Cleaning my website up, reading old blog posts, uploading pictures and realizing I should write more! (That’s been said before)

Sitting at my desk after an intense morning on the bike, sprinting up Mt Fuji. I am so fortunate to be here training with Tomomi Okazaki; a 5 time Winter Olympic Games competitor and medalist in the 1998 Nagano Games in long track speed skating.

Summer training started a few weeks ago and it’s been pretty darn great! No less than an average of 5.5h a day..and I thought I trained hard before! Big changes took place last season and it’s about time I write a post. In early October I left the Oval program and went my own way with Gregg Planert as my coach. I wasn’t getting what I needed out of that program and it was just a smarter decision, if I wanted to move forward. Amazing how you can improve so much when you must do it all alone. You have no choice but to get stronger, lead your own laps, motivate yourself in the weight room and push it to that limit to see how far your body can go! I did come close to two of my Personal bests but did not get any. It is a longer process and with that being said, I am already seeing big improvements in the weight room, on the bike, on hill sprint days and so on. So naturally, I have great expectations this fall and winter. (AND MY THIGHS ARE GROWING! Can you feel my excitement?!)

This coming season is also Olympic season. I have my eyes set on qualifying for the World Cup team this fall with other plans following that. Not holding anything back and I am putting it out there because I know I have and will have all the support I need. I feel it is important to share goals because you never know who might be able to help you achieve them. I am fortunate to have a great team by my side; My coach, Gregg, my mom, Sanda, my sport psychologist and mentor, Dan Perdue, my massage therapist, Stephanie Coughlan and silent supporters whom which without, it would be harder to move forward.

I am very excited to keep you all posted on my adventures and will make sure I do so, through my Twitter and Facebook Page! Check them out and check in as I post pictures and videos! (Gregg thinks it’s funny to film how I bonk in practice…so that will also be up)

Alex.

Hello readers! Yes, you read correctly…I am super stoked to announce my newest and one of the coolest sponsors ever – AWAKE CHOCOLATE. My official energy provider! I may be even more excited as I write this, because it is 10:27pm and after enjoying 1/4 of a bar, I am basically bouncing on the inside like I have never before!

Let me elaborate and introduce you to this amazing company that started in my Canadian hometown; the big T.O. A few years ago, friends Matt Schnarr, Dan Tzotzis  and Adam Deremo decided to start a company- selling caffeinated chocolate. Awake Chocolate launched in Canada on August 15th, 2012.

So you are probably wondering how the chocolate works, and how and when you should eat it? Well, you go to your local

• Shoppers Drug Mart
• Shell
• London Drugs
• Macs
• Rexall

 …you buy a bar (or a few). Then, you open the wrapper..slowly, as you begin to inhale the wonderful smell of milk chocolate. Then, as your mouth waters, you take a decent sized bite out of it and start chewing. Effects start kicking in within 20 minutes. That’s when I usually eat 1/4- 1/2 a bar; right before a race or practice. In my opinion, it’s better than coffee, and it’s chocolate! Who DOESN’T love chocolate!?

I have had a few comments from athletes and people around asking me if I’m going to put weight on or not. That’s not even the case. If you work out, it’s the perfect balance between sugar and a boost (if you do need it). For studying, have a few on you..it will save you time and money, and it’s right there. It doesn’t spill, it doesn’t get cold and it has the same effect.

Here is proof that I go through it like a true caffeine addict. I must say, I have cut down on coffee, which has saved me money. Now I can spend that on training related things like more protein powder, new sharpening stones, etc. Or for some it may be new running shoes, new art supplies for school..whatever floats your boat!

I also got some sweet stuff from the lovely team in Toronto! And, best part of all…it has ORANGE in it. As most of you know, orange is my favourite colour. It’s on absolutely everything I own lately. So this made it even better because not only will I wear the shirts when I train or when I am on tv, but I will be wearing them around with my orange hoodie and promote it by just using my two legs and walking around. I honestly want to get the word out and let everyone know that it does work and it’s not a crazy amount of caffeine. You want an all nighter? Do-able! You need an extra kick in the morning when you can’t get up? Yes! Again, who doesn’t love chocolate and being awake! I personally fade around 3 pm if I don’t nap in between training sessions or before I go to work. This helps keep me going. I love it! And so should you.

Dan, Matt and Adam were in Calgary a few weeks ago and they popped by the Oval to watch me skate. I remember the day clearly, as it was my first day skating solo on a different program. For me it was the biggest change I have made to my career in the last 5 years; it was the beginning of a new chapter and a new journey and they were there when that happened! We had coffee, discussed chocolate and skating and now Awake Chocolate is a part of my journey to the Olympics for long track speed skating! How exciting!!

