PETER DOUCET - Roller Sports

Jade Pauley Peter Doucet, Travis Shaw, Leo Frusteri, Morgan Williams, and Scott Pauley

This year's December deep freeze hasn’t been motivating for me to bundle up and spend time training outside. Rather than spending hours outside getting volume by running & cycling, I’ve spent hours on the treadmill and on the bike trainer in the gym.

These indoor workouts, in conjunction with weights, short track speed skating, jumps, running stairs, and skating indoors at the Scooter’s Roller Palace in Mississauga are allow me to be in reasonable shape.

When it comes to selecting which races to compete and focus on for this upcoming season, there’s a healthy selection- as long as I'm willing to travel. There are some key events that I will focus on. One of these is the Pan American Championships in Argentina in March 2011.

Potential events for 2011 include a battery of marathons, a host of track races featuring short sprint races on 200-meter & 400-meter tracks, and a few ultra distance events including 24-hour relays, a 100km race in Brooklyn, and a 140km race in Atlanta. Canada’s success in qualifying for the Pan American Games at the Pan Am Champs in March will determine how I will treat the remainder of the season.

When preparing for these possible events for 2011 and in selecting a small number of key races to really focus on, there’s a fundamental training base and key things to work on. This includes improving my technical efficiency, increasing high-end speed, and improving overall fitness.

I find it interesting to take note of what some of my team-mates and competitors are doing during the off season to train and to get deeper into their motivations & reasons for their choices. Some skaters are still racing on inline & roller speed skates, this of course in places where the weather is suitable. Others are training and competing in long track speed skating and performing very well in marathon races as well as regular long track time trials. Some are training using short track speed skating, while others are off skates- ice & inline- entirely, and are focusing on cycling & cross training. And there's a unique group of athletes who can somehow do everything- race, train, & race on roller and ice, hitting every event possible throughout the entire year.

Peter Doucet (in black) at short track speed skating practice in Toronto

This weekend, some skaters will be competing at an indoor race on a 100-meter indoor track in a roller rink in Montreal while others will trek down to Lake Placid to compete in a long track speed skating marathon.

One thing's for sure; 2011 is shaping up to be another fast and competitive season.

Whatever you’re all doing for training & racing for your chosen sport or in your calling, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year to all the friends and supporters of CAN Fund, of Canadian sport, and to everyone striving to represent the red & white maple-leafed flag.

Always be well,

Peter Doucet, OCT
www.SpeedSkateWorld.com
~Fast Online & On Skates~