A lucky penny, and 5 questions with Mark Oldershaw

Mark Oldershawwill be providing CBC Hamilton with exclusive updates on his training and preparation for the Pan Am games as part of CBC's nationwide #ourathletes program.

With just over two weeks to go before the Pan Am Games, you might catch Mark Oldershaw looking towards the ground. It's nothing to do with his training, although he'll tell you his focus is 100 per cent on when he's training, but the Olympic Bronze Medalist canoe sprinter is looking for a penny. And they're harder to come by these days.

Oldershaw's superstitions, and his focus, are just two five things we asked him about leading up to the games in the Burlington native's backyard.

• Pan Am Games: Burlington's Mark Oldershaw profiled in #OurAthletes

We'll be following Mark's journey here for the next month as he looks to build on the success he had in London.

Join the conversation by using the hashtag #OurAthletes on social media, and keep tabs on local CBC News websites to hear more about athletes from your area.

Q: What is a typical training day look like this close to the games? Is it all work is it fine tuning?

Oldershaw: We're still putting in some good work right now but about a week or two before the games we'll start to taper a bit and go a little easier. But right now it's on the water twice a day, we're still in the weight room four times a week and still doing some extra runs and stuff like that. It's getting in the best shape we can right now before we start to taper before the regatta.

Q: At 32 years old, the sport has taken an unbelievable toll on your body. How important is it to find that balance between over-trained and under-prepared? Are you counting every stroke?

Oldershaw: When you're young you can just throw all the work on it, it's easy to recover from but now it's now it's definitely trying to find that balance between getting in the best shape possible without going over the edge and overdoing it. I mean I'm still learning, it's still a processes we go through every year from month to month and week to week. We just have different ways to monitor it just using heart rate monitors and blood lactate and stuff like that. And basically it's just knowing when to push especially in the summer when you've gpot some big competitions relatively close together its more about managing how hard you work.

Q: Do you ever try and take your mind off the games?

Oldershaw: Absolutely. That's one of the biggest things I've learned as kind of an older athlete is that when I'm on the water or when I'm at the canoe club or in the weight room whenever I'm training or competing or getting ready, I'm 100 per cent focused on doing my job which is trying to paddle that canoe as fast as I can. But whenever I'm away from the club or doing something else I try to let it go or not think about it too much just because it can wear you down mentally and if you're constantly thinking about it, you're just going to psyche yourself out and get mentally worn down. It's like a light switch, it really is. It's like when you go and you're working and you're working out, you're on and you're completely on. And you're not thinking about anything else. But when you get home, you turn that switch off and just have fun with your family and friends and just relax as best you can.

Q: When the Games are in your backyard, do you feel any extra pressure to perform? Will you be sleeping in your own bed?

Oldershaw: Honestly at this point in my career I feel like everything is just another opportunity and I'm just so excited to have it and it really is more excitement than pressure is what I feel right now. As far as sleeping in my own bed I think that's a bit tricky because we're so used to being away for competitions. I think that's part of the routine to be in the hotel room, and sometimes when you're at home you get you don't quite feel like it's a race and you could possible not get as prepared. So I think we will stay out in Welland at a hotel for at least a couple days over the competition just to get into that race mode.

Q: Do you have any superstitions?

Oldershaw: I've raced with a lucky penny in my boat for most of my career. Not the same one, I just find one. They're getting harder to find now. Usually stick one just under the block where I kneel... Literally it was just the day of the race I found one and I think I won the race that day so hey, why not keep that going.