October 2012:Setbacks, Sunshine and Snow

This October has been eventful and challenging. Following my camp in Fort Kent I took a week to recover from the heavy training load of the preceding 10 days. I also participated in a fun 5k cross country running race a few miles from my home in Yarmouth, Maine. The plan for the workout was to get dropped off at the race site, run the race, then run the 4 miles back home. This race would be my first cross country 5k since high school. I wasn’t an outstanding runner in high school, and my running abilities have not improved with 3 years of full time ski training. I was able to hang with the front group of racers for the first half of the race, until I fell back into a chase group. At the penultimate moment in the race (a sharp downhill corner followed by a steep uphill) I slipped and turned my ankle badly. I was able to literally hobble to the finish, edging out the top women. Though I didn’t want to admit it to myself at the time, I knew I had seriously hurt my ankle.

The timing for this injury couldn’t have been worse. I was due to travel to Soldier Hollow, Utah for a 2 week training camp with the US Junior National Team. I was optimistic about my recovery; however, I was forced to alter my training for the majority of the camp. Because of the condition of my ankle I could not run, classic, or skate ski. This left me with double poling, biking, and strength as my only training methods. Initially, I was pretty bummed about these circumstances. Thanks to the support of my friends at camp, and the great training environment in Utah I was able to find the motivation to turn my misfortune into opportunity. I doubled poled a great deal during the camp, and by the end I saw great improvement in my technique and specific strength. Double poling for so many sessions back to back also gave me a new perspective on the upper body’s role in skating. In addition I was able to go on two really nice mountain bike rides, thanks to a loaded bike and kit from the Ellingson siblings. My ride took me into some beautiful areas of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains. Fortunately, at the end of the camp I was able to begin skating again, just in time to participate in a rollerski time trial with the US World Cup team. I was happy about my performance, despite having to take the skiing a bit easy, and struggling with strong wind on the range. I was eager to end the camp on a high note by performing well in a second time trial, scheduled 2 days from the first. As fate would have it, 4 inches of snow and tight travel plans kept me from starting the second time trial. As consolation my ankle improved enough for me to join my friends on a great hike/snowball fight/romp up to the ridge behind our condo.

Right now I am in an intense phase of my training, with hard workouts coming nearly every-other day. I plan on returning to Fort Kent for a final dryland training camp, before traveling to West Yellowstone, Montana with nearly every other serious American skier for a training camp, before heading to Minnesota for the first important races of the season.