It's Time.......

Well folks, I am making it official.......there will be no attempt for the 2010 Olympics.......my journey comes to an end......even though I have the backing from Greece, I don't believe the next 5 months would be a realistic and authentic attempt to make it for various reasons......thus, I announce my retirement not only from long track speed skating but the whole Olympic dream and am even giving up hockey and beach volleyball too for many reasons.

Once the qualifying times came out, they were at a point where I felt I may have a chance but I had to take a lot of things into consideration.

My body is just not as self recovering and repairable as it once was and after both shoulders and both knees being surgically repaired in 2007 and 2008 and on-going back spasms, my body is talking to me............begging me........to take it easy.

Before this speedskating journey started, I told my wife that this would be short term........2 years max for the whole thing and then I can relax my body but maybe I was one year short. I have been tough on my body over the years.........its time to return the favour and thank my body for all its output.

Also, after all the sacrifices my wife and daughter have made, to let me pursue this dream of honouring my parents, first with skeleton and then speed skating, I could not ask anymore of them nor put them through this again without being absolutely sure in my abilities. I am truly indebted to them.

At work, my supervisors and colleagues have been extremely supportive over the years, and I could not subject them either to my being absent again for months without being absolutely certain that I could do them, and the whole RCMP, proud.

And finally, my parents, my motivation for these past 5 years, who totally understood what I was trying to accomplish but are now relieved that I can relax and be with my family.......they understand and appreciate my efforts.

This decision comes after just recently spending a week in Calgary, skating, feeling out the energy mentally and physically, listening to the ice and the atmosphere, the electric buzz surrounding the Oval, and then I knew........I knew it was time.

I have no regrets.......the whole experience has been positive and I have met many good people from all four corners of the earth, all with their own stories to tell but when I look back, I just wish I had started this journey with speed skating........I would now have 5 years of experience and I can honestly, truly, and sincerely state that my dream would be coming true by now!!

Alas, life is full of choices and decisions and if we could live in "hindsight", well then life would just be boring and predictable.

The irony of it all is that if I was a Greek girl, even with the times I have now, I would have qualified already in three distances for the 2010 Games and would try to attempt a fourth distance in the next five months...........funny, maybe I should be out shopping for a wig.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped me and supported me financially or by words of encouragement, phone calls, emails..........it meant so much to me to have all of you in my corner.

Also, I would like to thank the Greek Federation for supporting me over the years......thank you Christos and Vassilis.

Finally, I thank God for giving me the courage and strength throughout this Olympic journey and more importantly, for His guidance in helping me make this final decision.

Now, I can focus on finally growing my beer belly, something I have been looking forward to for a long time.

To read about my whole journey, visit my blog, which will now be put to rest, at greecelightning06.blogspot.com.

Remember to always be real to yourself and live your dreams without regret. Keep an open mind and an open heart........

Peace.

Third session....

Okay, third skate this week, Wednesday the 19th and I can say that I'm a hurting unit and although todays' program went as planned, I felt quite a bit sloppy and I am sure that is due to my positioning and weight transfer........lack of both that is.

I have some serious thinking to do this weekend and its not like I haven't been thinking on these lines all summer.......it has been an emotional roller coaster since I have been back from Calgary so I needed the physical to confirm the mental and now the soul searching begins......

This whole week I saw a lot of people like Danielle Goyette who I coached with and some players too that were helping out with some camps.......like one of my key defensemen, Melissa in the pic.

Well stay tuned as I am sure I will come down with a decision very shortly and as you can tell in the pic, I was already thinking about it after my skate........

Peace

Second session....

Well, I have been suffering from some severe back spasms ove the last month and let me tell you, even the extra strength Advils aren't quite doing their thing anymore. It is really the second day after skating where it sets in good.

I had my second ice time on Monday the 17th and once again, it felt good to be back on the ice. The CDN long distance skaters were there also which added a motivating flavour to the skate.

Right now, I am not trying to accomplish anything major with these sessions but moreso, simply trying to feel what the ice is telling me and how my body is reacting.

I will get another skate in before the week is up and I may just self time myself just to see where I am.......maybe a 1,000m sprint. I know with my back, the start won't be that dynamic but it will give me an idea nonetheless.

I missed my daughter though this time around......no one was making my coffee for me as she loves to do, nor did I have her beside me on the stationary bike warming up before the skate.

In the pic, the always smiling Alex, a fantastic full of life future Olympian with Meli and I.

Can't wait 'till the next session........let's see what happens.....until then......

Peace.

First session.....

Well, I had my first skate of the season on Saturday the 15th and I brought my training partner with me to Calgary....my daughter......she loves the hotel scene.