Please check them out! You can:

• go to awakechocolate.com
• tweet them on Twitter
• Like them on Facebook

PS- Like my hoodie? It’s ORANGE! I can’t get lost at night. Thanks for staying awake and reading this!

Alex.

I’m feeling pretty energetic at the moment although I’ve had one of the coolest yet most energy sucking weeks of the summer. I started training a few months ago and feeling stronger than ever (actually). While still recovering from the bike/car accident that happened in December 2011, I am proud to say that I feel great and am loving seeing the weight room lifting results and how much I lift now as opposed to any other years. I don’t know if my muscles became wiser and decided to suddenly turn me into a healthy beast but as I am sure that is not the reason, I am very thankful for the team I have this year and the coaching staff. I feel stronger because of the careful, thought-through and planned programs that allow me to grow, improve and safely build muscle with enough rest so that I do not get injured like I did in the past.

With that being said, I am somehow already lifting new Personal Best weights. More than I have ever lifted. You know what the crazy part is? We have ONLY just started the ice season a couple of weeks ago AND I am NOT even fully recovered. My thigh/knee/leg injury from the accident, limits me to a lot of exercises on and off the ice, therefore I can not perform at my max potential yet. So I can only imagine what great things will happen this season! Looking forward to great things, as I am not sure of what my body is capable of. Looking forward to pushing it to see how far it can go!

I have been coaching Summer Speed camp this week at the Oval, and absolutely loving everything about coaching! Took a year off this last year but now I am definitely getting back into it. What better way to share your knowledge about this thing you love most?? So I definitely think that is one of the positive things that will change the season; coaching at night again with the Calgary Club later in the year

A few things changed this season. This blog post will hopefully grab some people’s attention and I can get the word out there. I don’t want it to sound like I am a desperate starving athlete or anything because it is definitely like that! The fact that I eat cereal for dinner sometimes does not reflect the fact that I haven’t worked as much as I would like due to my training commitments. (yes, I am surviving). I am also not carded this season because carding was cut in a lot of sports for the Talent Squads and also because of the injury and having pretty shitty crappy results because of that.

But here is how things are looking this season:

Our Olympic Oval fees were (once again) raised (more than last time) by $500.00. For the amazing coaching, weight room access, ice access and facility access it is now $4000.00 per season. Many, if not most athletes already paid for it. I am actually struggling to find sponsors this year because I feel like I am asking people for money and it is NOT the way I was brought up. So what will eventually happen is that I will end up putting school on hold (again) just so I can work crazy hours to come up with money to pay for my races, season and everything just because I do not want to come across as ‘begging’ for money. The truth is…I can not handle it anymore. I want to go to school; I got into University and want to start pursuing that; NOT spend my time working 2 P/T jobs and then head to training and do a half-fast training session because I would not have the energy to finish it or do it properly.

My season goal is to smash all my personal records, and truly skate to my potential which I have not even come close to, according to quite a few people inside Speed Skating Canada. I am so so so SO curious to see what and how it’s like scratching the surface and then digging into that. I want to feel FAST. Talk is cheap. I am and always have been willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to go.

All I want is support so I can focus on my (some say) career..business..job.. hobby and in my opinion the thing I love MOST…which is skating around in circles as fast as I can because I KNOW I will get far. No no, not cockiness. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for doing at least a few things right!! Right?

Another thing I want the public to understand is that when I look for sponsors it is not just ONE specific one for a certain thing. People can donate, support and give in many ways, whether they are little or big. It’s not one person or company donating $4000.00. I could be, but it’s nice when there are more people a part of my journey to the Olympics and to one of many medals. We are in this together; it’s not a one person or one company thing. Although those are nice too. That’s why there are levels of sponsorship.

This is how my season looks like:

PS- Sorry for rambling on and writing a really long post….but I can’t keep it in anymore.

-Season fee: $4000.00 (Coaching, ice, weights and Oval access)

-Race sponsor ($8.00 every Saturday Time Trial) ($50-$75 every Canada Cup (4 total)) ($115 Olympic Oval Finale) ($75 North American Championships)

-Travel sponsor (This year we are travelling to Salt Lake City ($674.00) once and Quebec City($523.00) twice) (Mandatory races because they are ranking meets) (Aeroplan donations have made my life SO much easier-more sleep at night )

-Supplement sponsor (Protein powder, recovery drink, creatine and more powders we need to ensure our body performs the way it should)

Up until now, I honestly could not have done it (get to where I am, and representing Canada on the international stage) without the help of BRASOIL CORP, my equipment Sponsor SPORT CHEK, my sport psychologist and mentor, Dan Perdue of LEVEL 12, my friends at ROYAL LEPAGE and my awesome CEP Compression socks from a few years ago.

