World Cup Period 1

If I’ve learned one thing from racing World Cups over the years its that things rarely go according to plan.  Races get moved because of weather, athletes get sick, injuries occur, and before you know it this picture perfect race plan you’ve created in October is thrown out the window.  So far this season has been no exception and since my last blog post there have been a lot of adjustments to what I’d envisioned as a perfect start to the season.

            There was an elbow infection in Norway that kept me out of the pre World Cup races in Beitostolen.  Races I had really envisioned using to get ready for the season opener in Kussamo Finland. There was a bad cold that circulated through the team compromising my sprint race in Lillehammer and keeping me out of the rest of the mini tour races. Both of which could be viewed as serious speed bumps causing some incredibly below average results.

            One thing I want to make clear to everyone, especially any aspiring skiers who might be reading this, is that these speed bumps are part of the game. As professional athletes we can either take these set backs as they come, expecting the unexpected, or use them as excuses that will keep us dwelling on bad results.  As you might imagine using them as excuses is never productive.

            With the injury and sickness in the past month I’ve had to make a few adjustments and create some new goals. The first big change has been in my racing schedule.  Instead of 8 starts in the past month as scheduled I only was able to get in about 4, so now looking for some more racing opportunities in the next month is important.  The second new goal I’ve had to create because of these set backs is to regain some power and speed. The elbow infection especially took a big toll making it challenging to ski at top sprint speed.  Working on qualification speed in kind of a new idea for me and I’m actually excited to tackle that challenge and learn something from it. The silver lining in many of these diversions from the master plan is that it always helps you grow as a skier and learn something new.

            So with those goals in mind Erika and I are now in Rossland BC jumping in some Canadian races this weekend before going back to Bozeman for a fun 2 week Christmas break.  Racing and practicing some fast paced intervals and speed will all be part of the plan the next 3 weeks but most of all I will be happy to be back in the US with Erika and enjoying the Christmas festivities!