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..