Training
Skiing and running have taught me many things. They have contributed so much to my life that it is very difficult to imagine it without them. Over the years, I have discovered that training can either be exciting and rewarding or difficult and physically draining. Of course, no one wants to experience the latter but it is a part of figuring out what you need as an athlete.
I have very distinct memories from eighth and ninth grade and some very difficult skis and experiences. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I do now and I have found that a lot of this is because of how my training and physical ability have changed.
Since ninth grade, there are five things I have distinctly changed about my lifestyle and training:
1) I gave up another sport (gymnastics) to dedicate more time and energy to skiing and also to improve, BUT through this, I lost much of the strength conditioning I was doing so I have learned that I must go in mornings and work it into my schedule.
2) I have worked a lot more on working on specific things on specific skis and days. I have started to go on much longer skis on the weekends and also learned to lengthen each ski, even if only by ten minutes, because ten minutes every day truly does add up. I have also learned that interval days are very important, but so are easy days, distance days, and technique-specific days.
3) AGILITY. This summer specifically, I worked on much more agility than I had in the past and I have found that it has helped in my training and ability on skis. It has greatly contributed to an increased comfort on both rollerskis and snow skis.
4) I have worked on my nutritional intake. I have not limited my diet or really excluded much (although I have never really eaten much meat), but instead, I have learned to eat certain things and what is best for my body. This doesn’t mean I will never eat a cookie, it just means I won’t eat ten in one sitting. I have learned to control what I eat as well as eating many more salads for lunch and bringing vegetables and fruits more often than chips, pretzels, crackers, etc.
5) Finally, I have really worked hard on making a training plan, especially in the past year. I have found that it is very helpful to know what you are doing to get to your goals and writing what you do down, rather than playing it by year (although that seems okay). I have also really recognized the significance of taking heart rate and paying more attention to the additional aspects of training, not just ski sessions.
By learning to change small things, I have also improved my racing and training in general. This whole journey since eighth grade has been one big rollercoaster, but I have found just how much fun it is to train seriously and race faster year by year. I’m not really sure where I’m going or what I’m doing in the future far from now but I’m really enjoying training and racing so I’m going to let it take me where it takes me... 🤷♀️
I have very distinct memories from eighth and ninth grade and some very difficult skis and experiences. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I do now and I have found that a lot of this is because of how my training and physical ability have changed.
Since ninth grade, there are five things I have distinctly changed about my lifestyle and training:
1) I gave up another sport (gymnastics) to dedicate more time and energy to skiing and also to improve, BUT through this, I lost much of the strength conditioning I was doing so I have learned that I must go in mornings and work it into my schedule.
2) I have worked a lot more on working on specific things on specific skis and days. I have started to go on much longer skis on the weekends and also learned to lengthen each ski, even if only by ten minutes, because ten minutes every day truly does add up. I have also learned that interval days are very important, but so are easy days, distance days, and technique-specific days.
3) AGILITY. This summer specifically, I worked on much more agility than I had in the past and I have found that it has helped in my training and ability on skis. It has greatly contributed to an increased comfort on both rollerskis and snow skis.
4) I have worked on my nutritional intake. I have not limited my diet or really excluded much (although I have never really eaten much meat), but instead, I have learned to eat certain things and what is best for my body. This doesn’t mean I will never eat a cookie, it just means I won’t eat ten in one sitting. I have learned to control what I eat as well as eating many more salads for lunch and bringing vegetables and fruits more often than chips, pretzels, crackers, etc.
5) Finally, I have really worked hard on making a training plan, especially in the past year. I have found that it is very helpful to know what you are doing to get to your goals and writing what you do down, rather than playing it by year (although that seems okay). I have also really recognized the significance of taking heart rate and paying more attention to the additional aspects of training, not just ski sessions.
By learning to change small things, I have also improved my racing and training in general. This whole journey since eighth grade has been one big rollercoaster, but I have found just how much fun it is to train seriously and race faster year by year. I’m not really sure where I’m going or what I’m doing in the future far from now but I’m really enjoying training and racing so I’m going to let it take me where it takes me... 🤷♀️
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