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After two rather disappointing days of team trials, I tried a different strategy going into day three. On the first two days, I had literally raced from the start to the first gate, then spent the rest of the course simply trying to survive. Somehow it felt like after starting out fast, I could not keep up in my mind.

On day three, I did not dally into the first gate, but heading out of the start, I simply picked a quick tempo one notch down from wide open. This strategy worked well, at least for now. The rest of the course felt like it was coming at me at a tempo I could manage. It felt like I was actually racing, a feeling altogether lacking in the first two days.

As you can see in the video, the result is far from perfect. I still had some foolish touches, made a couple of goofy split-second decisions, and had one really stupid screw-up at the bottom. However, the fact remains, I was actually able to race, not just survive, and this I am excited about. It was a run I can build on.

Raw footage courtesy of USA Canoe and Kayak and the US Olympic Committee.