I waited 8 months for this...

My first day back on snow I could not stop smiling.

6 days of free-skiing, drills, and brushy courses later my "return to snow" in Mt. Hood, Oregon is complete. I'm still smiling but I've decided coming back from an injury doesn't get any easier with experience (the opposite, in fact).

Everyday tasks like packing a ski bag, loading a chairlift, or clicking into my skis fill me with a deep sense of satisfaction, joy and anticipation. However, my skiing... has room for improvement. It's so frustrating when I think about how well I was skiing last season and how much time I've lost. I am impatient for progress. I'm eager to get on some real winter snow with easier more consistent terrain, but very happy to have started on the come back trail.

Off the hill I had a blast hanging out with my new team of BC girls. They're super keen, hard working, and surprisingly good cooks. After skiing we spent time road biking, playing beach volleyball, hanging out by the pool, or sitting around the campfire with fellow Canadian teams. The weather was beautiful every day, and there were some really cool meteor showers a couple of nights!

Skiing!

 

Chasing Boys of the BC Team

On the bike that is...

Training with guys is awesome. (Living with them... not so much.) They are fearless, competitive and have some serious athletic abilities. This allowed me to make some big gains in my fitness by pushing through limits and getting out of my comfort zone.



I was able to continue my velodrome biking from last summer, although the indoor track in Burnaby is quite different than the outdoor one in Calgary - think steeper, sketchier, and faster. I love it, if only because it's the least terrible way you can do a bike sprint workout. Trying to catch the back wheel of the guy in front of me or speed around the sprint lane as fast as I can, I forget how hard I'm working.

BMXing in Squamish was less of a workout, more of a gongshow. The place is crawling with kids, decked out in pads and full face helmets. While putting our gear on in the parking lot we heard more than once "mom those crazy guys are here." Watching all 8 of them flying over jumps and nearly colliding up banks was both impressive and terrifying. I enjoyed trying a new skill and not being half bad at it. I crashed in the first moto but ended up winning (against two moms, but like our trainer Andrew says - a win's a win). BMXing was consistently followed by Sushi, someone nursing an injury, and the boys debating their differing accounts of the race. ("I was winning!" "Dude, you were 3 guys from the front.")

Hill sprints on Friday afternoon's were the workout that I dreaded all week long. But I am learning - why bother coming up with excuses for something I know I'm going to end up doing and feel amazing about? I love the feeling of accomplishment and sometimes euphoria after a really grueling workout. When I was injured I really missed having those opportunities to push myself to the limit, and then a little further. So as difficult as 6 sets of 5 minute hill sprints are, I am grateful to find myself in a place where that level of effort is what's required.

Bike Testing in Vancouver to kick off the 3 week training block.

Heading for a mountain bike in Squamish

The beautiful Canadian Sports Center Gym in the Athlete's Village in Whistler

So with an expanded set of bike skills, a little more physical strength, and an appreciation for the cleanliness of the girls' team, I am home. In a week I will return-to-snow in Mt. Hood, so I am preparing mentally and literally for that. Another (ski!) blog coming soon.


PS check out BC Men's coach Brandon Dyksterhouse's website for cool videos on the guys' team.

How Good is this Set Up?

This month I got to experience something I've never had; top-notch training and living at home simultaneously! The photo above is the usual view of my family's orchard and although this past month's weather was untypically rainy and grey, I think the Okanagan still made a good impression on Sarah (my teammate, friend and namesake).

 I've always been baffled at kids from Whistler, Canmore, or Calgary who workout with their team/trainer and then go home to eat dinner with their family and sleep in their own bed. Lucky for me, BC Team dryland coach Andrew Lambert moved from Vancouver to Vernon; a mere 20 minute drive from my home in Oyama. I was reminded of the motivation, creativity, and fun that comes from training with other people.

Sarah moved in for the month and instantly won over my family with her contagious smile and genuine thrill for doing the dishes.

 This was my first training block as a 'full time' athlete since my injury. As the weeks went on I began to feel my body remembering how to move efficiently. Progress is fun. On the drive home from training, Sarah and I often exclaimed things like "I was so much better at that this week" or "I didn't feel like my arms were going to fall off after 4 sets of pull ups today." Most days we had two sessions; an upper or lower body strength workout in the morning, and then a pool workout, yoga, or hill climbs in the afternoon. In between sessions we lounged around Andrew's house with Maverick or hung out at the nearby beach. Friday afternoon's activity was biking up Silver Star Mountain, followed by a cold dip in Kalamalka Lake and an early bed time.

Maverick!

Taking the workout outside

As our fitness improved, we were able to recover more efficiently and therefore have a bit of a social life. I loved showing Sarah my town and introducing her to my friends. On rainy Saturday mornings we frequented the Kelowna Farmer's Market followed by some small-shop meandering, downtown lunching and library browsing.

Sarah went home a few weeks ago to pack and drive down to Mt. Hood for the Women's team's first on-snow camp of the summer. (Since she left I've had many friends remark "oh where's Sarah!?" and then look sincerely bummed when I tell them she's gone home). Next week I head to Whistler for more dryland training - this time with the rumoured to be exceptionally fit Guys' team. Wish me luck..

Life at Home

When I hear 'two months post surgery' I instantly think "Two months? Already? It can't be. What have I been doing with my life?" Time is moving fast. On the other hand, when I think 'three months ago' it seems like another life time. In that life it was normal to often find myself awake and on top of a snowy mountain before the sun was up. With skis under my feet about to start a day of speed training in the midst of stupidly beautiful mountain scenery that was my every day environment. 