I have to admit, I was nervous......not quite sure what to expect......kinda like I thought I was gonna forget how to skate. I guess most of it had to do with knowing how well I did last season and thinking if I was still at that level.

Well, my first two warmup laps at a good clip eased that tension as I felt like I never left Calgary, although within 15mins, my legs were blown up from the renewed lactic pressure.......must be the beginning of the season....heh heh.

I continued with some moderate tempo laps and some easy long laps......it felt good. It was also nice to see everyone back at the Oval......all the athletes that have something to prove this season, all with one goal in mind.......the 2010 Olympics.

My daughter was a champ, stretching with me and warming up with me on the bikes and taking pictures. After the skate, I brought her to the Centre Street Church where she experienced a different side to a service since there is always live music performed by a band before the sermon and she got a kick out of that.

Then of course, back to the pool and whirlpool before we called it a night but not before indulging in the chocolate covered strawberries and a variety of cheese and crackers that were compliments of my friends at the Marriott hotel.......they are just amazing there and have treated me like gold over the years......a home away from home......thanks Ilona.

Needless to say, my first skate, highlighted with my daughter's company, was a positive experience. I will be back to skate some more before I decide what my future holds........until then,

Peace.

Qualifying Times are out!!!

And just like that, time has flown by.....it feels like I just got back from Calgary and I am now contemplating returning to finish off this Olympic journey. Since I have been back, everybody has been asking me if I was going to make it but my same response was that I was waiting to see what the qualifying times were so I can make a realistic decision.....now they are out.

I am a few seconds off in each distance but with everyday on ice coaching, I believe that I can make at least one distance, preferably the 1,000m. Having said that, I have quite a few decisions to make now that I know what the times are. Leaving my family again is not a very appealing one although this time it would only be for 5months. Work may be an issue......I got, and get huge support from work but I just don't know if I can take off again for that amount of time, and finally, finances....it would be a huge committment and I would be looking for a major sponsor.

Needless to say, I have to make these decisions within the month of August. I can't believe we are almost finished July.....where did the time go?

Since I have been back, I have been extremely busy...family stuff, work, projects, the pics above show some of that occupied time...... We ran 5kms as a family during the Ottawa marathon weekend and I was so proud of my wife and daughter who pulled it off without stopping once. I built my daughter a 3 story treehouse, which also doubles as my dog house when I am in trouble....this is just a portion of our busy spring and summer. Canada's Wonderland is on the agenda too but not sure when but I have prepped my daughter for the Behemoth.....we'll see.

Anyways, stay tuned for any decisions. Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer too!!

Peace.

Back at the ranch.....

Well it's been just over a month that I have been back to the routine and reality of my other life at home......it's good to be home.

My wife joined me on the drive back from Calgary.....3 days of isolation.....heh heh....nah, it was all good and I really enjoyed the company. The ride went well besides the fact that we drove on sheer ice for 12hours through North Dakota as it was declared a disaster zone with the winter storm that passed and the flooding that was happening.......still, we managed a picture on the move....don't try this at home!!

My buddy, colleague, and past skeleton coach Pascal, now lives outside of Calgary so we stopped by his place as we started our drive. It was good to see him and just strange that this journey has taken me full circle......the Olympic dream started with Pascal and skeleton in 2004 and when I left Calgary, there was Pascal again....not sure what to make of it.

The big news is my daughter had her confirmation in April....the whole gang came up from Montreal to witness this special event and since it was Greek Easter on the same day, we celebrated with grilling lamb on an open fire in my own backyard....delicious!! That's my Dad and my father in-law....the cooks!!

Since I have been back, I had one week off before I went to work and I did absolutely nothing....which was great but then the strangest thing happened to me and my body. From week two 'till today, my body underwent a decompression phase.....I was hurting everywhere, joints, muscles....everywhere, and I mysteriously gained 10 phantom pounds....they are phantom cause it didn't look like I gained weight, it didn't feel like I gained weight, and everyone was telling me how much weight I lost but the scales were telling a different story. I have never fluctuated in weight so this was a head scratcher......I mean I was weighing more than I ever have in my life....anyways, things are starting to come back to normal now and a good thing too as I am now starting my dryland training in case I return to Calgary.

I am now waiting for the Olympic qualifications times that will be posted in July and from there, I will have to make a decision if I think I can make up the time to qualify. This is really going to be tough as I progressed the whole season nailing PB over PB and I made up lots of seconds but the question now is.....how many seconds do I have left in me? Am I ready to plateau now? Can another short season of training bring me to where I need to get? All unknowns.....

I may test the waters and head out there for 2 months or so and see if there is still improvement and then make a sound decision.....it would be tough to leave the family again.

