January 17, 2010: Another Costly Mistake

 

Nendaz World Cup

Nendaz, Switzerland – There were a lot of high hopes coming into today. Last training day was great, my body was recuperating and overall I was feeling pretty good. We had done cold baths a couple of times which consisted of sitting in a bathtub of 55 degree water (although I’m convinced it was colder than that; we didn’t have a thermometer) for at least 5 minutes, and while painful at the time, my legs appreciated it afterwards. Everything on my side at least was in alignment. I was in good spirits.

This morning had a bit of personal drama that put me in a foul mood and took my mental energy away from what I needed to focus on: racing. I know that mentally tough athletes should not be easily susceptible to such things, but unfortunately this emotional matter gnawed at me relentlessly until I confronted it. I don’t know how much it took away from me; it only consumed me on the rides up the poma lift when I wanted to be in my nothing box. Once I was riding and at the start I was able to refocus on the race.

For the qualifications, I was in the last pair again but racing with a fast girl. Because we have similar points, we have been racing with each other for a lot of the season. And while it’s great to race someone that is typically faster than you, it tends to make me take too straight a line which ends up being slower. So my focus today was to keep it round and keep my own line, and look where I wanted to turn above the stubby, and not directly at the stubby.

I came out of the start gate but for the first few turns I thought, “My boots feel too loose.” The girl I was racing got ahead of me but I refocused and told myself to keep my own line. I got into a rhythm and started gaining on her but I cranked out a heelside too much in the flats and flung out of line. Now had it not snowed a bunch the night before I might have been fine and able to maintain my speed, but the buildup of slipped out snow from the line was like riding in jello. I knew right then and there that any chance of a second run disappeared just as all my speed had, and I finished the run in a dismal 48^th.

Another mistake. But I guess that’s what racing is all about; it’s not just about being the fastest, but also about who makes less mistakes and who makes great recoveries. I don’t know if I was in an acceptance mode or what, but I wasn’t in tears. It was a challenging course and I did the best. I can’t be upset about that. With one more race to go I’ve got to keep my head up high and keep moving forward.

Nendaz World Cup