But, that was then and this is now. It's been said that living in the now could be the meaning of life (mostly by my mom, while listening to Ekhart Tolle audio tapes). So what have I been doing with my life in the past two months? I've replaced my passion for skiing with a passion for alcohol. It started out with binge drinking on weekends, but now I work at a liquor store! I am joking entirely. Except I did get a job at Lake Country Liquor Store. Working full time is something I've never been able to do but making money is a concept that I am quickly taking a liking to. Plus, unpacking pallets of beer orders into the cooler is a great upper body workout. Speaking of working out, that is my other full time job. I had physio last week and Joel is happy with the way everything is going. My strength is coming back and I've started doing some jumping and more functional movements. I look like a tool at the gym jumping off benches and landing in a tuck, but c'est la vie.  With the sporadic spring time weather we've had in the Okanagan I was even been able to get on my road bike before we got a huge dump of snow. It was so fun and strangely calming to lay off the brakes and get some wind in my face while cruising down a road most refer to as 'the windy Oyama hill.'

Surgery

 Surgery was successful! It's day 3 and I have less and less pain every day. My brother and dad went a little overboard with the entertainment set up in my bedroom - tv, dvd player, playstation, laptop, and coming soon - netflix! (I've been too busy sleeping to use any of it yet) My mom and dad have been truly amazing, helping me get comfortable and making sure I have everything I need. Although, mom gave me a bit of attitude the other day when I refused a glass of apple juice she'd brought upstairs (I specifically asked for crushed ice) 

 It's great to be settled in my own bed after a long, but beautiful drive home. I had my surgery in Banff with the Canadian Team's surgeon, Dr. Heard. He did my last surgery as well and he's awesome. Although we are always disappointed to see each other. The official procedure he performed was the same as last time; an ACL reconstruction with an allograft and contralateral hamstring - which means a small piece of hamstring from my other leg was used. Apparently it helps to have a few of your own cells in there along with the cadaver. Unfortunately, it makes stairs quite difficult having had both legs operated on. 

I feel like I'm in a pretty positive place but there is no denying that being in pain, relying on other people, and not being able to do a whole lot straight up blows. I've found that I pretty much have the best situation I could have in a less than ideal situation... if that makes sense. The next few days will be all about resting, icing, and letting my body adapt to its new ACL. Physio starts in about a week! 

Thanks to family, ski friends, home friends, coaches, and staff for the non- stop support, encouragement, and check-ups. It helps knowing I have so many positive and healing vibes being sent my way. You're the highlight of my day! (next to all this extra cash I'm making selling my left over percocets)

Making preparations

so they operate on the correct leg...

 

Unexpected Change

Today I registered to take a course at the local college...as a full time athlete this can only mean one thing. Yes, I'm injured. It's hard to believe but I won't be racing or even skiing, for the rest of the season. Although at times I have moments of acceptance and even excitement at the new turn my life has taken, I am truly heartbroken. Exactly one week after the World Cup (talk about highs and lows) I crashed in the Super G at Panorma. I won't go into too many specifics but the crash was nothing spectacular. I heard some crunching in my knee that scared me however I wasn't in too much pain. In the days following I saw Dr. Heard and had an MRI. Sure enough, I re-tore my ACL for the third time in the past five years.

 
After what seemed like many days of being in a constant state of ugly crying, I am starting to adjust. It's too much to think about everything I've been through and everything I know I'll have to go through again. For now I am keeping myself busy and avoiding the "what could have been" train of thought.  So far life at home is very different than life on the road. When I'm not activating my glutes or icing like it's my job I have all sorts of time to do things I couldn't do while racing. I've painted my nails more times this week than all of last season. I also threw my very being into re-organizing my room and closet. Coping method? Plus, it's Christmas time, so love and joy are abundant. Yesterday we got our tree and decorated it/I watched it get decorated while icing.

With regards to the future, I'm not thinking too far down the road just yet. I'm going to do everything I can to take care of my knee and take advantage of the time off. I was having so much fun on the Prospect Team and was more in love with ski racing than I'd ever been. It's true what my mom said after observing the many phone calls, texts and e-mails from those who share in my disappointment when she remarked "you sure have a lot of people who care about you."  I want to thank the coaches and staff for constantly being supportive and for providing an amazing summer and pre-season. Also, a big thank you to those who made it possible for me to receive such efficient medical care.. saved me a lot of stress not having to wait too long for my diagnosis.

I might still update the odd blog. Not so much about skiing per say, maybe leaning more towards baking/crocheting/having a social life.

Bye for now and Merry Christmas.

ps: teammates- I think getting to do what we love is a rarer thing than we sometimes recognize..enjoy how awesome it all is. Good luck this season, I'll be watching live timing! (or my dad will, and then he'll tell me how you all did)

World Cup

HEY! I am still coming down from cloud 9 after racing my first world cup yesterday. The whole experience was so straight up cool. After watching Sarah and Tess ski the downhill the day before I started to feel less nervous and more excited. We were all cheering as loud as we could, ringing cowbells and blowing whistles. It was like everyone in the finish felt the same way - so proud of the young Canadian racers.

In the weeks before I talked to Kelly Vanderbeek, Larisa Yurkiw, and Georgia Simmerling about racing World Cup. They were all super generous with sharing their experiences. With their advice in mind, my focus was on enjoying the whole experience and skiing my best.

Tess is stoked!

  It was seriously the perfect bluebird day in Lake Louise. Sarah and I hung out up top, warming up and listening to music. When it was finally time to go I was so pumped and couldn't wait to push out of the start... (there was a little typical 'first race of the season confusion with the start wand'). Other than that, I skied well and the course was a blast.

Thanks to everyone for the crazy amount of support and encouragement. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Sophie, Johanna, Pat, and Arnie for driving out to watch the race. (ski fast) I'm was so thrilled to see you all in the finish.

A little media time

In hindsight, shouldn't have signed kids' new winter jackets.