Speed skating

“The first time I laced up and tried to do a lap, my feet instantly cramped. Every tiny muscle in my feet was firing, trying to keep me balanced and strong on this razor-thin blade. It felt like they were working for the first time in years! Then came my ankles—let’s just say I hadn’t worked on ankle strength, mobility, or balance since my soccer days, so that was a whole other battle.”

“I thought I had a strong core—on the bike, sure. In a fixed position while holding onto handlebars? No problem. But there are no handlebars in speed skating. Learning to engage my core while moving my arms in sync with my stride, bracing for lateral pushes, and also remembering to breathe? Yeah… that’s been an adjustment.”

“Many people wonder how I am able to barrel down an oval rink at top speeds without the use of vision or hearing. The answer is, I rely on feeling and learn through repetition. Every time I train on a new rink, I skate multiple laps around it until I feel comfortable and know where the turns are. To communicate with my coach, I use an ear piece; he shouts encouragement to me and instructs me on where I am on my last lap, whether I am falling behind, swaying, and whether I am off track.”