If you are still reading this and I did not bore you and you want to help although you can’t, please put the word out! Anything helps because it all goes towards the season. Rent, food and all that jazz, I can pay for because I already feel bad enough putting this up.

If you are wondering how to help, contact me on my contact page up above, call me if you have my number, or you can directly donate (although PayPal has a little fee), or donate Air Miles through my Aeroplan link down below.

If you have any ideas on how I may go about approaching this differently, I greatly appreciate suggestions as I am always looking to improve.

This is the promise I made a long time ago and will say it again. I will continue to do the absolute best I can, every morning, day and night and will not let you down. You will just help me make this easier so I can focus on the skating part and get faster!

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Alex.

Not back in the skin suit until July 2nd, but you know being an Aerosmith fan and all…had to make it flow! Speaking of ^Aero^, missed it on Idol…and am very sad. Can’t wait until someone uploads something on youtube!

So, been away from the blogging scene for a while but been around everyday. For those of you who don’t know, I do have a twitter account and a Facebook page that update daily. The Facebook page is strictly speed skating related and not updated as often but the Twitter is my personal opinion sharing 100+word limit page where I write EVERYTHING. I may even swear at times, but that rarely happens.

You may be wondering what I have been up to and why I haven’t been following my New Year’s resolution of blogging more often, as in…twice a month. Well, I figured they wouldn’t be that good (not saying my posts are great), but if I wrote every second week, you start getting things like stupid home made videos of my Telekinetic superpowers. Which I do hope none of you ACTUALLY fell for. Except for my little sister, Caroll. Haha!

I never wrote about the overall season, what I planned on doing in the summer, what I’m doing now…nada. So here it is!

The season ended on March 20th, after the Olympic Oval Finale. I’m very disappointed with the whole season because there were factors I couldn’t control and it resulted in by far the worst I have ever skated, time wise. But learned things about my body and about people and the training environment and now am tackling new beginnings! Put the season behind me and starting fresh.

One thing that I have learnt about myself is that I need my body to realize it is actually getting time off in order for it to do me good and to give me what I need/want. So after the season, I left Calgary and went home to Toronto to visit my mother, Sanda, and my sister Caroll. Stayed in Toronto one solid month; a thing that has not happened before since I usually only go for a max of 4-5 days for Christmas. Once a year. So this was definitely nice. Saw friends, ate llots of all you can eat sushi, went to movies, drove the car, golfed, walked the dog, went to baseball games, ate cupcakes, slept in, stayed up, had food made and didn’t have to cook, laughed, smiled, cried, biked…and you know, all the normal stuff you do at home. One thing that stands out in my mind from that trip, is that the first week everyone asked me how it’s like to be home…and when I say everyone, I mean like grandparents, great-grandparents. sister’s friends, friends of the fam, dentist, etc. My response: It’s nice to eat free food and have it cooked for you instead of you staying up at night to cook for the coming week. Those who live at home don’t know how easy they have it. Really.

Then after my Toronto adventures, I went on a trip with friends because I decided I needed some sun, a break from media, cell phones (couldn’t actually really stay away), and people. I’ve been saving all year and finally made it happen! I then returned to Toronto for one day, and then took off to see my dad, who lives in Germany at the moment. I say at the moment because he doesn’t really stay in one place. Designer people do that…I guess.

I am currently writing to you from downtown Bonn. Sitting at the Starbucks in Munsterplatz..blogging, updating my resume and planning when to go visit some other countries in the next week that I am here. I leave Dusseldorf on Friday and am back home Friday night, ready to train on Saturday morning! I say morning, I do mean 4 am running because jet lag will be my sidekick for the next 8 days after landing.

I have been training, everyday except Sunday’s. Doing imitations, core, weights and started running everyday again. Figured I might as well train for my random half marathons that I do. The last one I did was with no training…and somehow STILL managed to get under 2h. Well, now I’m old and mature and don’t want to hurt my body..haha.

This year, I am very excited to be in a new training group. I have had this coach 3 years ago and it was one of my better years. Will now be training with more friends and can also focus on achieving seasonal and long term goals, in a more efficient way.

