The Come Back

My morning started out very rushed even though I got up early. When I woke up, I looked at my sled and had this crazy feeling that I had made the wrong runner choice. I was convinced it was too warm for the ones that I had prepared so I ran outside in my PJs to check things out. Despite the sideways snow, the air felt warmer than yesterday so I had to make a quick decision. I ran a piece of sandpaper over the other set and threw them on my sled… needless to say, they weren’t as pretty as the ones I spent and hour and a half polishing the night before but “oh well”. Ends up… it’s a good thing I listened to my gut.
(Having a little fun keeping my helmet warm under my jacket so it doesn't fog up down the track)

Talk about a bitter sweet race. I was first off for the women and the snow was coming down 10 times faster than they could sweep the start. I wasn’t as relaxed as I would like to be and I had some trouble the top of the track. By the time I reached the bottom half, I didn’t have any speed to carry me through the finish line… I was further back in the pack than I have ever been. I sat at the bottom and watched all 8 sliders after me beat me by nearly a second. I’ve never felt like such a failure in a race. I didn’t understand what was so different from my sliding during training and now… what was I doing so drastically wrong? The truck brought us back to the top and I stood watching the next 5 girls put down faster times than I did. I honestly didn’t think I was going to get a second run so I went downstairs and actually took my speed suit off. I didn’t have many thoughts in my head at the time but I was overwhelmed with disappointment. Ends up I was 17th which gave me a second heat. It was my last shot with nothing to lose… I went to the line with a determined smile on my face and got a little angry at the track. Apparently my attitude worked because I had one of my best runs all week. My time was over a second faster than my first and jumped 8 spots in the rankings. I finished top 10 in 9th place, which felt great. Let me tell you… it feels so much better to move up your second run than drop back like yesterday (that was brutal)! It proved that I really did have the ability to race fast here but it’s unfortunate that I had to waste the three runs prior to prove it. However, that’s racing. It doesn’t always go the way you want it to but there’s usually a silver lining to learn from. Less is more on this track… I won’t forget that again! haha
I had fun in Italy this week… it’s one of my favorite places on tour. We had beautiful weather all week (except our two race days). I head off to Igls, Austria (near Innsbruck) in the morning, which should be about a 6hr drive. We don’t start sliding until Thursday so it will be nice to have a few days off. The crew plans on doing a little sightseeing but I may stay behind since I’m not feeling well. I’m trying to kick a head cold I’ve had all week so I’m looking forward to the rest!