Seriously though, the track was great fun with lots of terrain, jumps, and it was technical from
top to bottom. You simply never stop turning in the 1min 45sec Downhill. I was lucky enough to have a few days off at home before heading up to Whistler for the big week. I took this time to get my body ready both physically and mentally. As excited as I was to race in Whistler it didn't change the day to day tasks of getting prepared.I had many supporters out to watch the event which made it that much more special. My family was out in full force along with Walt Graziani and others. There were also many of my good girl friends out from Ontario but (other than speeding by them while I was racing) I didn't get to see them. It was sad to have so many people at the event who meant so much to me but be unable to see them all. There were many events I was required to attend and just the regular day to day activities involved with racing World Cup took up nearly all of my time. Someday I'll be the spectator and able to join in all the festivities, but for now I'm loving being the athlete and racing my heart out.
Still, with this schedule, I did get a few meals in with my family which was great! Also, after the racing I drove with my sister back to Chilliwack for some time together (and we did a bit of her wedding preparations together) before getting her to the airport. It was nice to spend some time with my sister.
During the week David came down with a tough Aussi bug that he couldn't shake (he had just returned from a 7 week camp in Australia the day before joining me in Whistler). This sent him home after the Downhill for some R&R. I was amazed how he didn't complain and played the perfect supporting boyfriend while I got set to race in the Downhill. He's feeling better now though, back training as he gets set for Beijing this August.
The weather was picturesque for Whistler and the week went off without a hitch. We had two training runs in which I finished 4th, and 14th. Race day was extremely exciting and I was happy to finally race. I was full of excitement and nerves. The good kind of nerves, the kind that feel like butterflies full of excitement. I just wanted at the course. I wanted to race.
I finished in 9th position 0.59sec from 1st and only 0.2sec from 4th position. It was a tight race and I made some errors that meant I wasn't on the podium. I am, and always will be, happy when I'm in the top ten in the world. Still, I wanted a podium more than anything and in 2010 that's where all my focus will be.I'm leaving Whistler with many good lessons, a sound understanding of the hill, and a complete commitment to the steps I'll need to take to better prepare for my next race here...the Olympics.
With all my excitement and passion,
Kelly
No comments:
Post a Comment