Quietly Busy
Quietly busy has been how I have described much of the Spring and Summer. It began in May, with the start of the new training year, through the summer months, and into the first early, chilly mornings of the approaching Fall. Unique and incredible experiences were always happening or coming up, but there were also quieter periods that let me train or reflect. With less focus on travelling for training, I filled the time with other travel for my roles as an Athlete rep, or back to PEI on a few occasions: a pleasant whirlwind-and-calm mix for much of the training year so far. Overall, I found a balance that let me put together some great training throughout the training season. Everything came together with great timing and flow. As the weeks and months built on each other, I was happy to see and feel improvements toward the end of Summer that let me look forward to the final few months of preparation before the upcoming competitive season arrives.
The Spring rushed by with several events happening after the rush of the Games, but there were times when it slowed right down. By design. I designated it as a time to rest, recover, and reflect. There was so much to absorb, understand, accept and analyze.
From the Games themselves to the immediate preparation beforehand, be that the physical, mental and emotional aspects. Then considering the four years that led to these, my fifth Paralympic Winter Games. One surprise I didn't expect to hit as hard as it did was taking the time to reflect on and acknowledge, beyond the past four years, a career that now spans over two decades. I hadn't taken the time or focused on seeing how far I had come. Sailors used to say that as they travelled towards the edges of the map, ‘There be dragons here’; hence the historical inclusion of a dragon in the open spaces of maps near the edges. There were times throughout spring and early summer when I might have agreed with the sailors. The map showing how far I’d come was running out of space, and I was certainly near the edges—searching for my dragons. That is maybe where I want to be. The curiosity of what’s next. Searching for the unknown, or the next challenge. I no longer have a map to guide me; instead, I get to pick a direction and, if I’m willing, set the course deep into the unknown. That is what excites me: to see how far I can go. It would be a lot easier to wait for the unknown to reach me, but why did I train so hard if I wasn’t going to race toward the unknown and see what might happen? This desire to reflect on my career may come from the fact that I have teammates who are younger than my skiing career. In part, I know it comes from the fact that I'm closer to the end of my career than the beginning. And to be clear, there is a forward. My career is ongoing! I just needed some time and the opportunities to see how the next story would go. Essentially, I needed to know what is still on the list of what I would like to achieve before I call it. And for fun, what can I still add to that list?
One of the summer training highlights was wrapping up a volume block with the final week back on PEI. It's been a long time since I had a big training week on the Island. It was fun to put in big hours somewhere that I don’t usually train. That included bringing my road bike and getting in some rides. One of those rides was a long four-hour ride, where I charged across much of the Island. My parents dropped me off near the eastern end of the Confederation Trail, and I biked westward along the many landscapes that make up the Island’s beauty. I might have started a little hot, but I charged well past my expected endpoint and covered over 105 kms in my planned four hours. Conveniently ending at Frosty Treat, a dairy bar and iconic summer treat. A perfect place for lunch. I also discovered a few new roads or areas to roller ski. As my first week home was the end of a three-week volume block, I got to enjoy my second week as a recovery week on the Island.
In a special nod to memorable experiences from a long time away, I had the honour of being a special guest in the Gold Cup Parade in August. I recall being part of the War Amps of Canada float in the parade for years, first as one of the passengers and later as a safety walker alongside the float. Those were special times, and funny enough, I could no longer participate in the parade because I was usually in New Zealand at a training camp. But in a fun full-circle moment this year, I was able to return to the Island for Old Home Week and take part in the parade once again. It was probably 20 years since I last took part in the Gold Cup Parade. It was my fourth trip back to the Island since April. It matched perfectly with a rest week, the final one of the summer, before the fall kicks into high gear.
I tend to see this time of year as summer shifts into fall, with everything picking up speed. A lot is happening with training, preparation, and eventually racing, and it's not far away anymore. Next week I’m off for an altitude training camp, then briefly coming home. Only home long enough to get through two school midterms before heading out again. This time it’s a short stint in Munich, returning to compete at the LoopOne festival. Returning from that means the start of skiing on snow here in Canmore, as Frozen Thunder is once again laid out just after Thanksgiving. And two weeks after that, it is race season. The season starts with Biathlon Canada trials in the first week of November, before the competitive season starts in earnest at the end of November. The week following that, it is off to Vuokatti, Finland, to begin a new World Cup campaign. That list is only the highlights of the next 14 weeks. As I said, everything seems to ramp up starting now!
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