Olympic Fever

Since February 12th, my life has pretty much revolved around watching the Olympics. When I’m not training or at work (well actually, even sometimes when I am at work) I am watching the Olympics on tv or on the computer, or really wherever I can get it. I’ve always been a bit of an Olympic junkie, usually preferring the summer games to their winter counterpart, but this time around, it doesn't matter, I just can’t get enough of the winter action. Gimme moguls, gimme speed skating, gimme biathlon, gimme hockey, heck, I’ll even watch ice dance! I don’t know if it’s the excitement of cheering on team Canada on our own turf, or the festivities happening in a city that I recognize, but I just can’t get enough.

This weekend, rather spontaneously (and with the rest of Victoria apparently), Shane and I decided to make the trek over to Vancouver to take in some of the merriment. We were absolutely, incredibly lucky and managed to get tickets to see the much anticipated Canada vs. USA hockey game (and legitimately, at face value, none the less – no scalper tickets for us!).

To say the least, the energy in the arena was incredible. It was such a surreal moment, to be sitting in Canada Hockey Place amidst the sea of red – at the Olympic Games! During breaks in the action they interviewed two of Canada’s newest gold medalists, Alexandre Bilodeau and Jon Montgomery. As goofy as it may sound, it brought a little tear to my eye. I don’t know why the Olympics are so captivating to me, but they are. It’s inspiring to see athletes who have worked so hard and in most cases for so long (and especially in ‘lesser known’ sports) become instant heroes.

Of course, Canada didn’t get the result they wanted in the hockey game, but it was thrilling none the less. After the game, my body felt very strange – my tummy was anxious and I just felt a bit drained. I think it was the excitement and the nervousness and maybe even the slight disappointment all mixed together. It was a rollercoaster of emotions watching that game! I truly can’t imagine what it must feel like to take part in the Olympics.




As for training, things are going well… I figure with all this Olympic watching I’m really filling up my “inspiration and motivation” bank and while I did skip my long run this weekend to attend the Canada/USA game I figure that’s okay, cause well, who wouldn’t? Otherwise, I’ve had some really solid workouts and my swim is starting to feel pretty good. My stroke is feeling nice and relaxed without being “too relaxed” and I’m noticing a consistency in my times that I haven’t seen/felt in a long while. It’s nice to be in the middle of a swim workout and think to yourself “oh, this is it, this is right.” I like that feeling.