustrated and on the other hand, I feel that I am just now maturing in this sport and really figuring out the technical aspects of it....the strength and power is there.....it's being efficient with that in transferring it to the ice....it's what all speed skaters strive to achieve.

I managed to sneak home for a couple of days this week after the races and that was a good time to get away from it all, relax, and see my family. When I am home, I don't even leave the house except to play with my daughter out back in the snow.....or climb up the side of the house to snap icicles...heh heh.

The Dinos hockey team have 2 games left in the season before playoffs. We are 17-3 on the season and should wrap up 1st place this week which would give us a bye for the first round of the playoffs....geez this team has great coaches..heh heh.

Anyways, back at it now for a good technical skating month with maybe some weekend races, until the last race, the ING Finale in March, which also marks the end of the speed skating season....talk about crunch time!!

Peace.

Canada Cup #2.......a bust!!

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Wow, that's all I can say about Richmond.....wow!! Now most of you are thinking 'wow' in a good sense but I mean it in an unbelievable, discouraging sense.....

Although the new Oval's 'roof' is simply spectacular, I and many others were not very impressed with everything else.

Let's just start off with my racing experience.....it was brutal.....although I was forewarned about being at sea level, the air being thicker and the ice slower......I was still going there to bust my ass and advance my goals but I was hugely disappointed and discouraged.......I tried to skate as fast as I could but was only able to post times like it was my first time skating.......just terrible!!.....but these conditions affected all in the same manner.

The ice was also not prepped as usual and the inner warm up lane was full of sand and dirt and they just wouldn't clean that lane with the zamboni. They would let a lot of pairs skate without flooding the ice so if you were a late pair, good luck in skating on that ice......just not professional at all.

Also, it seemed that we weren't really welcomed there, I mean this was 2 competitions in 1.......the Canada Cup and the Canadian Junior Championships. They didn't let us use the stationary bikes for warm ups or cool downs which is crucial to a speed skater to eliminate lactic acid. They wanted to charge us $13 a day to use the gym facilities which are right there in the open over looking the ice so many coaches sent their skaters to a nearby gym where it cost less than that. There were no matted or carpeted areas for stretching so we all had to stretch on hard wood floors or cement......needless to say, that Oval has big shoes to fill if they want to represent a successful Canadian Olympiad.

The most positive thing about the trip was that my wife and daughter were with me. I truly wanted to show them the fruits of my labour.............. why I left them for the past 5 months, what I have been working so hard for.......so you can imagine the turmoil I was experiencing when my performance was so far under par......to no fault of my own......well, I'll always divvy up some blame but you know what I mean.

Overall, it was not an pleasant experience but I have the North American Championships to look forward to this upcoming weekend here in Calgary so I have to buckle down and switch things around in the other direction.

In the pics you see my wife and daughter in front of the Oval's Olympic rings. A pic from the inside with the roof in the background. Another pic with me at the start of the 500m.....and of course, a well deserved break for my daughter.....adjusting to the time difference....heh heh.

Until next week's adventure.....

Peace.

Are you kidding me???....Calgary weather!!

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Can you believe this?? This is what is good about Calgary....when the weather changes for the better, we really get spoiled....last week I was on the deck (shirt on) enjoying my afternoon Greek coffee in +10 degree weather.......today, back on the deck (shirt off), enjoying +15 degree weather....is this really January? The last time this happened to me was in February 1988 when I played hockey in Belgium and we had a warm snap and enjoyed margaritas outside in the beautiful sunshine in shorts and t-shirts......what's this world coming to?!

I should add that I really really do feel really, really sorry for my wife and daughter enduring the -30 degree weather in Ottawa....should I add a "heh heh" here?...better not.....

I also included a bastardized version of my new old skates....you will notice the double tongue. I velcroed one tongue on top of the other so it compresses my foot and makes everything feel real snug....so much so that when I tighten them good for racing, I gotta race within 20 minutes cause my toes turn blue.....but it's working so far and it's gotta get me through the season.

I asked for a refund on my other boots as they really did destroy my right achilles and my left inner ankle that I have to wear padding on my feet even for normal shoes.....I am so pissed off cause I feel everything when I am skating....we'll see how that drama unfolds.

Anyways, I must admit that I am getting very tired here even though I know that the time will pass fast....already one race down and next weekend, I will be in Richmond at the new Oval racing the Canada Cup #2. No real fast times expected here as we will be at sea level which means slower ice but I'm gonna give'er anyways...and right when I come back, the following weekend is the North American Championship race here in Calgary which brings us into mid february already.....time will fly but still, this has now become a mind over matter situation for me.

I am presently in full back spasms and walking around with tender hip flexors on both sides. Even though I raced last weekend like that, it is not fun but my friend Advil gets me through my training sessions now. I know my body is talking to me and it's telling me that once the season is over...I better take it down south somewhere for a week to fully recover...heh heh.

The Dinos have already played 3 season games and won them all....8 more to go, then play-offs but who's counting right?!

My roommates decided to add a 4th person in the house for the last 2 months of my stay.....I am not really jumping for joy on that one but at least they will secure a 3rd person till the end of their lease since I will be gone by that time. The only bonus is that the rent will decrease.....I am also considering moving to the basement room cause that's where my bathroom is anyways so I won't have to stumble down the stairs in the middle of the night anymore. At least this change might take my mind off of other things for the time being....

Well folks, off to do some stretching and maybe catch a few more rays before the sun disappears....till next time,

Peace.