Cold as Ice

Lately, I feel as though this is what the skating rink is crooning to me:


"You're as cold as ice
You're willing to sacrifice our love

You never take advice
Someday you'll pay the price, I know

I've seen it before, it happens all the time
(Oooh-oooh) You're closing the door, you leave the world behind
You're digging for gold, you're throwing away
(Aaah-aaah) A fortune in feelings, but someday you'll pay

You're as cold as ice
You're willing to sacrifice our love

You want paradise
But someday you'll pay the price, I know

I've seen it before, (oooh-oooh) it happens all the time
(Oooh-oooh) You're closing the door, you leave the world behind
You're digging for gold, (aaah-aaah) you're throwing away
(Aaah-aaah) A fortune in feelings, but someday you'll pay

(Cold as ice) You know that you are
(Cold-cold, As-as ice) As cold as ice to me
(Cold-cold-cold, As-as-as ice)"- Foreigner

I have been slacking so bad in showing up for skating practice that it is beyond not being funny. I had grand plans for this season to get back to Nationals after a two year absence. I worked my tail off in dryland sessions and rode my bike endless miles to prepare for what I figured to be my last competitive season for a while.
 
As much as I would love for my family to share my passion for speedskating, they don't. My kids have their own interests; baseball, cheering, dancing, intrument playing and tae-kwon-do that it keeps them busy doing things they enjoy, as it most certainly should be. Most of these activities happen at the same time that my evening practices are scheduled and I have been left with making choices. As you may have guessed, I have been choosing to support my kids in their endeavors and letting my skating take the back seat.
 
Since skating is something that I absolutely love to do, I still get my fix. I am lucky in the fact that there is morning ice available for me to skate. The only problem with this is that I do not have pads up to protect from falls-(hitting hockey boards at high speeds only leads to broken bones) and keeps my practices limited to slow, steady laps and technical work. It's also, well,  kind of lonely. There are mornings where I am the only one on the ice.
 
I miss my team. I miss the conversation while lacing up the skates, I miss the joking around in between sets, I actually miss my coach telling me for the umpteenth time to "PICK UP YOUR FOOT" in my crossover. I miss racing! I miss it all.
 
 
 

 
 








Maybe training to get to Nationals this year was not the brightest idea. Being an Olympic year, the event schedule is all out of whack to accomodate trials and qualifying competitions which makes meets I would normally compete in either non-existent or earlier/later in the season. I may have to compete in more long track this season, which is not a bad thing, just different.
 
So, dear ice, I will not close the door and leave our love behind, but will leave it ajar and hope you will welcome me back with open arms when the time is right.