So I guess that’s about it for now. We start ice on July second. Summer training until then and afterwards too. I must say, I am definitely more excited to start fresh. Rested for the first time in a long time and I don’t know…I just have a great feeling about a lot of things this year. Like my mom says “You don’t need an excuse to be happy”. Just happy!
Talk soon,

A.

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Wonderful invention, isn’t it? Too bad that one of those good looking-half-a-size-bigger-than-a-hockey-puck edible incredible form of food is equal to 4 slices of toast. Yes, people, toast. I don’t eat bread. But I eat bagels. Why? Because the hole in the middle makes it look more attractive, and you know being an artsy person and all, I am attracted to anything abstract looking. Except Salvador Dali. Not my type. Moustaches that hold pencils? No.

Whatever you do, do not, absolutely do not waste anything on this fine form of ‘bread’. You must always make it as scrumptious as you possibly can. Therefore, Nutella spread is NOT acceptable. Rule number #13, Nutella MUST be eaten ALONE. With…a spoon. So whether it’s garlic butter on a toasted two halves, or home-made guac (Guacamole), or sun-dried tomato cream cheese, you name it, it goes. And put lots of it…so it’s like a thick juicy layer. Yeah, exactly the picture I am trying to get in between your ears.

So as I am staring at the bagel in front of me, I realize that there are actually so many better things in life than bagels. And that you should eat healthy, and don’t eat wheat. SO bad for you. I won’t even go there, but trust me….you want to be fit? Don’t eat bagels. Just eat guacamole instead, or even better…..nutella.

That’s about it. Random, but whatever. It’s me. Go figure. My mind works in mysterious ways.

Al.

Over the past two days, the 2012 World Sprint Championships took place here on our home ice at the Olympic Oval. What is the World Sprint Championship? It is a competition where skaters from all around the World skate only two distances; the 500m and the 1000m. Two of each. One of each on each day. It was an amazing weekend for a lot of people whether they were skaters, team mates of competitors, volunteers, coaches, massage therapists, media, photographers, zamboni drivers, parents, siblings, grandparents and trackstewards or in my case, forerunners.

I was a forerunner once again. The first time I had forerun was at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. A great experience nonetheless but this was also such a great opportunity because I am faster than I was two years ago; I am more aware of what is going on; more aware of who is who; and most importantly I learned how to multitask in a way that I watched races closely and also focus on the job of a forerunner. What is a forerunner?

Day one was on Saturday January 28th, 2012. I arrived at the Olympic Oval at 10 am as I was told, picked up my accreditation close to the front desk and made my way down to the Volunteer Lounge where all the volunteers were hanging out and waiting for instructions. It was cool to see all the international skaters and coaches in a race mode. Before the weekend, most of them had been at the Oval training before the Salt Lake City world cup the previous weekend and arrived in Calgary shortly after too. So we were used to these familiar faces from the other side of the world. The public was even more excited to see them! I mean we are too because it definitely is way more inspiring having other countries skating around you because it motivates you to skate faster and one day in the near future get on the team.

The Day started with the women’s 500m. Competition got more intense as the pairs went on. As track stewards we were watching the pucks to ensure the skaters did not kick them. Any contact with the puck would get them disqualified. There were four of us on the track at all times. One at each entry or the corner and one at each exit. Careful eyeballs on at all times. Jenny Wolf of Germany, and the record holder going into the competition, won the 500m the first day with a Season’s Best of 37,35. Second was China’s Wang Beixing with her Season’s Best time of 37,50. Third was another Chinese Skater, Zhang Hong with a time of 37, 63, also her Season’s Best. Canadian Christine Nesbitt placed 8th on the first day with a time of 37,93.

The men were also very exciting to watch! As easy as it may seem to the public, a record of 34,03 held by Canada’s Jeremy Wotherspoon, was not broken on either the first or the second day of races this weekend. Lee Kyou-Hyuk came close on the first day with a season’s best of 34,33, followed by Russia’s Lobkov 34,46 and Canada’s Muncef Ouardi with a Personal Best time of 34,54!

