Reflections
It takes approximately 40-60 seconds to complete a training run and the chairlift or gondola or t bar ride back up ranges from five minutes to sometimes up to 20!1 On a good day, I can take up to 10 runs in a session, and in the past I have had approximately 60-80 days in the prep period which is an average of 700 runs x 50 seconds = 35,000 seconds = 583 minutes = 9 hours and 43 minutes. Can you imagine if a soccer player only dribbled the ball for 10 hours in a prep period? A basketball player could practice for 10 hours in two days easily.
Meanwhile I get to spend 117 hours (almost 5 days) of my prep period on the lift!
This is probably why every skier has a few mental breakdowns during the prep period wondering "have I completely forgotten how to ski" or "will I ever be fast again" or simply "what am I doing?" This has also caused me to become more introspective as I have spent more and more time with my thoughts on the lift. Perhaps most significant though, is that less time on snow and in a course also necessitates efficiency, and for this reason the fastest skiers don’t always just work hard, but work smart. Intention and purpose are paramount for each run, each training session, each camp. But this also creates the constant question in my mind of: "Am I taking the right approach, am I working on the right things?" So, it's a fine balance of thinking critically about your approach without questioning and doubting yourself at every turn. I asked my new teammate Marusa Ferk, who has had World Cup success across all disciplines for the past ten years, about this, and she told me that as she's gotten older, she's learned to trust herself and the work she's putting in and doesn't panic about bad days (probably easier to do when you’ve proven yourself consistently). I definitely haven't figured out the perfect system yet, but am learning to be a little more patient. I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s not always about finding the perfect plan but committing to whatever plan you chose. In fact, I'm trying to harness this approach in many areas of my life. Working hard, trusting that work and learning as I go. That being said, I think its important to take a step back, reflect, and recalibrate (just not after every bad run I have :)).
I hope to take this mindset into writing this blog as well. I've always wanted to share more insights of my travels and training on the road but have hesitated mostly becasue I am afraid of not taking the perfect approach. But they say "perfection is the enemy of good," so I hope you will bear with me as I slowly revise my writing, the content, and the structure. My intention to be as authentic and genuine as possible will remain constant.
Update
Finally, I wanted to give you a quick update on where I am and what I'm doing, because I realize I completely left this out in the first edition of Updates from the Road. I am currently in Saas Fee, Switzerland with my new team International Ski Racing Academy (ISRA), which is a team of female World Cup athletes from around the world. ISRA will provide me with great training (including more speed training), a European home-base, world class coaching, and support at the World Cup events. I am currently ranked in the top 60 in the world for Super-G and have my own guaranteed World Cup start for the 2021/22 season. I hope to break into the World Cup top 30 this year and hopefully qualify for the Beijing Olympics this winter! I realize how unbelievably lucky I am to continue my ski racing journey, so I am also hoping to learn as much as possible from the people, places, and experiences I encounter.
I will be posting weekly updates every Tuesday (because that is my favorite day of the week)! Please feel free to share this blog with anyone who might be interested.
Media
I know Holimont boasts a sub three minute turn around, so maybe I should return home for less overthinking!