A summer of Fun!
Now what is it that ski racers do in the summer months when
there is no snow to be seen and the skis are waxed and put away to collect dust
for the summer? Contrary to what most people think, summer is not all about
beer, beach and barbeques, but about barbells, bikes and bruises.
This summer I wanted to find my inner “athlete” again and so
I found myself back in Fernie, purchasing a new mountain bike and pushing my
fear limits on the trails throughout the valley. I also enjoyed working out in the local gym
and scaring the dickens out of everyone while enduring my 2 min clean-squat
interval. This was a great interlude for what was to come in Whistler where the
team converged together for a 10 day dryland camp.
Sometimes I find it a little hard to get up the motivation
for the team dryland camps because I do enjoy my time away from the team and
the comfort of my own home but I have been pleasantly surprised in
Whistler. The program was adapted from
spending 3.5hours in the gym in the mornings and again a 1.5hr session in the
afternoon to intervals, jumps and agility outdoors and epic bike rides in the
afternoons. After the first day I was slightly concerned that we were training
for the strongman championship after a serious log rolling contest but it turns
out that it is also productive training for a ski racer. The mountain biking has been a blast especially
having our ski coaches out with us (Rob Boyd is still as crazy as ever!).
I have come to the conclusion, that although many of us will
deny it initially, we are all adrenaline seekers. Whether it is on the mountain bike flying
downhill, or jumping off bridges, we all get such a kick out of it and it
becomes quite apparent why we do what we do.
Yesterday after possibly the hardest bike ride of the summer we did team
bungee jumping. Yup, that is right, my
whole team jumped with flying colours off the bridge at Whistler Bungee with
laughter, screams and pizzazz. I must admit though that by the time I went
(last out of the bunch, had to switch cables…..) my stomach was in my throat
and I was doubting my bravado.
The thing that is crazy about my sport is the fact that I
almost need to train to train, meaning that I need to get as fit as possible
off the snow in order to maximize my on snow training. Due to the fact that we
need to travel far and wide in the search of snow, when we get there it is
extremely important to use the time efficiently and productively and thus the
gruelling hours in the gym.
Whistler is a really important time for our team. It is the
last major dryland training block before we hit the slopes of New Zealand at
the beginning of August. I have had
almost 4 months off of snow already and it has been an excellent refuelling
period and now I am ready to hit the slopes again.
What I have come to realize at this Whistler camp is that we
have an amazing group of athletic women who are fun, adventurous and all on the
same journey to success. We have a blast
together and complement each other in ways that make spending months on end
together possible. I am so excited for this next year and what it will bring. It
is going to be an experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget!
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