The Women’s 1000m was probably the most anticipated event as we closely watched Christine Nesbitt come closer and closer to the World Record which was Cindy Klassen’s. The 1,13,11. So fast. The ladies started skating. There are 27 women in the 1000m. Lots of countries. Fastest women on ice. Here in Calgary.  As the racing goes on, the crowd is going crazy because of all the Personal Bests skated here already. Ice is fast. You feel it. Now Nesbitt is on the line. The announcer calls her name, her Personal record, and then everyone goes quiet. 1,12,68 later, the World has a new record, a new track record, and Nesbitt has a new Personal Record. Second was Leenstra of the Netherlands with a Personal best herself, and same with Margot Boer also of the Netherlands. I tried filming Christine’s corner, and got it on camera. Here’s a screen shot of her over the word “World”. She’s too fast for my iPhone as you can see.

The men’s 1000m results: Shani Davis, 1,07,25. Second, Groothuis of the Netherlands with a time of 1,07,50, and third was Mo Tae-Bum of Korea with a Season’s best of 1,07,99.

Following the men’s 1000m, was the Jeremy Wotherspoon tribute. They unveiled his picture on the wall of Champions just a little after four pm. It was kind of cool how they had his whole family up there, along with fellow team mates, his coach and some other Oval members who played a significant part in his career.

The second day was even faster. The temperature went up outside, which meant the pressure inside the Oval Dropped. You want it to be lower so that there are less air molecules in the air. That resulted in a World Record in the Women’s 500m. It was crazy, in a good way because from where we were sitting, we saw things that not a lot of the public saw. I mean, sure, we all make mistakes as skaters, we can all have great races, shitty races but they are a learning experience. Yes, I’m Canadian and we all cheer for Canadians, but having skated overseas for two seasons and speaking a few languages, you befriend skaters from all over the world.  I have a lot of friends that raced in this World Championship and I know that after talking to them the day before I was definitely more aware of what they wanted to do on the second day. There were also skaters who slipped, fell, got disqualified and didn’t skate the race we were thinking they would. We are all hard on each other, and in my opinion it is a good thing because that means you’re not satisfied with your results. You should never settle for less than your best. In anything.

Adam and I foreran again today. Saw a lot of red and orange in the stands. Such a great feeling, feeling the crowd’s energy and fuelling off it. Even as a volunteer.

The 500m Women started at around 12:05pm, just like Saturday. Today is Sunday, new day, new ice conditions, new attitude. The 500m record was broken, by Yu Jing of China. She crossed the line with a final time of 36.94. Opening time of 10.27, and lap time of 26.67. Second was China’s Wang Beixing with a final time of 37,32 and thirs, Korea’s Lee Sang-Hwa with 37,36. Speed skating times are close eh? Cool sport. Definitely.

Men’s 500m results are as follows: Joji Kato of Japan, 34,35. Mika Poutala of Finland, 34,48. Mo Tae-Bum of Korea, 34,42.

Women’s 1000m, Nesbitt 1:12:94, Yu Jing, 1:13:47, Marrit Leenstra 1:13:89.

Men’s 1000m was actually pretty inspiring. I had a great view of the North corner entry. Watching some of those pairs just made me want to be even faster and to qualify for the World Cup team already. The power they have pushing into the ice. The focus in their eyes. The breaths they take in. The lactic acid in their legs. And the smiles on their faces, and on the face of the red and orange carpet surrounding the Oval. Amazing.

The day concluded faster than the day before. Groothuis won the second 1000m with a time of 1:06.96, Shani Davis second with 1:07.11 and Sjoerd De Vries third with 1:07.72. Very exciting races overall. Especially for those fans who came all the way from the Netherlands or other parts of the world, and of course, us Canadian fans too. Nothing cooler than watching a World Competition on home ice, right?

It would not have been as successful without the help of all volunteers, and everyone that had something to do with the World Championships themselves. Everyone played a part in it, so thank you to everyone for all their hard work, dedication and for making this all possible.

Thanks for reading. Also, thank you to Todd Korol and Naomi Schlager for the pictures of me forerunning and track stewarding!

Alex

As athletes, important people, actors and other famous celebrities, we are ‘supposed’ to stay in between these two fine lines and watch what we do, what we say and how we approach things because God forbid we step out of line, we will make headlines everywhere and we will not be seen as ‘example setters’ anymore. And it does get nasty if you’re someone that’s in the spot light all the time, like Brangelina, Tiger, Diane Keaton, Eminem, or even us athletes who not only represent countries internationally but who are also people that others look up to since we’re ‘real’ (like you can go to a basketball game and be closer to Steve Nash than you can on the red carpet to Mick Jagger).

Why does this bother me? I have enough time on my hands to think about crazy stuff that other athletes might not write about. I have a blog, I can use it well. I’m not a Gold medallist yet or someone who is going to grab people’s attention in a bad way. I am simply writing what’s on my mind and if you decide to listen, great, if not, then I also thank you for taking the time to read what I want to share.

