Training & Tomfoolery

I just spent the last month in Utah doing equal parts training and tomfoolery ie biathlon training and an Imagine Dragons concert (and so much more!)

If you have been with me, then you may remember I wrote about this same camp last year. I had super productive training and felt amazing at altitude (up until I crashed and got a concussion but that’s beside the point.) So my expectations were high for another great camp, and they were met!

Same as last year, I did 4 weeks of training at altitude and a two-race biathlon series. What was different, this year, was we got out there 2 weeks earlier, had the Canadian National Team join in on the fun, and the races were mid-camp rather than at the end. I have mixed feelings about moving camp up 2 weeks. On one hand, earlier meant better weather and less risk of rain and snow. On the other hand, earlier also meant being ready to race and almost mini peak 2 months before the ski season even starts. I feel I am in the crawl phase of still building fitness and confidence so I would have liked 2 more months to prepare!

However, this does not negate the absolute blast that we had in Utah. As mentioned, we had a big group to train with and it made me excited to get up every day. In Vermont, I don’t have the opportunity to train with other women every day, so it was an amazing opportunity to get on skis with women from across the country to push ourselves and get stronger. I look at the current women’s field and think to myself, “I want their confidence, I want their experience, I want to be like them.” Imitation is flattery, right? Additionally, it is my personal mission to get more women on the National Guard Biathlon Team and grow the sport of biathlon as a whole.

Of course training was the priority for this block, but plenty of tomfoolery was had. The highlight was probably the Imagine Dragons concert in Salt Lake City. There were food trucks and a great atmosphere and we were home by a reasonable hour! We also played a lot of Uno and Cribbage, ate at a lot of good restaurants, and socialised like we would never run out of things to say. I left Utah for a weekend to see the family in Wyoming and that was full of its own tomfoolery like riding horses, sharing giggles with my sister’s new baby, and going through my childhood closet, laughing at the fact the only clothes I have left are prom dresses and my letterman jacket.

Utah is also the headquarters for Bucked Up. Bucked Up is a fitness and wellness supplement company that sets themselves apart from their competitors by using deer antler velvet extract. Deer naturally shed their velvet every year, so rather than go to “waste,” it is harvested. This is a great way to get sustainable protein, and, most importantly, it tastes delicious.

While at altitude, it is really important to fuel so that your body can recover faster. I had a Buckfeed protein shake after morning trainings. If you are interested in their products, you can use my athlete support code for 20% off! 20ZOE A percentage of sales comes directly to me to support my biathlon pursuits :)

What is the lesson I learned on this trip? Train hard, recover hard, but remember to have fun along the way!