Get the Hint?

Sorry, it’s been a while since my last update. Where should I start…? First of all I have to say this season has been a little less then ideal. Truth is, my performance so far has been worse then the previous season.

I guess I had high hopes this season after having such an awesome training block throughout the summer and fall. I felt great and the new atmosphere in Thunder Bay was just what I needed. Needless to say, I got off to a bit of a rough start to the race season. I was sick in Silver Star, and did not bounce back as quickly as I hoped. I struggled in my races before Christmas in Canmore and Quebec, and just couldn’t get that fast, aggressive race sensation into my mind and body.

Over Christmas I decided it was time to recover, refocus and do everything I could to get my body ready for Trials in Duntroon. Everything seemed to go smoothly. I started to get that feeling back and kept my mind positive. Arriving in Duntroon I knew there was nothing more I could do, other then race the best I could. Unfortunately my results did not show any improvement. I was not where I needed to be in order to qualify for World Juniors, which meant I had to decide what I was going to do for the remainder of the year.

My body seemed to take quite a hit at trials. I was exhausted and in bed for the following week. I decided I would come home to Calgary and recover for a couple weeks before heading back to Thunder Bay to spend the rest of the season preparing to race fast at Nationals.

Sometimes its seems like when the world is trying to tell you something, it is really trying to tell you something. Yesterday I went out for an easy ski, I was ripping down a hill fairly fast on a narrow trail. There was a corner coming up and I told myself not to hit the tree on the bank of the corner. Lo and behold I went straight toward it and crashed into it with full force. My ankle got twisted and rolled onto its side, resulting in a pretty bad sprain. I managed to double pole back to the lodge, but I am now walking around on crutches at least for a few days.

Ok, I get the hint. Maybe this means I need to chill. Take things slow and make sure I don’t rush. Obviously I’m not going to get fast overnight, and it will take time.

It can be frustrating, but all skiers seem to go through times in their career where things seem like they just keep going downhill. But in the end getting through the rough times is what makes them strong enough to make it to the top. So I am going to keep my head up, and take whatever is thrown at me as another challenge I have to overcome. And I know at some point things will turn around and I will be able to reach those goals that I have aspired to for so long.

Looking at the Big Picture

I think every skier understands what I mean when I say that in the ski world, nothing ever runs as planned.

Training on NTDC this year has been great. I have learnt a tone over the summer and fall, and feel like I have worked harder then I ever have, and accomplished a lot. By the start of November I was completely ready to head out west for a few weeks of on snow training then the beginning of a long anticipated race season. Sure enough I have now been out west for almost two weeks and have skied on snow for only two days. The rest of the time I have been flat on my back, sick in bed. It started out with a really bad ear infection that lasted a good 4-5 days. Every time I opened my eyes the world was spinning in circles around me, so much that I was nauseous and sick to my stomach. As a result I was unable to eat or drink for 2 straight days. And when I finally did start to feel better I had to slowly teach my brain how to balance, walk and ski again.

Things started to look up. Luckily the first races of the season had been postponed due to lack of snow, which meant I had a whole extra week to recover. Hurray! I was on snow again ready to finally get some training in. Of course things were not going to happen the way I hoped. Two days later I was back in bed with a sore throat and a cold. Just my luck. I guess in my anticipation to get back on track I forced my body to do more then it could handle.

Yeah, ok so it kinda sucks. The races are a week away and I haven’t done intensity for a month. But situations like this happen all the time and you have to learn how to deal with it. Maybe my first races of the season will not go as I hopped, or who knows, maybe they will. But they are only the first races of the season, and I have plenty of time to get back in shape for the most important races of the year. Looking at the big picture, I still have a solid amount of training under my belt to have an awesome season and this little bump in the road is not going to slow me down.

I have nothing to complain about. Look at my teammate, Brittany. She is a HUGE inspiration to me. She broke her leg quite badly in the summer and is on the long road of recovery. Her perseverance and dedication to bounce back both mentally and physically is something can’t even imagine being able to do. She is able to keep everything in perspective while staying positive and believing in herself. Brittany is as tuff as nails and I know she will be back at’er in only a matter of time.