We are supposed to keep our Tweets professional. Nothing personal like break-ups, days when you just want to cry, when you want to complain about grocery store lines, when people walk slow and in the middle of the sidewalk and you can’t get past, when bus drivers are on their cell phones, when you want to bitch about gas prices or days when you just want to say ‘FUCK’. drop the F bomb. Why? Because the world knows we all have psychologists, shrinks, parents and friends we vent to in such cases that these oh so unusual events may happen in our lives. Right? I mean, wow, I have never wanted to complain about how effing terrible driving is in Calgary in the winter. Like, you know, that NEVER happens…..Yeah right. One example of MANY.

Who are you to judge what others do? Just because you are an unhappy person and want to bring others down, doesn’t mean that we are actually doing something bad. Don’t think I have issues because I do want to tweet like my non-athlete friends who have the freedom to say that they want to jump off a bridge when they’re mad. Of course I would be JOKING if I said that, but if it was on my Twitter feed one day…I’d get countless texts, phone calls, and a bunch of people worrying. Why? Because I, like many other professional athletes only tweet happy things, progress in training, and things sport or business related.

But I assure you, we have down days too. And it’s true, no one likes to hear someone complain, no one wants to read sponsorship letters or withstand the company of someone who sucks the energy out of you. Ok, my last example is a terrible one, but the other ones are real life things that happen. I have bad days, I have days when I want to tell the world that I am in love, days when I want to just say how I think my younger sister could be making better decisions in life, days when I do want to say how angry I am when you hurt my feelings, days when I just want to be me.

But, if it was that easy, everybody would do it.

So in the end, we all keep it professional because we are the example setting role models of younger kids, fellow team mates, friends, siblings and people that you may not even know you are affecting.

Always think of who your audience is going to be, and remember….

You have people you also look up to. Imagine how YOU would be like if they were half as crazy as the stuff going on in your mind

Just venting. That is all. La di da.

Alex

Drew Gregory.

Thanks to my team mate Suzanne Hamilton, Drew came out to the Olympic Oval one afternoon, set his gear up, and my team mates and I skated around

while he took some outstanding pictures of us! It was incredible to work with him and kudos to him for having the patience to do it in the cold Oval. (Mighthave been warm because of the 2:43pm sunlight that shines thru the blinds)

See his work on his website. Call him, or tweet him!

Marissa Dederer.

Marissa and I went to school together at the National Sport School. She’s a world class whitewater kayaker who now resides in Toronto and attends Ryerson University. Marissa came to one of our 2011 practices and took a few shots on the ice which then followed by a very productive hour up on the third level of the Oval for some casual shots.

Read Marissa’s blog, Check out her site, and drop her a line if you’re in Toronto and need a photographer!!

Ross Tabalada.

Ross and I met through the wonderful world of Twitter. Having so many mutual friends in common, we decided it was time to meet! Ever since Ross got me to the airport on time one day, we have been friends ever since! (not saying that if I missed my flight we would not be friends) (He’s too cool not to be friends with). Ross is a part-time photographer and supporter who comes and watches me race and is getting better at shooting speed skating, as the milliseconds go by! He has a sweet camera too, so although he doesn’t have a website YET, he is still super pro!

Find Ross on Twitter.

If you don’t have Twitter….give in..indulge…it’s ok. Trust me

Thank you again for your continuous support!

Alex.

Photo Cred: Roger.

It takes more out of you to focus your energy in the wrong place. For the past few months I’ve been noticing a lot of things in all places I have been travelling to. I thought it was just me but once I started going to certain places, cafes, work places and meeting with friends, I started realizing that it was occurring on a regular basis.

What people don’t realize is that when they put something out there verbally, the brain automatically believes it. It is not aware whether you truly mean it, whether you are lying, or whether you are just saying it for fun. Choose your conscious words wisely. Your subconscious mind is 33,000 times STRONGER than your conscious mind. Do you realize how much that is? If you train your mind you can clearly achieve way more. Let me give you an example:

• Friday morning you wake up and realize you slept through your alarm, but decide to go to skating practice anyway since you surprisingly make it on time. You get there and start complaining about how you were late and how this practice is going to be sh*t because you didn’t get a proper warm up in. Your legs are hurting and you’re making everyone aware of it. You complain about how you wish you had a different program because you missed breakfast and don’t know if you have enough energy to do the 800m tempo you have that day.

