Stadium view for the 10km Classic at Western Championships in Lake Louise. Best in the World? I'd say.
If you were to graph my results on a chart this season, it would look a little more optimistic than the dollar these days but about as sporadic as the temperatures in Canmore this winter. Full of positive and warming trends in training sessions and at points in racing, followed by plummeting temperatures and dismal performances. I was so far off the intended mark at the trials races in Duntroon, Ontario. It was a definite blow to my confidence and plan for the season, but why not embrace it? That really is the only option if I want to learn from this experience. I finished 6th in the 15km pursuit, 8th in the sprint and 5th in the 10km skate individual. Not the weekend I had intended to piece together, but that’s why I can count on t-Swift to get me through. Being able to 'Shake it Off', whether it's a bad qualifier, bad race or bad day is easier when you have a wicked jam to dance to. Thanks tSwift. Let's hang someday?!
I genuinely believe that when shit gets rough, you learn the most. I don’t want to have to learn these lessons often, but it’s part of being a ski racer to be able to embrace the plummeting temperatures as well as the warming trends in order to improve and evolve.
The following weekend of races after Duntroon were in Canmore for the Western Championships. Again, aside from an OK performance in the sprint (2nd in qualification and 2nd overall), my racing felt (and probably looked) like I was a gorilla with cement block legs trying to make a go at ski racing. Eeesh. Not what I was looking for or what I know I’m capable of.
Women's podium on sprint day. Andrea Dupont, myself, Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt, Dahria Beatty and Sarah Beaudry round out the top 5.
I just finished off a weekend of racing at Nakkertok/Gatineau, QC and can finally walk away satisfied from a race weekend. As athletes, we play a fine balance between training, racing and recovering and the snap that my body lacked in weeks previous seems to have resurfaced. I won the skate sprint qualification as well as the final and was 2nd in the 10km skate. I was really happy to have a solid distance race, it's been awhile! I took the Sunday (10k Classic) off from racing to keep ahead of the curve I'm fighting and travelled overseas on the Monday.
After assessing low iron levels and adjusting my training, I seem to have turned a page in my race season and continue to write the story for the rest of my season. This entails some racing in Switzerland and Slovenia as part of the Swiss Team. The OPA tour racing setup fits best with where my body is at this season. There are two skate sprints in Campra, SUI and Rogla, SLO as well as distance races that I will plan accordingly.
I’m currently training in Davos for the next two weeks and then will start back racing on February 20th. Bis Spaeter!
My favourite fat lady in Zurich HB