The recent lack of snow in Bozeman has not slowed the PRO Team down. The team has been keeping the foot on the gaswhile wrapping up our last training block before the season.
After an on-snow camp in Canmore, BC in early November, we returned to Bozeman with hopes of early season snow. Alas, now it is the monthof December, and still, the same wish for snow lingers.
Having no snow this time of year can be a challenge mentally as feelings of burn out and dwindling motivation might be present. We spend a lot of time on our roller skis during the summer and fall months and are itching for a change as the temperatures drop. However, this team has done an incredible job of keeping each other motivated and staying focused on goals. While waiting for the snow to fly, it is important to stay adaptable. The ability to adapt training based on constraints, like climate, location, sickness, or fatigue, is a useful skill. It is often easy to become fixated with a training plan, the number of hours or type of training listed. I have found myself in a position where I am so focused on training x amount of hours in a week that I do not listen to what my body is telling me.Additionally, I would have feelings of inadequacy or doubt if I cut out training session because I was tired. So, after a few years of struggling with these feelings, I decided to make a change. I allowed myself to listen to my body and to cut or add training when appropriate. I also allowed myself to mix up summer training a bit more by adding in mountain biking, for example, instead of an afternoon run. These are some ways in which I have taught myself to be more adaptable, so that when there is not enough snow to ski and the roads are too icy for roller skiing, I am not anxious about deviating from my training by hopping on the spin bike. As a team, we have done a great job staying flexible and patient while having fun as we wait for snow.
One way the PRO Team kept it fun was by a visit to a local elementary school. The lesson of the day was understanding what a goal is, learning how to set one, and recognizing that there are often many steps lying between the present and the achievement of that goal. The kids were eager to share with us what a goal was to them and what their goals were. Before learning the movements of nordic skiing, Hannah lead a warmup snow dance to get us all loose and limber. For those of you who have not heard of a snow dance, it is a combination of meticulously choreographed dance moves aimed to please the snow gods so they will sprinkle snow down on us. It has yet to work, so maybe Hannah had the moves wrong.Anyway, after the snow dance, Andy taught the kids the movements of classic and skate skiing and we played red light, green light while jumping though the grass with our best skate and classic impressions. There was a set of obstacle courses set up consisting of cones to weave about practicing the newly learned techniques and a few jumping and ducking features. The kids got a chance to ask us all questions ski related. We chatted favorite place to ski, how fast you can go on skis and about the equipment. As silly as it sounds, I think the PROTeam walked out of there with equally valuable lessons. It was a reminder that sports are powerful, and it teaches the value of teamwork, achieving a goal and even how to work through times of loss or failure. It also was a reminder to have fun and enjoy what we do because it is pretty dang cool!
Looking forward, the season starts in a week with the SuperTour opener in Anchorage, Alaska. Most of us arrived inAnchorage on Monday to get a bit of on snow time before the first race. Over the last month, training has begun to shift to get ready to race. The amount of distance and long skis is cut back on and intervals become shorter and harder.There have been a few interval sessions and time trials that have reminded me of what racing pain feels like. However, most of the intervals have been focused on feeling good and practicing moving the body efficiently and fast. We are now gearing up to start racing with focusing on prioritizing rest and recovery. Tune in on Tuesday, December 12th to follow along as the season is kicked off with a skate sprint.
