Safety is Sexy
The title was meant to catch your eye, but I feel I have to write this out in chronological order. So if you stick with me, I swear I will explain what safety is sexy means!
Vermont really has become a second home and I was excited to come back after my spring and early summer in Alaska and Oregon. I also really missed my bed, it is very comfortable and has a very cool (as in cold) comforter so I sleep like an absolute rock. The combination of good sleep and good training gave me two awesome weeks of training.
There was play mixed in with work as I visited southern Vermont with my friend, Leah, where we went on an epic gravel bike ride exploring her hometown, followed by an exquisite extended family dinner to include the largest dog I have ever seen. Then, a very hot and humid run was followed by jumping into my friend Allie’s backyard pool; this is summer after all!
Completely unrelated, when I initially left Vermont, I put food in the freezer. An unexpected outcome was I stored my blueberry muffins next to the jalapeños and now my muffins are spicy! I had no idea the pepper was strong enough to transfer like that. I mention this as a silly anecdote and maybe a cautionary tale to learn from.
My time back in Vermont was, sadly, brief. Our team had the opportunity to go to Utah for early season rollerski biathlon races, so our staff encouraged us to go. The races were not anything particularly exciting so I will save you the boring details. There were strange circumstances such as no matched ski protocol (this means everyone on the same skis for fairness) so it was a free-for-all, and Soldier Hollow was repaving majority of the race course so we were squeezed onto a smaller loop. Despite these odd aspects, I had fun and got to enjoy the wildflowers in full bloom.
As luck would have it, an opportunity fell in my lap, or should I say inbox. The Anchorage Biathlon Club emailed our team requesting an athlete representative to be at their endurance camp, so I got the chance to go back to Alaska.
The camp was a blast and we put in some really good work. My favorite activity was probably the first day when we drove to Hope, Alaska to hike Hope Point. Other highlights: we rollerskied 50km, with some of the older boys doubling down and skiing 100km (!), and enjoyed snacks around the campfire. If any young biathletes are reading this, you must do this camp next year.
As we were rolling out for another epic day of biking and running, coach Jean shouted for everyone to be careful as there are some rough pavement patches and no one needs to get hurt. I turned to him and said I was taught to always wear a helmet because safety is sexy. It is a catchy phrase and has stayed with me since I first heard it, which is the goal, I suppose. We shared a laugh at the play on words not knowing that a helmet would play a vital role just a few hours later.
While biking, an older couple on e-bikes were swerving and going way too fast and cut me off resulting in me crashing really hard, really fast. I slammed onto my right side to include my head. My first thought was immediately no no no noooo I can’t do this again. I just had a concussion in October, I just moved past all my injuries, why can’t I just be healthy for once?!
I got a mild concussion from that and spent the next several days sleeping 10 hours at night with another 3 hour nap in the middle of the day. My head was screaming at me to heal so I listened. Not to mention my skin was deeply road rashed/burned off so I diligently cleaned and bandaged it. If you are ever, god forbid, in the same situation, Xeroform in an incredible healing agent. After leaning into what my body needed, I have healed incredibly well and incredibly fast.
My helmet took majority of the damage and truly saved my head. The bike took a fair amount of damage, as well, which is a cost I would have rather not accrued. So. WEAR YOUR HELMET. Skin grows back, helmets/bikes/shoes can be replaced, your brain and life cannot. Safety IS Sexy! If you made it through all the events that happened before my unceremonious crash to find out what the heck the title meant, then I applaud you.
And last but not least, I believe I have mentioned the company Bucked Up before. I have been an avid user of their products as they supplement my lifestyle and, frankly, their protein power is just delicious! It was a no brainer to join their team! They gave me the code 20ZOE to be used at check out for 20% off your order. And to be 100% transparent, this is also a great opportunity as they send me a percentage of sales which goes directly to supporting my biathlon expenses. So if you are in the market for some workout powders and want to support me at the same time, this is how to do it!