You are the only one that can control how you are feeling, what happens to you, and the thoughts your conscious mind holds.

• Friday morning, you sleep through your alarm, but get to the Oval on time. Before you left your house you were already thinking of what you can work on today’s ice session, whether it is building your corners and working on arms swing, or whether it is getting the early pressure you haven’t been able to get all season. You get to the Oval. Ok, you’re late, but that’s not going to affect you on the ice. The thoughts you’re thinking are awesome; ‘how can I make today better than yesterday?’, ‘how can I get lower and maintain it for longer?’.

It’s all about the questions you ask yourself because the second you start verbally saying something negative, your brain hears it and believes it. You can have the worst day ever, and someone asks you ‘how [you] are’, and you reply “I am excellent, how are you?”. That will TOTALLY change your mood. You’re not lying but always strive to maintain a strong image of yourself. Sure we’re all allowed to have down days but we need to learn how to cope with them and not make others around us sad. Embrace it but do not hold on to it for too long.

Change your physiology, keep smiling, walk the walk, talk the talk, and BE it. Change your focus and you change your mood. And do not waste time on factors you can not control.

Again, I will give an athletic example because it is something I deal with on a daily basis. I will try to relate to the business world since you know…I’m the oh so fierce female that occasionally dresses in a business suit and I feel manly. Ha.

• Competition day: You’re ready to rip the competition in half, set a world record, and show yourself and everyone else that you are the best in the world. BUT the ice sucks that day, because the Chinook that was supposed to come in, didn’t arrive and the pressure is not where you expected it to be and now you can’t skate fast, so you find an excuse before you even get on the ice, as to why you will not perform.

Um, no. You have NO CLUE how many of you actually do that, but don’t realize it! Try it…next time, try and catch yourself saying stuff like “well I can’t do this BECAUSE..” or “I don’t think I’ll do this because…”

• You can not control the Chinooks that come in, you can’t control the Oval air pressure…you’re not God. What you CAN focus on, are the things you can do to make yourself better; skating technique, being aggressive, sharpening your skates so they glide fast….

This totally reminds me of some stuff I learned from when I went to the Tony Robbins seminar. And this applies to all business people in general…well everyone actually.

I did a little survey thing on my Twitter and Facebook and asked people what makes them most happy. If you are having trouble getting started, maybe just think of the little things that make you happy, ask the right questions and change your state

• Michael: Music, Food

  Anastasia: A well-sewn garment
• Torstejn: A couch, a cold beer and a good soccer match…
• Kimberley B: Faith.
• Kimberley M: Sunshine on the foothills
• Michelle: Food, the smell of baking. Happy bright colors. Babies giggling. Old people holding hands. The heat of the sun on my face. Love. Giving. Ppl remembering special things about me. A genuine smile. My husbands arms around me. Wine (lol).
• Jenn: Synchro!
• Lasse: Skating

• Bill: long bike rides with friends, sitting around a campfire in the summer with good friends. lt skating in YWG on a cold night. watching someone work really hard at some thing and succeed,hard work does pay off. Always happy for new friends.
• Axel: Fresh socks
• Karlee: CYCLING! and travelling
• Andrew: Happiness is finding that one thing you MUST do, and then getting really good at it. Oh yeah, my daughter too… nothing in this world is so hard, or so rewarding… The pain & pleasure of speedskating, even at the highest levels of commitment, pales in comparison to what your children are…
• Clovis: Coffee
• Luana: A beach
• Patrick: Ocean air
• Cathrine: Smiles, laughing, nice and friendly people, friends and family, love, music in the heart and the ears, butterflies in the stomach and ants in the legs – thinking that this moment is precious, looking at the good things instead of the bad or sad or irritating ones. Sun and + degrees, coffee, wine, music, hugs and kisses………adrenaline rush and endorphine kick….
• Matthew: An excellent day hanging out with my best friends makes me happy!
• Colette: Running. I call it my therapy
• Harm-Jan: Blue Sky, Sun, Ice, Winter, Skating tour.
• Ross: Being friends with me. (Thanks Ross! haha)

 

And if you have a hard time doing it, use that as an opportunity to practice. Because you can truly do it well, when you are not feeling strong or positive. It’s easy to do when you’re happy. Challenge yourself!

My Keys to success: Stretch daily, drink more H2O, do core training and keep smiling. Always.

Thanks for reading! If you would like to share what makes YOU truly happy, please feel free to comment below.

Smile. It looks great on you.

Alexandra.

