Rollin with the Punches

Lately, I’ve been doing my best at rolling with the punches. Although, I can’t help but admit that I’m starting to feel a little beat up from the past month. I had very high hopes for this year and as the summer and fall progressed I gradually believed more and more in those hopes and dreams.

Feeling good about my training this fall.

Unfortunately, those hopes did not turn into reality for me and I came shy of making the Winter Olympic team. I wrapped up the Tour de Ski feeling like I had been stung by a bee. I was a bit numb as I was grasping what my World Cup results did and didn’t mean, but there was nothing I could do about it. I knew it would take time to process and I wanted to allow myself the time to lick my wounds.

However, the ski season was far from over and I thought I had a chance to still make something out of it. I looked ahead to future World Cup races in Les Rousses, FRA, scheduled for 10 days after the tour. Rather than booking it back to the US for the remainder of Nationals and a Sun Valley supertour, I held out for international race opportunities.

It was convenient (and exactly what I needed) to spend the week after the Tour with my boyfriend, Thomas, in Northern Italy. We went alpine skiing in the Dolomites, tried our hardest to find the best croissant available in the Sudtirol area, and I slowly began to accept the heartbreak of not qualifying.

Alpine skiing in Carezza, ITA. This view definitely helps cheer me up!

Slowly starting to move the body again.

Skiing along the Marcialonga trail.

Just as I was getting excited to race in Les Rousses, we heard news that the World Cup had been cancelled due to the covid situation in France. I still had the chance to fly home to race in the supertour in Sun Valley, but there was another WC race opportunity that looked promising the following weekend in Planica, Slovenia. I decided to continue with my plan to prep for international races and took a mini trip to Seefeld, Austria to get back into training.

More sun and beautiful skiing in Seefeld, this part isn't so bad!

Enjoying the sunshine.

The daily commute to skiing!

Just as I was starting to recover from the tour and replan my race/training schedule due to recent cancellations, I got sick. I felt like I had done everything in my power post-Tour to avoid getting sick by prioritizing extra sleep, plenty of recovery/off days from training, fueling with lots of veggies and protein, and staying well-hydrated. After two days of symptoms I went to get a Covid PCR test, but it came back negative. Alas, almost the entire crew during the tour was sick at one point, so I figured my body must have succumbed to the same cold. I did what I could to manage the symptoms, but I didn’t feel great. On top of that, I received an email that the Planica World Cup races I had been holding out for were cancelled due to Covid as well. This news arrived the day after Slovenia hosted a women’s Alpine World Cup event, which I found to be quite frustrating. Why were they allowed to race and we weren’t? :(

I thought everything was bigger in America... but this pepper took it to a new level!

Kinda thought Curcuma translated to ginger, turns out it's turmeric. Good thing both are great for the immune system!

Made some delicious homemade ramen.

Lots of veggies!

Accepting another cancelled race I did not feel fit for travel with my current health situation. Still feeling pretty sick I went to get a second PCR test four days from my original…  this one came back positive. Just what I needed. As it sank in that my body had been fighting Covid and that the bug I had stayed safe from for almost two years finally got to me, I accepted defeat. I was feverish, had a horrible sore throat, congestion, cough, body aches, just about the whole package aside from losing my senses (although maybe I did metaphorically).

Might just be here for a while...

I took more days off, cried a little more, tried to sleep a lot because of the extreme exhaustion I felt from fighting the virus and kept to myself. Slowly, I began to feel a bit better and tried to make the most of the situation. I was quarantining with Thomas and we had friends available to assist with groceries and such. I started making tasty treats and we worked our way through plenty of sports days and movie nights.

More days off means more time to make treats!

Looking ahead at the timeline, it would appear that I would make it out of quarantine just in time for my sister and her husband to travel over to Europe for a ski vacation/honeymoon trip. Marit and Nick planned to drive straight to Toblach, Italy for a few days before racing the Dolomitenlauf Marathon race in Obertilliach, Austria. With no other races on the calendar for me and feeling very unsure as to how my body would feel post-covid, I decided this would be a great way to get excited about skiing again and just have fun with it. Sometimes you just need to do what’s best for the ski soul!

Crashing their honeymoon.

Italy just keeps treating us!

Making friends with the locals.

Trying to stuff in as much pizza as possible before heading back to the US.

Marit, Nick and I had some spectacular skiing in Toblach and feasted on charcuterie boards, pizzas and so many espressos. We were scoping out the marathon scene and waxing our skis up for the exciting weekend. Just as Thomas drove into town to join us the day before the race, we received news that the race was cancelled due to Covid. That night, I poured myself a nice glass of wine.

We still decided to head out to Obertilliach and ski around the Dolomitenlauf course on race day.

Feeling utter frustration with the outcome of the last four weeks and the toll that Covid took on my body, it’s been really difficult to remain focused on the ski season. I feel like every time I get excited about a new race, schedule, or plan, something blows up in my face to inhibit it from happening.

I do admit that I have been skiing in some pretty incredible places the last few weeks and have had access to delicious food and views. As a competitive athlete though, this is far from how I wanted to be spending my January. I am not sure what else my body has in store for the rest of the season, or what the season will look like, but I am trying to take it one day at a time and get excited about whatever opportunity comes my way. I’m doing my best to remain positive and get excited, but I’ve had to reset my mind on realistic hopes and expectations for the remainder of the winter. I’ve had some amazing support the last month from friends, family and sponsors reaching out to share their love and it has been much appreciated! The emails, texts and phone calls have helped put a smile back on my face and I’m ready to use that energy and encouragement to give whatever I have left for the remainder of the season. Thank you!! Being back in the US just for a few days now I already feel happier and more optimistic that there are great things yet to come this winter. Here goes nothing! In the meantime, I will be cheering (yelling) at the TV screen while I cheer on my teammates and the rest of Team USA as they compete in Beijing. I am so proud of our SMS squad, Jessie, Julia and Ben, for making the team and can't wait to see what they have in store for us! LFG USA!!