5.1x and me pushing a car

The most important part of a Skeleton run is the start (The "Push").  Affectionately nicknamed "running it off the top" this refers to how long it takes you to go from the first timing eye to the second timing eye (approx. 40 Meters), both of which are before the start of the first curve of the track.  The reason it is the most important part of the run is because Skeleton is a gravity sport, and so the speed at the top gets multiplied exponentially as you go down the hill.  Being fast is therefore an essential element of being competitive.  If you can slide but can't run you won't win anything.

This 40m is what I spent my entire training summer focused on.  I totally overhauled my training regimen, stopping all the heaving lifting that I used to do and instead focusing on core strength (abs/groin), stretching, and functional power exercises (pushing a car in neutral).  I also spent a lot of time at the "push-track" which is a small hill with rails nailed down onto it, made to simulate the start via a sled on wheels.  The goal for the summer was to get .2 seconds faster.

Yes, .2 seconds.

I felt pretty good about my summer training.  Admittedly, it was not the best it could have been.  Taking the NY Bar exam and working both took up a lot of my time and energy this summer and training at times was the third thing on my list of things to do.  It was however still a good summer and I felt like I had improved a lot in the areas I wanted to improve.  My form is significantly improved.  My strength is not where I would ultimately like it to be (I spent the time I had at the gym on technique and flexibility, demphasizing pure strength work-outs) but I'm generally pretty strong anyway so given the fact that I only have so much time in a day I focused on what I thought needed more attention.

So the thing I wanted to see the most these first 2 days was how much faster I was pushing.

Last year, the Push was a total disaster.  I had spent the entire summer just getting bigger (squats, etc.) without any focus on making the new muscle functional.  As a result, I never even came close to my best ever Push, which is a 5.19 (which I only accomplished once) on the LP track, only mustering a 5.22 best for the whole season.    So this year I had high hopes to be consistently in the 5.1x time-frame.

I'm happy to report that yesterday I pushed a 5.21, and a 5.2 flat.  I am very pleased with these results.  For starters, it was day two of the season, so I'm not nearly into the groove that I will be after a month on the ice.  Secondly, it is still warm which does not make for good ice.  Frost covered the whole track yesterday, and that definitely slows you down.  As the ice gets better, the times will only drop with the temperature.

So it appears that my summer training, while still having room for improvement, was a success.  If I can push in the 5.1x's all season, it will be a major success.  I've come a long way since the first time I Pushed.  I'm excited to take my improvements and turn them into some big performances this season.

#AmYisraelChai

-Bradley