Hi there!
Well, the blogs have been lacking. And that’s because I keep injuring myself and it’s no fun to complain on here! But I’m feeling better and less liable to complain so here’s the latest:
Logging back onto the blog, pickle in hand
Body
A couple weeks after I fell on my ribs, I decided to go a little crazy and play basketball as a warm-up for one of my strength sessions. I left that game with a sore lower back, which I ignored, and went about my life. A few days later, my back seized up during rollerski intervals.
I couldn’t do anything without pain for a while, because it turns out it’s hard to do anything without using your back. I looked 100 years old walking around the house and trying to put on my socks.
I am extremely relieved that it did heal, after begrudgingly taking some time completely off training. My usual strategy is to ignore it as long as possible, but this time that didn’t feel wise. Taking days off feels like torture in the moment, but I keep proving to myself that it’s worth it when it comes to sickness or injury recovery. I’m back with a lot of gratitude for a functional body and a renewed motivation to finish out summer training.
Here I am with a serious face, sitting out of Cirque Alyeska Mountain Race because my of my back. sad
Training
Otherwise, training has been going well. It’s hard to quantify in the off-season, but at the very least, I feel like I’m skiing better than I ever have. We had a big group this summer, with more collegiate athletes here for the summer months than last year. The bigger group made interval sessions more competitive, which honestly can be a little unpleasant at times, but it brings out an effort that’s hard to replicate alone. Training with amazing teammates is motivating, frustrating, rewarding, and the best way to get better. The competitive nature of skiing is what makes it fun, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I will miss these college kids, except for Kendall Kramer, who is beating me in too many intervals lately, so I will not miss her.
Kristin Bourne, US Ski Team coach with Anabel, Novie, Annie, Renae
The Kendall Kramer. to be clear, I will actually miss her
Free time
Due to relentless social pressure, I’m listening to Game of Thrones audiobook and reading The Dark Forest (slowly). I’ve been eating food, watching Olympics (mostly track), napping, playing some violin, and writing. There’s not much energy in the tank that isn’t going toward ski training these days.
I did manage to go to a museum one night
Racing news
I found out that I qualified for World Cup Period 1 - Ruka classic sprint on November 30th, and I’m an alternate for 2 other sprints. This was based on my result from the Canmore World Cup classic sprint (36th, 4th American) last season. I did not expect to get any starts, so I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it and decide the best course of action for the beginning of my season.
Since you’ve made it this far, I’ll let you in on the real decision: it’s kind of a dream to qualify for a world cup in Ruka, but there’s a good possibility that I’ll be flying across the world for 3 whole minutes of racing. What would you do??
…more details to come, thanks for checking in 🙂
Renae
photo from camping on the beach in Homer, Alaska. Sleeping in a car did not do wonders for my back, if you were wondering...