Think fast

On the way up to the track tonight, I was on the phone with another skeleton athlete and we got talking about how team trials went. Then we went down a somewhat abstract path. Surprised at how far we have come, but then wondering how we will get faster. Fast enough to compete at the highest levels of competition. I am still using the same gear that I used last season, but I am somehow going faster. I know that I am driving a little better, but does that explain it all? What is it that makes the best sliders consistently so much faster? Is it all in their head? Is it the shoes? I have a hard time quantifying my own marginal improvements.