Speed and Snow

Sunrise at Nakiska

I couldn't even tell you how long we've been on the road for. We left sometime in November and since then have had ten days of training in Nakiska, one long travel day to Colorado, a couple days of training in Copper Mountain, and finally - two race days! 

I raced in two NorAm (North American) Super-G races this weekend. My first time racing in 11 months. My plan was to ski solid and to enjoy the experience. I placed 15th both days and was pretty satisfied with the way I skied.

At the bottom of our first run of downhill this year. There's not quite the same reaction at the bottom of a slalom course. We like speed!

Our coach Gregor took this picture from the start gate.

Multi-cultural training with the Canadian, German, French, and Moroccan National teams.

Nakiska got 60 cm of snow in two days! Unfortunately, we saved our energy and our bodies and took a day off instead of powder skiing. (The irony of being a ski racer)

Powder!

 

A Dryland Stint and Some Colorado Skiing

The past few weeks have been a short but intense dryland block at home in the Okanagan. But first, Sarah and I had a brief dryland camp in Vancouver. When we weren't in the gym we got up to lot's of fun activities like fishing in Surrey (who knew?), seeing an improv comedy show on Granville island, and an intense Bikram Yoga class.

Taking photos in Kelowna's City Park

 

 

  Fishing in Surrey. Didn't catch anything, but we stuck it out in the rain because I've always wanted to try fishing. Thanks Alecia!

 

Hanging out in Granville Island

In the gym, the focus was power, speed, and more sport specific exercises. Our hardest workout of the week was strength endurance. It consisted of battle ropes, speed squats, speed lunges, and tucking (followed by crawling off) a bosu ball.

We are now in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Literally, right now. I'm blogging while we wait for some of the girls to get boot work done. We're all pretty tired (see photo below) after a long but awesome day of slalom training. I'm looking forward to getting more mileage in slalom and GS gates and hopefully some Super G and maybe Downhill free skiing!

Lessons Learned in Chile

• Wear Catracks

• Bring multiple sets of earplugs
  

• Do not ski with new iPhone. It will be embarrassing when it is found on the hill by a US Team coach.
  

• Bring more shampoo 

• The game 'Mafia' will not get boring, no matter how many rounds are played
  

• Do not boot ski above your abilities. May result in a very hurt shoulder and a bruised ego. 
  

• Buy a foam roller
  

• Stepping into Super G skis is like slipping on a favourite pair of blue jeans 

• "Re-center, move forward, and balance." Key points in skiing and life.
  

• Ping pong is best played with as many people as possible.
  

• I love ski racing!!

Lunch at the top of the ski hill at Portillo Bob's

BC Boys Brodie, Pat and Roger

Charley, Steffi, Silken and Sarah enjoying the hot tub

Silken, Charley and Emma on a foggy training day

Jumping pics on the other side of the lake.

Sarah and Me - happy girls!

Kayaking on our day off!

Fernie Dryland Camp

Big thanks to BC Alpine, Mike Delich, Fernie Lodging Company, the Sombrowski, MacLachlan, Freeman, Young, and Rytz families for helping to provide an awesome week of dryland and fun times.

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..