Lucasmakowsky.com

Before looking back at what was one of the best training camps I’ve been to in my speed skating career, I wanted to welcome everyone to the website and also thank everyone who has been involved in getting this site up and running. I have always had great support from my friends and family and hope that this site provides everyone a way to become part of my journey towards the 2010 Olympics and beyond.

Since the creators and contributors to the site have been so generous with their time and resources, I wanted to quickly share with everyone how the site got started. Over the past few seasons now I have been approached by one of the creators of speedskating-online.com, Jolanda Abbes, to do a few interviews/articles for the website. When I was first asked about my debut at the World All-round Championships back in February 2008, I was so excited. I remember thinking to myself "Wow, speedskating-online.com wants to do a feature story about my first World All-round Championships! That's so cool!" Since then we have been in contact.

Back in February I was asked by Jolanda whether or not I had a personal website because she couldn't seem to find one on me. I've always thought about getting one started but just never had the time or resources trying to juggle a full course load at the University of Calgary and traveling up to 6 weeks a semester competing. Jolanda, with the help of Petra Abbes and Cathelijne van Oostende, graciously offered to help out. Three kind ladies, each with a heartfelt passion for speed skating, showed as much enthusiasm and excitement to create this site as I had when I was first asked to do that article for speedskating-online.com. Since then, photographers Kirsti Biseth and Lars Hagen have also been contributing their great photos from the numerous World Cup and World All-round competitions.

Santa Cruz May 2009

Thinking back to the past 9 days I spent in Santa Cruz, California, it never ceases to amaze me at how quickly training camps fly by. The training is no different than what we do at home, but just being away always seems to bring a renewed focus and intensity to each program I do. Other aspects of life are put on hold and for those 9 days every bit of focus and energy are consumed by the program. If I’m not training, eating, or resting, I’m simply trying to enjoy the weather and bits of scenery that nature has to offer.

We started off the camp with a nice 4hr aerobic ride along the coast on the Number 1 (Cabrillo Highway). Thinking it was going to be sunny and hot the moment we got to California, the morning coastal clouds proved otherwise. It’s great staying within view of the ocean but until the sun has a chance to burn off the morning fog it can be quite cool. A few hours into the ride we made it to a small town called Pescadero, that had a great local bakery/grocery store. A sign standing by the door read “The Butcher, The Baker, The Sandwich Maker” – a perfect place to stop for a hot coffee and a Bear-claw pastry... delicious! From there, we headed back towards Santa Cruz and it didn’t take long for the sun to make its way through the coastal fog. I knew it was going to be a great camp!

The next day we jumped straight into a long low-walk and turn-cable program up at UCSC (University of California-Santa Cruz). When we started warming up around 9:30 that morning we couldn’t see much of what the campus’s location had to offer. As soon as we got started with our first set of low-walks the sun broke through the clouds to reveal an overlooking view of Santa Cruz and the Pacific Ocean in the background. The campus itself covered quite a large area but disguised itself in a thick forested area in the hills. We made it back a few times to train here. 

Thursday was probably one of the most memorable days of the camp. We were up early to load the vans with all of our bikes and drove down to Monterey to do some sea kayaking. It was a welcome change to do something a little different and come within a paddle’s reach of the sea otters. We spent a good hour and a half on the water paddling up the Monterey Bay coast, had some lunch, then got on our bikes and headed south. This ride was one of the most scenic rides making our way past Pebble Beach, the Links at Spanish Bay, and Spyglass Hill golf courses along 17 Mile Dr. Once we got back on the Number 1 there was lots of climbing and spectacular views towards the ocean. The Number 1 took us towards Big Sur, where Steve had made reservations for us to eat dinner at a restaurant called Nepenthe. That would be our final destination for the day before packing up the bikes and driving back to Santa Cruz. I’m not sure if anyone lasted the entire drive back without falling asleep – a good day of training.

The weekend provided little relief with regards to training, but we were lucky enough to be able to drive into San Francisco Saturday afternoon to walk around and do as we pleased. We didn’t have a ton of time but I at least had enough time to do a little bit of shopping, check out Union Square and grab a bowl of Clam Chowder from Boudin Bakery on our way out. A must when in San Francisco. Sunday was also a gorgeous day so after an intense circuit/sprint program in the morning, we all worked on our tans playing some beach volleyball in the afternoon for recovery.

Monday we finally had more of a rest day and had a choice of what to do. Go surfing for the day, go for a ride, go for a hike, whatever. Most of the guys decided to test out the ocean waves and get Steve to show them the ways of surfing. Jay, Denny, and I decided to go for a hike in the Redwoods instead. We drove to the Forrest of Nisene Marks State Park with a trail map aiming to hike for a good 4-5 hrs. We did just that, taking 5 and a half hours to get back to the van and were able to enjoy some great trails, the shade of the towering redwoods and the tranquility nature has to offer.

Finally, another dry-land session, bike ride, and run along the beach and we were back on a plane headed to Calgary. 9 days gone by in the blink of an eye. I had many great experiences on this camp and felt it was a great way to put all my focus and attention into training. Being back taking advantage of a few rest days, I’m really looking forward to the summer to come!

Next week I am off to Richmond for 2 weeks to start some on ice training for the year at the new Olympic Oval. I’ll be sure to take more pictures and post another update shortly thereafter, so keep your eye out for that in the next few weeks!

Click here for the photo album.