 

I won’t mention what happened, or who it was that I met, but I definitely thought that all my important life lessons came from either my family, or the sports I have done throughout my athletic career. Sure, sport teaches you things and the day you cease to learn about a certain thing, that’s the day you should stop what you are doing. But it’s the bittersweet feeling of being aware you are taught something at the age of 40, or 80, that just makes you feel so alive. As teenagers, we think we know everything. We want to be the center of attention (or at least I want to be, and I’ll admit to that since I know that every human looks for ways to be appreciated, or loved or welcomed into the community. Whether it’s showing off your girlfriend to all your guy friends so you can get your approval, or the ‘ok go’ to hang out with them.) In any little way, everyone is looking for attention, but sometimes confuse attention with love. Think about that for a second.

We also do not understand what our mind is capable of doing. And ok, you’re now thinking, “Duh, Alex…every scientist says that”. But have you ever thought of something for so long that it actually happened? It’s a scary feeling and thought to process, but what if you got so good at it, that every time you wished for something to happen, it happened in less than 1 month? This has no relation to sport whatsoever, but it could if you want to think of it that way. I honestly am afraid to think certain thoughts because I think I have exercised my mind to the point where it does take me into that little 2mm above that 100% that Tony Robbins talks about. But at the same time turning everything into something positive, and thinking of good things long enough does the same. And this brings me to my next point. Now start applying that to sport and think hard about how badly you really want it (because it doesn’t work if you don’t want it badly enough), and things will happen. Talk is cheap.

Love.

Touchy subject for some readers. I have 2 views on it, the ‘single’ view and the ‘taken’ view. Actually won’t even go there..never mind, sorry. And I should just erase this whole paragraph but it just makes it more fun cause you can see inside my mind and what the hell goes on in between my ears. So much that I want to write but it’s one of those things again, where you have to watch what you say because you never know when it’s going to come haunt you! Not that there is anything bad I’ve done in the past. I don’t smoke, am definitely not an alcoholic even though I did introduce myself as “Hi I’m Alex and I’m an alcoholic” in grade 8 when we had a new teacher and she had to remember our names easily…since Alex likes Apples didn’t work. And being a  tomboy, thinking it was funny and all..yeah you know, go figure, right? Anyhow. It’s weird how this works. I’ve been so focused on my sport for the last 3 years, that I had horse blinders on. I wasn’t as successful as I could have been, and I do realize this now and can point out where I made mistakes but as this is a learning process…each year gets better. Last year specifically, I was focused on representing Canada on JRW, and I did. I didn’t have any distractions whatsoever (except school), no boyfriend, which was great. I am taking a different route this year. It’s been 5 months now, and I think I am ready to balance both sides of life. It’s also so possible to love something that is SO against your own blueprint, but later, your senses are gonna come back to you, and I thank my mom @SandaLanger for teaching me that. She’s so right.

FOOD!

So as a lover of all edible things. sorts of food, I have just a tiny little thing to say; Seeing as I lost an incredible amount of weight for this time in the season I have come to an important conclusion! Eat only Alkalizing foods, avoid dairy completely, and stuff yourself for breakfast. Eat food that’s as close as possible to the form it grew in. Eat less when you’re not exercising, and eat after a workout to refuel. One slice of cheesecake is ok. 100, aren’t. Sugar, great when you’re active…when you’re chilling at your house…not so muchos. Take long walks at night, but do not exercise 3h before you go to bed. Not good for the heart. Don’t drink protein powder infested drinks. Eat 2 raw eggs, microwaved for 1 minute mixed with flax seeds and avocado. Every morning. Natural Protein, WAY better kids! Honestly, I won’t even tell you what I eat on a regular basis because you will puke inside your mouth.

And as I sit here typing this, I realize that I honestly am too blessed to be depressed about anything. I had an amazing home-cooked meal today, and drinking the best Orange Juice on the planet, and am healthy. What more can I ask for? There are so many starving people out there and we always complain that we do not like what we eat, or leave stuff behind. Living on my own, I learned to cook just enough so that I don’t waste anything. I am glad to figure all this stuff out because I’m getting to know my body better as the days go by.

Almost July now, and as I have been working on the post for 2 weeks now, I just finally am motivated enough as of 20minutes ago to finally officially say that I’m off cruise control, and back training like the real A-Train and kill everything in the way.

I leave you now with this thought. I’m not going to bullshit BS my way through anything, and I think trying to be humble will sometimes interfere with you beign tough and being the beast you gotta be on gameday, but if you have the personal power to be humble, than you are the tough beast others only pretend to be.