Anyways I want to thank everyone for their support over this season, to everyone who came on this journey with me, believing in me....to all the people that supported me financially, to my colleagues and supervisors at work, to all my friends who sent me encouraging emails and most importantly, to my wife and daughter who sacrificed so much to let me pursue this dream of honouring my parents.

Stay tuned for the next decision....

Peace.

The season is done.......

And just like that, 7 months have passed....by this time tomorrow, the Oval ice will be but just a puddle.

Saturday and Sunday were the sprints....a 500m and 1,000m per day.....one day you start on the inner lane, the next, on the outer lane or vice versa. My Saturday had me starting on the outer lanes for both races and although they went well, I only hovered around my previous PBs. Today, Sunday, I started inner on both races, my preference because I find I can build my first corner a lot faster on the inner lane than an outer first corner as my starts are not the best, and I PBd both my 500m and 1,000m.

My very first ever 500m was a 43.89, the start of this season it was a 41.29 and I ended the season with a new PB of 38.99.....and that's all I wanted, to be in the 38s cause as you know, the 500m wasn't really my race. I needed a 37.50 to qualify so here I needed 3.75 secs and managed 2.25 secs this season but I am pleased with this result as I didn't expect much here.

My very first ever 1,000m was a 1:23.11, the start of this season it was a 1:20.86 and I ended the season with a new PB of 1:16.07....CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???.....8/100th off to be in the 1:15 zone that I needed!! I needed a 1:15 to qualify so here I had to make up almost 6 secs and I managed 5 secs over the season.....phew, talk about a stressful last race!!

Now I send these times to Greece and see what they have to say. We also wait for Olympic times to be posted around July and then see if I have a realistic chance of driving towards the ultimate goal...the 2010 Olympics.

It has been quite a remarkable year and when I get home, I will wrap up this blog until further news.

I am actually doing my last wash as we speak.....I pack tomorrow, and hit the road on Tuesday...and just like that....the season is over and another chapter had ended.

In the pic is the Spire but this time, with the Olympic flame lit (click on picture)......it was lit, supposedly, to mark the start of the ParaOlympic Games next year.....I also heard, and know, that CTV was filming the "Do you believe" commercials for next years Games.....how do I know??....cause I was there when they were filming Danielle Goyette and some of our Dino girls for one of those commercials....cool....then I asked...."c'mon man...let me say it too....do you believe?"....and they said..."who are you?"....and so I got my answer....heh heh.

Now I am gonna crack a beer, Polish, for the Polish guy that beat me, by a little bit, in the 500m and a Sapporo, for Mongolian guy, man they're fast, that beat me, by a little bit, in the 1,000m....I know I know....but there was no Mongolian beer around.

Until soon,

Peace.

1,500m......my nemesis!!

Well, first race done....the 1,500m...the race everyone loves to hate as it just makes you explode!!

The very first time I ever did this race, I clocked a 2:19.86....the start of this season, it became a 2:05.65 and this final race, which I PBd again but only by 2/10nths and I was looking for at least 2 secs, I clocked in at 1:58.64.....7 secs off from the beginning of my time here....unfortunately....World Cup time for this distance is 1:55. In short, I needed to make up 10secs this season and only made up 7secs. Three seconds is a matter of technique....plain and simple.

Tomorrow is another day....a sprint day....a 500m and a 1,000m, the distance which I am very close to qualifying in. The 500m is a fun, fast race and it kinda preps you for the 1,000m....it is not my distance but I like doing them.

In the pics, yesterdays skate prep....sharpening, tuning, and sun tanning of course!!

Peace.

Champions......Finally!!

Well, it took the girls all 5 games in this series to get 'er done but they are now Champions!! Although it was a very interesting year with the girls....I must say that it was great to see the genuine joy on their faces when the clock ticked down to zero and the buzzer went....tears, hugs, and of course....screams...heh heh.

Now, I am in my final week here with my races starting on Friday. I must say that yesterday it hit me that I will be leaving here....all the familiarity of driving the same road everyday, the Oval, the gym, my routine, the great people at Safeway where I do my groceries......I will miss it all in a quirky way cause as much as I wanna get home to my girls and actually back to work, this has become a part of my life and I think I will need a month of adjustment which suits me fine as I will not be working out for awhile.....I will definately need to relax this body!!

I am feeling really good about this week....confident and strong. I did a simulated 1,500m race very early Saturday morning with about 5hrs sleep because of the girls hockey the night before but it went well....hovered around my last PB.

The guys at the Oval were prepping the ice yesterday...scraping, cleaning, and a hose flood.....it's gonna be fast!!

I will keep you all posted race by race.....

Peace.